The Remains of the Day (2nd Edition) (York Notes Advanced)

There’s something steady, steadying about the old country. Did you know that the first western experiment with sound money came when Henry I chopped off the hands of coin makers who were diluting silver with other metals while carrying out their craft (somebody tell the FED!)? Did you know that the first western ideas of property and justice were established pre-Magna Carta with the ‘reeve’ and ‘jury’ system of ancient Saxon England? Recent studies have shown that almost 50% of Britons live within one hundred miles give or take of where their ancestors lived, going back almost 1000 years. While America is perhaps known for its messy churn, its comings and goings as people move in and out, up and down, make and lose their fortunes to exist only for a season – where the grandchildren of important politicians or industry moguls might work right beside the next tycoon at a fast food restaurant as one goes up and another falls back: not so for Britain.

At least that’s how it has been; at least that’s how it is captured in our collective imagination as we watch shows like “Downton Abby” and “The Queen” and as we read books – books like “Remains of the Day”.

Truth of the matter is that the United Kingdom has changed a great deal since the days of Victorian England; from the pre-First World War classist England dominated by the nobility living lives of leisure in their grand old houses. Yet somehow, despite the collapse of the old houses – and the old names – England still has a sort of comforting stability which provides a bedrock for her American neighbors even two centuries after we said goodbye to the Queen.

“Remains of the Day” is about that. It is a beautifully written, simple story about a butler. It’s not even a story at all, really; it hearkens back to W. Somerset Maugham and T.S. Elliott more than it does to Stephen King or Clive Cussler as it presents us the ruminations of an old English butler who had served a great house, his memories and his impressions as he engages in a simple motor drive across his country. From his monologues and flashbacks emerge a picture of a man firmly content in his ‘commoner’ class; who considers great affairs as matters to be conducted by great men, who he has no compunction about considering his superiors. This of course offends every drop of American blood running through my veins – there’s something egalitarian and rebellious about us from the west; and even more so from the southwest of the west, my home. Nevertheless, despite this, there is also something steadying in the thought of a well-ordered society, which appeals to us – especially in times of madness.

For those who understand what I’m saying, you’ll enjoy this book. For those who don’t, “Remains of the Day” might not be for you.

Stevens, a butler of many years, reminisces on his life in service with Lord Darlington and his relationship with the housekeeper, Miss Kenton, some twenty years previously. In addition to his reminiscences, Stevens muses on dignity, what makes a good butler, the importance of banter, and loyalty. Another theme is the role of perspective in shaping memory.

The Remains of the Day begins slowly, and seems a bit dry at first. As Stevens' story progresses, however, it becomes a compelling book with a slow, stately pace, echoing the perfect butler. I especially liked how Ishiguro assumes the intelligence of his readers, that they will be able to make connections and piece together the whole from the bits he reveals. The restrained emotion throughout the book was particularly moving. Ishiguro is an excellent writer, and I can certainly see how this became a modern classic.

The theme here is that the repression of the English can cause them to overlook the most important emotional and political issues in life. Call it Kazuo’s Very Important Message. If you missed the Very Important Message on page 1, don’t worry, because it’s repeated again and again and again on every subsequent page. The butler spends his whole life polishing silver! The butler didn’t acknowledge the foolishness of the pro-German aristocrat he worked for! See the Very Important Message.

Like his equally disappointing Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro starts with a decent idea here, but pedantically rehearses it on page after page without ever complicating it. Readers of Never Let Me Go who wanted to throw the book against the wall and scream in frustration during the epic of the missing pencil case will be equally exasperated by this book. One longs for Evelyn Waugh or Anthony Powell to show up at the butler’s mansion and start smashing crockery in revolt against this moralizing rot. If you want to read a funny book in this genre, read anything by Waugh. If you want to read a genuinely devastating book that covers this ground, read The Go-Between.

Congratulations to Kazuo Ishiguro. I'm a real bookworm--always have my nose in a book & every year I decide which book that I have read is the best book of the year. It was no contest in 1990. I read the review of Remains of the Day in the New York Times Book Review, got it from my library the next day and read it the day after that. It's not one of those can't put it down page turners because you have to think about the characters in greater depth than say, the latest best seller by Nora Roberts. The Remains of the Day remains (pun intended) on of my favorite books 27 years after I first read it.

I bought this book because it's "recommended" by Jeff Bezos; but what a waste of time and money. It was a boring read and even worse, I didn't learn anything useful, besides how to be a good butler. Not a good book for entrepreneurs/business oriented individuals...

Kazuo Ishiguro was brought to my attention after he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2017. Obviously, this is a huge achievement and his fame led me to his books.

Remains of the Day follows a post World War II butler, Mr. Stevens, who is in residence at Darlington Hall. After his new employer, Mr. Farraday, suggests he take a vacation, Stevens embarks on a first-person, journal-written journey that makes him nostalgic on times past, particularly of his former employer Lord Darlington. What ensues is a thought-provoking account of Stevens journey as he grapples with questions of his former employer, love, and loss.

This was an enchanting novel; certainly one of the finest pieces of literature in the late 20th century by far.  I loved the asceticism of Mr. Stevens as a true "old English Butler" and the serious moral quandaries he has to face. In fact, one of the biggest issues in the book is when his former employer, Lord Darlington, might be a Nazi sympathizer. The language in this book is so convincing you might look twice to see it's author is of Japanese descent. Ishiguro masks this so well you would think you were reading Jane Austen or William Shakespeare.

I hate to write this review because I am so contrary to everyone else (well, almost everyone). I did not find this novel at all convincing or the character of Mr Stevens engaging, sympathetic, enlightening, existential, or anything other than trite and simplistic--and the term "simply" is so often used in this novel. In some ways it reminded me of The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins--a tale told by a servant. But Collins's character is much more attractive, charming, and sympathetic. For me, The Remains of the Day is another example of a poor Booker Prize novel. The Life of Pi is another pathetic example. Sorry, but that is my opinion.

Some see The Remains of the Day as a subtle comic novel with existential undertones. I see it as a novel that does not know what it is. Comic but not very humorous, very scornful of its characters, and the existential bits are shallow and obvious. I did not come away from reading this novel with anything memorable. It wasn't even very entertaining and I love British fiction. But not this book.

The writing was superb. It was refreshing to read a novel that subtly introduced the characters and plot points instead of spelling everything out for you. It's definitely an intellectual and cerebral read. However, it was SO DULL. The story had no grip. There was not a single moment of suspense or feeling of impending climax. I kept reading, sure that it had to get better because this book was rated so highly and is on so many must read lists. The only reason that I didn't give it 1 star is because the writing was truly excellent. But the only purpose this book will serve is to torture poor high school students for generations to come. Unfortunately, due to the excellent writing and development of the main character, it's destined to become a "classic".

Loved this book. I was listening to NPR, and they had a segment on the author who had won the Nobel Prize. I decided to check him out and chose this book. I was not disappointed. I rented the movie last week. While Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson gave superb performances , I must say that I enjoyed the book a lot more. I think that I will be buying another from this amazing author very soon.

An anal retentive Butler, Mr Stevens, head of 28 staff, is blind to Miss Kenton, the Head Housekeeper’s love for him during many years’ service at a stately home, Darlington Hall, owned by Lord Darlington during the 1920s/30s. She leaves Service and marries someone else.
The story is told after the Second World War while Mr Stevens motors for six-days from Oxfordshire to Cornwall in his new master’s car, an American who has bought the Hall where there are now a mere staff of four. Mr Stevens is hoping to persuade Miss Kenton to return to service after she has written to him and he once again misreads the signs.
During the journey he ruminates on his life in Service. Lord Darlington’s Fascist leanings and support for Hitler are hinted at with secret visits by Stanley Baldwin, the Prime Minister, Lord Halifax, the Foreign Secretary, and Joachim von Ribbentrop, the German Ambassador. There are delicious vignettes remembered like when Mr Stevens is asked to teach a 21 year-old bachelor, soon to be married, about the facts of life. A hoot.
Mr Steven’s unemotional, always-wanting-to-be-upright-and-proper manner is conveyed through every word with not one out of place. Wonderful stuff. A Booker Prize winner, for a change, I actually love.
Freak Out! My Life with Frank Zappa

I turned to The Remains of the Day when Kazuo Ishiguro was named as the recipient of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature, and I was not disappointed. It’s a sure-fire, mesmerizing, deeply satisfying masterpiece. One of the best things a major prize can do is to bring to readers’ attention work they might otherwise have missed. Thank you, Nobel jury. (We won’t talk about how I feel about last year’s choice.)

You know after the 17-page prologue of this novel that you’re being held by an irresistible voice — the proper English butler’s voice of a man known only as Stevens, one of the most flawlessly realized, perfectly sustained voices since G. B. Edwards’ Ebenezer Le Page. (Ford Maddox Ford and Henry Green also come to mind while reading this remarkable book.)

What begins as a fairly simple narrative becomes imbedded in early 20th century world history, and Stevens’ reliability as narrator becomes more and more questionable. All the while, the book is touching, frequently comical, and leading you on. There’s something to be said for the tease in literature, and Ishiguro in this book may be one of contemporary literature’s greatest teases.

Even as each chapter heading indicates a destination on the itinerary of Stevens’ brief trip through Western Britain in his employer’s Ford, Stevens remains inside his ruminating, self-justifying and often deluded mind. A travelogue this is ironically not, although a trip through the chapter headings would indicate that it is.

I think Ishiguro clearly had a high old time writing The Remains of the Day, and I hope he gave himself a pat on the back each time he closed down a day of writing. Even if everything else Ishiguro has done might stink, a possibility I seriously doubt, for this novel alone he fully deserves his prize. I’ll be looking into his other works.

The Remains of the Day is a very slow moving story, part memoir and part philosophising on the role of a butler in a great house. When Steven’s new American employer persuades Stevens to take an almost unheard of vacation, he is prompted to follow through with the suggestion in response to a letter received from a former employee of Darlington Hall, namely Miss Kenton with whom he had an awkward relationship. Steven’s musings describe the strict role of a butler and the hierarchy that existed in a time before the Second World War. Even in the midst of a tragedy, duty came before his own needs and the role of a butler preceded dealing with his personal loss. Although by no means a religious book, Steven’s position as a butler brought to mind the confines of belonging to an order of monks or nuns, where one’s personal life and feelings take second place to the rules of the order. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Synopsis: In 1956 England, Stevens, a long-serving butler at Darlington Hall, decides to take a motoring trip through the West Country. The six-day excursion becomes a journey into the past of Stevens and what it means to be a butler, the past that takes in fascism, two world wars, and an unrealised love between the butler and his housekeeper. Ishiguro's novel is a sad and humorous love story, a meditation on the condition of modern man, and an elegy for England at a time of acute change.

Pros: Great way to record history through the times in a condensed, well written novel. Many themes are woven throughout this book, including change, societal roles, class issues and discrimination. Great dialogue, dense ideas and fabulous imagery. (The one I particularly liked was of Steven's Sr. serving soup with mucus dangling from his nose). The question of "What is a great butler" wove itself throughout the novel along with other musing (like the importance of banter, etc).

Cons: During the entire novel, I pictured Steven's as Mr. Carson and Miss Kenton as Mrs. Hughes from Downton Abbey. And of course, is no fault of the characters. Think I missed the point of the novel, as a bit kerfuffled in why this story is held as a paragon in the literature community. Was it the representation of the distinct classes? The discrimination of races (fascism) sexism and/or religion? Was a bit overwhelmed when 1 page was one complete paragraph. Or is it because it captured such a time in England that has vanished for good?

Cover art: 3 out of 5 stars. Good representation of the stately manor

All the excellent reviews tell it as it is - this book is extraordinary as few others are. Yes, it takes some patience and concentration, As
several reviewers said, it is not for the action-seekers. It is for the educated thinkers. It is my second reading, and I still could not
put it down. The portrait of a dedicated butler who aims to be the perfect butler and strives for great dignity, to the detriment of
any other emotion. So he achieves his goal, but at enormous cost. The part where his a\ father lies dying upstairs while Stevens
attends the international conference downstairs, sums of his life. He never realized he lost his one chance of happiness with the
housekeeper, who left because she could not get through to him. He scorns romances between staff members, and does not
allow himself any romantic notions, or any emotions at all it seems. Is he a man to be admired or to be pitied? Probably both.
I consider this book in my top five books of all time, after 65 years of reading a large number.

It takes immense skill to write a successful novel that revolves around a boring hero and I am afraid newly-minted Nobel Laureate Ishiguro does not succeed with The Remains of the Day. This monumentally tedious book describes the fading post-1945 career of Stevens, a particularly uptight prig of a butler to a large country estate with no interest in anything but his fanatical sense of what good service means. We are treated to page after page of boring blather about the importance of keeping a sitff upper lip regardless of the circumstances and it's a real grind, even when it turns out his former master was a raving Nazi and once insisted his Jewish employees be fired. The problem is that Stevens has no redeeming features at all -- he's not a scamp, or card sharp, or even the slightest bit funny. He is just a bore and this sinks the book.

A masterpiece of storytelling. The language is stunning and as a writer I can appreciate not only high quality storytelling but beautiful use of language. I won't bother with telling you the plot, as you can get that easy enough. I will say that this is a perfect example of the silence force beneath the words. Subtext! Nobody does it better than Ishiguro. Smooth as silk narration here. I know there's lots of comparisons to Downton Abbey in its English dignity and loyalty themes, but Ishiguro takes you deeper emotionally. I found the story mesmerizing and the characters absolutely compelling. Some might say the pace is slow but in that careful pace you find great little treasures of drama.

The download from our book club discussion... Remains of the Day was lovely. "Every word was beautiful" -- especially in the final twenty pages. While "it took a while to hit the groove," we then "wanted it to go slowly" as Stevens was revealed as stunted, repressed, deluded, passive-aggressive, and hilarious -- while always the perfect gentleman's gentleman. He left us with some important questions: Who's to say what constitutes a full vs. limited life? How wary should we be of loyalty? What's the future of democracy? And is it ever too late. In any event, we loved it and agreed with the Bookers and Nobels, giving it straight A's -- including one A+.

The Remains of the Day is a beautiful novel about an English butler, Stevens, who is at the twilight of his life reflecting on his service to a great lord, his unrequited love for the housekeeper, Miss Kenton, and what his life, dignity, and work have meant. This novel helped me to move on from Downton Abbey, but also made me wonder, why haven’t I read this book before?

Stevens has worked at Darlington Hall for three decades. He faithfully served Lord Darlington who had a variety of important visitors and meetings throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s. Lord Darlington had served in the Great War (WWI) and had befriended one of the enemy. After the war the two became friends and traveled between England and Germany. Lord Darlington was scandalized by the treatment of the Germans after WWI and embarked on a campaign to ease the reparations from Germany. While having a good heart, Lord Darlington was going down a road towards appeasement.

Lord Darlington said: “I fought that war to preserve justice in this world. As far as I understood, I wasn’t taking part in a vendetta against the German race.”

If only he would have been able to get some help to the Germans right after WWI, maybe things would have turned out differently.

During this time, Stevens worked with much dignity to help his employer serve a higher cause towards humanity. “History could well be made under this roof, “he told his staff. After a housekeeper and under butler run off together, he hires Miss Kenton as the housekeeper, and his father as the under butler. Miss Kenton and Stevens clash on many policies at first, but she becomes an invaluable help as his father’s health declines. Over the years working together, the two develop a rapport, but being reserved professionals, their true feelings are never aired.

I love when Stevens gives his thoughts on the art of being a butler:

“It is my view that our generation has been too preoccupied with the ‘trimmings’; goodness knows how much time and energy has gone into the practicing of accent and command of language, how many hours spent studying encyclopedias and volumes of ‘Test Your Knowledge’, when the time should have been spent mastering the basic fundamentals.”

“And let me now posit this: ‘dignity’ has to do crucially with a butler’s ability not to abandon the professional being he inhabits.”

“Let us establish this quite clearly: a butler’s duty is to provide good service. It is not to meddle in the great affairs of the nation.”

After Lord Darlington’s death, a rich American, Mr. Farraday, has purchased Darlington Hall. Stevens remains at his post, with a much diminished staff, and tries to maintain his dignity as well as that of Darlington Hall. After receiving a letter from Miss Kenton and an offer from Mr. Farraday to borrow his Ford car to take a break, Stevens travels to the West Country to tour and to see Miss Kenton again. The novel is broken up into the days of his trips and the back story is given as remembrances. Miss Kenton’s letter stated, “The rest of my life stretches out like an emptiness before me, “which has made Stevens take action.

While on his trip, Stevens is mistaken for a great gentleman. He also is unsure what to do when people hear he worked at Darlington Hall and want to know about Lord Darlington and whether the rumors were true of his involvement with Germans. Stevens is in a moral quandary. Was his service really worth it through the years? Could his life have taken another path? Did keeping all emotions tied down and the British stiff upper lip allow him to not develop relationships with his father, Miss Kenton, or anyone else?

I really enjoyed this novel. I loved the structure of Stevens being on a journey with remembrances. I also loved that as he worked his way through his life on his journey. Did he regret his life and choices? I loved the ending, it was perfect. I also loved how the story was written. It was slow reading at times, but it seemed to be in Stevens voice, pompous at times, reserved at others, and always full of dignity. “For it is true, when I stood on that high ledge this morning and viewed the land before me, I distinctly felt that rare, yet unmistakable feeling – the feeling that one is in the presence of greatness. We call this land of our Great Britain, and there may be those who believe this a somewhat immodest practice. Yet I would venture that the landscape of our country alone would justify the use of this lofty adjective.”

I loved the very, very reserved romance between Miss Kenton and Stevens. It is very subtle and I wasn’t for sure I was reading it all right until the very end of the novel. Stevens has a very high regard for Miss Kenton, and she also did for him as well. I feel that Stevens put so much of his life towards maintaining his professional dignity that he never let his guard down to feel true feelings.

I also watched the 1993 Merchant Ivory movie for the first time starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. It was a beautiful movie that was a great adaptation of this book. There were a few changes such as moving the timing of the movie up to start in the 1930’s instead of the 1920’s and having the American that visited the important meeting be the same as the American who bought Darlington Hall after the war. It was wonderful to see Christopher Reeve in this roll. I love Merchant Ivory productions, I don’t know how I missed this one!

Overall, The Remains of the Day is a skillfully written novel that like the protagonist, masks great feelings behind dignity and reserve. It is a great book to get you through the ending of Downton Abbey, but it also is a great book about the meaning of life. Can one be too busy to really live life?

“One can’t be forever dwelling on what might have been. One should realize one has as god as most, perhaps better, and be grateful."

“The evening’s the best part of the day.”

Book Source: I bought this used from a library book sale at some point in the past 15 years. I finally have read it!

This short and easy-to-read book masterfully weaves together many important and complex topics. To me, the key lesson is that we ought to be mindful of the narrative of our lives. While narratives could bring order to chaos, as the protagonist of the book demonstrates, we could fall into the trap of too much attachment to one's narrative, which results in blind spots and neglect of aspects of our lives that does not fit the narrative.

In this book, the protagonist is so attached to the narrative that he is a consummate professional who is serving the greater good that he fails attend to elements of his non-professional life, and fails to see clearly that perhaps he has not served the greater good after all. His lack of awareness, ultimately, led to an ending (of the book)that does not evoke admiration or other positive emotions from the reader.

It is easy to pity the protagonist. But to profit from this book, we should examine whether we are mindfully living our life or are blinded by our attachment to our own narrative. This book and my reflections reminds me of the Dogen quote, "To study the self is to forget the self." In my view, who we are is much greater than our intellectual understanding of who we are, so to study the self we ought to "forget" who we believe we are. If the protagonist was aware of this, he may have lead a life with less suffering and regret

There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
"Yesterday," Lennon-McCartney, 1965

After reading this consummate novel, I though of a quote I saw years ago in school: "[i]n the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." M.J. Adler

Ishiguro's novel whisks the human memory - its capacity, reliability, fallibility and combustibility. As the story moves forward, he drops clues to the murkiness of the manservant narrator Stevens' recollections of decades in service at Darlington Hall and his relationship with the head maid, Ms. Kenton. At the start, cirrus clouds veil Stevens' azure memories, but Ishiguro progressively builds colossal columns of cumulus capable of breaching even the buttressed heart.

I cannot say more without revealing a spoiler. Yet, I can say this exceptionally profound novel is unrivaled in its illumination of, in "getting through to the reader" on two potentially life-changing themes:

1) the heartbreaking nature of reflecting and "forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently? ... while it is all very well to talk of 'turning points', one can surely only recognize such moments in retrospect. Naturally, when one looks back to such instances today, they may indeed take the appearance of being crucial, precious moments in one's life; but of course, at the time, this was not the impression one had. Rather, it was as though one had available a never-ending number of days, months, years in which to sort out the vagaries of one's relationship[s]....; an infinite number of further opportunities in which to remedy the effect of this or that misunderstanding...."; and, "perhaps... there is something to [the] advice that. . . that [one] should adopt a more positive outlook and try to make the best of what remains of the day"; and, conversely,

2) the more crucial realization that perhaps today you should try to see the crucial and precious moments, to sort out a relationship in one's life and to remedy misunderstandings, for indeed, there are NOT a never-ending number of days: “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations." “Death twitches my ear; 'Live,' he says... 'I'm coming.” Virgil

What more could one ask of a piece of literature than the opportunity for illumination and the chance of change?

"And one has a right, perhaps, to feel a satisfaction those content to serve mediocre employers will never know — the satisfaction of being able to say with some reason that one's efforts, in however modest a way, comprise a contribution to the course of history."

Well slap me silly and call me Jeeves — this book didn't put me to sleep! I thought for sure taking a "motor trip" with an aged butler across pastoral England would be lullaby enough to knock out King Kong.

But not an eye did droop! The writing is beautiful, the tone is appropriately buttoned-up. Ishiguro nailed the voice and mentality of a true gentleman's butler. I mean, this book must be what it feels like to have a stick permanently shoved up your ass. I wanted to toss a bucket of cold water on Stevens about every other sentence.

The unflinching discipline, the unwillingness to question authority — Ignorance wearing Dignity's coat. If I did throw a bucket of water at this guy, he'd dab his face with a handkerchief and say it's just a bit of a spill.

Stevens' blind loyalty to his most distinguished employer, Lord Darlington, is as lovingly pathetic as a dog's. "Mr. Stevens, the gentleman's best friend." Come, sit, stay, roll over. Refill our glasses while I sympathize with these Nazis. It's is a fascinating portrait of early 20th century English custom and attitude.

The best part for me: Ishiguro does the whole unreliable narrator thing really well. It's one of those novels that you think is going no where and then by the end, emotionally, intellectually you're leagues beyond where you were. Stevens' eloquence and formality is deceptively fragile. Those subtle moments when it's not just about polished silver or staff changes or hot cocoa give layers and warmth to what otherwise would have been a staid, cold, and probably unlikable character.

Now I'm totally in the mood to rewatch "Downton Abbey."

This is Ishiguro's Booker-winning work, and the novel that established his reputation as a modern realist writer to be reckoned with - a reputation that he will turn on its head with later works like "Never Let Me Go" and "The Buried Giant" that defy such strict categorisation, and with good measure.

The story begins with an English butler, Stevens, who worked in a stately mansion owned by Lord Darlington, in whose home various powerful and reputable political figures has graced with covert meetings leading up to the Second World War. That Stevens had been and still is a capable and loyal butler becomes evident through his unremitting service, which he recounts in first person, even as he takes on a motorcar journey to Little Compton, Cornwall, in response to a letter he receives from his former colleague and housekeeper, Miss Kenton, when she left Darlington Hall some twenty years ago. They had shared a volatile working relationship during Lord Darlington's heyday.

And that is where the real story lies, which is almost obscured by Stevens's doddering and often self-censoring narrative, where he edits and revises along the way, seemingly unsure of what had really happened. He admits as much when he says, "But now, having thought further, I believe I may have been a little confused about this matter", when he tries to recall an occasion when he had caught Miss Kenton in a vulnerable state. He often turns preachy about his profession, and reiterates the importance of dignity ad nauseam, but through it all, the reader begins to realise that the more he elaborates, the more he hides, and in the end, he says more than he knows. That Ishiguro elicits our sympathy rather than annoyance with his unreliable narrator is truly a work of genius, because, given the qualities I had observed above about Stevens, that is no mean feat.

Stevens's unreserved dedication to his work means an inordinate amount of sacrifice, so much so that he has to give up all personal feelings and attachments, and this is something that hits the reader hard when a personal tragedy befalls him in the midst of an important event at Darlington Hall and he keeps at his task, without flinching. Throughout his narrative too, he keeps an objective, almost clinical tone, sometimes infuriating the reader for his lack of emotion, so that when he finally relents, "Indeed - why should I not admit it? - at that moment, my heart was breaking", you want to hug the poor old man and weep yourself, only to recognise that frustrating reserve in needing to convince himself that it was alright to acknowledge his true feelings, and that it would ultimately be shortlived.

The Remains of the Day starts in the 1950s. It is the story of Stevens, a butler on an English estate owned by a rich American named Mr. Farraday. Stevens' position has become a parody of what it used to be. The staff of the estate is down to four people whose main purpose seems to be allowing their employer to show off. But that said, Farraday is a decent person. When he feels Stevens has been under too much pressure, he suggests that his butler borrow his car and take an extended tour of the countryside. Stevens decides to accept this offer because he wants to visit and talk to a former member of the estates' staff, Miss Kenton. He's hoping to convince her to return.

