Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go is the critically acclaimed novel from author, Kazuo Ishiguro. Published in 2005, Never Let Me Go has won many awards and was shortlisted as one of TIMES 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923-2005. I was lucky enough to be provided with a review copy of Never Let Me Go from The Folio Society. An online bookstore that creates THE most beautiful editions of classics and other literary goodness. They're of top quality and every book is illustrated with beautiful artwork! They are a little on the pricer side but these are the kind of books that will last forever! Check them out at The Folio Society!

(Goodreads) From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Daycomes a devastating new novel of innocence, knowledge, and loss. As children Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were. 

Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life. And for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special–and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together.

The Short Story? - Set in dystopian England, Never Let Me Go is the coming to age novel of three freinds named Kathy, Ruth and Tommy. Filled with an air of mystery, Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go is a heartbreaking novel about love, hope and loss. Unlike other works of science fiction, Never Let Me Go isn't about cool gadgets or invading species, Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go is a grim interpretation of what the future could hold. Well written and different, Never Let Me Go is a must read for those who like extraordinary stories.

 

(Artwork from The Folio Society Edition of Never Let Me Go)

The Long Story? - This is definitely not a novel for everyone, especially if you feel out of your comfort zone with adult fiction however Never Let Me Go was a beautiful story. Very nostalgic and bittersweet, the novel pans over Kathy's entire life. Starting from her days growing up with Ruth and Tommy in Hailsham, their boarding school to her adulthood as a carer. It's a very passive novel, very slow and at times - boring. There is also this mystery element, we found out very early in the novel that these kids don't have parents so at first I thought they were orphans but the truth is so much worse. I didn't really fully understand what was going on until almost half way through the novel so I'm either slow and Ishiguro is a cracker at keeps things on the hush hush. Never Let Me Go is one of those novels that makes you feel things whether it be anger or grief or love, we're living through Kathy's memories. The ending was absolutely heartbreakingly, to hold out for hope and then for all of it to come crashing down - it's truly bittersweet. Definitely not your typical dystopian!

The characterisation wasn't the best that I've seen but it wasn't bad either. There was someone to love and someone to hate, there were characters that complete the story and more importantly there was a protagonist that was relatable. Kathy was a fabulous narrator but more than that, she was such an easy character to connect with. You can't help but feel a little sorry for her, for Ruth and for Tommy. Ruth wasn't the most likeable character to begin with, she was bossy and selfish and not a very good friend to Kathy and her relationship with Tommy just wasn't what it should have been but as Ruth grew up, I started to understand her. Tommy and Kathy had chemistry from the very start, they were meant to be yet they waited so long to finally get together. It's so sad to see two people who are very much in love being broken apart by life's injustice. I think it was their relationship that really sold me the novel.

I'm not really sure how to go about reviewing this book because it's so different from what I'm used to reading so I have nothing to compare it to. I'm not a huge reader of adult fiction but I did enjoy Never Let Me Go despite the slow pace. It wasn't my favourite book by any standards but it was different and somehow very touching. I completely understand why people would enjoy this novel, it's not everyday that you read something so raw and hopeless. Never Let Me Go is a very powerful novel, not everyone's cup of tea but you won't know until you've picked it up!

What's it Worth? - Squeeze Into The Budget

Badass Bookie xx

The Handmaid's Tale

Review Time! A few months back I was contacted by a lovely publicist about reviewing books for The Folio Society, I've never actually heard of The Folio Society before but when I googled them, I came across this website and they have, no exaggeration, THE most beautiful books in the world. If you appreciate your classics, Folio Society is definitely a place to check out. All their books are finely made, beautifully bound, the artwork on the cover and between the pages are amazing and they all come in a lovely slipcase. Honestly, these are the most beautiful books I've ever seen. I'm so impressed that I'm raving! Thanks to the Folio Society for the review copy!

(Goodreads) Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining fertility, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

The Short Story? - While the story itself is speculative fiction, Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale rings with the fear of what could be. A realistic take on a society where a government is corrupted by religion, where women are breeding machines and playthings and where life is plagued with the fear of retributions. This is definitely not YA and that comes through in the plot and the writing. Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale explores prevalent ideas and themes and takes them to an extreme.

The Long Story? - This definitely isn't something I would normally pick up to read but I'm trying to break out of the YA bubble and become more cultured and where's a better place to start then The Handmaid's Tale? I thought this was a good book, different but good. It's written for a mature audience and even though it is fiction, there is truth behind the words. The world building was done very well, Atwood's Republic of Gilead was well created and I loved how Atwood's gives a play by play of how the United States slowly turned into this corrupted government that is powered by religion. At times I did think the novel was quite slow, there's a lot of thinking and reflecting and not a lot of action and movement which isn't what I would normally turn towards but there is something captivating about Offred's story. The ending leaves a lot of room for imagination and I like to think that Offred got a happy ending after all the hardships and pain she's gone through. I can see where people come from when they say this is a book about women's rights and feminism but ultimately about how religion is used to further power. Definitely a novel that stirs a lot of food for thought!

Some Pictures from Folio Society's Edition of The Handmaid's Tale

Offred as a character sums up the novel itself pretty well. A women in a society where the only value of women is in their ability to reproduce. She lost her family, her rights and her freedom and now lives her days as a plaything and breeding machine for powerful members of authority. It was a little hard to connect with Offred (name which literally means 'Of Fred', Fred being who owns her) at the start because she lacks personality. She almost seemed bland but as the novel progresses we start to see the rebellion and the anger brewing inside her. She dreams of small acts of rebellion and of change. Once I got to know Offred I thought she was a beautifully developed character. Atwood has managed to give her all these human qualities that make her realistic character such as maternal love and materialistic desire and the need for freedom. Overall, I thought Offred was a very symbolic character!

In the end, I didn't love The Handmaid's Tale, it's something that's completely out of my comfort zone but it was a very powerful book. It's one of those novels that even if you didn't love, it will make you think and it will stay with you for a long time. Poignantly beautiful, through Offred, readers see a society corrupted by religion and learn to appreciate freedom as it is. Atwood's novel of religious corruption, political injustice and women inequality offers readers honest speculative fiction!

What's it Worth? - Squeeze into the Budget

Badass Bookie xx