So Long, Farewell, I Bid Thee Adieu! (Chapters 22 and 23/ Pages 256-288)

"The fantasy never got beyond that - I didn't let it - and though the tears rolled down my face, I wasn't sobbing or out of control. I just waited a bit, then turned back to the car, to drive off to wherever it was I was supposed to be."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 288

Well, I am just so sad that these summer reading blogs are over........

Did you like that display of sarcasm? Maybe it could be one of my terms if I missed one.

But anyway, on to the overview of Never Let Me Go:


Overall, I didn't really like the book. It wasn't terrible, and I have definitely read worse (hello, The Pearl), but I thought it was a lot more depressing than it needed to be. I just felt kind of sad throughout the whole thing. There was too much struggle and not enough happiness or inspiration to balance it out - in Part One, it was very angsty, in Part Two, you could just feel the relationships crumbling, and in Part Three, everyone died. However, it was very interesting and I found myself wanting to keep reading to find out what would happen.

As for the last two chapters, everything really seemed to fall into place. It all made sense, and there weren't any holes in the plot - that was very satisfying. I didn't like how everyone died unhappy, though; it was as if no personal needs were really complete. Ruth felt awful about how bad of a person she had been, Tommy was no doubt sad about his and Kathy's split, and Kathy had to keep living in the midst of death knowing that that was the only thing waiting for her in the end. I just felt so bad that the clones had no way of having a fulfilling life.

This book seems to be a bit more confusing than Brave New World. I'm not exactly sure what Ishiguro is trying to convey. I guess I would say that I learned to appreciate the friends I have. I learned to not hold anything back, because it may be too late later, even if I get another chance. Even one action could completely alter my future. The last thing I would say I learned is that with progress comes sacrifice. Sometimes, we can't go back once we have learned something new, and there are repercussions of that - both positive and negative. There are instances when we just have to live with the negative effects, because the positives outweigh them. We all have burdens, but we just need to overcome those to make the best possible life for ourselves.

Well, that concludes the summer portion of my AP Lit blogging. I will see you all bright and early on Monday!