Stevens spends much of the time on his road trip, reminiscing about his past, mostly about the years leading up to World War II. During that time the estate was owned by Lord Darlington, a member of the English nobility who sympathized with the Germans because he believed that the Treaty of Versailles was too brutal. This belief allowed Darlington to be manipulated by the Nazis.

But the story belongs to Stevens, not Darlington. He is a butler who is the son of a butler, so his role is deeply ingrained. Stevens believes that a good butler subjugates his own opinions to his lord's opinions. Whenever he was asked to do something, he did it. It wasn't so much that he would do things he didn't believe in. Rather, he switched his beliefs to go along with whatever was requested. He becomes a master at having no opinions at all.

Stevens also becomes a master at avoiding answers to questions which may force him to express an opinion. This affects his relationships with people he encounters during his road trip and with Miss Kenton. This damaged, personal side of Stevens is what makes his character so fascinating.

The Remains of the Day is a wonderful character study and an excellent glimpse into a period of English history.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul and White Horse Regressions

The novel is told in the first person by Stevens, who was the butler in Darlington Hall, which was the residence of Lord Darlington in the 1930’s. Darlington Hall was a grand place, with many servants, Stevens having overall responsibility. Lord Darlington was a man of considerable wealth and influence, both socially and politically. He died after the war, and Darlington Hall was sold to an American, Mr Faraday, who has downsized both the staff and the use of the Hall.
Much of the book is Stevens’ recollections of events that took place when his lordship was in residence, and we learn that Stevens is preoccupied with the extent to which he was (like his father) a top butler. Stevens comes to define a top butler as a true professional who carries great dignity to his profession. The descriptions of relationships (and dialogue) among staff and with the lord of the manor are brilliant: they convey clearly the culture of the English aristocracy in the 20’s and 30’s.
Mr Faraday plans to be in the States for an extended period, and he suggests to Stevens that he take the motorcar on a sightseeing trip. Stevens accepts his offer and coincidently decides to call on a Miss Kenton who was the one who supervised all the housemaids at Darlington Hall. Miss Kenton left the Hall years ago, and has married. Now, Stevens wonders whether he can persuade her to return to the Hall, as there are hints that her marriage is in difficulty. The working relationship between Stevens and Kenton was very formal, but one cannot help but wonder if there is an unacknowledged attraction between them. In the last chapter, they meet again, and the message of the novel is revealed: Stevens muses: “After all, what can we ever gain forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished?”
The novel moves at a very leisurely pace, with very little action. Major events are recounted by Stevens factually and without emotion. The characters, the setting and the story-telling all completely support that retrospective, self-doubting theme. In spite of Stevens’ wordiness, his character shines through in a way that he is able to maintain the reader’s attention.
If one is looking for tale with plenty of action and excitement, The Remains of the Day would not be a good choice. But if one would like to curl up with a superbly-written story, immersed in history, and long-forgotten characters, a story that succeeds admirably in making its point, then Remains is for you.
As a sort of aside, I would add that the criteria for winning the Booker Prize may have shifted over the last twenty-five years. It’s hard to imagine that a novel with little overt physical or emotional action could win, given the level of current competition.

I wish I had read this book much sooner. I saw the movie with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson years ago and liked it, but I regret to say I didn’t take an interest in reading the original novel until I fell in love with author Kazuo Ishiguro’s more recent novel, "Never Let Me Go." I won’t even try to make the claim that I have anything unique to say about this wonderful book that hasn’t already been said many times over. However…for other readers who, like me, may have been on the fence for a while about "The Remains of the Day," I hope I can make a convincing case that it is well worth a read.

On the surface, this first-person narrative is English butler Mr. Stevens’ account of a cross-country motoring trip he takes in the year 1956 to reunite with an old friend and colleague, Miss Kenton, who worked for many years alongside him as the housekeeper of their employer, Lord Darlington. However, this account of his motoring trip, which takes place in just six days, is merely the framework for a retrospective of Stevens’ entire career at Darlington Hall, his place of employment, and the people he most closely associated with there—namely Lord Darlington, Miss Kenton, and Stevens’ father. It is in this retrospective that Stevens gradually reveals, memory by memory, his true feelings about the past, as much to himself as to the reader.

I think this may be the most masterful interior monologue I have ever read. Stevens’ language, as one would expect from an English butler, is thoughtful, descriptive, and precise. With the same great care one can imagine he would take in pouring a glass of wine for a distinguished guest, Stevens outlines his definition of a great butler and then proceeds to recount highlights from his career that demonstrate his efforts to achieve this distinction. Yet the truly masterful aspect of Ishiguro’s portrayal of Stevens lies not in what the butler says but in what he refrains from saying. The further Stevens’ unfolding of past events progresses, the more one can perceive a sense of regret underlying the butler’s stubborn determination to paint everything in a wash of glory and to sweep any uncertainty under the rug. Ironically, the extraordinary restraint Stevens insists on exercising over his feelings is precisely what makes the story so heartbreaking. His vivid recollection of small details and quiet moments betrays the sensitivity he makes such an effort to conceal. For example, he describes his memory of a day Miss Kenton calls for his attention in this quietly evocative manner: “…I can recall distinctly climbing to the second landing and seeing before me a series of orange shafts from the sunset breaking the gloom of the corridor where each bedroom door stood ajar. And as I made my way past those bedrooms, I had seen through a doorway Miss Kenton’s figure, silhouetted against a window, turn and call softly: ‘Mr. Stevens, if you have a moment.’”

Although "The Remains of the Day" revolves around the life of one English butler, it is really a story about the universal fragility of human life. It’s an intimate study of memory—that furniture of the mind we like to believe is solid and unchanging but in truth is treacherous and ever-evolving, as years of experience and hindsight lengthen and stretch its original shape. This novel is also a bittersweet reflection on the weight of the choices we make. Not the grand, now-or-never choices we encounter at clearly-marked crossroads in our lives, but the smaller, seemingly inconsequential choices that may add up to a sum of life-changing significance.

Perhaps it was the fact that Stevens, a rather educated man, had little vision for his life, was stuck in a societal role, and chose to do little about his situation, that had me frustrated throughout the novel’s entirety. I was hoping his voyage would at least lead to some newfound excitement, a precipice from where he could catapult into his new, more daring life. Sadly, it ended up being just another dead end. Perhaps this was the author’s intent: to show that life can be ripe with possibilities, yet so many choose not to take advantage of opportunities because of self-imposed restrictions. On the other hand, I may be looking too deeply into a rather simple, bland novel that merely focuses on a gentleman’s narrow existence.

What I truly enjoyed were the small nuances in Ishiguro's quotes, and the historical aspect of the story. I appreciated the furtive manner in which that history was revealed through his life story.

Mazuo Ishiguro's novel The Remains of the Day is a beautifully written retrospective on the adult years of a strong, determined, loyal, and exceedingly single-minded Englishman who learns, over the course of a near-lifetime, that irony, ambiguity, pain, and miscalculation are inescapable facts of the human condition. The protagonist, Mr. Stevens, spends his working life as a butler, most of it, certainly his best years, in the service of Lord Darlington. As a member of the British aristocracy, Lord Darlington is a decent gentleman, well connected and capable of exerting a good deal of political clout, but perhaps he's also a bit naive. His naivete' is manifest in his predisposition to accept others' efforts to persuade him that they share his values, commitments, outlook -- his decency -- when in fact they may be representatives of unmitigated evil, in the service of the most despicable principles and people. As he ages, Lord Darlington comes to share a benighted perspective held by many in the decades leading up to World War II, but the usually intelligent and insightful Mr. Stevens is steadfastly insensitive to his employer's limitations.

Since his earliest years in service, especially after working his way through the ranks of footmen and other lesser positions to the august office of butler, Mr. Stevens has sought to make sure that he represented a truly great house, one where his innate dignity would be firmly grounded and recognized. For Mr. Stevens, a great house, one that would call forth his best efforts and enable him to benefit his employer in the most worthwhile ways, was a moral house. This meant a house headed by someone devoted to fostering the betterment of his fellowmen of all stations, promoting the esteemed position of Great Britain, and contributing to the development of a world more appreciative of civility and cultivated attainment. Mr. Stevens stayed at Darlington House because he was convinced that Lord Darlington was head of such a house.

Even for those of us familiar with period pieces such as "Upstairs, downstairs" and "Boynton Abbey," it may be difficult to appreciate the importance of a butler in a house such as Lord Darlington's. In a real sense, the butler was the senior administrator, with numerous and varied duties, including supervising the work of a fairly large staff of others, each occupying a different specialized role. Little wonder that Mr. Stevens and other butlers whom he knew approached their work with pride and professionalism. Simply by virtue of his position, a butler was sometimes privy to high-level exchanges between heads of state and masters of commerce, and his discretion was taken for granted.

When he felt he had done his job exceptionally well or when his efforts were acknowledged by someone he admired, Mr. Stevens felt a sense of triumph, as if he had carried the day, making his designated contribution and doing so with the utmost dignity. Little wonder that as the years went by, his work and his continued improvement as a butler became all-consuming obsessions. He thought of little or nothing else and endured whatever was necessary, including occasional humiliation, to protect his employer from even the most minor inconvenience or irritation. Mr. Steven's devotion to his profession became all that he had and all that he was. A precarious position, indeed, when even a water spot on a piece of highly polished silver was cause for concern.

Among the others in service at Darlington House, Miss Kenton, the head housekeeper, was closest in rank to Mr. Stevens, with whom, most of the time, she enjoyed a good working relationship. In his recollections Mr. Stevens took great pains to emphasize that the relationship was purely professional. Nevertheless, while Miss Kenton did her important work well and with great care, she never mistook her work for herself after the fashion of Mr. Stevens. There were times, moreover, when Miss Kenton became angrily frustrated with their relationship. While still enabling them to get their work done, her contribution to the relationship was marked by determined coldness. Mr. Stevens remembered these times quite well, though he sometimes had to acknowledge that he had borrowed bits and pieces from one incident and added them to another, thereby misconstruing their proximate cause and failing to understand Miss Kenton.

In time, it becomes clear to the reader that Miss Kenton's anger was prompted by Mr. Steven's almost preternatural commitment to being a great butler and ignoring life as it could be more fully lived. But Mr. Stevens remained oblivious to Miss Kenton's extreme discomfort and what it meant. After all, he had followed his father, a cold and distant man, into his profession, and on his death bed his father had told him he was proud of him. Given the life he had lived, the pride he took in doing his job well, and his narrowly circumscribed view of the world, the nature of Mr. Stevens' life and his profound loss seem foregone conclusions.

The end of the book, with Mr. Stevens on perhaps the first holiday of his life, is a masterwork of understatement. Developing slowly and imperceptibly, with intimations throughout Ishiguro's novel, it is deeply moving and heart-rending in a genuinely tragic way. In spite of being prefigured throughout the book, its muted intensity took me by surprise, and, sadly, the same applies to Mr. Stevens. I can't imagine Mr. Stevens recovering his former mindset nor can I foresee how he will tolerably fill the remains of his days.

I had read Kazuo Ishiguro’s When We Were Orphan and liked it, but not so much that I sought out his other books. But I’ve been writing my own novel, and a fellow writer suggested checking out other Ishiguro books for the complex way the author weaves past and present.

I loved Remains of the Day, though it’s a sad and stuffy book, and not anything I would want to write. The story follows Stevens, a middle-aged butler in the 1950s, whose new employer, an American, is traveling for several weeks and urges Stevens to borrow his car and take a motoring trip, even offers to buy the petrol. Stevens heads off to the West Country, his destination the town where former housekeeper Miss Kenton lives. He is hoping, without admitting it to himself, that he might rekindle some sort of connection with her. Not that they ever had a torrid affair or anything, but there had been some inklings of intimacy.

While he has some small adventures on his vacation, like running out of petrol, on this trip, most of the novel is his reminiscence of the time between the wars, when he presided over a large staff at Darlington Hall, a Downton Abbey–like estate, and strove to be one of the best butlers ever.

We see him hire his aging father, once a butler to prominent gentleman, and then leave his bedside as he’s dying to take care of “critical” matters in the household, like making sure the silver is properly polished.

What so fascinating to me, as a writer and a reader, is how Ishiguro so expertly uses the unreliable narrator, that is, we the reader can see things that the narrator, with his narrow and Victorian blinders cannot.

Stevens has no emotional life to speak of, no friends, no pleasures. And yet, though he is a servant, feels himself to be better than so many others. One delicious scene, when he runs out of gas near a small town, and ends up staying at someone’s house, the townspeople mistakenly take him as a gentleman, because of his car, his clothes, his manner, and he leads them on, saying he has met Churchill and other famous people.

One other pleasure of the book is how we learn about the relationship between England and Germany between the wars, and how some English gentlemen like Steven’s employer brought together leaders from both countries to discuss weighty matters, and that perhaps Lord Darlington’s good intentions were being manipulated by the Nazis.

I read the book in less than a day, and though it doesn’t quite zip along — the sentences are long and there is not much dialogue — the slow and subtle story is transfixing and I could not put it down. Masterful writing.

— John Byrne Barry is author of Bones in the Wash: Politics is Tough. Family is Tougher., and Wasted: Murder in the Recycle Berkeley Yard

Dignity, service and honor are the ideals James Stevens, a butler, has lived by in serving his employer Lord Darlington at Darlington Hall for over 30 years. As Stevens reviews his life, he remembers a young and spirited housekeeper, Miss Kenton, of whom he was fond. Although she is married now, he decides to visit her as an old friend. What the reader realizes while reading this book is that Stevens is a finer man than the man he served who was a Fascist sympathizer. We also realize that he has repressed his emotions, and liking for Miss Kenton, now Mrs. Benn, and is experiencing tinges of regret. What is ironic is that we are more aware of what he has missed out on, and probably realize his loss more keenly, than he allows himself to acknowledge.

This is an extraordinary and unusual book. Not too many books are written about the personal lives of the servant class, or their lack of a personal life. This novel - which won the Booker Award for fiction - shines the light on one man's fate when he put service to his master, as many servants had to do, before his personal happiness. The movie with Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton brings this novel to life. Both novel and film are worthy of your time if you like subtle and deep retrospection.

This is Ishiguro's Booker-winning work, and the novel that established his reputation as a modern realist writer to be reckoned with - a reputation that he will turn on its head with later works like "Never Let Me Go" and "The Buried Giant" that defy such strict categorisation, and with good measure.

The story begins with an English butler, Stevens, who worked in a stately mansion owned by Lord Darlington, in whose home various powerful and reputable political figures has graced with covert meetings leading up to the Second World War. That Stevens had been and still is a capable and loyal butler becomes evident through his unremitting service, which he recounts in first person, even as he takes on a motorcar journey to Little Compton, Cornwall, in response to a letter he receives from his former colleague and housekeeper, Miss Kenton, when she left Darlington Hall some twenty years ago. They had shared a volatile working relationship during Lord Darlington's heyday.

And that is where the real story lies, which is almost obscured by Stevens's doddering and often self-censoring narrative, where he edits and revises along the way, seemingly unsure of what had really happened. He admits as much when he says, "But now, having thought further, I believe I may have been a little confused about this matter", when he tries to recall an occasion when he had caught Miss Kenton in a vulnerable state. He often turns preachy about his profession, and reiterates the importance of dignity ad nauseam, but through it all, the reader begins to realise that the more he elaborates, the more he hides, and in the end, he says more than he knows. That Ishiguro elicits our sympathy rather than annoyance with his unreliable narrator is truly a work of genius, because, given the qualities I had observed above about Stevens, that is no mean feat.

Stevens's unreserved dedication to his work means an inordinate amount of sacrifice, so much so that he has to give up all personal feelings and attachments, and this is something that hits the reader hard when a personal tragedy befalls him in the midst of an important event at Darlington Hall and he keeps at his task, without flinching. Throughout his narrative too, he keeps an objective, almost clinical tone, sometimes infuriating the reader for his lack of emotion, so that when he finally relents, "Indeed - why should I not admit it? - at that moment, my heart was breaking", you want to hug the poor old man and weep yourself, only to recognise that frustrating reserve in needing to convince himself that it was alright to acknowledge his true feelings, and that it would ultimately be shortlived.

The Remains of the Day starts in the 1950s. It is the story of Stevens, a butler on an English estate owned by a rich American named Mr. Farraday. Stevens' position has become a parody of what it used to be. The staff of the estate is down to four people whose main purpose seems to be allowing their employer to show off. But that said, Farraday is a decent person. When he feels Stevens has been under too much pressure, he suggests that his butler borrow his car and take an extended tour of the countryside. Stevens decides to accept this offer because he wants to visit and talk to a former member of the estates' staff, Miss Kenton. He's hoping to convince her to return.

Stevens spends much of the time on his road trip, reminiscing about his past, mostly about the years leading up to World War II. During that time the estate was owned by Lord Darlington, a member of the English nobility who sympathized with the Germans because he believed that the Treaty of Versailles was too brutal. This belief allowed Darlington to be manipulated by the Nazis.

But the story belongs to Stevens, not Darlington. He is a butler who is the son of a butler, so his role is deeply ingrained. Stevens believes that a good butler subjugates his own opinions to his lord's opinions. Whenever he was asked to do something, he did it. It wasn't so much that he would do things he didn't believe in. Rather, he switched his beliefs to go along with whatever was requested. He becomes a master at having no opinions at all.

Stevens also becomes a master at avoiding answers to questions which may force him to express an opinion. This affects his relationships with people he encounters during his road trip and with Miss Kenton. This damaged, personal side of Stevens is what makes his character so fascinating.

The Remains of the Day is a wonderful character study and an excellent glimpse into a period of English history.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul and White Horse Regressions

The novel is told in the first person by Stevens, who was the butler in Darlington Hall, which was the residence of Lord Darlington in the 1930’s. Darlington Hall was a grand place, with many servants, Stevens having overall responsibility. Lord Darlington was a man of considerable wealth and influence, both socially and politically. He died after the war, and Darlington Hall was sold to an American, Mr Faraday, who has downsized both the staff and the use of the Hall.
Much of the book is Stevens’ recollections of events that took place when his lordship was in residence, and we learn that Stevens is preoccupied with the extent to which he was (like his father) a top butler. Stevens comes to define a top butler as a true professional who carries great dignity to his profession. The descriptions of relationships (and dialogue) among staff and with the lord of the manor are brilliant: they convey clearly the culture of the English aristocracy in the 20’s and 30’s.
Mr Faraday plans to be in the States for an extended period, and he suggests to Stevens that he take the motorcar on a sightseeing trip. Stevens accepts his offer and coincidently decides to call on a Miss Kenton who was the one who supervised all the housemaids at Darlington Hall. Miss Kenton left the Hall years ago, and has married. Now, Stevens wonders whether he can persuade her to return to the Hall, as there are hints that her marriage is in difficulty. The working relationship between Stevens and Kenton was very formal, but one cannot help but wonder if there is an unacknowledged attraction between them. In the last chapter, they meet again, and the message of the novel is revealed: Stevens muses: “After all, what can we ever gain forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished?”
The novel moves at a very leisurely pace, with very little action. Major events are recounted by Stevens factually and without emotion. The characters, the setting and the story-telling all completely support that retrospective, self-doubting theme. In spite of Stevens’ wordiness, his character shines through in a way that he is able to maintain the reader’s attention.
If one is looking for tale with plenty of action and excitement, The Remains of the Day would not be a good choice. But if one would like to curl up with a superbly-written story, immersed in history, and long-forgotten characters, a story that succeeds admirably in making its point, then Remains is for you.
As a sort of aside, I would add that the criteria for winning the Booker Prize may have shifted over the last twenty-five years. It’s hard to imagine that a novel with little overt physical or emotional action could win, given the level of current competition.

I wish I had read this book much sooner. I saw the movie with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson years ago and liked it, but I regret to say I didn’t take an interest in reading the original novel until I fell in love with author Kazuo Ishiguro’s more recent novel, "Never Let Me Go." I won’t even try to make the claim that I have anything unique to say about this wonderful book that hasn’t already been said many times over. However…for other readers who, like me, may have been on the fence for a while about "The Remains of the Day," I hope I can make a convincing case that it is well worth a read.

On the surface, this first-person narrative is English butler Mr. Stevens’ account of a cross-country motoring trip he takes in the year 1956 to reunite with an old friend and colleague, Miss Kenton, who worked for many years alongside him as the housekeeper of their employer, Lord Darlington. However, this account of his motoring trip, which takes place in just six days, is merely the framework for a retrospective of Stevens’ entire career at Darlington Hall, his place of employment, and the people he most closely associated with there—namely Lord Darlington, Miss Kenton, and Stevens’ father. It is in this retrospective that Stevens gradually reveals, memory by memory, his true feelings about the past, as much to himself as to the reader.

I think this may be the most masterful interior monologue I have ever read. Stevens’ language, as one would expect from an English butler, is thoughtful, descriptive, and precise. With the same great care one can imagine he would take in pouring a glass of wine for a distinguished guest, Stevens outlines his definition of a great butler and then proceeds to recount highlights from his career that demonstrate his efforts to achieve this distinction. Yet the truly masterful aspect of Ishiguro’s portrayal of Stevens lies not in what the butler says but in what he refrains from saying. The further Stevens’ unfolding of past events progresses, the more one can perceive a sense of regret underlying the butler’s stubborn determination to paint everything in a wash of glory and to sweep any uncertainty under the rug. Ironically, the extraordinary restraint Stevens insists on exercising over his feelings is precisely what makes the story so heartbreaking. His vivid recollection of small details and quiet moments betrays the sensitivity he makes such an effort to conceal. For example, he describes his memory of a day Miss Kenton calls for his attention in this quietly evocative manner: “…I can recall distinctly climbing to the second landing and seeing before me a series of orange shafts from the sunset breaking the gloom of the corridor where each bedroom door stood ajar. And as I made my way past those bedrooms, I had seen through a doorway Miss Kenton’s figure, silhouetted against a window, turn and call softly: ‘Mr. Stevens, if you have a moment.’”

Although "The Remains of the Day" revolves around the life of one English butler, it is really a story about the universal fragility of human life. It’s an intimate study of memory—that furniture of the mind we like to believe is solid and unchanging but in truth is treacherous and ever-evolving, as years of experience and hindsight lengthen and stretch its original shape. This novel is also a bittersweet reflection on the weight of the choices we make. Not the grand, now-or-never choices we encounter at clearly-marked crossroads in our lives, but the smaller, seemingly inconsequential choices that may add up to a sum of life-changing significance.

Perhaps it was the fact that Stevens, a rather educated man, had little vision for his life, was stuck in a societal role, and chose to do little about his situation, that had me frustrated throughout the novel’s entirety. I was hoping his voyage would at least lead to some newfound excitement, a precipice from where he could catapult into his new, more daring life. Sadly, it ended up being just another dead end. Perhaps this was the author’s intent: to show that life can be ripe with possibilities, yet so many choose not to take advantage of opportunities because of self-imposed restrictions. On the other hand, I may be looking too deeply into a rather simple, bland novel that merely focuses on a gentleman’s narrow existence.

What I truly enjoyed were the small nuances in Ishiguro's quotes, and the historical aspect of the story. I appreciated the furtive manner in which that history was revealed through his life story.

Mazuo Ishiguro's novel The Remains of the Day is a beautifully written retrospective on the adult years of a strong, determined, loyal, and exceedingly single-minded Englishman who learns, over the course of a near-lifetime, that irony, ambiguity, pain, and miscalculation are inescapable facts of the human condition. The protagonist, Mr. Stevens, spends his working life as a butler, most of it, certainly his best years, in the service of Lord Darlington. As a member of the British aristocracy, Lord Darlington is a decent gentleman, well connected and capable of exerting a good deal of political clout, but perhaps he's also a bit naive. His naivete' is manifest in his predisposition to accept others' efforts to persuade him that they share his values, commitments, outlook -- his decency -- when in fact they may be representatives of unmitigated evil, in the service of the most despicable principles and people. As he ages, Lord Darlington comes to share a benighted perspective held by many in the decades leading up to World War II, but the usually intelligent and insightful Mr. Stevens is steadfastly insensitive to his employer's limitations.

Since his earliest years in service, especially after working his way through the ranks of footmen and other lesser positions to the august office of butler, Mr. Stevens has sought to make sure that he represented a truly great house, one where his innate dignity would be firmly grounded and recognized. For Mr. Stevens, a great house, one that would call forth his best efforts and enable him to benefit his employer in the most worthwhile ways, was a moral house. This meant a house headed by someone devoted to fostering the betterment of his fellowmen of all stations, promoting the esteemed position of Great Britain, and contributing to the development of a world more appreciative of civility and cultivated attainment. Mr. Stevens stayed at Darlington House because he was convinced that Lord Darlington was head of such a house.

Even for those of us familiar with period pieces such as "Upstairs, downstairs" and "Boynton Abbey," it may be difficult to appreciate the importance of a butler in a house such as Lord Darlington's. In a real sense, the butler was the senior administrator, with numerous and varied duties, including supervising the work of a fairly large staff of others, each occupying a different specialized role. Little wonder that Mr. Stevens and other butlers whom he knew approached their work with pride and professionalism. Simply by virtue of his position, a butler was sometimes privy to high-level exchanges between heads of state and masters of commerce, and his discretion was taken for granted.

When he felt he had done his job exceptionally well or when his efforts were acknowledged by someone he admired, Mr. Stevens felt a sense of triumph, as if he had carried the day, making his designated contribution and doing so with the utmost dignity. Little wonder that as the years went by, his work and his continued improvement as a butler became all-consuming obsessions. He thought of little or nothing else and endured whatever was necessary, including occasional humiliation, to protect his employer from even the most minor inconvenience or irritation. Mr. Steven's devotion to his profession became all that he had and all that he was. A precarious position, indeed, when even a water spot on a piece of highly polished silver was cause for concern.

