Tuesday, September 08, 2009

"Never Let Me Go"

Did you like it? Any general impressions? Do you think it deserves to be on TIME's list of top 100 novels?
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2 comments:

kc said...

I didn't love it. Part of the reason I didn't is because I failed to connect in any deep way with the narrator, whose tone I found somewhat monotonous. I read books with a pencil in my hand, ready to note any interesting use of language or something that really pleases me aesthetically, and I don't think I made a single mark in this book. The characters just seemed blank and their conversation banal.

No, I don't think it deserves to be on TIME's list! I don't think any novel written within the past five years should be on that list. A book should at least have to stand the test of time, which should be more than five, or even 10, years, in my opinion. (I would make an exception for "Middlesex," because its "Moby Dick"-caliber greatness is so undeniable). Ishiguro's book feels gimmicky, in a way. And when you look at what books didn't make TIME's list — such as "My Antonia," "The Age of Innocence,"Portrait of a Lady," "Gilead" ... good grief ... its inclusion seems even more absurd.

I didn't hate reading this book. It had some interesting stuff going on. I just don't see what all the fuss is about.

12:19 PM, September 09, 2009
Erin said...

I had a very similar impression. The idea of the novel is interesting, but the style of the narration and the uninteresting characters really drained the life out of it. I think the author has some talent, and I understand what he was going for, but it just didn't work. I also didn't mark anything in the book as interesting or noteworthy. And I agree that the TIME list is crap.

7:53 PM, September 10, 2009

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