Ill-conceived. Under-powered. Major structural & imaginative flaws. Clumsily written. Very, very dull.
Teenagers were like characters from some 50s children's novel, bland, one-dimensional, with very clunky dialogue.
These children were not forcibly kept at their school - no guarded walls to stop them from running away. So why did no-one rebel?
If I were a newcomer - I'd definitely start with Remains of the Day.
I think there is a fence, though it's possible it was meant metaphorically.
At some point, there was a conversation about concentration camps and how one had an electrified fence that would kill anyone who touched it, and I think someone, perhaps miss Lucy?, said something like theirs (Hailsham's) wasn't electrified.
I don't think that negates your basic point, though.
I quite enjoyed the short stories collection "Nocturnes" so I decided to try a novel: "Never Let Me Go", but I was really disappointed.
I thought it was dreadful. I did stick with it to the end (hoping it would improve) but it was just a boring rambling endless 'reminiscence' of total non-events, with no redeeming features at all. Nothing happened, and the characters didn't ring true to me at all. Nor did the alternative reality concept.
The whole thing felt like it was written by a GCSE student. I thought it was complete nonsense. I must have a very different personality to the people who love this book.
It's put me off trying any of his other titles.
Should I try to overcome this and have a go at 'Remains of the Day'?
I loved Never Let Me Go. I think the fact they never rebelled was the whole point of it, where would they have gone? They had no purpose other than what they were made for so accepted their fates - largely because they were so dependent on being led and shown what to do the teachers (surrogate parents) and by the end they actually wanted to die. There was no place for them in the rest of the world.
I have not read Remains of the Day yet but it is sitting on my bookshelf... I intend to read it soon!:)
Comments
At some point, there was a conversation about concentration camps and how one had an electrified fence that would kill anyone who touched it, and I think someone, perhaps miss Lucy?, said something like theirs (Hailsham's) wasn't electrified.
I don't think that negates your basic point, though.
I thought it was dreadful. I did stick with it to the end (hoping it would improve) but it was just a boring rambling endless 'reminiscence' of total non-events, with no redeeming features at all. Nothing happened, and the characters didn't ring true to me at all. Nor did the alternative reality concept.
The whole thing felt like it was written by a GCSE student. I thought it was complete nonsense. I must have a very different personality to the people who love this book.
It's put me off trying any of his other titles.
Should I try to overcome this and have a go at 'Remains of the Day'?
I wouldn't say Remains of the Day was his best, that would go to Never Let Me Go or The Unconsoled.
But with all his books the writing is a joy. Clear, concise, and a way of keeping you reading that's hard to define.
The Unconsouled is on the list to do this year.
I have not read Remains of the Day yet but it is sitting on my bookshelf... I intend to read it soon!:)