Among the others in service at Darlington House, Miss Kenton, the head housekeeper, was closest in rank to Mr. Stevens, with whom, most of the time, she enjoyed a good working relationship. In his recollections Mr. Stevens took great pains to emphasize that the relationship was purely professional. Nevertheless, while Miss Kenton did her important work well and with great care, she never mistook her work for herself after the fashion of Mr. Stevens. There were times, moreover, when Miss Kenton became angrily frustrated with their relationship. While still enabling them to get their work done, her contribution to the relationship was marked by determined coldness. Mr. Stevens remembered these times quite well, though he sometimes had to acknowledge that he had borrowed bits and pieces from one incident and added them to another, thereby misconstruing their proximate cause and failing to understand Miss Kenton.

In time, it becomes clear to the reader that Miss Kenton's anger was prompted by Mr. Steven's almost preternatural commitment to being a great butler and ignoring life as it could be more fully lived. But Mr. Stevens remained oblivious to Miss Kenton's extreme discomfort and what it meant. After all, he had followed his father, a cold and distant man, into his profession, and on his death bed his father had told him he was proud of him. Given the life he had lived, the pride he took in doing his job well, and his narrowly circumscribed view of the world, the nature of Mr. Stevens' life and his profound loss seem foregone conclusions.

The end of the book, with Mr. Stevens on perhaps the first holiday of his life, is a masterwork of understatement. Developing slowly and imperceptibly, with intimations throughout Ishiguro's novel, it is deeply moving and heart-rending in a genuinely tragic way. In spite of being prefigured throughout the book, its muted intensity took me by surprise, and, sadly, the same applies to Mr. Stevens. I can't imagine Mr. Stevens recovering his former mindset nor can I foresee how he will tolerably fill the remains of his days.

I had read Kazuo Ishiguro’s When We Were Orphan and liked it, but not so much that I sought out his other books. But I’ve been writing my own novel, and a fellow writer suggested checking out other Ishiguro books for the complex way the author weaves past and present.

I loved Remains of the Day, though it’s a sad and stuffy book, and not anything I would want to write. The story follows Stevens, a middle-aged butler in the 1950s, whose new employer, an American, is traveling for several weeks and urges Stevens to borrow his car and take a motoring trip, even offers to buy the petrol. Stevens heads off to the West Country, his destination the town where former housekeeper Miss Kenton lives. He is hoping, without admitting it to himself, that he might rekindle some sort of connection with her. Not that they ever had a torrid affair or anything, but there had been some inklings of intimacy.

While he has some small adventures on his vacation, like running out of petrol, on this trip, most of the novel is his reminiscence of the time between the wars, when he presided over a large staff at Darlington Hall, a Downton Abbey–like estate, and strove to be one of the best butlers ever.

We see him hire his aging father, once a butler to prominent gentleman, and then leave his bedside as he’s dying to take care of “critical” matters in the household, like making sure the silver is properly polished.

What so fascinating to me, as a writer and a reader, is how Ishiguro so expertly uses the unreliable narrator, that is, we the reader can see things that the narrator, with his narrow and Victorian blinders cannot.

Stevens has no emotional life to speak of, no friends, no pleasures. And yet, though he is a servant, feels himself to be better than so many others. One delicious scene, when he runs out of gas near a small town, and ends up staying at someone’s house, the townspeople mistakenly take him as a gentleman, because of his car, his clothes, his manner, and he leads them on, saying he has met Churchill and other famous people.

One other pleasure of the book is how we learn about the relationship between England and Germany between the wars, and how some English gentlemen like Steven’s employer brought together leaders from both countries to discuss weighty matters, and that perhaps Lord Darlington’s good intentions were being manipulated by the Nazis.

I read the book in less than a day, and though it doesn’t quite zip along — the sentences are long and there is not much dialogue — the slow and subtle story is transfixing and I could not put it down. Masterful writing.

— John Byrne Barry is author of Bones in the Wash: Politics is Tough. Family is Tougher., and Wasted: Murder in the Recycle Berkeley Yard

Dignity, service and honor are the ideals James Stevens, a butler, has lived by in serving his employer Lord Darlington at Darlington Hall for over 30 years. As Stevens reviews his life, he remembers a young and spirited housekeeper, Miss Kenton, of whom he was fond. Although she is married now, he decides to visit her as an old friend. What the reader realizes while reading this book is that Stevens is a finer man than the man he served who was a Fascist sympathizer. We also realize that he has repressed his emotions, and liking for Miss Kenton, now Mrs. Benn, and is experiencing tinges of regret. What is ironic is that we are more aware of what he has missed out on, and probably realize his loss more keenly, than he allows himself to acknowledge.

This is an extraordinary and unusual book. Not too many books are written about the personal lives of the servant class, or their lack of a personal life. This novel - which won the Booker Award for fiction - shines the light on one man's fate when he put service to his master, as many servants had to do, before his personal happiness. The movie with Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton brings this novel to life. Both novel and film are worthy of your time if you like subtle and deep retrospection.

A butler who has not travelled much but concentrated on high standards in his work, is in charge of the country house where a Fascist sympathiser lives. This is just prior to the Second World War and the upper class in Britain were largely sympathetic to Fascists because they were not Communists.
A new housekeeper arrives and takes charge of her staff. At the same time the butler's father, formerly a butler himself but now 'of a certain age' joins the household as an under-butler. A major international conference is to be held at the Hall, and all must go smoothly.

We see interspersed that after the war matters have changed. An American has bought the Hall, the butler is encouraged to borrow the car and take some time to travel, but he is ashamed to speak of his former employer who had once seemed so definite and well-informed. And the housekeeper, alas, has not married the butler which had once seemed a distinct possibility, but has gone to be a wife and mother elsewhere.

As this is written from the butler's perspective the language can seem stilted and there are many references to the top butlers of the day, which is all that this man has to fall back on as he has no personal life. The world changes around him but he finds it hard to change himself. The portrayal of this character is excellently done and the reader is rewarded with an insight into life at this time.

The work was filmed with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, and Christopher Reeve. I enjoy the film very much and it depicts the hard work and attitudes of the times.

THE REMAINS OF THE DAY is the story of Stevens (you never know his first name), the dedicated butler in the life long service of Lord Darlington and his relationship with Miss Kenton, the woman that served with him for a number of years as the housekeeper at the Darlington manor. Starting in the late 1920's, the story takes Stevens to essentially the end of an era in the early 1950's. His huge staff is gone and the manor house is now owned by an American. Stevens like furniture and fixtures - "went with the house."

A man who prides himself on professionalism and dignity and striving to be one of the great butlers of his time, Stevens, in these declining years, is faced with the questin of what he has done with his life. He has no family, no friends, no hobbies and is left with just the memories of what was and what could have been. There is a bit of foreshadowing early in the book when Stevens' father comes to work at Darlington. He has been a butler for his entire career but he comes to work at Darlingtion as an under butler and then just as a servant because he has no place else to go. He is a tragic figure who revels in the memories of days gone by as a butler.

At the beginning of Downton Abbey we see the life style of the British upper class in its golden age. But as the story progresses we see the servants attempting to get out of service and asserting their rights as workers and as humans. They want to marry, they want to control their own lives to the chagrin of the head butler, Mr. Carson and the housekeeper, Mrs. Hughes. Stevens and Kenton are very much counterparts of Carson and Hughes who have given up their chance as romance and families and are totally dedicated to the households they serve.

The plot reveals that Lord Darlington has been a Nazi sympathizer in the period leading up to World War II and dies in disgrace. Although Stevens tries to justify Lord Darlington's positions about Germany in his own mind, when the occasion arises after the war for Stevens to be identified with Lord Darlington, like the New Testament story of Peter, Stevens denies Darlington - three times.

Told in the first person as Stevens makes a road trip in his new master's car to "see the countryside" and to visit Miss Kenton who left service years ago and married, Stevens has some vague idea that she will return and things will be as they were. During the trip he comes to realize what a sheltered life he has lived. He interacts with some working class Brits who mistake his for a "gentleman." Even his conversation is difficult because he admits to himself that he has never learned to engage in small talk or banter. He realizes that he cannot live vicariously off the past. While he was on the fringe of the aristrocracy he was not a part of it.

One of the many themes of this Booker Award winning book is the decline of the British aristocracy along with the question of what is loyalty and dignity. The reader will likely attempt to put themselves in the place of the people in the servant class. Is that the only life style that they knew? What would you have done? Should they have left the security of thier positions? And one wonders about the British aristocracy. Did it ever occur to them what they were doing to these people? Did they merely see them as pieces of furniture - as things to be used and then thrown away? Although the servant class could have left, in many ways they were not much better off than the slaves in the American South. But as we see in Downton Abbey, World War 1 and World War II bring on changes.

There's a Peggy Lee song from the 1960's, "Is That All There Is?" At the end of the book, Stevens is sitting on a bench watching the sun go does, essentially asking, it that all there is? Was his dedication and loyalty worth it? Was he just a commodity, a window dressing for Lord Darlington to use? Should he have spoken up when he was told to fire the Jewish maids - just because they were Jewish?

This book is only 245 pages long. The 1993 movie staring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson follows the novel very closely. One wonders if at the end of the day some of the characters at Downton Abbey will have the same reflections as Stevens.

This would be a great book for a book club. It raises so many questions for discussion. How does Stevens compare with the person who has who has worked for the same company for his entire career and is then let go. And what about a person who worked for a company and then finds out that the company polluted and caused the deaths of many people or made defective products? Would you have had the guts to leave or speak up? There are just a few of the the questions raised by this amazing and thought provoking book that should be on everyone's must read list.

It's been a week since I finished "The Remains of the Day", and, to be honest, I'm still not entirely sure what to make of it. I picked this book up for two reasons; first, I'd heard great things about Kazuo Ishiguro. The second was that, as Booker Prize winner, I figured it had to be good. And, while the writing itself is gorgeous - and the story held me more than I thought it would - I'm still not entirely sure what the big deal is about.

The book revolves around an aging butler, Mr. Stevens. The year is 1956, and the home Stevens works at, Darlington Manor, has recently been sold to an American. While he is busy moving things across the Atlantic, the new owner lends Stevens his car and tells him to take a vacation. The butler decides to head west, to visit a Miss Kenton, a former housekeeper at the estate. Along the way he meets interesting people and recalls events of the past, when Darlington Manor was in its heyday.

Truly, this is the story of a way of life - that of the landed gentry - falling out of favor following World War II. The first world war led to the decline of the great houses of England, but it was the second that nearly finished them off. Stevens knows that the life he once lived has gone by the wayside, and with the arrival of the new owner and new expectations (including how to be funny), he must find a way to adapt to this new life. He considers what it means to be a great butler, gives examples of different adventures Lord Darlington and the house went through in the inter-war period, and discusses various staff members he has known. Meanwhile, he tools across the English countryside, visiting places he's only read about and meeting people he never thought he would come across.

The moral of the story, if there is one, is that the past - the past way of life, as well as the glory the time period itself held - cannot be reclaimed. Each of our lives takes its own twists and turns, and we have more control over our destiny than we give ourselves credit for. As I mentioned above, Ishiguro paints a gorgeous picture of the world he has created, but the book hit me more as lukewarm than anything else.

...from those butlers who are merely extremely competent is most closely captured by this word ‘dignity.’”

This spectacular story is about a competent, loyal, stoic English butler named Stevens whose 35 year career was spent serving a Mr. Darlington until his death. It begins with the current owner of the estate, Mr. Farraday’s, suggestion that Stevens go on a motor holiday while he (Farraday) is away. As the latest letter Stevens received from the gone-for-20 years Miss Kenton, former housekeeper, seems to imply that she’s unhappy in her current life and misses employ at Darlington Hall, he hopes to convince her to return as an employee and embarks on a car tour of the English countryside with the purpose of discussing the matter with her in person. Stevens narrates, recalling memorable events that took place at Darlington Hall and interactions he had with Miss Kenton, his father (who briefly worked at the same estate as an under-butler), his employers and their guests. The story alternates between his work-related recollections and his experiences during the trip, which help solidify in readers’ minds the type of man that Stevens really is (and Mr. Darlington really was). Having unfortunately watched the movie before becoming aware of the book, I found myself picturing the movie actors while reading, which was not ideal. What I loved most about the story was, of course, Stevens, who is the embodiment of dignity. Even though it would be difficult not to feel sorry for Stevens taking his duties as a butler so seriously that he was negligent in his personal relationships, you can’t help but like him while wishing you could take him aside and try to talk some sense into him both for being clueless about love and resistant to information that shines a negative light on his former employer. In summary, best of the book is the author’s attention to detail in his portrayal of Stevens, in all aspects of his personality. Also great: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Dignity, service and honor are the ideals James Stevens, a butler, has lived by in serving his employer Lord Darlington at Darlington Hall for over 30 years. As Stevens reviews his life, he remembers a young and spirited housekeeper, Miss Kenton, of whom he was fond. Although she is married now, he decides to visit her as an old friend. What the reader realizes while reading this book is that Stevens is a finer man than the man he served who was a Fascist sympathizer. We also realize that he has repressed his emotions, and liking for Miss Kenton, now Mrs. Benn, and is experiencing tinges of regret. What is ironic is that we are more aware of what he has missed out on, and probably realize his loss more keenly, than he allows himself to acknowledge.

This is an extraordinary and unusual book. Not too many books are written about the personal lives of the servant class, or their lack of a personal life. This novel - which won the Booker Award for fiction - shines the light on one man's fate when he put service to his master, as many servants had to do, before his personal happiness. The movie with Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton brings this novel to life. Both novel and film are worthy of your time if you like subtle and deep retrospection.

At first, reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Remains of the Day reminded me of the laborious days I spent reading Conrad’s highly acclaimed Heart of Darkness. I seemed to be failing miserably in discovering whatever it was I was unable to detect in this book, yet another that has received great accolades. Long on description and reflection, short on dialogue and plot, Ishiguro’s famous novel strolls along at a leisurely pace, propelled gently by soft, prose, yet seems to go nowhere and reveals little to pause and wonder.

I stuck with it, however, being as it wasn’t that long of a book, and was surprised to stumble upon the beauty of this subtle work. Indeed, there are passages in the second half, particularly when Stevens enters the hamlet of Moscombe. Herein, Ishiguro addresses many philosophical concepts as well as reveals the depth of the butler Stevens devotion to his craft and his unending quest to perfect dignity in action. It all snowballs to a perfect ending; honest, loyal, and full of integrity.

This book may not be the greatest one you’ll ever read, but it has a magnificence that has to be seen fully to appreciate. It’s worth driving the extra few miles to complete your trip.

Stevens, the son of a butler, has never thought of being anything except a butler. He worked toward perfection in his occupation and spent a great deal of time thinking about what made a quality butler so good. For decades he was employed by an important man, Lord Darlington, and he did his job well, anticipating Lord Darlington's needs and desires and making sure that the household ran seamlessly.

When Lord Darlington died, Stevens was already an old man, but he stayed on to work as the butler for the home's new owner, an American businessman. Stevens finds himself floundering a bit under the weight of different expectations from his new employer, and feels insecure about the service he is giving.

When his new boss offers him the opportunity to take some time off to take a driving vacation, Stevens accepts. He decides to drive through the English countryside to meet the former head housekeeper of Lord Darlington's house. Miss Kenton worked closely with Stevens for years until she married and moved away. Stevens has some small hope that she might want to return to work, as it seems her marriage may be in trouble.

As Stevens' drive stretches over several days, he reminisces on scenes from his life. It becomes clear that his situation as Lord Darlington's butler was not as rosy and perfect as he made it seem. It also becomes clear that there was some tension between Stevens and Miss Kenton that he is unable to or unwilling to acknowledge.

This book is rather slow-moving and takes time to develop. Stevens is a frustrating character, as he is so concerned with being a good butler that he shuns all normal relationships with others. I liked how a picture emerged, though, from the unrelated stories and remembrances, and how the way things really were in the Darlington household slowly became clear as this novel progressed.

Interesting that a novel written in 1988 by a man who wasn't born in England could write one of what I would consider one of the great novels of English literature. A lot of novels I'm sure have attempted to carry on the tradition of this sort of 'novel of manners and society', but this is probably the last, great one we'll ever see. Fitting then that it would be about the ending of things.

For myself, a great novel (or any work of art) is one which gets you thinking about yourself. I tended to think a lot about my own missed opportunities, my age, what lies ahead, and most importantly the feeling of the people around me. I wondered how what I might assume someone I know is thinking or feeling could very well be wrong - that I'm oblivious to a great many things because I can't see past my own nose.

Yet Mr. Stevens never seemed worried about this because he always knew his duty. His duty carried him through all things and so he never once questioned if he might ever be wrong. He's even asked by Mr. Cardinal on the night of the great meeting if he believes what his Lordship is doing is 'right' and he only replies that it's not his place to know. Right and wrong only become a concern to him when dealing with the topic of a butler serving a worthy employer.

Of course, putting aside lords and butlers, Mr. Ishiguro is obviously concerned with larger issues, chiefly the idea of allowing oneself to be led by another who may not be as moral as you would like - which is why Hitler is such a good backdrop since he took full advantage of people's allegiance to the German state. That unquestioning loyalty seems quite dangerous against the Nazi flag, yet here we see it with the good intentions of a naive English gentleman and his loyal butler. And the price both paid were costly, but at least Mr. Stevens got some good advice about always looking forward and so his fate is not as bleak as Darlington's.

Oh well, I could go on and on, and that's what makes this such a wonderful novel. I'm glad I read it so soon after reading Fathers and Sons too - I feel as if I've read some of the greatest novels ever written and they are both stories I am very sad to have to put down.

I have no idea why it has taken me so long to read this novel, despite having read most of this authors work and loved it, and yet this, deservedly, is regarded as his classic. Perhaps, subconsciously, I was afraid of being disappointed but, if so, then I am glad to say that I certainly was not. In many ways, this is classicaly understated; as English as you can possibly imagine. Stevens has spent his entire life and career in service, as a butler, with thirty five years working for Lord Darlington at Darlington Hall. When we meet him it is 1956 and the days of the aristocracy and great houses are dying out. Darlington Hall is now in the hands of Mr Farraday, an untitled American, who is a kind and thoughtful man. So thoughtful is he that, when intending to go abroad, he encourages Stevens to take a trip of his own, even offering the use of his own car. This isolated and repressed man decides to visit Miss Kenton, now Mrs Barr, the former housekeeper at Darlington Hall.

During Stevens journey, he muses on his past life. It is fair to say that Stevens has spent most of his time building barriers between himself and others. His entire reason for living has been to serve Lord Darlington, who we gradually realise is undeserving of such utter loyalty. Meanwhile, his feelings for Miss Kenton, and hers for him, are poignantly revealed. Kazuo Ishiguro is a genius of an author and much of the substance of this outstanding novel lies in what he doesn't say (or write), as much as what he does - an almost impossible task for any other author. His gentle unveiling of the absurd posturing of Stevens, his inability to deal with either his own, or others, feelings, his sad regret, and Miss Kenton's attempts to breach his defences are heart rending. This is one of the most touching, and brilliantly written, novels I have read.

This is an incredibly powerful story. The plot is simple enough = a butler is reminiscing of his live from about when he started working for Lord Darlington until today.
Throughout his career he strove to be the very best butler for the greater aggrandizement of his employer. He goes off an tangents of what makes a great butler and the difficulty of running a great house with the staff he has available to him. He also gives the temperature of his new employer, an American who is just proud to be able to have all this for no better reason than that he can. As it turns out the crux of his life was in having to deal with people who are not perfect, duh! This butler wants everything to be just so and endeavors to make it so.
He has been given the use of a car by his employer while he will be away on business for five or six weeks. Driving is a wonderful time to remember all that has gone on, and it seems that this butler has never taken, or had the opportunity, to do so, so there is a lot going through his mind on this trip. There are many regrets on his part, and many passing thoughts of what might have been. Mostly I found that he was troubled by all the human frailties that he had occasion to observe and never took the time to contemplate.
He has many side trips on his way, giving a flavor of England of the mid-fifties. In the end he learns the value of sitting and watching the sun set.

At first, this seems like a simple story of a dignified English butler reminiscing about the good old days when he presided over a grand house with many employees. As the story goes on, the reader discovers that the good old days were full of moral complexity and unrequited love.

Hated it, didn't finish it. Plodding. I really don't care what the lead character's definition of a good butler is! I know from book club friends that theres a twist, but the book was too boring to get there.

After completing The Remains Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, I have concluded that I would not recommend this novel. The plot is dry and uneventful. Most of the plot consists of the main character, Stevens, roaming the English countryside recalling his life as a butler at Darlington Hall. There are no large events that occur that are interesting and eventful. The only interesting aspect of Ishiguro's novel is the portrayed love interest between Stevens and his colleague, Mrs.Kenton. Behind the scenes is Darlington Hall's involvement in World War II. Although, this aspect of the novel is not a focus and is only mentioned on occasion. Overall,in my opinion, Ishiguro's novel is dry and uneventful and would not reccommend to anyone who wants to read an "edge of your seat" novel.

I don't know how this book and the movie got by me but I'd never read the one or seen the other. I am very glad about this now, because Downton Abbey has given me a much deeper understanding of the nature of service in Great Britain's largest estates and the effect of historical change on those like Stevens who have devoted their life to serving the aristocracy. The book is written with elegance, understatement and a lack of sentimentality which gently usher in the pathos. In short, a perfect novel.

When climbing into Kazuo Ishiguro's, "The Remains of the Day," one feels as if they have stepped out into the manor of a great and romantic landscape; winding vales and flowering trees among green hedges, a scenic pond in the countryside that begs attention; it is as if the verdant air rises from the pages fermenting the reader in a haze of beauty, longing, and the great undertow of dignity within this life; such large planets of questions orbiting; the way that Stevens voice literally melds like a sunset so easily into the mind, his inner dialogue, so succinct, so clear; so refined and with such great desire to succeed; that I can hear him now talking to himself about the validity of his witticisms, and whether or not he showed enough attention to Miss Kenton during their evenings with cocoa and conversation. The International upheaval and the moral implications of siding with the Germans during WWII; such an unforgivable error, this costs the Lord Darlington dearly, and even Stevens whom it is obvious, is more bound up in his Lordship than even his poor and trying father. The images of Stevens father trying so hard in his old age to do the simple tasks, is quite heartbreaking; and that he is referred to in conversations so removed; stills the soul, I say.

Sureness of tension rises to shake the dust from their rugs and bats the drapes with fierceness. Stevens puts all else aside for the sake of his profession, rather, he denies his own life; the validity and importance of events taking place in his life, in order to eclipse and follow the needs of his Lord. He has become the epitome of Butler in such a way that he falls into an ocean of other people's needs, regrettably, the lower staff, or even the equal staff become invisible to him and he pushes their lives, and sufferings aside in order to concentrate on his job; yet, internally, he is quite a mess of all this pushing aside.

On the night of losing his father, one gives a sudden gasp, when the reality of the event is upon Stevens and he turns throughout the evening with such a terrible grace; a great ease in suffering, as if he were a member in a silent dance troupe and following a set number; he keeps turning and turning away from the reality of the situation, his father is dying - - his father has died! - - Stevens is crying and doesn't even know it; such heartbreak in stepping over the lives of our loved ones in order to pretend and put away reality as if it were simply silver to be shined and set in place; and rather, Stevens only source of hope is his pride on pretending or rather carrying on; and this is the stoic role that so many men are made to play within their lives; he believes he is sacrificing for others; and tells himself that he is sacrificing for his Lordship, and ultimately for the sake of world affairs; yet, this is such a lie. If he had only prepared himself a bit more, and trained someone else to step in should an emergency arise, then he could have pulled himself away for just a few moments to help his father. Such a thought would not be entertained for Stevens would n'er have someone else step in to do his job; "My Lordship needs me," I can almost hear him say.

One of the most heartbreaking of scenes is when Stevens is trying to figure out how to see his father and the Frenchman says he needs his feet attending to; this is the crux of the situation; and Stevens, I do feel his soul was torn in great sections of despair, without missing a beat tells the Frenchman that the Doctor is on his way; a death has occurred in the house, his father has died and look what is being attended to, the feet of a noble man. Such heartbreak.

It is Miss Kenton who tries to pry him out of his little shell and force him to pay attention to the rest of the players around him. This is not a solo, Stevens. Life, is not a solo affair; though he has made it out to be as such. Not necessarily that the other people do not matter; not at all, moreso, that Stevens and his feelings do not matter. He has spent his entire life serving others that he cannot serve his own life. This is the tragedy. And it is only in such great pockets of life that seem to withhold themselves until almost the very end; that the past comes out from behind a cloud and beckons to Stevens; he finally snaps out of his life long stupor and grants his heart one wish: Miss Kenton.

One does not come away untouched from this novel. And rather, like the swell of a defiant wave moving stealthily towards the shore, with a deliberate undertow set on taking out at least one inhabitant from their cherished island; this story moves up and over the very deliberate workings of a life; and washes him out to sea, tearing him to shreds at the end; and Miss Kenton, in her defeat, turning away from someone she loves so dearly, in order to simply go on.

I do not want to let the grand masse of superlatives out of the gate to come and crash upon Mr. Ishiguro's novel, for he over writes such pretensions with finesse; a novel so simple in its complexity that it lands atop a wiser branch; creating a standard all its own.

