2021-11-10

Kazuo ISHIGURO : Klara and the sun - Klara et le soleil (review in English, chronique en français)

From the best-selling author of Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day, a stunning new novel—his first since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature—about the wondrous, mysterious nature of the human heart.
From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, 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, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.
In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love ?
 
Klara est une AA, une Amie Artificielle, un robot de pointe ultraperformant créé spécialement pour tenir compagnie aux enfants et aux adolescents. Klara est dotée d’un extraordinaire talent d’observation, et derrière la vitrine du magasin où elle se trouve, elle profite des rayons bienfaisants du Soleil et étudie le comportement des passants, ceux qui s’attardent pour jeter un coup d’œil depuis la rue ou qui poursuivent leur chemin sans s’arrêter. Elle nourrit l’espoir qu’un jour quelqu’un entre et vienne la choisir. Lorsque l’occasion se présente enfin, Klara est toutefois mise en garde : mieux vaut ne pas accorder trop de crédit aux promesses des humains... Après l’obtention du prix Nobel de littérature, Kazuo Ishiguro nous offre un nouveau chef-d’œuvre qui met en scène avec virtuosité la façon dont nous apprenons à aimer. Ce roman, qui nous parle d’amitié, d’éthique, d’altruisme et de ce qu’être humain signifie, pose une question à l’évidence troublante : à quel point sommes-nous irremplaçables ? 
 
 

The review will be rather short, because I don't have much to say. I read The remains of the days years ago, still remember and love it, so when I saw this new novel at the library, I had to try it. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed because I found it... boring. I can see what the author was trying to do, but I could not feel it, maybe it was too subtle for me. The worldbuilding lacked precision, I would have liked more information, I guessed things up as I read but couldn't find any confirmation. This was told from a robot's point of view, so maybe this explains that, as well as the prose itself, I would have wanted something more... Each time I put it down, I had to kick myself to pick it back up. 

La chronique ne sera pas longue, je n'ai pas grand-chose à dire. J'ai lu Les vestiges du jour il y a des années, je m'en rappelle toujours avec plaisir, alors quand j'ai vu le dernier roman d'Ishiguro à la bibliothèque, j'ai sauté dessus. malheureusement, j'ai été très déçue en le trouvant... ennuyeux. Je pouvais voir ce que l'auteur essayait de faire passer, mais je ne le ressentais pas, peut-être que je manque de subtilité. La description de ce monde futur manquait de précisions, je devinais certaines choses au fur et à mesure sans en avoir confirmation. L'histoire est racontée par un robot, ceci explique peut-être cela, tout comme le style de la prose, j'avais besoin de quelque chose de plus. Chaque fois que je le reposais, j'avais un mal de chien à le reprendre.

6 comments:

  1. Japanese literature has been intriguing me lately and I've heard a lot about this. Never Let Me Go anyways. The premise sounds very intriguing but I'm sorry to hear this one didn't work for you. I always struggle when a book isn't grabbing me... they're hard to finish!

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    1. Ishiguro is definitely an author I want to explore more, especially after loving The remains of the day so much. Enjoy Japanese literature :)

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  2. Oh no! Boring is the worst. I've had this one on my reading list forever and haven't gotten around to it yet. I guess I'm not missing much.

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    1. To be honest, I have trouble concentrating on books lately - hence the few reviews (too tired !) so maybe it's not the book, it's me ;)

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  3. I know some readers didn't like this book ... but I really liked it. I listened to it as an audiobook in August ... here are my thoughts at https://www.thecuecard.com/books/klara-and-the-sun/
    Sorry it didn't work for you.

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    1. Maybe I'm the problem, so tired these days. However, I would have liked a little more worldbuilding and precisions, even if I understand that these are not the chore of the story :)

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