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Kazuo Ishiguro
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Klara and the Sun Audio CD

by Kazuo Ishiguro (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 50,811 ratings
Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Klara And The Sun
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Previous page
  1. Language
    English
  2. Dimensions
    7.48 x 1.18 x 5.51 inches
  3. ISBN-10
    1004037139
  4. ISBN-13
    978-1004037131
  5. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

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  1. What's it about?

    Klara, an Artificial Friend, observes the world from her store window, hoping a customer will choose her. The book explores love and loneliness through Klara's eyes, raising questions about AI's role in our future.

  2. Popular highlight

    ‘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.’
    4,239 Kindle readers highlighted this

  3. Popular highlight

    ‘Sufficiently generous and liberal to be open to all students of high caliber, even some who haven’t benefited from genetic editing.’
    4,202 Kindle readers highlighted this

  4. Popular highlight

    ‘Sometimes,’ she said, ‘at special moments like that, people feel a pain alongside their happiness. I’m glad you watch everything so carefully, Klara.’
    3,465 Kindle readers highlighted this
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Product details

  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1004037139
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1004037131
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.48 x 1.18 x 5.51 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 50,811 ratings

About the author

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Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro

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KAZUO ISHIGURO was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1954 and moved to Britain at the age of five. His eight previous works of fiction have earned him many honors around the world, including the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Booker Prize. His work has been translated into over fifty languages, and The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, both made into acclaimed films, have each sold more than 2 million copies. He was given a knighthood in 2018 for Services to Literature. He also holds the decorations of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star from Japan.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
50,811 global ratings
A book hard to forget
4 Stars
A book hard to forget
This was my second book by Kazuo Ishiguro. The first one I read was The Remains of the Day which I thought it was an ok book, but not great. I liked Klara and the Sun much more than The Remains of the Day. This novel is told from the point of view of an AI machine, nominated as AF (Artificial Friend), called Klara who is programmed to be a companion to a child.Klara is kind of unique if compared to other AFs. She is very perceptive and very observant of what is going on, she is constantly trying to piece things together and make sense of human behavior. So at the beginning of this novel Klara is on a display in a department store and, according to the store manager she has an "appetite for observing and learning, has the most sophisticated understanding of any AF in this store”.The AFs are powered by sunlight and require this light to function correctly. That explains the importance of the Sun for Klara. One day, Klara ends up being picked up by a teenage girl named Josie who has some health problems going on. Klara becomes very devoted to Josie, and faces a lot of challenges at Josie’s home in their family dynamics. So the reader gets to follow Klara’s experience in this household and the dynamic with Josie ‘s family.The plot unfolds gradually. Ishiguro reveals little by little information to the reader, making this story heartbreaking and moving. The book discusses what makes people human, what makes human lives valuable, in what ways humans interact with one another, how technology interferes in our lives, but also shines light on loneliness, parenting, friendship, and mortality.My heart ached seeing Klara’s struggles to make Josie feel better, cure her illness, even though she had no idea how to do that. Her plan to help Josie may seem childlike but her desire to help is legit and heartwarming. Klara is a machine but the more you read this novel more human she seems to become. She is a deeply compelling protagonist. Beautifully written, Klara and the Sun is one of these books hard to forget.
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Top reviews from the United States

Amy Mitz
5.0 out of 5 stars Essence
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2021
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Just finished reading this extraordinary book. To me it is about Essence of the Soul: human, animal, plant, object. This is not so much a book about the ethical values of the development of AIs, as it is a social and spiritual commentary. Klara is essentially an obedient slave, yet we already know she has abilities and an emotional spirit that, in its simplicity packs more power than the weighed down spirits of the humans. This is about Essence, because we know from the beginning that Klara has a soul because her differences are emphasized. Yet by the end of the book we learn that one soul cannot replace another. That is the message here. Because the soul is unfathomable. That is why we never get to really know or are fully shown the other characters. They are not undeveloped. They are purposefully left veiled. A strong theme here of secrets and unsaid thoughts runs through the novel to its ambiguous end. Also the limitations of Klara's understanding of human conversations let us know we are only getting pieces of the story. Klara is the only fully developed character and yet we marvel at both her limitations and her powers. We see life through her eyes and you have to be a robot (purposeful irony here) not to FEEL things through her eyes. She has goodness and fantastic far reaching insight but no one, including Klara, even with all her uncanny abilities, can predict outcomes. There are so many other layers that beg discussion about the nature of her character, for example how she addresses bad and evil and including her treatment. Essence however is unfathomable and so is Klara's. This Artificial Friend is no different than any animal, earthly being, object or anything contained in the universe.... all of these "realities" are ultimately unfathomable and inscrutable as parts of the miracles and mysteries of existence. We are taught love in unexpected places at unexpected times, even by objects that are not real. In some ways this book reminded me of Toy Story! Imagine that! An Artificial Friend teaches us Love is Real. In fact this so called Artificial Friend teaches us Essence, that is, Love may be the most unfathomable inscrutable essence and gift available to us all, but it is also the most steadfast.......and real.
5 people found this helpful
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Timothy Haugh
4.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best of the Rest
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2021
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Mr. Ishiguro has written two novels that I consider truly great: The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go. I’ve enjoyed his other novels as well, though I don’t consider them in the same category of his two triumphs. I would consider Klara and the Sun in the category one of the best of the rest.