Such beautiful prose. Such a spare, elegant depiction of the waning of an age. Such misguided noblesse oblige. What self-delusion. What an utter fool I am, for I too have given my best to a last bastion of the once great British empire. I am devastated to see my own life's bitter review so succinctly and poignantly captured in this wee dagger of a book. My advice for readers of a certain age have who over-identified with their careers for a decade or three: proceed with caution and be prepared to meet the protagonist, and possibly yourself, with dismay and not a few tears.

For readers who prefer fast-paced thrillers or the light beach-read, "The Remains of the Day" may be just the book to pull you into serious, contemplative literature. The story is presented in the form of a butler's diary, and the time alternates between his years of service to Lord Darlington (leading up to WWII) and the "present" day, in which Lord Darlington has died and Stevens is adjusting to both his new employer and his own advancing age. Deciding to seek out a former associate who now lives in Cornwall, Stevens borrows his new employer's car and takes a "motoring trip" across the English countryside, all the while contemplating his past thirty years of service and their greater significance.

Ishiguro is truly a master of the form. I've seldom read a book by an author who seems to understand, without reservation, what good fiction does and how it is written. There are no car chases, no shouting matches, no fistfights or dead bodies. But if you let Ishiguro work his magic, he will take hold of you swiftly and see you to the conclusion of this beautiful work.

As for character portraits, the butler Stevens is perhaps one of the most compelling characters I have ever met in a novel. Many times I felt myself thinking of Stevens not as an interesting (or even life-like) character or as an ideological construct but as a real person with feelings, desires and passions. As you read the book, there are quiet moments that are utterly heartbreaking. Most of this is due to understatement or implication, and being able to sense the meanings behind Stevens' actions--and especially his non-actions. The Remains of the Day presents these repressed moments of sorrow with a precision I'm not sure I've found elsewhere--even in the works of the masters. I'm anxiously awaiting my next Ishiguro novel.

The story of a man whose only identity, even in his own eyes, was as an English butler. He sacrifices his entire life and his only chance at happiness for his sense of duty and honor, a concept instilled in him by his own father who had preceded him as butler in the household.

There's much going on here that remains between the lines: the master's toadying to the Nazi's; the butler's aborted attempt at a love affair; the demoralizing class distinctions of an age where a rich man's servants were expected to forego living their own lives to serve him.

The flashbacks of his father were so sad and bittersweet they can still bring me to tears. Such a waste.

I highly recommend this book to any and everyone. It is a true classic and gives you a clear and concise view of English nobility in the early 20th century.

I was surprised to find myself so engaged in the 2nd half of this book, after having to force myself to trudge through the 1st half. It was written splendidly, from the 1st paragraph through the last, but the 1st half was slow and not as engaging as I had hoped. BUT, then there was more action, rather than simply musings and memories of the past, and I was unable to put the book down. Stevens, the narrator and main character, is an aging butler, a gentleman of dignity, who worked in one of the finest homes in England pre and post WW!!. He sacrificed a personal life, for that of loyalty and service to his employer, but this was HIS own choice, and I am still pondering how he let the important things go in life, or did not recognize what really matters, all in the name of this grand service he performed more than 3 decades. I found the story to be achingly painful and sad, though not in the typical ways a reader would expect a story to be sad. This was a sadness which took the form of regret, recognizing far too late in life that the choices made, or those ignored, ultimately led to a solitary life, void of love and legacy. I sat for a very long time, with the completed and closed book in my lap, pondering how this dignified man could have let his life turn out the way it did. Was it fear? Was it an inability to love? Did he think some great end would come to him for being such a loyal employee? The book is very deep and yet very simple. "The road not taken...." applies to this novel. If you are a lover of beautiful, though provoking, literary prose that may haunt you for awhile, this book is for you. If you want a light piece of quick paced fiction, you will hate this book. I ended up loving it in spite of my reluctance to keep reading during the early pages.

This is an icily ironic novel about a man (Stevens) clinging to fading conventions, and his seeming inability to perceive, or at least fully perceive, that he is surrounded by several direct challenges to these values. The principle challenge in the novel comes in the form of Miss Kenton, whose recent letter has led him on a brief trip to the country. His reflections on the trip and his own life make up the content of the novel.

A particularly formative experience in Steven's life is in hearing about his father having to serve a general whose incompetence resulted in his brother's (Steven's uncle) death. Steven's father never revealed his deep loathing to the general in the course of the 4 day service, and was even left with a generous tip, which he subsequently donated to charity. This early lesson learned from his father, that a butler must never let his personal feelings intrude upon his duties and thus the "dignity" of the role as a butler, remains foremost in his life. The reader observes how that role calcifies into an inability to act with emotion, moral conviction, or even simply to casually engage with others. This is most evident when the new American head of the house tries to engage him in more informal "banter," a request which Stevens comically misunderstands.

The precision of Ishiguro's prose (which is the voice of the narrator and main character, Stevens) reflects perfectly executed manner that that Stevens is trying to achieve in his role as butler. In the end, there is brief, though real suspense as we witness whether and how Stevens will integrate his new circumstances into his values appropriate to another age.

"The Remains of the Day" is an incredibly moving book about Stevens, a conscientious and dedicated butler who lives to work and works to live for his employer, Lord Darlington, at Darlington Hall in postwar England. After decades of hustle-and-bustle service at this residence and Lord Darlington's eventual death, Stevens suddenly finds himself under the employ of a new well-to-do resident of Darlington Hall, an American named Mr. Farraday, who recommends his butler take a well-deserved break and "motor" across the English countryside. After much deliberating, Stevens agrees to do this, and the story is about his acutely sad, monumental, troubling and sometimes crowning moments during the Darlington Hall "glory years," when important world leaders visited on a regular basis.

Stevens runs the massive household in a professional but polite manner, as all good butlers were expected to do during that time period. His nuanced narration as he reveals his past and present world is ornate and verbose -- yet engrossing -- while his manners are impeccable 24 hours a day, no matter who he comes across. Many people who don't know what Stevens' line of work is mistake him for a distinguished, rich gentleman, a label he is in no hurry to correct. In addition, the prideful butler has no sense of humor and sadly never learned to "banter" with people, even those close to him. This makes for some heartbreaking moments. Whether he makes a cringe-inducing joke among strangers at a cozy inn, attempts to reach out to his equally hardworking and chilly father or incrementally chooses to forgo the opportunity for true love with his close colleague Miss Kenton, Stevens is that rare person who sacrifices most of life's joys for his job.

In choosing to serve the master of the household in the only way he knows how -- by committing 100 percent of himself and his energies to Lord Darlington and Darlington Hall -- it could be argued that Stevens, who does what he does in the name of "dignity," missed out on a fuller life of human warmth. As he classily waited on world-renowned political leaders hand and foot at crucial Darlington Hall meetings, Stevens' defense of living such a life was that he played a small role in influencing the outcome of future world events.

And in a world where shades of gray rule supreme, one could easily make various cases that Stevens' choice to unfailingly serve Lord Darlington during the prime of both of their lives was admirable, tragic or a mixture of both. As the story concludes, Stevens drops his ever-present stoic persona and honestly opens up, even bravely admitting regrets. Thankfully, even at an advanced age, he learns a great lesson: It's never too late to learn how to banter, and to enjoy what's left of your life -- the remains of the day.

Ishiguro artfully describes the importance of a life well lived. The characters, while a bit sad, define their successes and failures so well through small comments and phrases and you are left with the belief that they have found a sort of peace and acceptance in their lives. We should all be so lucky.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ishiguro's more recent novel, Never Let Me Go, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize (The Remains of the Day won it in 1989). It was one of the few audiobooks I've ever listened to, and I think it was one of the few books I could really enjoy in that format. It has very simple prose and was easy to follow along with in the car.

The Remains of the Day is written in simple, deceptively straightforward prose. Ishiguro packs a punch into this short, easy to read narrative (much like Hilary Mantel did in Fludd- if you liked that book, I think you'll enjoy this one). Stevens, the narrator, is every bit the "stiff upper lipped" English butler that one would expect. His evolution, from the first page of the book to the last one, is so subtle, and yet so transformative, that one can only marvel that it happened at all and try to pinpoint when his thinking changed.

Stevens is not a very likable character. Most of the characters in the book are not. He is so repressed and so emotionally unavailable that it is almost funny. There are priceless moments when he tries to make a witticism, fails, and then spends a great deal of time analyzing why his joke went flat, and then commenting on the difficulties of "bantering" with another person. Sad and painful for him, I'm sure, but so fascinating. What would it be like to go through life so completely unable to connect with anyone? One of the saddest passages of the book to me took place in Stevens' butler's pantry, when the housekeeper comes inside to see what sort of book he is reading and he is very upset that she sees him reading a romance. The man's loneliness tears through every page.

Ishiguro's writing style is neat and unsentimental. He brilliantly writes from the point of view of a repressed old man. And the simple, unassuming redemption that occurs at the end... wonderful.

The Remains of the Day reminds me of Fludd in the starkness of its prose and its sense of satisfaction one gets at the end. I would highly recommend both books to anyone with an interest in 1950s England.

I'm not sure how I missed reading this book as I think I've read everything else Ishiguro has published, but somehow I did. But what a pleasure to have had this book still unread, a little treasure still awaiting me. I just finished it yesterday, and Ishiguro amazed me again.

In many ways this book reminded me more of Never Let Me Go than his other works. Here, as in Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro lets us see the limitations of his characters' view at the same time that he makes us wrestle with complex ethical questions. And, although perhaps darker and more brooding in Never Let Me Go, his writing in Remains of the Day has the same quiet, measured quality that allows the landscape and buildings to take on almost as much presence as his characters; and in this book, where the main character's occupation requires a studied lack of presence, this was particularly powerful.

The Remains of the Day, by the magnificent Kazuo Ishiguro, is the story of a Butler named Steven's, who in the twilight of his career takes a journey to visit an old colleague. That journey is a just a backdrop to the heart of the novel, which is Stevens reminiscing on past events, as a Butler to the late Lord Darlington for decades, and about life itself, including some surprisingly fascinating analysis on the meaning of the word dignity and the significance of social banter.

The events the main character takes us back to are sometimes life or world changing, and sometime are seemingly not very significant, but all combine to really show us his journey from his perspective, and tells us what kind of man this longtime loyal servant is. Stevens is not always an entirely likable protagonist. Sometimes he comes off as arrogant and often he feels emotionless. But he's sympathetic because he sticks to what he believes, and is a victim in many ways of believing it so strongly and of his upstanding loyalty to his late employer. There is heart raging scene of tragedy, which I will not give away, that left me in tears and in particular summons the kind of man he is. Miss Kenton, the old colleague whom he's on his way to visit in the present, as well as Lord Darlington, take a huge presence, and both are well drawn, always from Stevens' perspective. Stevens is kind in his describing of Lord Darlington, but even so the darkness of his late employer is not hidden.

The Novel taps on themes of class, loyalty, fascism, dignity, wealth, and democracy. There is comedy, drama, beauty, and in an indirect way romance. It's magnificent writing which never hints at quite where it will take you next. Highly recommended.

Written from the point of view of a servant in one of England's Great Houses ( think Downton Abbey), it is the story of a Butler who lives to serve a Lord and his household with honor and dignity, and by doing so believes that he is also serving his country and the wider world because so much of Europe's diplomacy is conducted in these houses though the personal relationships of the European elite.
But what to think if one's service proves to be misplaced? What if the Lord, though well-intentioned, was duped by the tide of fascism sweeping Europe in the 1930s?
This novel tells an intimate story of the soul of England in those years.

Kazuo Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki in 1954 and moved to Britain at the age of five. He was awarded the OBE in 1995 and the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1998. "The Remains of the Day" is his fourth novel, was first published in 1989 and won that year's Booker Prize.

Opening in July 1956, the story is told by Mr Stevens - a butler approaching the end of his career. He has been based at Darlington Hall for many years and, for most of his time there, had served Lord Darlington. While the outside world has changed dramatically since Stevens started out as a butler, the changes within the walls are proving a little more difficult for him. Following the death of Lord Darlington a few years previously, the stately home is now in the hands of an American called Farraday. Unsurprisingly, Farraday is a great deal less formal than Lord Darlington and Stevens isn't quite sure how to relate to his new boss. Furthermore, when once there were twenty-eight members of staff at Darlington Hall, there are now only four. Sections of the house have now been put 'under wraps' - effectively closed down - with fairly radical alterations to what would have been each person's 'traditional' responsibilities. Stevens has become rather worried when some small errors creep into his own work - these, he feels, stem from the slightly flawed staff plan he developed.

Stevens is taken by surprise when his new employer suggests he takes some time off and borrows the car - to the point he, initially, doesn't take the suggestion seriously. However, he starts to change his mind when he receives a letter from Miss Kenton, Darlington Hall's former housekeeper - the first time in seven years he'd heard from her. Technically, Miss Kenton has been Mrs Benn since she left Darlington Hall in 1936 - though it seems, her marriage has recently ended. In her letter she spoke of her time at the Hall as the happiest period in her life and, reading between the lines, Stevens believes she may be willing to return as a member of staff - an appointment, he believes, that would iron out the kinks in his staff plan. Accordingly, having organised a meeting with his former colleague, Stevens takes a road trip to the West Country. "The Remains of the Day" follows Stevens on his trip and, as he looks forward to his meeting with Miss Kenton, he looks back on their shared times together at Darlington Hall.

Stevens proves to be a very stiff, formal, nearly snobbish character - one who has become quite obsessed with 'dignity'. He (rather ridiculously) believes that only the English are capable of 'emotional restraint' required to being butlers - though, as time goes on, it becomes clear that Stevens' emotional restraint has cost him more than he cares to admit. His memories of Miss Kenton tend to focus on professional matters, and - while it began and ended a little badly - for many years, it seems they had got on quite well. Stevens' memories, of course, only tell half of that story. Lord Darlington, naturally, also features strongly in his memories. Stevens had been blindly loyal to Lord Darlington - under no circumstances would he disagree ever disagree with his lordship's decisions, publicly or privately. Darlington had fought in the First World War, though - being an honourable gentleman - believed the Treaty of Versailles was excessively harsh on the German people. He had become an important figure in the period between the wars - and, having played host to many influential people during this time, had even tried to shape Britain's foreign policy towards Germany. Unsurprisingly, his reputation has been in tatters since the Second World War. Stevens still feels Lord Darlington was a well-meaning man, though perhaps misguided - though still denies having worked for him several times during the book.

Ishiguro's books are definitely better than most you'll find on the bookshelves, and many people seem to rate this as his best to date. Personally, I think he's done better - particularly with "When We Were Orphans" and "Never Let Me Go". However, "The Remains of the Day" is certainly a worth reading and, despite Stevens' stiffness, it was hard not to feel sorry for him come the end of the book.

Midway through a pivotal scene in "The Remains of the Day," Lord Darlington's young godson confronts the butler, James Stevens, about the nefarious goings-on in Darlington Hall, insisting angrily, "you're not curious. You just let all this go on before you and you never think to look at it for what it is." A gentleman's gentleman to the core, Mr. Stevens serves at the pleasure, and defers to the judgment, of his lord, and this training limits his robotic, repeated replies: "I don't fully understand what it is you're referring to" or "I'm afraid I have not noticed any such development."

"Remains" is basically a British comedy of manners--and there are many episodes that are certainly, if wryly, humorous. Yet Stevens is the anti-Jeeves--a man whose worth in his profession is inversely proportional to the value of his opinions. This point is brought home when one of Darlington's guests, to prove his arguments against England's "present parliamentary system," mockingly asks the butler his stance on several economic and political issues of the day. "I'm sorry, sir, but I am unable to assist in this matter." Whether Stevens has knowledge on these matters is beside the point; he's accepted that it's not his place to offer his own views. He is a man with style, but without substance.

As a result, Stevens proves to be the most unreliable narrator, and it quickly becomes apparent that his defense of his employer's integrity is actually defensiveness. Stevens's lack of "curiosity" and his impassiveness result in the book's three most disquieting subplots: he admires greatly his father (also a butler), but they remain aloof from each other, with heartbreaking consequences; he furtively reads romantic novels, but refuses to entertain the unsubtle overtures from the housekeeper Miss Kenton; he disagrees with his employer's reasons for firing two maids yet refuses to challenge him. For her part, Miss Kenton turns out to be the real hero of the book, trying during her tenure to break through Stevens's emotional barriers and haunting his thoughts long after she's left the household.

Yet, if Ishiguro's novel were simply another upstairs-downstairs tale, it wouldn't be much to recommend. Instead, Stevens is any of us who wanders blindly through life, doing no more than what's expected and leaving "the great affairs of today's world" to others. Indeed, "Remains of the Day" offers a frontal assault on conservative, oligarchic notions of morality. (The endless discussions over the qualities of a good butler and Stevens's arguments for "his lordship's good judgement" seem at times a parody of Edmund Burke's defense of monarchy.)

It's not a coincidence that both Americans in the novel, while behaving like tactless cads, are ultimately being proved right for favoring honesty over "honour." One of the Americans, Stevens's new employer, encourages the butler to drop the stiff upper lip and engage in some friendly banter, offering Stevens a belated opportunity to rejuvenate his own sense of worth. In spite of the novel's focus on aristocracy and servants, its moments like this one that underscore the truly egalitarian nature of Ishiguro's work.

This is a truly great book. After putting it down, that was the only thought in my head. I felt very lucky to have read it. It tells the story of a traditional English butler traveling across the countryside to rendezvous with his former head maid, now unhappily married. As he makes his way he reminisces about his former boss, Lord Darlington, for whom he still has the highest regard, despite the apparently unpopular opinion with which the rest of the world now views him, and other events that took place during that time. Among his recollected stories are those of the former head maid to whom he is traveling, Miss Kenton (or so she was known when unmarried and under his employ, and as he still refers to her in his memory); those of his father, a butler as well, some during his best years but most during old age; and those of Darlington and his political gatherings after the first world war, beginning with friendly, semi-formal discussions of the world's unfair treatment of their vanquished foe, Germany, and then branching into more clandestine meetings designed to play a greater part on the world's stage and to which many important international figures were party. Stevens, the protagonist, also muses frequently about what exactly makes a great butler and what exactly is the nature of dignity.

I always found myself entertained when reading this, even during droll philosophizings in which the narrator engages, but the book is so unassuming, so almost mild in its Englishless, that when it presented itself in its full power it all the more took me by surprise. Ishiguro truly is a master craftsman, and once all the pieces were in place and the full picture was in view, I could feel its heartbreaking core reaching out to every event and thought, small or large, and doubling their emotional weight. Never before have I read something so intricate.

Every thought and action of Stevens is presented in the reserved voice of the old English butler, and thus every whispered inner emotion is suppressed, every duty to and action of his boss is magnified in importance, and every encounter with the outside world in all its freedom of spirit is alienating. The latter actually leads to a number of comic situations, one being Stevens's confusion regarding jokes and banter and his attempts to participate in it when forced to by his new American boss and others along his travels. But it also leads to great sorrow, and this double sided coin, always on the edge of Stevens's consciousness, kept me engaged both intellectually and emotionally. And because Stevens has convinced himself to think only in this reserved voice, because it's the only way of thinking that he knows, it seems to make a lot of sense, albeit in a foreign way. However, as more of the picture becomes visible, as the reader gets a more detailed picture of Stevens's mind and soul, the true unassuming, quiet, heartbreaking weight of the entire story is inescapable.

Despite years of avoiding this book because of a vague sense that it was a boring little English-gentry novel, I'm happy to report that it's actually exquisite. The story goes like so: Stevens, the butler at Darlington House -- one of those British manors that has stood for longer than most nations, including ours -- takes a rare holiday, driving off into the British countryside to see the country that he apparently has had very little time to see in his many years of butlering. Indeed, it's possible that he's never left Darlington House: he seems to spend most of his rare bits of free time tucked away in his windowless, badly-lit office. Such has been his life for perhaps half a century.

But it's after World War II, and Britain is not what it once was. The Darlington Houses, and their dozens of servants, have fallen into disuse; whenever someone mentions another manor home, the many unused rooms are invariably covered with plastic sheeting. It's a sad time to be a butler.

Darlington House has passed into the ownership of a wealthy American man who, while he's a gentleman by American standards, is more crass than Stevens is used to. He tries to banter with Stevens in a very American way, and Stevens just cannot make head or tail of it. Some of the funniest scenes in The Remains of the Day center on Stevens's attempts to return the verbal play in his restrained British butler's style; they're met with only puzzlement.

That restrained butler's style is the source both of the book's comedy, and its heartbreak. A truly great butler, says Stevens, must be a butler to his core. He cannot be a dignified butler one moment and a bantering, jocular everyman the next. The only times when he may let his guard down are when he is completely alone.

Note that: alone. A butler, one assumes, would make a terrible husband. Stevens is incapable of interacting with other human beings the way the rest of us would. A feisty, strong-willed, passionate woman joins the staff at Darlington House, and all Stevens can do is stare.

We only occasionally can pierce through the veil of his butlerish self-restraint, and only then when he describes what other people say to him. Most of the time, the world desires that he be just as he is: courteous to a fault, merely the vehicle for his master's desires -- a cipher to everyone including himself. But every now and again, others would enjoy interacting with a human. Stevens doesn't know how to be a human. Only once does he admit to himself that he is experiencing a human foible. That ends, and back he returns to his master.

It's a 200-page read, and a brisk one at that. It is a tiny, exquisite sculpture of a man.

Kazuo Ishiguro's novel THE REMAINS OF THE DAY is the story of Stevens, the butler at a large English house in Oxfordshire from the early 1920s to 1956, the time that the book opens. When his new employer, a newly rich American who now owns the estate, returns to his home country for a few days, he tells Stevens he should travel a bit within England. Stevens sets off on a journey to the West Country, intending to visit one Miss Kenton, his colleague on the house staff for many years before the war. While he travels Stevens, who narrates the novel in first person, recalls the whole breadth of his career.

The dialogue that Ishiguro writes for Stevens, the formal and business-like responses of the servant, is remarkably convincing. It is strict and unemotional and yet never becomes tiring to read. And the overt issues of the novel, such as the difficulty of reconciling work and personal life, and the great changes England went through during these decades are very engaging for the reader. While early reviews praised THE REMAINS OF THE DAY but questioned how much readers outside of England would get from the novel, I think that anyone with a basic knowledge of the country's history will appreciate the dramatic scope of years in Ishiguro's book.

But what is special about THE REMAINS OF THE DAY is its unreliable narrator. Stevens, so wrapped up in ideas of duty and dedication, speaks much about his career but little of the actual events that he has gone through. His love for Miss Kenton is deduced only through the actions and words of characters around him. Nor does Stevens give any judgement on the men he serves, for the shady dealings of his former employer are revealed only in passing as Steven recalls a young man who often visited the house. The novel is beautiful and entertaining on the first read, but it rewards rereading, for one can find instances where Stevens is not being honest about some crucial matter.

I was impressed by THE REMAINS OF THE DAY. As a fan of Gene Wolfe--I'm thinking especially of "The Book of the New Sun" or "The Fifth Head of Cerberus"--I've grown to love unreliable narrators. But anyone looking for a simple and dramatic story of how a man can dedicate his life to the service of others will find much to enjoy in the novel.

The Remains of the Day, by the magnificent Kazuo Ishiguro, is the story of a Butler named Steven's, who in the twilight of his career takes a journey to visit an old colleague. That journey is a just a backdrop to the heart of the novel, which is Stevens reminiscing on past events, as a Butler to the late Lord Darlington for decades, and about life itself, including some surprisingly fascinating analysis on the meaning of the word dignity and the significance of social banter.

The events the main character takes us back to are sometimes life or world changing, and sometime are seemingly not very significant, but all combine to really show us his journey from his perspective, and tells us what kind of man this longtime loyal servant is. Stevens is not always an entirely likable protagonist. Sometimes he comes off as arrogant and often he feels emotionless. But he's sympathetic because he sticks to what he believes, and is a victim in many ways of believing it so strongly and of his upstanding loyalty to his late employer. There is heart raging scene of tragedy, which I will not give away, that left me in tears and in particular summons the kind of man he is. Miss Kenton, the old colleague whom he's on his way to visit in the present, as well as Lord Darlington, take a huge presence, and both are well drawn, always from Stevens' perspective. Stevens is kind in his describing of Lord Darlington, but even so the darkness of his late employer is not hidden.

The Novel taps on themes of class, loyalty, fascism, dignity, wealth, and democracy. There is comedy, drama, beauty, and in an indirect way romance. It's magnificent writing which never hints at quite where it will take you next. Highly recommended.

Written from the point of view of a servant in one of England's Great Houses ( think Downton Abbey), it is the story of a Butler who lives to serve a Lord and his household with honor and dignity, and by doing so believes that he is also serving his country and the wider world because so much of Europe's diplomacy is conducted in these houses though the personal relationships of the European elite.
But what to think if one's service proves to be misplaced? What if the Lord, though well-intentioned, was duped by the tide of fascism sweeping Europe in the 1930s?
This novel tells an intimate story of the soul of England in those years.

Kazuo Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki in 1954 and moved to Britain at the age of five. He was awarded the OBE in 1995 and the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1998. "The Remains of the Day" is his fourth novel, was first published in 1989 and won that year's Booker Prize.

Opening in July 1956, the story is told by Mr Stevens - a butler approaching the end of his career. He has been based at Darlington Hall for many years and, for most of his time there, had served Lord Darlington. While the outside world has changed dramatically since Stevens started out as a butler, the changes within the walls are proving a little more difficult for him. Following the death of Lord Darlington a few years previously, the stately home is now in the hands of an American called Farraday. Unsurprisingly, Farraday is a great deal less formal than Lord Darlington and Stevens isn't quite sure how to relate to his new boss. Furthermore, when once there were twenty-eight members of staff at Darlington Hall, there are now only four. Sections of the house have now been put 'under wraps' - effectively closed down - with fairly radical alterations to what would have been each person's 'traditional' responsibilities. Stevens has become rather worried when some small errors creep into his own work - these, he feels, stem from the slightly flawed staff plan he developed.

