What do people here think of the novels of Kazuo Ishiguro? I haven't read one, but I've seen the film of The Remains of the Day and now Never Let Me Go. They both seem quite deep, poetic, stories. I've had a quick look inside' of Never Let Me Go and I was quite taken by the writing, even though there was nothing flashy about the excerpt that I read. Who has read his novels, and what did you think?
I've not read any of the novels, but I did see the film that was made from Never Let Me Go. I know that sounds really pedestrian to say, but... Terribly sad story, and though based on an unworkable premiss in real life, that should never be a deal-breaker for Science Fiction, even Social Science Fiction.
I'm still watching the film. At no point do I feel the need to be concerned about the plausibility of the premise. I'm caught up in the human side of the story: the depiction of the emotions of the characters.
Exactly. It's my stout belief that this kind of story, or at least this kind of distortion of reality, is the purpose of Science Fiction. It gives a space for the "what if" that let's us ask this question, which in this case is about the value of human life.
I read Never Let Me Go, haven't read anything else by him or seen any movies based on his work. I found NLMG a little disappointing, honestly. The premise is really great and original. But he tries to reveal it slowly over the course of the book, which could be fun except it's totally telegraphed from the first page. I just felt like he deflated the suspense of finding out the deep dark secret of this world he created. After that, the rest of the book felt sort of plodding and unremarkable. So: not terrible, not great. Just my $0.02.
I've finished the film, and had a read of the comments on the IMDB message board for it. I've lost even more faith in the film-watching public.
I second Musil's opinion, and have decided to drop the book following ninety pages. I was fortunate enough to find a few bestsellers of literary written during my lifetime, the last time at the thrift store, but what I think The Remains of the Day will be like attracted me to anything of his. I was expecting a form that focuses more on the experiential and personal, so I'll quit while I still have faith in TRotD -- maybe one day have some cringe-worthy recollections of starchier times.
I read Remains of the Day a few years ago, and was very impressed with how Ishiguro captured the mentality of a butler. I would recommend the book, and also read it a second time. More recently I read An Artist of the Floating World. Of the two, I personally preferred Remains of the Day.
I read Never Let Me Go at the recommendation of a friend who adores the book and I thought it was a total let down. I think I was hoping for characters with a bit more fight in them.