Initially, I was very taken with this story of an AF (Artificial Friend) named Klara waiting in a store for a child to choose her. Clearly, Klara is different from many of the AFs around her. She is perceptive and meditative. Unlike most other AFs who are focused only on getting chosen and obeying, Klara tries to understand not only the child with whom she ends up but also the world in a more complete way. The reader feels that she might be on the cusp of becoming human. It is a fascinating premise.

Once Klara is chosen by a sickly teen named Josie and goes home with her, however, things start to go astray. Mr. Ishiguro has always been an expert at pulling deeply on emotions while exploring deep philosophical questions. He does the same here, but it doesn’t quite come off, for a few reasons. First, there is a lot going on here. As we see this world entirely through Klara’s eyes, it takes a long time to figure out what is actually happening with Josie, her family and friends, and how this (dystopian?) society works. This means that the plot relies too much on too many “surprising” revelations.

More importantly, though Mr. Ishiguro is asking important questions here about technology, humanity, and faith, the plumbing of philosophic depths in this novel is rather too simplistic. For example, Josie’s best friend and next door neighbor, Rick, provides a too obvious counterpoint to what is happening with Josie. Most problematic, however, is the Klara’s faith in the sun which runs through the novel. A rather obvious metaphor for human faith in a higher power, it almost makes the idea of faith seem silly.

Mr. Ishiguro is a powerful writer. Despite its flaws, I was drawn into this story and enjoyed reading it. I was often moved, often searching, often surprised. Still, when I reached the end, I felt a bit let down. I think I felt more manipulated by this novel than I usually am by his work, which was disappointing.
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Karen Elizabeth Pereyra Havens
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, great writer.
Reviewed in Mexico on August 18, 2023
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Anyone who enjoys science fiction, will love it!
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tomek
5.0 out of 5 stars You should read it
Reviewed in Canada on January 18, 2023
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If you like how Kazuo Ishiguro bends ordinary life into a riveting narrative - this one is a must, much like the rest of this books. Read it, you will be happier for it.

Klara and the Sun is a thought-provoking novel that explores the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. The story centers around Klara, an AI "artificial friend" designed for companionship. As Klara begins to develop consciousness, she grapples with the question of what it means to be alive. The novel raises important ethical questions about the treatment of AI and the blurred lines between humanity and technology. The writing is evocative and the story is well-crafted. Overall, Klara and the Sun is a thought-provoking read that will leave you questioning the nature of consciousness and the potential consequences of creating sentient machines.
One person found this helpful
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Daniel Swede
2.0 out of 5 stars Dull and void of big i
Reviewed in Sweden on May 5, 2024
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I so wanted to enjoy this novel but in the end I found the characters unengaging and very little plot to speak of.
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Kasis
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent comme d’habitude
Reviewed in France on March 10, 2024
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Avec cet auteur visionnaire. Un conte pour le XXè siècle un peu à la manière de Never let me go.
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helix
5.0 out of 5 stars Weird and fascinating
Reviewed in Germany on November 1, 2023
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A strange kind of dystopian novel that only hints at the flaws in the society it portrays through the eyes of the "artificial friend" Klara, whose understanding of the world around her is partial and fragmented, limited by the constraints of her technology - and who is, in some ways, more human than the human characters she interacts with. Not an easy read but well worth it.
2 people found this helpful
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