Stevens is taken by surprise when his new employer suggests he takes some time off and borrows the car - to the point he, initially, doesn't take the suggestion seriously. However, he starts to change his mind when he receives a letter from Miss Kenton, Darlington Hall's former housekeeper - the first time in seven years he'd heard from her. Technically, Miss Kenton has been Mrs Benn since she left Darlington Hall in 1936 - though it seems, her marriage has recently ended. In her letter she spoke of her time at the Hall as the happiest period in her life and, reading between the lines, Stevens believes she may be willing to return as a member of staff - an appointment, he believes, that would iron out the kinks in his staff plan. Accordingly, having organised a meeting with his former colleague, Stevens takes a road trip to the West Country. "The Remains of the Day" follows Stevens on his trip and, as he looks forward to his meeting with Miss Kenton, he looks back on their shared times together at Darlington Hall.

Stevens proves to be a very stiff, formal, nearly snobbish character - one who has become quite obsessed with 'dignity'. He (rather ridiculously) believes that only the English are capable of 'emotional restraint' required to being butlers - though, as time goes on, it becomes clear that Stevens' emotional restraint has cost him more than he cares to admit. His memories of Miss Kenton tend to focus on professional matters, and - while it began and ended a little badly - for many years, it seems they had got on quite well. Stevens' memories, of course, only tell half of that story. Lord Darlington, naturally, also features strongly in his memories. Stevens had been blindly loyal to Lord Darlington - under no circumstances would he disagree ever disagree with his lordship's decisions, publicly or privately. Darlington had fought in the First World War, though - being an honourable gentleman - believed the Treaty of Versailles was excessively harsh on the German people. He had become an important figure in the period between the wars - and, having played host to many influential people during this time, had even tried to shape Britain's foreign policy towards Germany. Unsurprisingly, his reputation has been in tatters since the Second World War. Stevens still feels Lord Darlington was a well-meaning man, though perhaps misguided - though still denies having worked for him several times during the book.

Ishiguro's books are definitely better than most you'll find on the bookshelves, and many people seem to rate this as his best to date. Personally, I think he's done better - particularly with "When We Were Orphans" and "Never Let Me Go". However, "The Remains of the Day" is certainly a worth reading and, despite Stevens' stiffness, it was hard not to feel sorry for him come the end of the book.

Midway through a pivotal scene in "The Remains of the Day," Lord Darlington's young godson confronts the butler, James Stevens, about the nefarious goings-on in Darlington Hall, insisting angrily, "you're not curious. You just let all this go on before you and you never think to look at it for what it is." A gentleman's gentleman to the core, Mr. Stevens serves at the pleasure, and defers to the judgment, of his lord, and this training limits his robotic, repeated replies: "I don't fully understand what it is you're referring to" or "I'm afraid I have not noticed any such development."

"Remains" is basically a British comedy of manners--and there are many episodes that are certainly, if wryly, humorous. Yet Stevens is the anti-Jeeves--a man whose worth in his profession is inversely proportional to the value of his opinions. This point is brought home when one of Darlington's guests, to prove his arguments against England's "present parliamentary system," mockingly asks the butler his stance on several economic and political issues of the day. "I'm sorry, sir, but I am unable to assist in this matter." Whether Stevens has knowledge on these matters is beside the point; he's accepted that it's not his place to offer his own views. He is a man with style, but without substance.

As a result, Stevens proves to be the most unreliable narrator, and it quickly becomes apparent that his defense of his employer's integrity is actually defensiveness. Stevens's lack of "curiosity" and his impassiveness result in the book's three most disquieting subplots: he admires greatly his father (also a butler), but they remain aloof from each other, with heartbreaking consequences; he furtively reads romantic novels, but refuses to entertain the unsubtle overtures from the housekeeper Miss Kenton; he disagrees with his employer's reasons for firing two maids yet refuses to challenge him. For her part, Miss Kenton turns out to be the real hero of the book, trying during her tenure to break through Stevens's emotional barriers and haunting his thoughts long after she's left the household.

Yet, if Ishiguro's novel were simply another upstairs-downstairs tale, it wouldn't be much to recommend. Instead, Stevens is any of us who wanders blindly through life, doing no more than what's expected and leaving "the great affairs of today's world" to others. Indeed, "Remains of the Day" offers a frontal assault on conservative, oligarchic notions of morality. (The endless discussions over the qualities of a good butler and Stevens's arguments for "his lordship's good judgement" seem at times a parody of Edmund Burke's defense of monarchy.)

It's not a coincidence that both Americans in the novel, while behaving like tactless cads, are ultimately being proved right for favoring honesty over "honour." One of the Americans, Stevens's new employer, encourages the butler to drop the stiff upper lip and engage in some friendly banter, offering Stevens a belated opportunity to rejuvenate his own sense of worth. In spite of the novel's focus on aristocracy and servants, its moments like this one that underscore the truly egalitarian nature of Ishiguro's work.

This is a truly great book. After putting it down, that was the only thought in my head. I felt very lucky to have read it. It tells the story of a traditional English butler traveling across the countryside to rendezvous with his former head maid, now unhappily married. As he makes his way he reminisces about his former boss, Lord Darlington, for whom he still has the highest regard, despite the apparently unpopular opinion with which the rest of the world now views him, and other events that took place during that time. Among his recollected stories are those of the former head maid to whom he is traveling, Miss Kenton (or so she was known when unmarried and under his employ, and as he still refers to her in his memory); those of his father, a butler as well, some during his best years but most during old age; and those of Darlington and his political gatherings after the first world war, beginning with friendly, semi-formal discussions of the world's unfair treatment of their vanquished foe, Germany, and then branching into more clandestine meetings designed to play a greater part on the world's stage and to which many important international figures were party. Stevens, the protagonist, also muses frequently about what exactly makes a great butler and what exactly is the nature of dignity.

I always found myself entertained when reading this, even during droll philosophizings in which the narrator engages, but the book is so unassuming, so almost mild in its Englishless, that when it presented itself in its full power it all the more took me by surprise. Ishiguro truly is a master craftsman, and once all the pieces were in place and the full picture was in view, I could feel its heartbreaking core reaching out to every event and thought, small or large, and doubling their emotional weight. Never before have I read something so intricate.

Every thought and action of Stevens is presented in the reserved voice of the old English butler, and thus every whispered inner emotion is suppressed, every duty to and action of his boss is magnified in importance, and every encounter with the outside world in all its freedom of spirit is alienating. The latter actually leads to a number of comic situations, one being Stevens's confusion regarding jokes and banter and his attempts to participate in it when forced to by his new American boss and others along his travels. But it also leads to great sorrow, and this double sided coin, always on the edge of Stevens's consciousness, kept me engaged both intellectually and emotionally. And because Stevens has convinced himself to think only in this reserved voice, because it's the only way of thinking that he knows, it seems to make a lot of sense, albeit in a foreign way. However, as more of the picture becomes visible, as the reader gets a more detailed picture of Stevens's mind and soul, the true unassuming, quiet, heartbreaking weight of the entire story is inescapable.

Despite years of avoiding this book because of a vague sense that it was a boring little English-gentry novel, I'm happy to report that it's actually exquisite. The story goes like so: Stevens, the butler at Darlington House -- one of those British manors that has stood for longer than most nations, including ours -- takes a rare holiday, driving off into the British countryside to see the country that he apparently has had very little time to see in his many years of butlering. Indeed, it's possible that he's never left Darlington House: he seems to spend most of his rare bits of free time tucked away in his windowless, badly-lit office. Such has been his life for perhaps half a century.

But it's after World War II, and Britain is not what it once was. The Darlington Houses, and their dozens of servants, have fallen into disuse; whenever someone mentions another manor home, the many unused rooms are invariably covered with plastic sheeting. It's a sad time to be a butler.

Darlington House has passed into the ownership of a wealthy American man who, while he's a gentleman by American standards, is more crass than Stevens is used to. He tries to banter with Stevens in a very American way, and Stevens just cannot make head or tail of it. Some of the funniest scenes in The Remains of the Day center on Stevens's attempts to return the verbal play in his restrained British butler's style; they're met with only puzzlement.

That restrained butler's style is the source both of the book's comedy, and its heartbreak. A truly great butler, says Stevens, must be a butler to his core. He cannot be a dignified butler one moment and a bantering, jocular everyman the next. The only times when he may let his guard down are when he is completely alone.

Note that: alone. A butler, one assumes, would make a terrible husband. Stevens is incapable of interacting with other human beings the way the rest of us would. A feisty, strong-willed, passionate woman joins the staff at Darlington House, and all Stevens can do is stare.

We only occasionally can pierce through the veil of his butlerish self-restraint, and only then when he describes what other people say to him. Most of the time, the world desires that he be just as he is: courteous to a fault, merely the vehicle for his master's desires -- a cipher to everyone including himself. But every now and again, others would enjoy interacting with a human. Stevens doesn't know how to be a human. Only once does he admit to himself that he is experiencing a human foible. That ends, and back he returns to his master.

It's a 200-page read, and a brisk one at that. It is a tiny, exquisite sculpture of a man.

Kazuo Ishiguro's novel THE REMAINS OF THE DAY is the story of Stevens, the butler at a large English house in Oxfordshire from the early 1920s to 1956, the time that the book opens. When his new employer, a newly rich American who now owns the estate, returns to his home country for a few days, he tells Stevens he should travel a bit within England. Stevens sets off on a journey to the West Country, intending to visit one Miss Kenton, his colleague on the house staff for many years before the war. While he travels Stevens, who narrates the novel in first person, recalls the whole breadth of his career.

The dialogue that Ishiguro writes for Stevens, the formal and business-like responses of the servant, is remarkably convincing. It is strict and unemotional and yet never becomes tiring to read. And the overt issues of the novel, such as the difficulty of reconciling work and personal life, and the great changes England went through during these decades are very engaging for the reader. While early reviews praised THE REMAINS OF THE DAY but questioned how much readers outside of England would get from the novel, I think that anyone with a basic knowledge of the country's history will appreciate the dramatic scope of years in Ishiguro's book.

But what is special about THE REMAINS OF THE DAY is its unreliable narrator. Stevens, so wrapped up in ideas of duty and dedication, speaks much about his career but little of the actual events that he has gone through. His love for Miss Kenton is deduced only through the actions and words of characters around him. Nor does Stevens give any judgement on the men he serves, for the shady dealings of his former employer are revealed only in passing as Steven recalls a young man who often visited the house. The novel is beautiful and entertaining on the first read, but it rewards rereading, for one can find instances where Stevens is not being honest about some crucial matter.

I was impressed by THE REMAINS OF THE DAY. As a fan of Gene Wolfe--I'm thinking especially of "The Book of the New Sun" or "The Fifth Head of Cerberus"--I've grown to love unreliable narrators. But anyone looking for a simple and dramatic story of how a man can dedicate his life to the service of others will find much to enjoy in the novel.

The only reference in this book of the title occurs on its second to last page: "Perhaps, then, there is something to his advice that I should cease looking back so much..." Notwithstanding the above, this book is not at all melancholy or particularly depressing, although Stevens (the butler character/narrator) does look back much. The whole book is a reminiscence actually. Stevens played a role and did so ably, very much obsessed with dignity and continuing on, ala the British since the Second World War, but not to the same successful extent. I suppose you can draw many parallels here: Stevens, the British butler in England, serving an American, trying to uphold his dignity and being beholden to an era that was passing and is now gone, but the book is an enjoyable read without having to "read" anything into the story as it unfolds. The film that is based on this book was excellent too, but seems to make the story very much more political, stressing the "little guys" of society (Stevens included) trusting to British gentlemen to do the "right thing" by them. The book, in contradistinction, seems to stress, in a different manner, that the "little guy" who trusts others winds up being one who cannot say at least that one's own mistakes were one's own; but that to trust "gentlemen" types and ones simple devotion to duty may cost you, that a person should have personal accountability. Stevens trusted Darlington Hall and his role as a part of it, and in so doing believed his work was consequently paramount and of a particular importance; that, in a way, he was part of something good and/or had some part in effecting developements made by those men of politics who peopled the manor he served. So his trust engendered duty and duty negated personal fulfillment. He lived not for "The remains of the day", but for his work. In so doing he consequently missed out on a possible romance---with a Miss Kenton in the story, not owing to his own fault, but because he trusted Darlington Hall, so to speak. The key to human warmth, Stevens ponders at the end, may lie in bantering; just the sort of thing he had no time for while Miss Kenton herself was employed at Darlington Hall. What makes this well told story unique, however, is the author's writing style. A sample: "It seems increasingly likely that I will undertake the expedition that has been preoccupying my imagination now for some days. An expedition, I should say, which I will undertake alone, in the comfort of Mr. Farraday's Ford; an expedition which, as I forsee it, will take me through the finest countryside of England to the West country, and may keep me away from Darlington Hall for as much as five or six days." That's the opening paragraph to this concisely written joy to read; and it goes on thusly for 245 pages as Stevens tells us the story of his devotion to duty during his journey to see Miss Kenton after many years. This is a book that lingers with you and which can be re-read with pleasure. Cheers!

Kazuo Ishiguro's novel THE REMAINS OF THE DAY is the story of Stevens, the butler at a large English house in Oxfordshire from the early 1920s to 1956, the time that the book opens. When his new employer, a newly rich American who now owns the estate, returns to his home country for a few days, he tells Stevens he should travel a bit within England. Stevens sets off on a journey to the West Country, intending to visit one Miss Kenton, his colleague on the house staff for many years before the war. While he travels Stevens, who narrates the novel in first person, recalls the whole breadth of his career.

The dialogue that Ishiguro writes for Stevens, the formal and business-like responses of the servant, is remarkably convincing. It is strict and unemotional and yet never becomes tiring to read. And the overt issues of the novel, such as the difficulty of reconciling work and personal life, and the great changes England went through during these decades are very engaging for the reader. While early reviews praised THE REMAINS OF THE DAY but questioned how much readers outside of England would get from the novel, I think that anyone with a basic knowledge of the country's history will appreciate the dramatic scope of years in Ishiguro's book.

But what is special about THE REMAINS OF THE DAY is its unreliable narrator. Stevens, so wrapped up in ideas of duty and dedication, speaks much about his career but little of the actual events that he has gone through. His love for Miss Kenton is deduced only through the actions and words of characters around him. Nor does Stevens give any judgement on the men he serves, for the shady dealings of his former employer are revealed only in passing as Steven recalls a young man who often visited the house. The novel is beautiful and entertaining on the first read, but it rewards rereading, for one can find instances where Stevens is not being honest about some crucial matter.

I was impressed by THE REMAINS OF THE DAY. As a fan of Gene Wolfe--I'm thinking especially of "The Book of the New Sun" or "The Fifth Head of Cerberus"--I've grown to love unreliable narrators. But anyone looking for a simple and dramatic story of how a man can dedicate his life to the service of others will find much to enjoy in the novel.

Well, this novel definitely adds a whole new meaning to the definition of what a servant's loyalty is. The main character here, the old-school butler Stevens, is dedicated to his master and to his position to the extent which is quite shocking. Literally everything in Stevens' life - his family, the possibility of love, even his identity - is repressed and is secondary to being a good employee, a devoted employee who worships his master and follows him blindly down any path, regardless of how misguided or immoral it is.

As with "Never Let Me Go," the power of the novel is not in what the narrator does or says, but what he doesn't. The subtle hints at what Stevens buries inside, what he sacrifices to be what he thinks he ought to be, the level to which his own identity is chopped and impaired to accommodate his life choices, all of it without him even fully realizing it - this is what is so heart-breaking about his story.

"The Remains of the Day" is an excellent exercise at portraying self-deceiving nature of human mind and differences between a personal and objective reality.

If you've ever wanted a complete manual on how to maintain discipline and composure under extreme duress and adversity, then this is the book for you. Additionally, if you've been looking for the best novel ever written about repressed butlers, then look no further.

Stevens, an old-school British butler, strives to be the utmost professional and dignified butler possible, and he does it successfully by pushing aside such parasitic emotions as love and loneliness. What do you expect from a man who is motivated by a story in which a butler calmly shoots an escaped tiger threatening his master? I found Stevens to be worthy of our admiration: here is a man who maintains his composure and executes his duties even while his personal life decays before his eyes. Sure, his basic humanity may betray him sometimes, e.g. he cries occasionally from the extreme stress, but that is only the weak part of him dying. He instead sucks it up and does his job. We should all follow his example.

The secondary plotline of the story is that Stevens follows his Nazi-sympathetic master, Lord Darlington. Now that is something I cannot willfully condone.

The writing is beautiful and precise. The author writes from Stevens' point of view, and we learn of his crying and sadness only indirectly through other characters' statements. The whole narrative is carefully controlled and presented.

Highly recommended book.

Stevens, the narrator of this mesmerizing book, is an elderly (60+) English butler who has managed the same great English house for more than 20 years. In expression and action, Stevens is restrained, precise, articulate, and dignified, as well as masterful in crisis. These are all attributes that, in his own mind, make a butler "great."

Throughout his narrative, Stevens explores this question of greatness in his profession. This exploration can be summarized as the questions: To achieve greatness, does the family a butler serves have to be noble? Does that family have to take a public stand on the great moral issue of the day? What happens if that family takes a misguided stand for moral reasons and ends on the wrong side?

In exploring these questions, Stevens tells us about the events, both great and small, at Darlington Hall that illuminate his battle for professional greatness. In doing so, he makes clear that the cost of this so-called greatness is impersonality, the suppression of emotion, and, ultimately, isolation and life as an artifact. Whatever the cause of this trade-off, the narrative shows Stevens choosing the security of relentless duty over family and love.

Ultimately, Stevens tells a sad, compelling, and surprisingly touching story. And, it's clear Stevens is unlucky, with moments of greatness in his profession coinciding with turning points in his personal life. Clearly, the momentum of great events kept him from making good choices.

"The Remains of the Day" is a tremendous literary achievement, without a word out of place until the very end. But then, Ishiguro has Stevens, in interaction with his old flame, acknowledge that his heart is breaking. And, the final paragraphs show Stevens accepting a role in life for rapport and emotion. Ishiguro, clearly, believes life without emotion is empty. But these positions represent a sentimental sea change for the troubled Stevens. Nonetheless, a great book!

It's been a long time since I've read something unmistakeably great. This book, undoubtedly, is unmistakeably great. To borrow a simile from our dear dignified butler Stevens himself, this book is not dramatically great like the Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon. Rather, this book is great in an understated sort of way, much like how Stevens perceives that the UK is great because its landscape is understated.

The entire book is written from the butler Stevens' POV. Stevens must be Aspergers-afflicted (for however else shall one describe him?)--he misses so many human cues and yet has such a thoughtful logical way of thinking; it's as if the man trained himself to think of other people; and perhaps he has, perhaps it is something all butlers do... The book has a distinct, uniquely dignified voice, perfectly in character, and while the reader has to read between the lines, nothing is laid out in too obvious a manner, nor is anything so entirely obscure that one finds himself lost and confused.

Truly a masterpiece. It's been a while since I've given any book five stars.

In his first three novels Kazuo Ishiguro reveals his characters with care and subtlety through their recollections of events long past. These memories are often fragmented, sometimes hazy, sometimes simply untrustworthy. Some characters willingly explore old memories for answers, while others show less interest in introspection. All three stories effectively employ a first person narrative style.
"It is possible that my memory of these events will have grown hazy with time, that things did not happen in quite the way they come back to me today." (A Pale View of Hills)
"Did Miyake really say all this to me that afternoon? Perhaps I am getting his words confused with the sort of thing that Suichi will come out and say." (An Artist of the Floating World)
"But I see I am becoming preoccupied with these memories and this is perhaps a bit foolish." (The Remains of the Day)
Ishiguro shifts the timeline back and forth as individual memories, often triggered by other memories, are recalled. These recollections yield incomplete answers, indications, and vague hints. Like Ishiguro's characters, we readers find ourselves becoming interpreters searching for answers in old memories.
In "The Remains of the Day" Ishiguro does not give us the traditional, humorous caricature of an English butler, but a convincing and disturbing portrait of a flawed individual. Stevens held himself to high standards and principles, and continually strived to exhibit those characteristics that define a great butler. And yet, throughout his years at Darlington Hall, he used his unquestioning loyaty and commitment to Lord Darlington as a shield from personal responsibility. He abdicated personal choice, avoided questioning Lord Darlington's actions, and refrained from close personal relationships.
We meet Stevens late in his career. Lord Darlington is no longer alive. England and her Allies have defeated Germany. Stevens still has much pride in his years of service to a great man, but unwittingly, almost unwillingly, he begins to question whether his service and devotion were misdirected, even wrong. On occasion, Stevens even finds himself unaccountably straying from the truth whenever uncomfortale questions arise concerning Lord Darlington's German sympathy during the thirties. At the same time unsettling memories surface regarding a house keeper, a Miss Kenton, that left Darlington Hall many years ago. We recognize, but Stevens seemingly fails to do so, that Miss Kenton was offering her love.
Stevens, Lord Darlington, and Miss Kenton, to a lesser degree, all made mistakes that profoundly influenced thier lives and the lives of others. Surprisingly, Ishiguro shows little interest in why his characters made mistakes in the past. His focus is clearly on how they come to recognize past mistakes and how they react to these uncomfortable discoveries.
With each rereading of his novels my admiration increases for the remarkable skill and talent of Kazuo Ishiguro. He is undoubtably one of the great writers of our time. I highly recommend this extraordinary novel. I envy those that have yet to encounter "The Remains of the Day" for the first time.

When I was a kid, I read a children's author talking about writing, and he was up to the usual "it's not what you say but how you say it" thing that many people bring up when talking about great writing. What he said was the blunt truth - that in many of the world's greates novels, almost nothing happens. Reading this book made me remember this, as it exemplifies good writing as being about the presentation not just plot. And very little happens in terms of storyline.

The story is about an old British butler, at the twilight of his career. After having worked for a very distinguished lord who was disgraced after his death, the estate has been taken over by an American, who represents a newer, less formal, less butler-y world. The book is essentially the buttle-narrator reminiscing about his life while he takes a short road-trip for several reasons, one of which being to visit a woman who he used to work with when his original employer was still around.

The book lovingly mocks the classed and rigid stereotype of "proper" British society. This is the pre-WWII world that the narrator has lived in and reminisces about. However, during this trip he comes to realise that his life, employer, ethos, calling, professional sense of duty and outlook on life have not been completely fabulous - actually, they have left him a lonely old man who has missed many opportunities to be much happier than he currently is. Obviously, this has much to do with the woman he intends to visit in his trip.

The narration is what makes this such a great read (you can easily read it in a day) - Ishiguro really gets you inside the butler, thinking like him and appreciating and yet being infuriated at his sense of his own place as a butler and person. Unlike many other books which discuss the notion of sacrifice and professional duty and cultures where some are almost expected to give up on the personal, this one does it not in an angry way but in a subtle one, which will truly shake you to the bone if you can relate to the man who was (at least partially) blinded to truth and happiness by professional duty. This makes it an important book. But it's also funny and a great read all round!

This is an extremely well-written, well-thought-out, well-timed, well-planned book. Impeccable, one might say, just like its staid and stoic hero, James Stevens.
This man embodies the solipsistic personae; he knows only of his personal 'dignity', how far it can stretch, and how far it has come over the years. He claims that the night his father died is also the same night where he approached the great 'dignity' of the legendary butlers, whom he fondles in his mind very happily in a charming early part of the narrative. This night is also the climax of days of political debate and conspiring among the world's (we assume) most important politicians and statesmen, where Stevens puts his dead father in his back pocket so he can continue serving. While approaching this shining statue of 'dignity' he builds up and constantly calls into question, he never claims that he actually has ever touched it, or at least climbed to the top of it. Yet it seems it his entire preoccupation.
Really though, it is a red herring from the true preoccupation, the old house-keeper, a self-doubting Ms. Kenton. We might notice that Stevens is in love with Kenton (the movie certainly thinks so) but it is never established. Rather it is left quite up in the air, much as the amount of dignity Stevens has merited in his life. Our judgement of this level of dignity shifts constantly in the book, confusing our sense of what is important, ultimately calling into question the validity of it's narrator.
For example, Stevens conveniently forgets certain details, names, occurences, while recalling in florid detail the events of some 30 or 40 years ago. He recalls, with great passion, the story of his father defending the name of his employer against three members of high society and getting away with it, an event he was not even there to personally witness! How can we trust this man??
There is so much going on in this book that the 245 pages are too maddeningly short! I demand at least 200 more! Perhaps Ishiguro's next book can be called "Leftovers of the Day"?
Buy it, read it. This is one of the best books to come out since it was released (1988).

Kazuo Ishiguro, the celebrated author of ‘The Buried Giant’, won the Man Booker Prize for this deceptively light, but indeed thought-provoking novel. Adapted into the eponymous film, which was nominated for 8 Oscars, Remains of the Day follows the six-day road trip of the ageing English butler, Stevens, as he travels through the idyllic English countryside and both relives and questions the decisions of his past. At 258 words and with little to no challenging vocabulary, Remains of the Day is a pleasant 3-4 hour read suitable for any occasion.

