Covers

Similarities: For starters, all four of the images are similarities for the book Never Let Me Go, and they all explicitly say "Never Let Me Go" and "Kazuo Ishiguro." All four covers' backgrounds seem very vast and vague. All four also have a main focal point to each that serves as the center of the message behind each cover.
Differences: All four covers are different in the amount of words written on each. The 1st cover has a large quote by the New York Times mentioning praise, while the second has a quote from the Observer also discussing praise, while the third has a quote by Time in small font, and the very last one has no quote and is very simple. I think the last one might have no quote due to the possibility of it being the first cover ever used as this book was published meaning that no organization had read it yet in order to give it praise. 

1st Cover

I am choosing this cover to do one of my in-depth analysis on. 1) My first impression was the blonde girl in the center. My first thoughts on this were, why is she not looking at the camera? why is she sitting in grass? who is she? I am proud of these initial thoughts because they set up a farther analysis by my brain. 2) If I had not yet read the novel I would think that this girl is crazy for sitting in that tall grass because who knows what creatures could be crawling around in there?! I would probably think the book is about a girl stuck between several choices because her face looks full of confusion and depression. Now that I have read the novel I think this has a very strong connection to the forest at Hailsham which everyone was told not to go near. I think since the girl seems to be sitting near the forest she must be close to capturing the ideals of what the forest truly is and what is further beyond it. 3) Ruth definitely seems to be portrayed in this cover since Ruth was not the biggest rule-follower and the forest would be something that Ruth would potentially overcome. This is probably from the perspective of the author since Ruth never actually dared to go beyond the forest. 4) This image sparks little on the cultural construction of the book, except maybe that the girl pictured appears to be a stereotypical Londoner, where the story takes place.  5) The kinds of people who made/would/read this book are probably the people who like books and specifically, dystopian literature.

2nd cover

In this cover, the imagery displayed is a human, specifically a female in a glossy, fuzzy background. The background is vague suggesting that the purpose of this cover might be to give a extremely vague hint and at what the book is about.

3rd cover

In this cover, there is a small row boat on an empty harbor under a strange sky and vast lake. This cover could also be foreshadowing at a significant event in the novel and the overwhelmingly amount of depression that ends up coming out of that event. Provides interesting imagery to the novel since it would be the only visual picture to attached with the book.

4th Cover

I am choosing to do another in-depth analysis on the 4th cover. This cover is definitely my favorite of the four due to the incredible internal messages that were easily understood upon first glimpse. 1) However, what first attracted me to it was its similarity to that of a fish. Whether it be consuming, looking, or the sport of fishing, I really like fish! I am a true believer that first impressions make a huge impact, so that is probably why this one is my favorite.2) If I had not read the book this image would make me think that Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is about an individual who is trapped and contained by an outside barrier. This is due to the several vital organs that appear to be trapped by a t-shirt with barbed wire. Having read the book, I  realize that my original prediction would not have been too far off. Instead of an individual being trapped by a barrier, it is a entire society. The barrier which holds the society back is the process of cloning, which is obviously portrayed negatively by Ishiguro. 3) It seems to me that this cover is from the viewpoint of the character Kathy. I believe she also is being portrayed in this cover due to the unfortunate events that occurred to Kathy near the end of the novel. 4) Yes, this image sparks the idea that society is the t-shirt with barbed wire due to the entire process of cloning and organ donating which social construct of society in this novel enforces. 5) The kinds of people who made/would/read this book are probably the people who like books and specifically, dystopian literature.