A gothic tragedy (although, I don't think the gothic genre can be anything other than tragic), replete with the collapse of a main building (Hailsham A gothic tragedy (although, I don't think the gothic genre can be anything other than tragic), replete with the collapse of a main building (Hailsham and all it symbolizes), along with the demise of the world around them (the Kingsfield Center, the Cottages, the boat in the middle of the marshlands), all marking the end of an era. It is the beginning of a Brave New World and its scientific advances. One sentence from the book nicely summarizes the book: Marie-Clause says, "I saw a new world coming rapidly. More scientific, efficient, yes. More cures for the old sicknesses. Very good. But a harsh cruel world. And I saw a little girl, her eyes tightly closed, holding to her breast the old kind world, one that she knew in her could not remain, and she was holding it and pleading, never to let go." A divide is created between clones and people, where clones are created to give life to humans, but the recipients hardly consider what the clones are sacrificing in order to give them their life. The clones live a short 30-year life, full of wasted time, lost opportunities, and squandered hope.
Ishiguro wants readers to consider how the massive advances in technology, the possibilities for cloning and the creation of humans inside a lab tube, could lead to other horrors and inhumane treatment--similar to "Frankenstein" and "Jurassic Park." Just as readers sympathize with Frankenstein's monster and his ability to appreciate literature and long for companionship, so do readers acknowledge the clones' humaneness, their ability to create and love. The ending of the book was very similar to Winston and Julia's relationship in "1984," how despite all their efforts and dreams, there is an impending doom. The book says, "These two people in the water trying to hold onto each other, but in the end it's just too much."
I really like Ishiguro's writing style, and I will be reading more of his works. This book is akin to a memoir, as it is an exploration of the human psyche: we start with one of her memories that connects to another memory, which connects to another; soon enough, readers have roamed through Kathy H.'s memories, her reflections, guilt, confessions, etc. and are ready to admit, once again, that Kathy H. is just as human as any other individual. Nevertheless, I found this book predictable, and I don't feel like it said anything new.
I remember a professor of mine saying that euphemisms reflect the demise of a society: they are dishonest, manipulative, and dehumanizing. In this book, instead of saying that a clone died during their donations, the word is "they completed." Unfortunately, the clones are not just robbed of their lives and dreams, they are robbed of the dignity of dying, of receiving their funerary rites....more
**spoiler alert** This book surpassed all expectations. I am humbled and awed at the wonderful message behind such a delightful story: a call for peac**spoiler alert** This book surpassed all expectations. I am humbled and awed at the wonderful message behind such a delightful story: a call for peace and cessation of warfare. Ender is chosen to prepare for the ominous intergalactic wars. He is the third child, a perfect harmonization of his two siblings, Peter and Valentine, the former a violent sadist, the latter an empath. He struggles throughout the novel to manage both urges--he is used as a tool to defeat the "buggers" when he does not want to hurt anybody. Every time he harms another, he is plagued with guilt. He eventually takes on the symbol of a dragon, a composite creature that represents both destruction and protection.
The last chapter, The Speaker of the Dead, is rife with beautiful passages: it speaks of peace, communication, and forgiveness. I plan to reread this book just to experience the love poured forth in that chapter. Here, the buggers succeed in communicating to him, telling him they forgave him, and in return, they ask that he protect their eggs. He takes on the role as Speaker of the Dead, communicating what they had wanted to say, in order to reconcile both parties, and finds a safe planet for them to live. Despite having killed the entire "bugger" populace unknowingly, he is able to make amends and speak for those who have no voice.
"If we had kissed, it would have been the miracle to make us human in each other's eyes. Instead we killed each other. But still we welcome you...Come into our home." This passage becomes more powerful when we remember the game he played in the castle: every time he attacked the serpent, he was killed; however, when he kissed it, he found peace and life. If he had managed to "kiss" the enemy instead of attacking it, maybe he could have prevented the unnecessary bloodshed.
There are many wonderfully constructed characters and well-written passages about power, loneliness, childhood, the fear of other, and even the prophetic force of the internet....more
How to describe this book? It is a memoir that retells Kurt Vonnegut's own survival of the bombing in Dresden; it is historical fiction, teeming with How to describe this book? It is a memoir that retells Kurt Vonnegut's own survival of the bombing in Dresden; it is historical fiction, teeming with realities of WW2; and yet, there is an abundance of sci-fi that does not detract from the book's satire and truth. It is as if he is saying the atrocities of WW2 and the bombing of Dresden should be just as preposterous as an alien abduction; unfortunately, it really happened, and over 100,000 people died in Dresden, not counting the other thousands of lives taken during ww2.
I have never read a book quite like this: it is humorous and somber, entertaining and informational, both fictive and factual. I was convicted the entire time and wept. Sadly, the world continues fighting in wars, and people continue to die.
It is modern in that the story is out of order: Billy Pilgrim travels through time to various parts of his life, which serves to only strength Vonnegut's anti-war sentiment and satire. At one point he is a prisoner of war, when suddenly he jumps back in time as a baby being held by his mother, which alludes to O'Hare's wife complaint of the war being fought by babies and the explanation of the Children's Crusade.
The effective repetitive use of the phrase, "So it goes" after a death, 106 times throughout the novel, presents the narrator as dispassionate or detached, while simultaneously emphasizing the countless deaths and the inability to process such a tragedy. The majority of the book is about a soldier dealing with PTSD and trying to grapple with his experiences.
Vonnegut criticizes our passivity toward war, our utter disregard for life, and our lack of love for ourselves and others.
There are cuss words, sex, and violence; it also mocks Christianity (which is expected considering Vonnegut was an atheist), but this books merits 5 stars. It is a masterful work of art....more
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