Narrated solely through the voice of the posh, erudite, but decisively low-class (class being a recurring theme) Stevens, a butler at Darlington Hall, this book takes on a delightfully jovial and idiosyncratically English tone that Ishiguro has done exceedingly well to capture. Moments that prompt chuckles abound aplenty, as do more somber, deep reflections and truisms that show great understanding of life at-large.

The book follows several arcs including that of the career and life of Stevens’ father, the butler who instigated his own interest in the profession; the questions of ‘What is dignity?’ and ‘How might one best achieve it?’, answers to which Stevens at first (in accordance with his station) believes are respectively “never breaking character”, i.e. the character of the stolid, and at times oblivious* butler, and about serving influential people, thus indirectly impacting the wider world; and finally, his strictly-professional relationship with the Housekeeper, Miss Kenton.

Since Darlington Hall now has a new owner, Stevens spends his time reminiscing about his previous employer, Lord Darlington, to whom he admits he has devoted his whole life to. Hearing Stevens recount with great pride Darlington’s compassion towards his fellow man and commitment to alleviate the sufferings of post-WW1 Germany, we get the sense that he has found his ‘dignity’ and with it, satisfaction with the life he has lived.

But the road-trip, which Stevens undertakes to find Miss Kenton with the intention of re-hiring her for the now under-staffed Darlington Hall, allows him time for even deeper examination of his life, and with this more thorough scrutiny, cracks appear. When Stevens, having associated (his dignity and) the meaning of his existence to the success of Darlington’s life, begins to question the positive impact of his previous employer’s decisions, he, in fact, begins to doubt his own.

The conclusion to Stevens’ quandary and the novel itself is a sucker-punch that’ll leave you reeling, but looking for more.

*One moment that particularly stands out is when Stevens endures ridicule at the hands of “gentlemen” by stating that he ‘has no opinion’ – knowing that such an answer is expected of him – when prompted for one

Loved this book. I was listening to NPR, and they had a segment on the author who had won the Nobel Prize. I decided to check him out and chose this book. I was not disappointed. I rented the movie last week. While Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson gave superb performances , I must say that I enjoyed the book a lot more. I think that I will be buying another from this amazing author very soon.

Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky have long been touchstones by which I measure how in tune an author is to the human condition. To them I would add Kazuo Ishiguro.

In THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, Mr. Stevens' life, like peeling the cell-thick layers of an onion, is revealed ever so slowly. Mr. Stevens had long ago set aside his humaness, emotions, and even intelligence in his pursuit of becoming 'a great butler.' Variously he's laughable, lamentable, absurd, and downright infuriating. More than once I wanted to shake the guy! But at the end, when I realized that he realized the truth of his life, and how he, aided and abetted by his own, albeit unconscious, manipulation of memory, had sabotaged every chance for happiness, I broke down crying. For Mr. Stevens is the Beatles' 'Nowhere Man': 'a bit like you and me.' We all do the best we can with what we have. No one can ask more of anyone else.

Yet there is a rainbow of consolation. A small one, but what choice is there but to take it.

After I had read the last page, I went back to the beginning, intending only to compare Stevens' manner of speaking -- and ended up reading the entire book again. And it was even better. I couldn't possibly appreciate how brilliant Mr. Ishiguro's novel from one reading; even after the second, I knew that I would be reading 'Remains' many more times, and get more out of it -- and myself -- each time.

Ishiguro's style is one of quiet contemplation. The novel is written in the first person, and we are encouraged to listen and digest the thoughts of an ageing English butler as he reminisces about his life and career. He comes across as overly obsessive about duty, putting his duty to his employer above all else in his life and missing out on friendship, fun and the possibility of love. Instead of having any fun he worries about his inability to banter with his new employer, an American who fortunately lacks the cold stiff upper lip and strangling of emotion which the English of the time, that is the 1930s, had in abundance and which the butler exemplifies. The author is very skilful at conveying this. I give the novel only four stars because without having first seen the film, where Anthony Hopkins is perfectly cast as the butler, I concede it would have been much harder to enjoy.

Not often would you find the protagonist of a novel bereft of emotions and sentiments. Stevens, the narrator-hero of the `The Remains of the Day' is one such rarity.
In the novel, Stevens, the archetypal butler, recounts his experiences in an aristocratic household in the post-war England, as he travels to meet a long separated female colleague. The aftermath of the war has rattled his cloistered and complacent life and he never reconciles to the fact that the distinguished household should ever pass on to the hands of a strange American.
This American master has given Stevens the keys of his Ford and has sent him out to explore the world. Once out of the claustrophobic atmosphere of Darlington Hall, Stevens discovers a totally different world: beautiful, expansive, informal, accommodating and full of zest.
Towards the end of the journey he is found reflecting, `I should cease looking back so much, ... I should adopt a more positive outlook and try to make the best of what remains of my day.'
Characterization and language contribute greatly to the enduring quality of the novel. Stevens is a very complex, self-effacing and inhibited character who likes to `minimize my presence by standing in the shadows.' He takes refuge in a highly regulated and formal lifestyle, where all human emotions are set aside. His mindless loyalty to and blind faith in his employer (`I have every trust in his lordship's good judgment.') look odd in the light of the fact that the master is a strong sympathizer of Nazi Germany and hater of Jews.
The language is tuned perfectly to the needs of the narrative -- sometimes subdued, sometimes formal or stiff-upper-lippish, but always a pleasure to read.
The novel derives its greatest strength from a big irony around which it is built: Stevens making all the fuss of himself and his master, without knowing what kind of a fool he is.
A well-deserved winner of the Booker Prize.

What qualities are needed to be a perfect butler?

Does that sound interesting? No, frankly it doesn't, but it you saw the movie "The Remains Of The Day," you might change your mind. Then, you might check out this book. Yeah, be warned that it is slow but I enjoyed every page.

Since this book is in the form of a narrative, I think it helped to see the movie first. That way, I can picture Anthony Hopkins telling me the story of himself - "Stevens"- and it makes the book more real. Even though he goes into great detail explaining what makes a perfect butler and how he works to attain that status, I find all of it oddly fascinating. Kudos for author Kazuo Ishiguro for taking what could be a dry subject and making it entertaining.

Of course, there is a lot more story than just the butler's duties, and all of that - politics, romance, etc. - is even more fascinating. You can read the story's details elsewhere here, so I won't bore you with it here. Just believe me when I say that if you loved the movie, and you enjoy a good "character study," you will love the book.

"Stevens" is somebody you won't soon forget.

When one begins to despair about the quality (or lack thereof) of the modern novel you come across a gem which dispels that despair for the time being. Not only is this one a gem but also it is something much more and being just over 240 pages one that I finished all too quickly. I could not get enough of it. The narrator and main character of the novel is a Mr. Stevens who is the butler of a mansion where he heads a considerable compliment of staff to keep it running smoothly. His employer, a Lord Darlington, is doing what he can to alleviate some of the supposed harsher terms of the Versailles treaty and realizes too late that he was being used as a pawn by the Germans. And what did Mr. Stevens think of this? He didn't, he maintains that wondering about what was happening would have interfered with his running of the estate. There is also the head housekeeper that he buts heads with a few times and also a few other instances which makes one wonder if she has something other that a professional interest in Mr. Stevens. You'll have to read the book if you want to know more. I read mainly Victorian literature simply because they are well written and what passes for a novel nowadays usually is not. If you get this book you will not be sorry.

"The Remains of the Day" is a masterpiece that quietly yet surely impacts you logically and more so emotionally.

I appreciate the variety and flow of the sentences and words. Reading the book is like going down a winding river on an inner tube. You will experience quick turns, ups, and even dreadful downs.

The movie version was fantastic with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. Yet, the book is the supreme masterpiece that can only be captured by reading it thoughtfully and in retrospect of one's own life.

Pascasio (JR) Felisilda
Author of the book, "Nanay: Lessons From a Mother"

The sun is setting for the last time over the British empire . In Stevens' lifetime the face of Europe will change fundamentally from authoritarian and class ridden to a democratic and freer place to live where choice matters and the future is brighter. What kind of a life did someone live in such a society in transition ? This is a question asked by both the book and film 'Remains..' The book feels something has been lost to us, the film feels that this loss is good and we have gained from it. Where both film and book agree is that Stevens' relationship with his housekeeper is a key to his personal development in the story. It is in this that the book and film both depict a most interesting, moving and at times humourous picture of bygone days. The book is more optimistic in my view about Stevens' personal development. He sees the Remains of the Day as a chance of rebirth an expression of the freedom of the post war world he finds himself in. In the film, his faults and missed opportunities are the setting of a seal on an essentially emotionally redundant individual. I think watching the film then reading the book is the best way to learn from Stevens story. The book is too sympathetic to Stevens in allowing only him to speak the narrative. The film captures the wider picture better and displays the emotive abscence in Stevens far better. The book is a rationalization of what one sees in the film but to be fair the ending in the book is better. Whether redemption comes to us or not in life, it is familiar when it arrives.

After seeing the film with Emma Thompson many years ago, and loving it, I decided to read Ishiguro's book. It violated my expectations of excellence. Although I am an avid reader, I could not get through it. It bored me, and I am seldom bored. Yes, the writing is good, but painfully laborious.

This is one of the very best books I have read and as many good books it can be read on many levels. I find it to be the easiest book he have written. It is also made into a very good movie, with fabulous actors and brilliant acting, a great achievement that has its own value and own identity as one interpretation of the book.
One of Ishiguros main messages is that if you will you can change your life. But sometimes it is already to late, you had a chance and you didn't grasp it, and you are stuck with the consequences. He also tries to get us to see that if you choose to be a loyal part of something bigger, a corporation, a business, even a household, you will still be responsible for whatever is done in the name of that entity. You can of course pretend you do not know that your boss is cooperating with people who are bigots and nazis. You can pretend it does not concern you, because you are just doing your job. Like some people in Germany closed their eyes to the concentration camps and some Japanese closed their eyes to the atrocities done in the name of a god (their emperor) and like other people later have done towards the treatment of indians in south America etc. etc. If you choose to get close to the center of history you may well be burned. Ishiguro once said in a interview that "one uses memory for ones own purpose, one's own ends" and that is why he writes in the first person form, to be able to follow somebody's thoughts around," as they trip themself up or try to hide from themself".
The remains of the day is Ishiguros way of telling us to live to day and to grasp love when and if you find it and not to wait until you are old. Carpe diem is one of his obvious messages in the book. The remains of the day won the Booker price and it deserved it and he also (to use soccer terminology) made a hat trick with it. Both his two first books won prices, with A Pale View of the Hills he won The Royal Societies of Literature's Winifred prize and An Artist of the Floating World he won the Whitbread prize.

Stevens, the perfect professional butler, devotes his exemplary career to the service of an English Lord who, assisted by Stevens, rises high in the service of his country in the 1930's as an advocate of international peace and understanding. Unfortunately, the Lord's popular policy of appeasing Nazi Germany ultimately leads to disaster. Stevens is thus left to meditate on whether his life had any purpose. He is left mouthing platitudes about the importance of setting an example of professionalism to other butlers, which the author implies is just pathetic rationalization.
The problem is that Ishiguro misses the key point that a real Stevens would have understood: Very few can accurately discern the future course of global events; rare statemen like Churchill are, by definition, rare. But the rest of us can contribute in other ways: for example, by setting an example of professionalism in our particular career for others to aspire to. After all, although Stevens happened to be employed by this Chamberlain-like figure, he could just as easily have been Churchill's butler. And then he would have been celebrated as the butler whose selfless devotion helped Churchill save the world. That it didn't happen that way was pure chance, but that Stevens did the best he could within the circumstances he was dealt to set a sterling example for other professional servants to emulate (such as Churchill's own much-abused staff) redounds to Stevens' credit. Clearly, Stevens lead a worthy and honorable life.
That Ishiguro blows it at the end should not distract too much from the novel's many delightful qualities. However, if you are looking for a similar novel of equal virtues, but with a more sensible and unconventional moral view, try John Derbyshire's "Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream.

(Alert! There will be spoiling! Read the book before this review!)

This is a book about nothing. However, rather than addressing chocolate babke, made-up December holidays, sponge-worthiness, and the other minutiae that fuel neurotic Gothamite passions, "Remains of the Day" suggests a futility in all of life's actions. Stevens, a hard-working British butler living in the 1950s, borrows his master's vintage Ford to take an unprecedented vacation to the English countryside, an undertaking that frames Stevens' stories and reflections of his many years of service at Darlington Hall. Prior to his trip, Stevens receives a letter from Miss Kenton, the competent and kindly head housekeeper and the quintessential "one who got away," twenty years prior, in order to become Mrs. Benn, and who is now planning a return visit. Stevens provides an unreliable first-person narrative, chock full of Freudian defense mechanisms regarding his decisions in life, or really lack of decision-making, as he tends to default to the inaction of maintaining a persistent physical busyness.

Stevens begins his trip by expounding lengthily upon the amount of witty banter appropriate for an excellent butler, the attributes of particular great butlers of the past, the selection criteria for the Hayes Butler Society, how the concept of "dignity" is properly incorporated within a butler's career, and other topics that make it clear that he takes his job very, very seriously. Stevens had worked for years for Lord Darlington, a consummate gentleman and high ranking government official, who was closely involved in dealing with the Germany problem. However, ever since Darlington had died several years past, Stevens has served Mr. Farraday, an amiable and unfussy American, whose aw-shucks manner leads to Stevens' unacknowledged disappointment that with little expectation comes little pride in one's work.

More deeply disturbing, however, are Stevens' memories of Lord Darlington, the cultivated gentleman who once orchestrated the fate of nations. Stevens showers his lordship with heaps of praise, yet occasionally hints at nationally acknowledged "mistakes" in Darlington's "certain path in life," which "proved to be a misguided one." It is unclear what these mistakes were, yet they seemingly related to favoring an early appeasement with Germany, partially due to Darlington's excessive trust in a particular German diplomat. And if Lord Darlington is busy making egregious errors that may have led to the death of millions, then certainly what is the purpose of insuring that his veneers are properly dusted?

Stevens recalls an incident in which Darlington's posse of aristocrats, while discussing the preposterousness of the social milieu favoring an increasingly democratic decision making in world affairs, decide to inquire the butler on his opinions. They interrogate Stevens about the gold standard, Pierre Laval's speech concerning North Africa, and a proposed French-Bolshevik arms agreement. While Stevens has clearly been studying such topics, if only to master the art of servile repartee, he surprises himself by repeatedly responding with "I'm very sorry sir, but I am unable to be of assistance on this matter." This hardy confirmation of their biases sparks laughter in the gentlemen, who subsequently compare the electoral system to asking "a committee of the mother's union to organize a war campaign." Stevens doesn't know why he feigned ignorance , but one suspects that he hoped to please his earnest scrutinizers, as well as to further justify his role attending to the expert class. However, later Darlington ventures outside of the frames of the manor, and encounters cockney-class villagers near Tavistock, who nonetheless possess well-articulated opinions on world matters and assert that "dignity's something every man and woman in this country can strive for and get." Stevens then surprises himself once again by pretending to be, not the butler, but the gentleman of the Darlington Manor.

Apparently, there is no marrying in butlering, and Stevens' stubborn adherence to maintaining his pride in his job complicates his relationship with Miss Kenton, Stevens' better half, who refuses to fire the Jewish maids when Darlington takes on an anti-Semitic girlfriend for some time, and makes arbitrary decisions to which Stevens abides and rationalizes (but Darlington has tons of Jewish friends!!), in an episode presumably foreshadowing Darlington's later sucker status involving the German diplomat. Miss Kenton, sick of dropping hints to Stevens, with whom she spends all of her spare moments talking shop, finally decides to marry, albeit to a simpler, less beloved butler of whom she explains "does not mistreat her in any way." Two decades later, after receiving her letter, Stevens speculates that perhaps Miss Kenton has divorced, and has returned to pick things up at work where they left off. Instead Miss Kenton explains how "year after year went by, there was a war," her daughter grew up, and one day she realized that she "loved her husband." Stevens, still obviously in love with Miss Kenton, yet harboring little capacity for self-acknowledged emotion nor authentic personal reflection, retreats to lengthily meditating on the skill o f bantering, and similarly attending to the remaining tasks of the day.

On a recent Booknotes, Peter Hitchens (brother of Christopher and resident of the opposite end of the political spectrum) was discussing his book The Abolition of Britain. Framed by the funerals of Winston Churchill and Princess Di, the book argues that the greatness of Britain has passed, subsumed in the familiar morass of statism, political correctness, and egalitarianism. After listening to his lament, Brian Lamb asked him what one thing about that now departed Britain he would most like to bring back; Hitchens answer : "Mainly civility..." Now, much of the conservative yearning for the past must be taken with a grain of salt--no one, or very few, think the world was actually a better place fifty years ago, with Jim Crow laws and the like--but on this one point conservatives clearly have a case for the superiority of the past : nothing good has come of the coarsening of society. The complete abandonment of manners and etiquette has been an unmitigated disaster.
The argument against civility and manners is that they represent an artificial facade; and we after all live in an age when you're supposed to "act naturally," "be yourself," "let it all hang out," etc., ad nauseum. In the first place, the serious and determined cultivation of civility ( a la George Washington) can serve to shape the underlying person : careful tending to the facade can result in the edifice coming to resemble its front. Second, even if public behavior based on strict etiquette is a front, it is favorable to the alternative : better to be treated decently by someone who loathes you than to be treated in a manner that coincides with their true feelings. Which brings us to the final point, having seen what we're all really like without our masks of civility on, does anyone really want their fellow man to keep on letting it all hang out ? While everyone is busy "being themselves," we've come to the sad realization that we don't much like those selves. Which is not to say that we would liked those selves any better fifty years ago, but, thankfully, fifty years ago those selves weren't on display, instead everyone presented an admittedly artificial, but blessedly good mannered self to the world.
Come we now to Kazuo Ishiguro's justly praised novel, The Remains of the Day. In the character of Mr. Stevens, a nearly perfect English butler, Ishiguro created one of the most memorable and sympathetic figures in all of fiction. As Stevens drives his new American employer's car across the countryside, on his way to visit a former housekeeper, Miss Kenton, whom he hopes to lure back top work at Darlington Hall, he reflects on his years of service to Lord Darlington and his own rather complicated relationship with Miss Kenton. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Lord Darlington was a leading light in the movement to appease Hitler prior to WWII, and that, though neither ever managed to articulate their feelings, Stevens and Miss Kenton were very likely in love with one another, though she eventually left to marry another former staffer. Eventually, as our modern sensibilities seem to require, Stevens comes to understand that he has made a series of dubious, perhaps even tragic, choices, and that both his service to Darlington and his failure to woo Miss Kenton have resulted in his wasting his life.
That at least is the intended lesson we are to draw from the story. But lurking within this rather flaccid moral is an ever greater tragedy, one which makes Stevens one of the truly great heroes of Western literature, until his rather maudlin closing scenes make him seem pathetic. The more intriguing reading of the story is that Stevens--with his unyielding professionalism, his ethic of service, and his personal reserve--represents all that was best about the society that has passed. Like Don Quijote, he stubbornly adheres to a code which the rest of the world has forsaken, and like Quijote, his idealism, though easily caricatured, is more appealing than the real world that he refuses to accede to.
Ishiguro stacks the deck against this interpretation in two particular ways. First, he makes Darlington and the "appeasers" into pure tools of the Nazis and casts them as a tiny band of wholly deluded aberrations. In fact, appeasement, so-called, was extraordinarily popular at the time. It was actually those few in favor of War, like Winston Churchill, who were the social outcasts and were considered outside the mainstream of political thought. It is instructive that William Manchester's very good book on Churchill during these years is called, simply : Alone. For all that Ishiguro treats Neville Chamberlain like a member of a clandestine cabal, bent on foisting a secret appeasement on Britain, it is well to remember that he was hailed as a hero when he returned from Munich having secured "peace in our time." when a democratic leader achieves the will of the overwhelming majority of the people, he may be said to have acted unwisely, but he can hardly be said to have acted beyond the bounds of reason.
Nor is it as self evident as some would like that the appeasers were wrong, even in retrospect, if we consider only British national interests. There is no likelihood that the Nazis ever could have conquered Britain, nor that they could have long held it had they succeeded. The War, though it ultimately ended with Nazi Germany defeated, devastated Britain. The civilization for which Winston Churchill fought did not long survive him, which inevitably raises the question of whether it was a worthwhile fight.
Ishiguro counts on our willfully blind remembrance of the War, which has been glorified into a popular and noble struggle against the Holocaust and its perpetrators, to make Darlington seem more ridiculous than the events of the day or subsequent history would indicate him to be. The intent is of course to cast a pall over Stevens's service to the man, by debasing the cause he served, but this is manifestly unfair. Moreover, it raises an unfortunate analogy between fascism and the English pre-War culture, such that Darlington's service to the Nazis is akin to Steven's service to Darlington, as if the two are intertwined. This is ludicrous.
There were, of course, British fascists. And anti-Semitism was prevalent and virulent, though not as virulent as in continental Europe. But to portray Darlington as a genuine fascist or anti-Semite would make him so abhorrent that Steven's loyalty to him would not be at all sympathetic. But the demands of the novel should not have led Ishiguro to completely rewrite history. We are ignorant enough of our own history without the popular culture further clouding it.
As for Miss Kenton, here to Ishiguro tries to have it both ways. She is only slightly less reserved than Stevens--after all, it's not as if she ever comes right out and tells him how she feels either. But at the same time, he has her flee, rather than work things out. And they would work out eventually : even proper English butlers married and had kids, witness Stevens's own father. Perhaps their reserve would have made the process agonizingly slow, but we have no doubt it would eventually have happened and, in the meantime, their relationship, though stilted, had always seemed one of immense rewards and real affection, however frustrating at times.
At novel's end, it's hard not to feel that it was Miss Kenton who made the mistake by leaving, rather than Stevens by not stopping her. A Stevens who was capable of the type of emotional openness for which Miss Stevens seems to be pleading, and which Ishiguro apparently thinks healthy, would not even be the same person with whom both she and we have fallen in love. This is the odd paradox of the novel : Ishiguro has crafted this character who readers love, but is suggesting that he should be someone else entirely.
Though the author intends us to see tragedy in Stevens inability to change, it is far easier to perceive tragedy in the way the surrounding world did change. The world of Churchill and Darlington and Stevens has been, as Peter Hitchens says, abolished. In its stead stands the Britain of Tony Blair and Charles and Camilla and Elton John. Gone are gentlemen's gentlemen. Gone are gentlemen. Gone is the ideal of "dignity" of which Stevens so often speaks in the novel. How can that conceivably be a good thing ?
GRADE : B+

To be a positive contributor to society and the important issues that flow within it, is something, for the most part, that people yearn to be. They want to offer the best of themselves-their talents, their expertise, their prowess (in whatever field)-and in a small or big way, be acknowledged for it. It is a stark truth in all professions, to the highly important to the extremely entry-level. Besides monetary necessity for the reasons why we work, acknowledgement ranks right up there, if not number one on the list. And it is true for the protagonist, Stevens, in Kazuo Ishiguro's elegantly yet restrained or repressed English novel, The Remains of the Day.

Set in England in the 1950s while on a contemplative road trip, the story revolves around Stevens, the ultimate prim and proper, sometimes unyielding "perfect" English butler who prides himself on his sterling service on behalf of his English lord, Lord Darlington of Darlington Hall. While on his jaunt throughout the rolling green English countryside, Stevens ruminates through a series of chapter-by-chapter flashbacks, the genuine "greatness" of the man whom he served, a refined English lord of olden times but also a bumbling political neophyte of the worst sort who goes way over his head regarding Hitler and the Nazi way of "doing things". Constantly ingnoring the nagging truth that is in his heart and mind, he delves deeper within himself and presents a formal if not icy, robotic mask of civility, propriety and polite reservedness. While the outer image that he presents is one of a fine old fellow, the inner turmoil and realization of the dark dynamic of Lord Darlington-via the various dialogues with Miss Kenton (the head house mistress)-gradually fleshes itself out to where it is no longer a rumor or speculation but a horrifying truth. And how does Stevens fit into that wider picture of Lord Darlington's inhuman actions--guilt by association or something darker and worse? Did he himself evolve into a temporary drone or puppet and turn a blind eye upon fanatical anti-semitism?

The Remains of the Day is a very quite book with beautiful, elegant prose; it is very much an English novel that eloquently addresses many contemporay issues besides religious discrimination. However, it is percisely its quietude that makes the blarring horror of Lord Darlington's anti-semitism so disturbing and in-your-face. And Stevens, whose blind allegiance is firmly fixed, no matter what, one-ups Lord Darlington-if that is possible-and boldly poses the question to the reader: Were I to witness a manifestitation of evil, and I knew it to be so, would I turn a blind eye or would I try to do something about it? The Remains of the Day is a compelling and beautifully crafted novel and appropriately imbued with dry English humor, lifting it in places so the book does not drip down like a wet, oppressive cloth of banal English preachments of right and wrong.

The Remains of the Day is not a spectacular book. But it is certainly one of the better books of the decade that I have read, or that I have heard about being good. The major flaw is the contrast between the work of realistic fiction and hypothetical nature of Stevens. This does not fit in with the rest of the book. It leaves us wanting a real person whom we don't think exists. The book, however, makes up for it in its wonderful description of the character with whom Stevens falls in love, Kensington. The author epitomizes the nature of women and gives us a character with which we sympathize and can't help routing for. His setting is well directed and his use of language with that setting is appropriately elaborate and intricate. The theme has a good structure and is doesn't fall into the romantic trap of being too benevolent in nature. Ishiguro is an up-and-coming writer, with only three other books out. His latest, The Unconsoled, some sort of jumbled Kafka tribute, is muddled and too paradoxical in nature. The other books he has written are A Pale View of the Hills and An Artist of the Floating World, and I have not read them as of yet. Ishiguro, without doubt, shows amazing promise. However, he must realize that a book cannot accurately say what it's trying to say by being both real and surreal. At that point, the book pushes over the line of believability into incredulity. If he stays away from this, and maintains a clear focus in first person while focusing on the characters, he'll write some books that will be on every high school's reading list.

