Will I love The Remains of the Day?

I was blown away by the genius of telling a story ostensibly about the end of an era and an empire while the real story, a love story, runs just below the surface. I confess that I am not otherwise much of an Ishiguro fan, but this book is perfection.

I am old enough to have known members of a generation who valued loyalty and propriety above personal desires, and this novel made me both nostalgic for a time when self-sacrifice and self-control were so respected and sad about the happiness forfeited because of these social standards.

A friend of mine recommended the book to me when I was in love with someone over 10 years but felt like stuck in a dark tunnel, seeing only a light dot in the distance. I could hardly put it down, but I savored each page slowly as the subtle writing made me want to experience in full the emotional life journey of the protagonist as if I was afraid of knowing how the story ended.

Actually, it turned out that I became deeply intrigued by the turbulent era, events, choices, sacrifices, etc., all of which revolved around the development… show more.

I loved this book because the author packs so many emotions into a relatively simple storyline and an unreliable narrator. On a car journey into the British countryside and a mission to revisit a former work colleague, we are taken inside the head of Stevens, a career butler with years of devoted service to a well- connected British aristocrat. Now nearing the end of his working life his recollections of specific episodes gradually reveal to the reader decades of repressed emotions, lost opportunities, regret, misplaced loyalty and the snobbery inherent in the British class system. The writing is exquisite, the… show more.

The butler in this novel represents a social order that is past and virtues that are obsolete. Ishiguro manages to use the butler's voice to hint at the wrongness of the decisions he made in the name of dedication to his position, like a soldier fighting the wrong war.

I loved this book and the movie. The attention to detail was wonderful, and the butler’s relationship with the housekeeper was spot-on for the period. I could really relate to the butler, being one myself, and to his loyalty to his employer. The only quibble I had was that the butler didn’t say anything when he was asked for his opinion. I understood why he didn’t, but you are rarely asked, so you have to speak up when given the opportunity. It's just a great book!

This novel about an English butler’s lifetime of service and his friendship with the housekeeper, Miss Kenton, is an absolute stunner.

Near the end of the book, when the butler and the housekeeper run into each other again, years after their service to Lord Darlington, the scene is expertly understated. 

This book doesn’t give in to trite sentimentality, but rather, it moves you by its keen understanding of human nature.

‘The evening is the best part of the day.’ This is the ultimate realisation of Mr. Stevens, the narrator of Kazuo Ishiguro’s most famous novel. It is a delightful first-person narrative, during which Stevens, an ageing butler, looks back on his life of service while embarking on a drive through the West Country.

Ultimately, it is a love story, the most moving of love stories, the unrequited love story. It is also an atmospheric portrait of a bygone age, of a life in service before the war, in the dying moments of the aristocracy’s country estate era.

I loved the… show more.

I love this book so much, I don’t know where to start. I’ve pressed it into multiple people’s hands, and I know not everyone feels the same way. But, for me, this novel is perfect. Genuinely perfect.

I find the understated unfolding of gradual self-awareness completely devastating. Here is someone – a butler known as Stevens – who has lived with steadfast adherence to his particular vision of how to make a meaningful contribution to the world.

And slowly, in the space of a few days spent reflecting on his career and life choices, his certainty quietly unravels. The ache… show more.

I read The Remains of the Day after watching the movie, so I have a hard time separating the two in my mind. 

The most attractive part of the book (and the film) for me is the unrequited, unspoken love between Steves and Miss Kenton, the butler and the housekeeper of Darlington Hall. There have been many works that depict the pain of a love that never was, but none can hold a candle to this one. The tension is almost unbearable.

This engaging novel centers on Stevens, a most committed and loyal butler, whose life and career are unequivocally dedicated to his employer, Lord Darlington. 

Set predominately in 1930s England, The Remains of the Day is very much a character study, focusing on Stevens’ utter commitment to his work, a trade also shared by his aging father, while keeping his personal longings at bay. 

However, these feelings become tested by the arrival of Ms. Kenton, an outgoing housekeeper, who, unlike Stevens, very much needs to express herself, but restrains on the basis of Stevens’ façade, which serves to impede their mutual… show more.