Klara and the Sun

A Novel

By: Kazuo Ishiguro

Narrated by: Sura Siu

Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Long-listed, Booker Prize, 2021

Short-listed, Prometheus Award, 2022

New York Times best seller

Once in a great while, a book comes along that changes our view of the world. This magnificent novel from the Nobel laureate and author of Never Let Me Go is “an intriguing take on how artificial intelligence might play a role in our futures...a poignant meditation on love and loneliness” (The Associated Press).

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick

“What stays with you in Klara and the Sun is the haunting narrative voice - a genuinely innocent, egoless perspective on the strange behavior of humans obsessed and wounded by power, status and fear.” (Booker Prize committee)

Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: What does it mean to love?

©2021 Kazuo Ishiguro (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • A BOOKER PRIZE NOMINEE • GOOD MORNING AMERICA Book Club Pick • ONE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR • ONE OF BILL GATES'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Time, NPR, Washington Post, Vogue, USA Today, Town & Country, The Guardian, Vulture, and more

“One of the most affecting and profound novels Ishiguro has written….I'll go for broke and call Klara and the Sun a masterpiece that will make you think about life, mortality, the saving grace of love: in short, the all of it.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR

“A delicate, haunting story, steeped in sorrow and hope.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post

“What stays with you in ‘Klara and the Sun’ is the haunting narrative voice—a genuinely innocent, egoless perspective on the strange behavior of humans obsessed and wounded by power, status and fear.”—Booker Prize committee

Very interesting read

Thoroughly enjoyable and provocative of all those existential questions...you know the ones. "What's it all about Alfie?"

For Star Trek fans it reminded me of an episode when the question of whether or not Data was a sentient being was at issue.

The novel is ripe with situations exploring what makes us human and when we fall short of expectations we can see in our short fallings the sadness that creates arguments, insensitivities, prejudices as well as incredible loneliness .

Wonderful

I could not put it down. Listened to it in one day. So sad. But beautiful.

Stellar

The narrator is amazing and the story always fresh as Kazuo Ishiguro always is! Loved everything about this, if you’re already a fan, it will hold up beautifully!

Thought provoking story

Beautifully written novel with profound observations of our values and behavior. Ishiguro has a skillful way with language, expressing tangible and intangible ideas with a amazingly unique perspective. The book was a pleasure.

But narrator was awful - she has an unpleasant lilt to her diction which doesn’t change as the story and characters change.

Simple Sci-Fi

Suspenseful in the beginning but once the story line progressed I found the writing style underwhelming. Would recommend to a young adult reader though there was nothing too spectacular.

Brilliant, Intelligent, Moving

I loved this book. It has soul. I agree with another reviewer who described it as "delicately yet expansively mind-blowing". Ishiguro deflty reveals his human characters to be both complex and redeemable, even as they act from unconscious patterns and learn from their own feelings. The AF character, Clara, is caring, psychically creative and resourceful, going on intuition to meet her own life-source as an equal in a beautiful animate self-designed ritual. Her actions provide a clear roadmap of the course and the attitude humanity must take if we are to learn to survive as a species.

A unique book

This book is the most unique sci-fi meets novel meets introspective book I’ve ever read.

Amazing !

Ishiguro is a genius. This book reaches deep into your heart , a place
he knows well. It is deep and funny and sometimes sly. The name
Melania was not an accident nor was the foul cootings machine
which blocked the sun. I loved this book
E.L.

Futuristic children’s tale for adults

A children’s tale for adults in a timeless format full of the fears of parents, the magical potential of technology to overcome the parents dreams and excess, and the abandoned life children leave behind when they grow up. A timely tale for the pandemic centered on recreating the memory of a child’s life within a geoengineered future trying to surpass the threats of our consumptive lifestyles.

Not what I expected

First let say the story isn't bad, just not what I expected. To call this a Sci-fi story would be a huge mistake. I bought this thinking it was more, exciting. Nope. Again, the story is well written but I had a hard time staying interested. If you're looking for Sci-fi look elsewhere.