This is one of the best books I have ever read...after the last page was turned, it stayed with me for months after.
The authentic feel of the novel was on point as was the period description of life and culture at a "great house".
Although on the surface this may, at first glance, appear to be a book about custom and rigidity, it is in fact, a fantastic portrait of the stifling of natural human passion while striving to blindly serve, of love barely glimpsed and then lost, of hope, both dying and alive...and, finally, it is a portrait of bitter regret.
This book is a must read for any true lover of literature who wants to see character development at its finest.

Through the years, I have read a number of the Booker Prize Winners: books like The English Patient, Possession, and Schindler's List, and each time I have been fortunate to fine them to be superb pieces of literature. The Remains of the Day is certainly in the highest ranks of the Booker Prize Winning Novels. It is so beautifully written, it is so thought-provoking, and it is so moving.
The narrator of the novel is Stevens, the perfect English butler. He is writing a journal as he takes a motoring trip across England to meet with a Miss Kenton to hire her. Along the way, Stevens begins to reflect on his life. He wonders if his life was wasted in service to others, and he wonders if the man he served was in fact a decent man. Stevens questions himself, mainly about his relationship with Miss Kenton. To the reader, more is revealed through what is not said by this man intent on being a stoic. The novel isn't just a character study, though. The novel also serves to reflect on an English society which has long resisted change. He also studies that moral delimma of tradition verses change.
The Remains of the Day is such a superb novel. The characterizationis are marvelous and intriguing. The novel works on many levels. The novel also flows so smoothly due to the author's beautiful prose. The Remains of the Day is one of the rare and brilliant books of the century.

My first experience with Kazuo Ishiguro was with his novel `Never Let Me Go', which drew me in and blew me away. I have been a longstanding fan of the 1993 film adaptation of this particular novel, and so I have wanted to read it for some time. Truth be told, the idea of reading a novel about a butler's revelations didn't seem all that appealing. Some stories are better told on the big screen, for reading their plights can become rather monotonous and redundant. After reading `Never Let Me Go' though, I was so enamored with Ishiguro's magnificent writing technique that I became confident that this novel would please me.

It did, and then some.

I find it rather baffling to read some (very few thankfully) reviews that lambaste this novel for being boring or uninspired. Yes, to the untrained eye this may seem like a longwinded exercise (which I can't say I rally behind in the slightest since I was unable to put this engrossing piece of literature down and finished it rather rapidly) but quite frankly there is so much to be absorbed here.

The story tells that of an English butler named Mr. Stevens who takes a much deserved holiday to visit an old acquaintance and former co-worker, Miss Kenton. Over the course of this trip, Stevens recalls his life in segments that add layers of development over his own person and the people with whom he shared his company, namely Miss Kenton and his former employer, Lord Darlington. While it may be instantaneously ascertained that Stevens is quite oblivious to his former employers real life ambitions, the reader soon become privy to the fact that Stevens is searching for a meaning to his own existence that causes him to place unnecessary adoration on his late-employer. Stevens, a man so dedicated to his craft that he has made other people's mistakes, is stumbled by his own lack of `dignity', as he sees it. Feeling lost and inadequate, Stevens focuses his reflection on times when he felt most amenable, completely worthwhile and needed. This reflection, when recollected in like manner, paints a vivid picture of a man who is just beginning to grow outside of himself.

Some have balked that this story is far from the `romance' is it trying to be, but for me that anti-climactic finale only further bolsters the story's romantic subplot.

There is a passage near the beginning of the book where Stevens comments on the meaning of greatness, and when discerning the reason many consider the landscape in Britain to be `great' he states: "I would say that it is the very lack of obvious drama or spectacle that sets the beauty of our land apart." That is precisely how I feel about this beautiful novel. The `obvious' theatrics are stripped away to reveal a story that is pure and believable and relatable, no matter what your nobility.

I must also make a quick note in regards to Ishiguro's writing style. This man is a genius. I've only read two of his novels and yet I'm ready to pronounce him one of the greatest novelists I've ever had the privilege of reading. His ability to transport the reader into another world is unsurpassed. Comparing the style of this novel and `Never Let Me Go', it is outstanding to see how he was able to capture such completely contrasted personalities so effortlessly.

This novel breathes.

“He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at least. As for myself, I cannot even claim that. You see, I trusted. I trusted in his lordship's wisdom. All those years I served him, I trusted I was doing something worthwhile. I can't even say I made my own mistakes. Really - one has to ask oneself - what dignity is there in that?”

For me the above quote sums up the book. It's tragic - full of anguish but also poignant in a sinister way because it's such a huge loss - your youth and best years wasted on someone who's name you are ashamed to mention.

It explains the ideal serving class attitude that ought to have died along with the concept of swearing fealty to one's liege (and basking in their greatness via servitude). To believe that those who are in a higher station (class/ social hierarchy) to you are "your betters", who know more, are naturally honourable (his Lordship is a "noble" man as well as a gentleman) and are to be trusted to govern (they sneer at democracy) without interference from the plebs (accountability would be pooh pooh'd).
Kind of similar to a soldier's attitude. Follow your superior, trust in his judgement but worse. As socialism, communism and democracy strongly took root in the UK by this period, many working class people were demanding the welfare state and equality.

The nuances will collectively make a huge impact. I can't articulate what I felt after finishing this book - but it definitely stayed with me. It's benign writing hides it's dramatic plot. There are funny bits (the scene when he has to explain the birds and the bees is hilarious) intermingled with just "jolly good" moments of travelling nicely along the countryside, that you're definitely unprepared for how deep the plot is.

I must admit that I was startled by my reactions to _The Remains of the Day_. I had found the movie a little dull, and I expected the novel to be very similar. Instead, I found a miracle (which just goes to show how hard it is to bring a story from printed page to silver screen).
The plot is simple. After 30 years as the butler of Darlington Hall, Mr. Stevens takes a road trip to Cornwall to visit the former housekeeper of Darlington Hall, Miss Kenton. Along the way, he is forced to interact with people outside his limited world and often delves into memories of the years of his service.
The tone of the book ranges from comic to tragic. Stevens' grim attempts at "bantering" always elicit a smile, but they also underline how little Stevens fits in the post-war world. Stevens' repressed and proper speech is freqently hilarious, but it also emphasizes Stevens' inability to express emotion. He rarely admits that he wept; the reader must read between the lines. The unreliable narrator is part of Ishiguro's achievement in this novel.
This novel is not melodramatic or obvious; it's muted and intricate and written in beautiful language. It's also quietly heart-wrenching and well worth the price.
Highly recommended to readers who appreciate subtlety.

How many of us have traveled by plane or train on a long trip cross country and in passing the time without a cell phone, computer, or any need to do anything at all, have stared out through the window and just let our thoughts move wherever our conscious takes them? Many little things come back to us: things that we had done, forgot to do, purposely did not do, but now seems that we should have. Imagine that your duties and training did not allow for such meandering thought but once in your lifetime. How would those thoughts unfold? This is the premise of The Remains of the Day and it is a wonderful diversion to lose oneself into.

If I were to tell you that a most wonderful story about the societal changes in England was written by a Japanese author through a butler's eyes as he takes a seven day journey the English countryside, you might think me mad. But that is exactly what I am going to tell you. Ishiguro brings a classic flair to this novel that sets the reader back into the chair and then catapults him/her into an era that most of us have never entered. The dignified butler of Darlington Hall, Mr. Stevens, relates his high and low points through a powerful story of his employ to the grand lords of Great Britain. The story is precise, the dialogue is genuine and the atmosphere is thick with cigar smoke from the drawing room.

The story is told present day in 1956, but quickly flashes back to the time of the Great War's treaty and then through a series of memoir-like stories, Mr. Stevens tells his life's story. The differences between the lord of Darlington Hall and the current owner, an American, are larger than life. And the adaptation that a great butler must make between the styles manifests the societal differences that moved through England in this same time frame. How that butler comes to grip with a life unfulfilled is quite extraordinary. The pain is real but it flashes only for a moment.

The author also brings out some very subtle philosophical issues of the day through the story. For instance in 1936 there was an exchange between Mr. Stevens and his lordship, Lord Darlington about whether the Brits were again behind the Americans in attempting to move their Democracy to a more Elitist run government. Lord Darlington goes on to state that in today's world, the common man would have no idea how to contribute to the decisions of the world leaders and therefore they should not have any say. Mr. Stevens, remembers this line of conversation as he stays overnight in a small town that lost many young men in the two World Wars. They argue that dignity is the freedom of the common man to help in the decision making and direction of their country. This of course counters the thoughts of Lord Darlington. The conflict then sets up Mr. Stevens for some serious and not very comfortable life thoughts. This is powerful stuff from a story about a butler on a seven day vacation.

And of course, there is a very subtle romance story behind all of this thinking. In this one, Ishiguro hits a home run.

Sometimes books are too long. Occasionally, they are too short. And, all too rarely, they are perfect in length. This is one book whose length is perfect.

Listening to a well mannered man servant, or butler, about his professional ideals of the service to the lord can be too much for the American reading public. But, Ishoguro does it masterfully with this insightful piece about a butler who worked for a lord basically overlapping and between the two great wars.

Pride in his work is what he describes as the professional demeanor of the butler. There are references to an equivalent to a Butler's Hall of Fame, and how our butler's father may have been one to be included - as well as himself. But, ironically, as we learn more about the revered lord to whom our butler serves, the more we learn that the butler's character exceeds the lord - who we discover is a lame "good old boy" from another generation whose best intentions become his worst nightmares.

The love for a woman is distant - they actually feel deeply for one another but never even embraced or discussed their respective emotions. The concept of human emotion is stilted in a manner which makes it difficult for American readers to understand, but the author does a great job of leading our Yank noses through such an education.

Most of the thoughts or memories occur while riding 4 days to see the butler's "almost" old flame. And, it was a great ride. Thank God, this author had the knowledge and savvy to assure us not to plod through another 4 days. I say this because during the 4 day journey, we learned, we lived, and we saw enough of the unfortunate soul from whom this book is written in the first person. We understood, and understood well, just how proud and sad the butler was, is and will be.

The remains of the day was aired on BBC radio, which is where I heard it for the second time, well parts of it at least. They also did an interview with the author which was quite interesting and which led me to get this book.

The story is about an English butler who, after a lifetime of service, takes a short six-day vacation to see the English countryside and visit an old `professional' lady friend (a former housekeeper at Darlington Hall).

On the trip he thinks back to life in Darlington Hall and has an internal - almost Socratic - dialogue about the meaning of dignity. In the end, Mr Stevens (our butler) reasons that it comes down to `not taking off one's clothes in public.' Ishiguro creates out of a seemingly plain series of events a great introspective work.

In his interview he mentioned that we; those not in positions of great power or influence, could be considered butlers because we serve others who have authority over us. Whether the analogy is accurate, the point is that most of us serve someone and our sense of fulfillment comes from having done a job well. An interesting issue that the book raises is whether an employee should let his or her conscience get in the way of doing a good job, which was the position that Stevens was placed in at Darlington Hall.

The strange thing about this book is that it feels sparse, Spartan almost. There is economy in the words, the descriptions and even the language itself. I don't know whether Ishiguro deliberately did this, but the book feels like a Japanese garden.

This is one of those interesting short books that should be read by everyone, I would highly recommend it.

by Kazuo Ishiguro

This worthy Booker winner first published in 1989 and later made into a successful movie, starring Antony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, still maintains its power to move and fascinate. It tells a first-person story of a humble and dutiful butler, Stevens, whose slavish loyalty to his master, Lord Darlington, exceeds the call of duty and even, perhaps, commonsense. In calm and dignified prose Stevens describes his journey to interview Miss Kenton, once the housekeeper at Darlington Hall, and now a disconsolate woman separated from her husband. Although he never admits it to the reader, Stevens is secretly regretting the fact that he did not develop his budding relationship with Miss Kenton many years ago. The back-story of his interest in the housekeeper and his present regret is fed into the account of his journey to the Cornwall to meet her. Typically, he refuses to admit his interest in her is rather more than professional and that under his politeness and dignity lies a stifled passion, and a sadness at a life that is gone, never to return.

To talk about the novel's style and to use such meaningless clichés as `beautifully written' or `wonderfully crafted' would be even more critically useless than usual. The fact is that this elegant, restrained prose account, with all its circumlocution and repetition is the perfect mirror of the butler who has disciplined himself to suppress any unseemly emotion or light-heartedness; in a word to fear the `bantering' which he frequently encounters from his new employer, passing strangers and above all the Miss Kenton he recalls from the past. In place of bantering, Stevens offers us dignity, without which no butler can ever be called `great'.

I have now read the novel three times, and with each reading derived more pleasure from it. It is one of the most unsensational and yet moving stories in fiction, about a small man's struggle to become a moral being; something achieved at considerable cost to his emotional life.

You have probably seen the well received movie by Merchant Ivory (The Remains of the Day (Special Edition)). The source material, the book by Kazuo Ishiguro is a true of art. It is built around a long conversation that an ageing butler, Stevens, has with himself. The story moves forwards in time as he drives across the country and it moves back as he reminisces about his career serving Lord Darlington, one of the leaders of the Appeasement movement in the twenties and thirties. By the time the novel opens, Lord Darlington is dead and his property now belongs to Stevens' new employer, the American Mr. Faraday.

There are really no characters or dialogue per se in this novel, as all of the action takes place inside Stevens' head as he recalls events and conversations that happened earlier that day or years ago. The central question that Stevens asks him is what has been the value of his life and what could he have done differently. During his best years, he showed complete devotion and trust in Lord Darlington, a figure now generally regarded as a collaborator and even traitor. While even Lord Darlington has apologized for his past beliefs, Stevens remains steadfast in his belief that by serving a great man he has done his job. In many parts of the book, Stevens reflects on the responsibility of a butler (to serve and act with dignity) and then reflects on what this might mean.

At its heart, Remains of the Day is a sad story, a tragedy about decisions taken and not taken. Stevens is many ways a perfect English butler who is challenged by his past decisions as he leaves, for the first time, the comfortable confines of Darlington Hall on his journey. Stevens is a distant man, one who does not easily understand humor or emotions and who is always under control.

The Remains of the Day is not an easy book. It all occurs inside Stevens' head as he converses with the reader. He relates conversations that he has had and incidents that have happened to him. This approach can be dry and slow; it is not for everybody. Although the book differs in many respects from the movie, it probably appeals to the same audience. If you liked the movie, you will probably like the book.

I was quite excited to read this book. It had overall good reviews and is on Bill Gates’ favorites list. However, I was ultimately disappointed. Although the language and writing is wonderful, the narrator often went off on long tangents and I just didn’t find the plot that interesting. I enjoyed Never Let Me Go by the same author much more than this one.

I first read 'The Remains of the Day' shortly after it came out. Since then, I have re-read it four times and recommended it to a dozen people (buying copies for half of them, so intent was I to share this joy). Each time, whether from re-reading it or discussing it with a friend, I learn something new about the book. For those who have read it, 'Stevens' (the narrator) is as much a real person as Holden Caufield in 'Cather and the Rye' - a friend.
First of all, it is a book that almost anyone can enjoy. You don't have to be an intellectual who loves to read 'deep' books (although if you are, you too will love it). The prose is simple enough, and yet also beautiful, and there is plenty of humour. And the plot idea is simple enough - a butler (Stevens) making a road trip across England in the 1950's to his former co-worker, the housekeeper Miss Kenton - whom he once shared some feelings with, albeit on a suppressed level, and whom he would now, at the remains of his day, see once again to see what happens.
Yet this book is also profoundly moving. As the story unfolds and we learn from Stevens more and more about his life and history, we become more and more deeply involved with him: his sense of duty, his attention to detail, his ideas about propriety and responsibility. He becomes for us a strange yet wonderful creature, and icon of an earlier age and yet still a mirror of ourselves.
From the first few lines to the silently crushing emotional finish, this is a book that casts a spell over the reader time and time again. Read it on the surface and it is beautiful; delve deeper and you can mine levels of meaning on war, human expression and repression, guilt, hope and love. The craftsmanship with which Ishiguro fashioned this masterpiece still amazes me; it is that work of art that goes beyond its craftsman. In my last reading I came across several more symbolic images I had missed earlier - the metaphors that Ishiguro is so fond of, existing on so many levels. The book itself is a metaphor for life.

This beautifully written book (all the stars on that single basis) captures the voice of a character who basically spends his life as the butler of a rich man with no discernible qualities besides gullibility in the years preceding the second world war.
While it is easy to admire the skills of the author in writing this book in this style, the central character is unfortunately a paper thin caricature of the ultimate butler completely void of any feelings. Even in his inner monologue, it is hard to discern a hint of any human emotion. What is most baffling about this book is the unexplainable notion that the female character would ever develop any feelings for this empty shell of a man, let alone feel remorse at leaving him (I was extremely happy when she managed it).
There is at no point in time in the story anything that would hint at these two truly developping some affection for each other. Since the entire point of the book seems to be about some missed chance of happiness of these two, having them actually behave humanly towards each other would have seemed some prerequisite to believe for one second that any kind of blissful life was actually missed. At the end of the day, it is hard to feel sad for a man who appears to have never felt a thing in his life, never cared about anything beyond his work.

This is one I've revisited several times and always enjoy (four stars). On the surface, it is simply a six-day journey to visit an old colleague, but there's much more underneath. Stevens is a career butler in England who recently "came with the package" when an American purchased the house he has tended for decades. Stevens prides himself on his "dignity" and spends a lot of time reflecting on the quality which, for him, often involved staying focused on his professional role despite any personal matters. He asserts pride in having continued to serve impeccably on the day his father, a butler as well, passed, but there is some clear doubt about his choices. He also reflects on his long-time employer. Stevens had been proud to serve a man involved in international affairs who claimed to be hosting gatherings with global implications in the time between WWI and WWII. However, even Stevens will admit that his employer made some poor choices in his loyalties, having been a clear Nazi sympathizer prior to the second war. Stevens admits his employer was mistaken but argues strongly against anyone who demonizes the man, asserting (to himself as much as the reader) that the man was truly a decent person who just chose a wrong allegiance.

Again, this is a book of characters more than plot, even though there IS much more plot than just the roadtrip. The trip serves as a chance for reflection since it is a rare time off-duty and so it does have the "action" of many years within the short trip. It is more about character though and about concepts like dignity, class, and culture. A key question left to the reader is whether the quality of a worker should be judged in relation to the nature of the employer. Stevens clearly hopes his life of service has been worthwhile, but worries about it in hindsight.

I consider this a key piece of twentieth century fiction and recommend it to literary folks who want to be comprehensive in their reading as well as to those who like their books to provoke thought. It is a treatise on moral reflection in the dressing of a novel and carried off well by a wonderfully talented writer (loved his more recent Never Let Me Go, 4.5 stars, and just ordered two more of his works).

Kazuo Ishiguro's butler is a perfect example of, what Nietzsche called, people who employ the wrong conjugation: they don't live, they are lived.
The main character in this book 'Stevens' has but one aim in his life: to become his master's perfect butler, his impeccable servant, the self-effacing loyal executioner of his master's desires. If his master plays the fascist's game, he will excuse him and protest that he is not an anti-Semite, but he will fire the Jewish household personnel without the slightest regret. If his master changes his ideas, no problem, he goes with him. That's what he calls 'dignity' or 'carrying out his duties to the best of his abilities'.
That is also what Eichmann said or the brutal executioners in Pol Pot's death camp. Those are the words of today's cold career men.
Stevens accepts unflinchingly his fatality:'that the likes of you and I will never be in a position to comprehend the great affairs of today's world, and our best course will always be to put our trust in an employer' (p.211) or 'The hard reality is that for the likes of you and me, there is little choice other than to leave our fate, ultimately, in the hands of those great gentlemen at the hub of this world who employ our service.' (p.257)
A terrible negation of one's own life and responsibilities.
Kazuo Ishiguro has written an implacable dark masterpiece.

The spolight reviewer who called Kazuo Ishiguro's masterpiece "deceptively simple" got it spot on. This is a brilliant book, ideally realized.

The tone of "Remains of the Day" is set immediately in the first paragraph, when the protagonist, butler Stevens, goes on rather obsessively about a small journey he's about to undertake. Over the pages that follow, we see and listen to Stevens overanalyze everything to the point of absurdity, but - as we slowly find out - his attention to detail and duty has resulted in a dually tragic "can't see the forest for the trees" lifetime of missed opportunity.

Indeed (as Mr. Ishiguro would surely preface), his blind sense of devotion to his employer has prevented Stevens from seeing the man's tragic missteps; and, he's completely bollixed up clear signals of romantic interest from Miss Kenton (idelibly portrayed on-screen by Emma Thompson). The author's triumph is that he manages to convey both these disappointments whiile never breaking the stride of Stevens' perspective of remembrance. It's no wonder Ishiguro's best work ran off with the UK's prestigious Booker Prize.

You've got to imagine that when the production team of James Ivory, Ismail Merchant and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala got their hands on "Remains of the Day" when it came out in 1989, they must have thought they'd died and gone to heaven. Along with "Howard's End," the 1993 film version of the book captures the essence of the Merchant-Ivory production house style.

If you would like to read a 258 page book that feels like a 1258 page book then you should definitely read this book. Lack of plot plus lack of interiority of character equals a vacuous sort of 'un-story.' Two stars instead of one because Mr. Stevens is probably on the spectrum.

Ishiguro writes in a spare style, while crafting memorable characters. In this book, the character of the butler Stevens is wonderfully drawn. Stevens contrasts his current situation, as little more than an accessory to an American master, to his glory years as butler to Lord Darlington in the 1930's. Stevens narrates about that time and the importance of his position, which, as the reader will see, takes precedence over his own happiness. Lord Darlington's involvement with the appeasement movement in Britain is described by Stevens without judgement; service to his employer takes priority.

Stevens' relationship with the head housekeeper is a major part of this story, and the way in which he denies his own potential happiness, instead maintaining a stiff formality with this woman throughout. When Stevens does speak of her, it is so well done by the author; the reflective feelings deep inside are shown, but Stevens' loyalty to his duty makes him blind.

The chapter involving Stevens' father, a retired butler now consigned to light duties, is chilling and tragic. Again, Stevens has such a tight rein on his emotions that the narrative becomes even more powerful. Ishiguro lets the reader imagine how Stevens must really feel.

Those who've seen the movie will get even more out of the book, although the film was extremely well done, and Anthony Hopkins just nailed the part.

The word dignity that concerns Stevens so in this novel comes from the latin dignitas < dignus, worthy. This novel by Ishiguro is worthy of the Booker prize it recieved and much praise from all quarters. Like his previous two novels there is a strong theme here of realization of having backed the wrong horse ,so to speak, and how to proceed from there. This, Ishiguro's third effort, reaches masterpiece quality in form, prose, restraint, and narrative. A previous reviewer's comparison to Chekhov is very apt. Steven's the samurai slash english gentry butler of Darlington hall has spent his life serving what he thought was a great man, Lord Darlington. Darlington , it turns out was an unwitting pawn of the Nazi's in diplomacy between Nazi Germany and England. Steven's realizes this along with his missed romantic chances in his past and it breaks his heart. He must decide a worthy way to spend the remains of his day. Stevens although not a perfect human is a refreshing literary character with his selfless devotion, civility, and ideals. His struggle to learn how to banter and joke is the most touching and humorous part of the book. This is a modern day classic!

Many years ago I was fond of Wodehouse's books. That very way of telling a story, dipping out a huge sequence of details with the ability of maintaining the reader's interest, marked a very characteristic style. The same style I am encountering in this Ishiguro's tale. I found very surprising how a Japanese author can acquire (absorb I think a more suitable word) the most British style, turning it into a so personal thread, in which a trip of few days becomes the occasion to flash back a whole life, spent in a screened service as a butler in a high gentry house, in which the protagonist has been having some opportunities to find himself "close to the hub of the wheel", receiving slight echoes of the main current events of the outer world: debates about Versailles Treaty, appeasement, the rise of German Nazi Party, anti-Semitism, the war. All that softened by the professional burden of the butler, by the local quarrels and arguments. So two main threads are followed by the protagonist, creating two competing tensions: the former backwards, i.e. a more and more precise depicting of lord Darlington, up to his final involvement with the Nazis, the latter the approaching to Miss Kenton's living place, along which the author, in a slightly deceiving way, builds what seem to be a desire of regain lost time. Both threads are left unresolved: you do not come to a complete knowledge of what happened to lord Darlington, and Mr. Stevens, the protagonist, finds Ms. Kenton married and waiting for the birth of a grandson. Such a literary joke is proper to the great ability of the writer, and makes a book a masterpiece not only in fiction, but also in the more subtle art of language use.

Some books are powerful through the dramatic events they describe, or the profound observations they make, or the invocation of sex or violence or controversy. "The Remains of the Day" is powerful through its quietude and control. Stevens, an aging butler, keeps a journal during his odyssey through the British countryside, recounting the journey as well as a lifetime of professional and personal experiences.

The story Stevens tells is both an ordinary and a remarkable one, and this distilling of universal experiences into an apparently singular tale is compelling. The narrator's wry observations and the gradual explication of his philosophy of life are entertaining and eminently readable and carry the novel along through its subdued series of events.

