Klara and the Sun: A GMA Book Club Pick: A novel (Vintage International)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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!
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?
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?
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Community Reviews
thenextgoodbook.com
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
303 pages
I would love to give this one 4 1/2 stars but bumped it to 5 just because it was so thought provoking.
What’s it about?
Klara is an AF (artificial friend) waiting in a store window when she first sees Josie. Josie is a teenager and wants to buy Klara as soon as she sees her. Josie asks Klara to wait for her- she promises to return. Klara waits patiently, and as she waits we begin to see her kindness and her excellent observational abilities. When Josie comes back Klara can see that Josie is very ill and she is determined to help her. Klara will need all her skills to make a difference in this situation.
What did it make me think about?
Loneliness, faith, and what constitutes a human being.
Should I read it?
I can not tell you exactly why I like this book so much. The plot and characters often seem opaque. The glimpses Ishiguro gives us are thought provoking but so vague that different people will probably glean different messages. A.I. presents so many interesting and troubling ethical questions. Klara and the Sun touches on some of these possibilities. Just fascinating!
Quote-
" 'Yes. Until recently, I didn't think that humans could choose loneliness. That there were sometimes forces more powerful than the wish to avoid loneliness.' "
If you liked this try-
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Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
303 pages
I would love to give this one 4 1/2 stars but bumped it to 5 just because it was so thought provoking.
What’s it about?
Klara is an AF (artificial friend) waiting in a store window when she first sees Josie. Josie is a teenager and wants to buy Klara as soon as she sees her. Josie asks Klara to wait for her- she promises to return. Klara waits patiently, and as she waits we begin to see her kindness and her excellent observational abilities. When Josie comes back Klara can see that Josie is very ill and she is determined to help her. Klara will need all her skills to make a difference in this situation.
What did it make me think about?
Loneliness, faith, and what constitutes a human being.
Should I read it?
I can not tell you exactly why I like this book so much. The plot and characters often seem opaque. The glimpses Ishiguro gives us are thought provoking but so vague that different people will probably glean different messages. A.I. presents so many interesting and troubling ethical questions. Klara and the Sun touches on some of these possibilities. Just fascinating!
Quote-
" 'Yes. Until recently, I didn't think that humans could choose loneliness. That there were sometimes forces more powerful than the wish to avoid loneliness.' "
If you liked this try-
The Circle by Dave Eggers
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
Still trying to figure out the point of this book. It vaguely reminded me of AI/Supertoys Last All Summer Long, except it did not move me in any way to care what happened to any of the characters, whether human or robot.
I just finished this book and I think I'm still absorbing it... ... ...
I'm not quite sure how to feel about it.
I'm not quite sure how to feel about it.
Beautifully written like most Kazuo Ishiguro novels. The narrator Klara is an AI "Artifical Friend" chosen by a 14-year old girl as a companion in a sci-fi world where children are all taught remotely and lacking in personal interaction.
A bit of a mash-up of Never Let Me Go (dystopian near future not overly different from our own) and Remains of the Day (first person narrative from a 'servant' to the family). I remember loving both of those books more but still appreciate this one for its ruminations on family, class, and the ethics of AI and genetic modification.
Ishiguro is one of my favorite authors - his novel Never Let Me Go among my very favorite books. Like Margaret Atwood, he’s able to create futuristic worlds with deep humanity, linking what’s happening today with possible future outcomes without compromising a strong emotional core. Klara and the Sun is one such story, delving into the complex topic of artificial intelligence. Is it possible for AI to replicate the soul of a human? To love? And most importantly, are we as humans capable of loving the replication. Beautifully told and, leaving me with so many contradicting thoughts and ideas on the subject. I’ve given the work only 4 out of 5 stars because - especially compared to Never Let Me Go - I feel Klara lacks complexity and compelling unfolding of Ishiguro’s other works. Definitely worth the read.
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