It's easy, at times, to miss the depth of the narrator's feeling, to see him as a set piece and an example of a way of life that is comical and outmoded. Perhaps the author allows this intentionally, but interpreting the narrator's careful intensity as unruffled poise does the character, and his story, a disservice. "The Remains of the Day" is not just the tale of a way of life now of questionable relevance; it is the tale of a man questioning his own relevance, and its power comes not from what it has to say about the destiny of the British servant class but from what it has to say about the eventual destiny of us all.

I loved the style of writing. Thought it mirrored the thinking of the butler. Kept my interest.

The only problem is that an UK educated reader knows his history. When my USA book club read this book, they came away with the impression that the UK and Winston Churchill almost sided with Germany & Hitler.

The King referred to in this book is Edward VIII. He abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson. Britain's King during WWII was George VI - definitely not a Nazi sympathizer. So if you don't know: on September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and because of Britain's & Poland's treaty, Britain & George VI declared war on Germany. No question of Britain supporting Germany. Wikipedia it, you have have any questions.

The Remains of the Day is a short book, one that I read in a few hours, but with a lot of substance. It follows the narrator, Mr. Stevens--no first name, as he's not on a first-name basis with anyone--as he takes a trip through the English countryside and ruminates on his career as a butler. The more he talks, the clearer it becomes that he's not as satisfied with his life as he tries to convince himself he is, and that his rationalizations don't quite hold water.

For me this is pretty far toward the "literary" end of the spectrum, and I'm not generally a fan "mid-life crisis"-type books (well, this is more of a "late-in-life crisis" since Stevens is past middle age). So why did I like this one? Several reasons. It's well-written, in a completely convincing voice, and without pretension. Stevens alternates between anecdotes from the past, ruminations on his life and the simple tale of his current trip, all while sounding the way I imagine an actual English butler raised in the early 20th century would talk, without getting bogged down in heavily literary language. And there's no padding here: the book is the length it needs to be, long enough to tell the story but short enough that individual incidents are still meaningful. It's very understated, and makes the reader think, but you don't need an English degree to understand it either.

In terms of emotional involvement, I prefer Ishiguro's more recent novel, Never Let Me Go; this is a high-quality book but didn't grab me with the same ferocity. (On the other hand, I didn't have the issues with the premise here that I did with Never Let Me Go.) This novel deals with many of the same themes--most notably, with people unquestioningly handing control of their lives over to others, and losing everything that's meaningful in the process--and it does an excellent job, but often more extreme scenarios are simply more hard-hitting. Nevertheless, this book is likely to have more real-life relevance for readers, particularly if you've ever defined yourself by your work or let yourself focus on little things to the exclusion of what's really important (and come on, who hasn't done that?).

So I would recommend The Remains of the Day to anyone looking for an intelligent but accessible literary novel. It will take up very little of your time and will almost certainly be worth it.

On one level, this is simply the well-written tale of an English butler. On another, it is a Japanese author's allegory about the striking parallels between British and Asian society. The sense of honor, duty and dignity that Stevens carries is precisely what one finds in many Asian and Asian-American families, with characteristic traits of emotional restraint and self-sacrifical service. Ishiguro has found in England an analogy for the Asian culture he hails from.
And yet this is a story with far wider application. It speaks a word of warning to the many workaholic Americans who spend their lives in professional pursuits at the expense of family concerns and personal growth. It also has ramifications for communication theory and interpersonal relationships. Very often the genius of the narrative is not in what the author says, but what is left unsaid, which the reader is left to intuit from the subtleties of the text.
All in all, an amazing work - one of the few where both book and movie provide finely crafted dialogue and well-developed characterization.

Kazuo Ishiguro's writing in "Remains" is as near to perfection as I think it is possible for an author to come. Stevens, the detached-yet-not-so-detached English butler, deserves a place among literature's greatest first-person narrators; it is impossible not to be moved by his enduring loyalty, his quiet but desperate need to justify his employer's actions, his inability to shed the code of gentility bred into him by his father and by his unique social position, and his longing to always do and say and think and feel the "right thing." It is Ishiguro's flawless writing that makes all of this come through clearly, cleanly, and without the need for literary bells and whistles. "Remains" is the epitome of "restrained" writing and the plot--which weaves in and out of time, as Stevens dissembles and eventually faces the truth about himself and his past--is magnificent. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book.

The English Butler Stevens looks back on his work in the service of Lord Darlington, at the head of a large staff, in the twenties and thirties of last century. Almost nothing happens in this book, but it keeps you in a grip. I love the way the butler tells his story: his polished, restrained style, and the elaborate fragments about little things as the importance of good silver polish. This long-windedness obscures that this story is in fact one long self analysis of Stevens, aroused by his new employer, a very ‘bantering’ American, and the comments he hears about his former employer, Lord Darlington, and his efforts to bring about an understanding between Britain and Hitler-Germany. Secondly, he is intrigued by a letter of Miss Kenton, the former chief of the womens staff, who suddenly left the staff to get married, 20 years ago.
What is striking is the continuous contrast between the way Stevens describes things and situations and his and our perception of them. He doesn’t see dat Lord Darlington, in all his idealism, gets used by the nazi’s and even gets to think a bit in their way, and more so, he doesn’t see that Miss Kenton clearly indicates she wants to have more than a professional relationship with him. At times, reading this book, I got the urge to shout: “but man, look around and listen better, than you will understand what’s really happening!”.
I last had this urge to shout at the main character when reading “Stoner” by John Williams. An indeed there are a lot of similarities between both books: there are equally beautifully written, and their principal characters just undergo their life, without any attempt to take the initiative or get to grips with it. With Stoner this is a chosen way of life, but with Stevens it is more of an excuse afterwards. Stevens, in his self analysis, elaborates on what a really great butler is: "The great butlers are great by virtue of their ability to inhabit their professional role and inhabit it to the utmost; they will not be shaken out by external events, however surprising, alarming or vexing”. Now, as I said, this is just an excuse: Stevens clearly is socially handicapped, he lacks empathy and the will to step out of his role. That makes of him a really tragicomical character.
Now, the beauty of this book is that Ishiguro doesn’t mock Stevens as a caricature to laugh with, on the contrary. In the process of his self analysis (made during a trip to renew the acquaintance with Miss Kanton) Stevens comes to see what was wrong with his assessment of past situations, at one point he even comes the right conclusions (about Lord Darlington and about Miss Kenton), but in the end he doesn’t succeed in acting upon these conclusions and in stepping out of his role. In this way Mr Stevens is a bit of an “Everyman”, because we too don’t always make correct assessments of situations and people, we too don’t always see the (moral) relevance of what’s happening around us; and we too don’t always succeed in acting upon the insights we have. Mr Stevens is a real tragic figure, but in a fundamentally human way!

A short monologue (about 250 pages) dictated by Stevens, the Butler of Darlington Hall in the 1950s who, on the recommendation of his new American employer, takes a trip out to the English countryside.

Of course, priding himself on his professionalism, he uses the trip for work purposes in the hope of recruiting a former worker back to Darlington Hall after he had convinced himself that, from her letter, she wanted to return.

So off he goes and all the while he recalls the major events of Darlington Hall during the 1930s as his employer, Lord Darlington, dabbles in politics and demonstrates Nazi sympathies - a man more influenced by others than someone to aspire to. All the while, of course, Stevens is the consummate professional and his attitude to his master is one of love and respect, a man whom he would obey without question.

The prose is sweet. Stevens' voice is smooth, well constructed, and so utterly natural, and his musings over trying to come to terms with the world via such minor quibbles as perfecting the art of bantering demonstrate a wonderful character. Polite the whole way through his language only falters when it almost seems his emotions are about to better him and tears are ready to gush.

Written in the late 1980s this Booker Prize winner from Ishiguro is an interesting look at professionalism and I think, at least to me, it demonstrates how we need to find a balance between achieving our goals and being true to ourselves.

The word dignity that concerns Stevens so in this novel comes from the latin dignitas < dignus, worthy. This novel by Ishiguro is worthy of the Booker prize it recieved and much praise from all quarters. Like his previous two novels there is a strong theme here of realization of having backed the wrong horse ,so to speak, and how to proceed from there. This, Ishiguro's third effort, reaches masterpiece quality in form, prose, restraint, and narrative. A previous reviewer's comparison to Chekhov is very apt. Steven's the samurai slash english gentry butler of Darlington hall has spent his life serving what he thought was a great man, Lord Darlington. Darlington , it turns out was an unwitting pawn of the Nazi's in diplomacy between Nazi Germany and England. Steven's realizes this along with his missed romantic chances in his past and it breaks his heart. He must decide a worthy way to spend the remains of his day. Stevens although not a perfect human is a refreshing literary character with his selfless devotion, civility, and ideals. His struggle to learn how to banter and joke is the most touching and humorous part of the book. This is a modern day classic!

Many years ago I was fond of Wodehouse's books. That very way of telling a story, dipping out a huge sequence of details with the ability of maintaining the reader's interest, marked a very characteristic style. The same style I am encountering in this Ishiguro's tale. I found very surprising how a Japanese author can acquire (absorb I think a more suitable word) the most British style, turning it into a so personal thread, in which a trip of few days becomes the occasion to flash back a whole life, spent in a screened service as a butler in a high gentry house, in which the protagonist has been having some opportunities to find himself "close to the hub of the wheel", receiving slight echoes of the main current events of the outer world: debates about Versailles Treaty, appeasement, the rise of German Nazi Party, anti-Semitism, the war. All that softened by the professional burden of the butler, by the local quarrels and arguments. So two main threads are followed by the protagonist, creating two competing tensions: the former backwards, i.e. a more and more precise depicting of lord Darlington, up to his final involvement with the Nazis, the latter the approaching to Miss Kenton's living place, along which the author, in a slightly deceiving way, builds what seem to be a desire of regain lost time. Both threads are left unresolved: you do not come to a complete knowledge of what happened to lord Darlington, and Mr. Stevens, the protagonist, finds Ms. Kenton married and waiting for the birth of a grandson. Such a literary joke is proper to the great ability of the writer, and makes a book a masterpiece not only in fiction, but also in the more subtle art of language use.

Some books are powerful through the dramatic events they describe, or the profound observations they make, or the invocation of sex or violence or controversy. "The Remains of the Day" is powerful through its quietude and control. Stevens, an aging butler, keeps a journal during his odyssey through the British countryside, recounting the journey as well as a lifetime of professional and personal experiences.

The story Stevens tells is both an ordinary and a remarkable one, and this distilling of universal experiences into an apparently singular tale is compelling. The narrator's wry observations and the gradual explication of his philosophy of life are entertaining and eminently readable and carry the novel along through its subdued series of events.

It's easy, at times, to miss the depth of the narrator's feeling, to see him as a set piece and an example of a way of life that is comical and outmoded. Perhaps the author allows this intentionally, but interpreting the narrator's careful intensity as unruffled poise does the character, and his story, a disservice. "The Remains of the Day" is not just the tale of a way of life now of questionable relevance; it is the tale of a man questioning his own relevance, and its power comes not from what it has to say about the destiny of the British servant class but from what it has to say about the eventual destiny of us all.

I loved the style of writing. Thought it mirrored the thinking of the butler. Kept my interest.

The only problem is that an UK educated reader knows his history. When my USA book club read this book, they came away with the impression that the UK and Winston Churchill almost sided with Germany & Hitler.

The King referred to in this book is Edward VIII. He abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson. Britain's King during WWII was George VI - definitely not a Nazi sympathizer. So if you don't know: on September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and because of Britain's & Poland's treaty, Britain & George VI declared war on Germany. No question of Britain supporting Germany. Wikipedia it, you have have any questions.

The Remains of the Day is a short book, one that I read in a few hours, but with a lot of substance. It follows the narrator, Mr. Stevens--no first name, as he's not on a first-name basis with anyone--as he takes a trip through the English countryside and ruminates on his career as a butler. The more he talks, the clearer it becomes that he's not as satisfied with his life as he tries to convince himself he is, and that his rationalizations don't quite hold water.

For me this is pretty far toward the "literary" end of the spectrum, and I'm not generally a fan "mid-life crisis"-type books (well, this is more of a "late-in-life crisis" since Stevens is past middle age). So why did I like this one? Several reasons. It's well-written, in a completely convincing voice, and without pretension. Stevens alternates between anecdotes from the past, ruminations on his life and the simple tale of his current trip, all while sounding the way I imagine an actual English butler raised in the early 20th century would talk, without getting bogged down in heavily literary language. And there's no padding here: the book is the length it needs to be, long enough to tell the story but short enough that individual incidents are still meaningful. It's very understated, and makes the reader think, but you don't need an English degree to understand it either.

In terms of emotional involvement, I prefer Ishiguro's more recent novel, Never Let Me Go; this is a high-quality book but didn't grab me with the same ferocity. (On the other hand, I didn't have the issues with the premise here that I did with Never Let Me Go.) This novel deals with many of the same themes--most notably, with people unquestioningly handing control of their lives over to others, and losing everything that's meaningful in the process--and it does an excellent job, but often more extreme scenarios are simply more hard-hitting. Nevertheless, this book is likely to have more real-life relevance for readers, particularly if you've ever defined yourself by your work or let yourself focus on little things to the exclusion of what's really important (and come on, who hasn't done that?).

So I would recommend The Remains of the Day to anyone looking for an intelligent but accessible literary novel. It will take up very little of your time and will almost certainly be worth it.

On one level, this is simply the well-written tale of an English butler. On another, it is a Japanese author's allegory about the striking parallels between British and Asian society. The sense of honor, duty and dignity that Stevens carries is precisely what one finds in many Asian and Asian-American families, with characteristic traits of emotional restraint and self-sacrifical service. Ishiguro has found in England an analogy for the Asian culture he hails from.
And yet this is a story with far wider application. It speaks a word of warning to the many workaholic Americans who spend their lives in professional pursuits at the expense of family concerns and personal growth. It also has ramifications for communication theory and interpersonal relationships. Very often the genius of the narrative is not in what the author says, but what is left unsaid, which the reader is left to intuit from the subtleties of the text.
All in all, an amazing work - one of the few where both book and movie provide finely crafted dialogue and well-developed characterization.

Kazuo Ishiguro's writing in "Remains" is as near to perfection as I think it is possible for an author to come. Stevens, the detached-yet-not-so-detached English butler, deserves a place among literature's greatest first-person narrators; it is impossible not to be moved by his enduring loyalty, his quiet but desperate need to justify his employer's actions, his inability to shed the code of gentility bred into him by his father and by his unique social position, and his longing to always do and say and think and feel the "right thing." It is Ishiguro's flawless writing that makes all of this come through clearly, cleanly, and without the need for literary bells and whistles. "Remains" is the epitome of "restrained" writing and the plot--which weaves in and out of time, as Stevens dissembles and eventually faces the truth about himself and his past--is magnificent. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book.

The English Butler Stevens looks back on his work in the service of Lord Darlington, at the head of a large staff, in the twenties and thirties of last century. Almost nothing happens in this book, but it keeps you in a grip. I love the way the butler tells his story: his polished, restrained style, and the elaborate fragments about little things as the importance of good silver polish. This long-windedness obscures that this story is in fact one long self analysis of Stevens, aroused by his new employer, a very ‘bantering’ American, and the comments he hears about his former employer, Lord Darlington, and his efforts to bring about an understanding between Britain and Hitler-Germany. Secondly, he is intrigued by a letter of Miss Kenton, the former chief of the womens staff, who suddenly left the staff to get married, 20 years ago.
What is striking is the continuous contrast between the way Stevens describes things and situations and his and our perception of them. He doesn’t see dat Lord Darlington, in all his idealism, gets used by the nazi’s and even gets to think a bit in their way, and more so, he doesn’t see that Miss Kenton clearly indicates she wants to have more than a professional relationship with him. At times, reading this book, I got the urge to shout: “but man, look around and listen better, than you will understand what’s really happening!”.
I last had this urge to shout at the main character when reading “Stoner” by John Williams. An indeed there are a lot of similarities between both books: there are equally beautifully written, and their principal characters just undergo their life, without any attempt to take the initiative or get to grips with it. With Stoner this is a chosen way of life, but with Stevens it is more of an excuse afterwards. Stevens, in his self analysis, elaborates on what a really great butler is: "The great butlers are great by virtue of their ability to inhabit their professional role and inhabit it to the utmost; they will not be shaken out by external events, however surprising, alarming or vexing”. Now, as I said, this is just an excuse: Stevens clearly is socially handicapped, he lacks empathy and the will to step out of his role. That makes of him a really tragicomical character.
Now, the beauty of this book is that Ishiguro doesn’t mock Stevens as a caricature to laugh with, on the contrary. In the process of his self analysis (made during a trip to renew the acquaintance with Miss Kanton) Stevens comes to see what was wrong with his assessment of past situations, at one point he even comes the right conclusions (about Lord Darlington and about Miss Kenton), but in the end he doesn’t succeed in acting upon these conclusions and in stepping out of his role. In this way Mr Stevens is a bit of an “Everyman”, because we too don’t always make correct assessments of situations and people, we too don’t always see the (moral) relevance of what’s happening around us; and we too don’t always succeed in acting upon the insights we have. Mr Stevens is a real tragic figure, but in a fundamentally human way!

A short monologue (about 250 pages) dictated by Stevens, the Butler of Darlington Hall in the 1950s who, on the recommendation of his new American employer, takes a trip out to the English countryside.

Of course, priding himself on his professionalism, he uses the trip for work purposes in the hope of recruiting a former worker back to Darlington Hall after he had convinced himself that, from her letter, she wanted to return.

So off he goes and all the while he recalls the major events of Darlington Hall during the 1930s as his employer, Lord Darlington, dabbles in politics and demonstrates Nazi sympathies - a man more influenced by others than someone to aspire to. All the while, of course, Stevens is the consummate professional and his attitude to his master is one of love and respect, a man whom he would obey without question.

The prose is sweet. Stevens' voice is smooth, well constructed, and so utterly natural, and his musings over trying to come to terms with the world via such minor quibbles as perfecting the art of bantering demonstrate a wonderful character. Polite the whole way through his language only falters when it almost seems his emotions are about to better him and tears are ready to gush.

Written in the late 1980s this Booker Prize winner from Ishiguro is an interesting look at professionalism and I think, at least to me, it demonstrates how we need to find a balance between achieving our goals and being true to ourselves.

The main plot is a butler who looks back at his three decades of service and questions himself. Did he serve the right man? Did he do the right thing in serving a great man? Did he miss the love of his life? Did he make the right choices?
But there is also a theme buried deep within the pages of the book. A theme about seasons. When it is time to work, when it is time to retire, to enjoy the Fall of one's life? It is a portrait of a man in his late years in a England which is in its late years also. Postwar England is the setting perfect for this story.
He seems to have a wonderful grasp of the times, the thoughts, and the feel of England and those who serve.

Mr. Stevens is the last great butler at Darlington Hall, and has been serving their for so many years. With all the experiences he had, people he met, and personnel changes he went through, he was able to maintain his pride, professionalism, and self respect in the most untouchable ways. Then he is encouraged by his american master to go on vacation through the english country side,and to meet with Miss Kenton who has been an old friend and helper at the Hall.

Kazuo Ishiguro describes Mr. Stevens and what is related to him in the most detailed but interesting ways. Ishiguro's "Remains of the day" is beautifully written, simply detailed, and reflects a lot of world history facts. It reprsents a clear statement to how much we get invloved in our duties and commitments that we lose our daily contact and awareness with the other side of our personal life that continues to exist.

Mr. Stevens demonstrates the seriousness that we take life with and when we have a chance to make a break and change our own set rules we struggle making those calls on time, and we find it late to turn back the clock.

This book is not only about history. It talks about all of us as human being when we lose the meaning of life and has a "tunnel vision" toward a goal, which even we reach it we lost a good life.
The part of this book which refers to pre-world war 2, talking about meddling of Hitler in US, and UK politics, might open some eyes.

A wonderful read. I sought this book out after thoroughly enjoying Never Let Me Go. Ishiguro is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Stevens, a loyal and dedicated butler serving Lord Darlington for more than 30 years in one of England's grand houses, looks back on his life and years of service on a motoring trip across England with the ultimate goal of visiting Miss Kenton, a former maid at Darlington Hall, under the auspice of a business trip to help alleviate staffing issues. As the story unfolds, Stevens examines the meaning of "dignity" and the true character of his former employer, a Nazi sympathizer before WWII. Also evident are Stevens' missed opportunities and sacrifices made in order to be a "great butler"; in particular, the failure to act on his true feelings for Miss Kenton. Heartbreaking and thought provoking. I have not yet seen the movie, but am eager to see the portrayals of Stevens by Anthony Hopkins and Miss Kenton by Emma Thompson.

No doubt superbly written, spot-on character analysis/revelation of a supremely deluded man, the epicenter of the faction of old line English aristocracy's delusions over Hitler. Also, at last, a sad story that elucidates the character erosion inherent in duplicity. Granting highest marks for the artistry of the author, one wonders: why tell this man's story? But then, Stevens is a compelling character--if only for the morality lesson. Stevens misses at least two key chances for redemption, one with his dying father, one with Miss Kenton, but as Willa Cather's Professor exclaimed, "He done it to himself." This is a carefully written book that demands close attention.

This is one of the best novels I have ever read. It is nearly perfect in plot, description, and characterization. Kazuo Ishiguro is a quiet writer with a fantastic ability to infuse layer up layer of complexity into the simplest of stories.

In 1956, a very British butler is traveling to western England to visit the former housekeeper of Darlington Hall. He is adjusting to his new American employer and the realities of a changed society after World War II. The essence of this character is dignity and his drive to uphold his reserve in all things.

The butler's travels through the countryside leads him to reflect back on his previous employer, Lord Darlington, and the lords and ladies of English society who traveled to Darlington Hall. I found myself days afterwards thinking back to various scenes and finding greater meaning. The last few paragraphs of the book, when the butler visits with the housekeeper-perfect. He is finally honest with himself and the effect is devastating.

Unlike many literary novels, the Remains of the Day is not a difficult read. Upon finishing, I immediately began reading it again. Beautiful, gorgeous story; I highly recommend it.

what i believe adds a great deal of complexity (and beauty) to "remains of the day" is that ishiguro doesn't prescribe a particular interpretaion of the novel. we can assume that ishiguro is condemning the butler for his "blindness" or we can also assume that ishiguro is merely drawing out in gorgeous detail a man's reflection on his accomplishments and self-deception without any judgement. i really don't see why flawed characters should be liabilites in a novel. i find that they're the most fascinating and enduring characters. a final note on this novel: a course was taught at the university of toronto on economic interpretations of novels, "remains of the day" being one of the chosen ones. it's fascinating to look at this novel in terms of economic and political transactions -- not just with property or inheritance, but also between people.

I won't add to the many reviews of high praise for this book, other than to be another person out there vouching for the brilliance of this book. First of all, this is not (as many would assume) some dry and dated English type book. But rather it's a magically well written book, very smooth to read, that touches on the many facets of... life. Highly recommended to all. It's difficult to explain, but trust me, just read this book. By the way the audiobook version also gets 5 stars; very well read.

I love this book. I read one of Ishiguro's other novels, Never Let me Go, and I liked it. But I don't know if I loved it. The story was compelling, and very original, but I don't know how much I identified with the main character.

The Remains of the Day is a different story. The protagonist Mr. Stevens is the epitome of the professional butler- always prepared, composed, diligent, loyal. And he possesses the combination of dedication to and pride of his profession that he fondly refers to as dignity. The book places you as the reader of about a week's worth of entries in his journal which follow him on a sort of professional-errand-turned-cathartic-journey through the country. At first, I formed a deep respect for Mr. Stevens, and was completely taken by his deep expertise, superhuman work ethic, and rational mindset. Not to mention his charming manners.

However, there are subtle hints that he is not being wholly honest in conveying his thoughts and feelings. Not that he intends to deceive the reader; his dishonesty is completely internal, rooted in his tendency to rationalize and suppress all traces of emotions and doubts which would be detrimental to his profession. This becomes evident only because he recounts faithfully his dialogues with others. They are charged with emotions and intentions which go completely ignored by his explanations. At some points, he had me cringing with sympathy. But we must at least give him credit for not altering the dialogue in any conscious way.

As the journey progresses, the fresh air, kind strangers, and beautiful landscapes allow him to become more honest with himself-- to, for once in too long a while, put aside his profession to remember his humanity. It's a somewhat relieving development. However, it reveals the somewhat tragic reality of a life spent in total, blind dedication to one's work. He finally allows this reality to come crashing down on him at the end of his trip. Fortunately though, the book ends with some hope as he regains his composure and a renewed motivation for his profession.

Kazuo Ishiguro once said of his desire to write: "I'm always trying to remind myself that while we may be very pleased with ourselves, we may one day look back with a different perspective and ask whether we may have acted out of cowardice or failure of vision. What I'm interested in is not the actual fact that my characters have done things they later regret. I'm interested in how they come to terms with it."

To me the above is a great description of what's going on in The Remains of the Day: Mr Stevens, a repressed butler in post-WWII England, is forced near the end of his career to reexamine his entire life. Although there are certainly a number of interesting subplots that kept me reading, the central action of the story revolves around his attempts to salvage for himself some of the 'dignity' and 'greatness' and 'satisfaction' that he had, until recently, been so sure he'd achieved over the years.

That being so, I read the book primarily as an exploration of regret, although it had some darkly funny moments too. Often, for instance, Mr Stevens will misinterpret what's happening around him or repress his feelings to such an extent that it's almost humorous - except for the fact that he's making happiness impossible for himself. Overall, the first couple of chapters took a bit of patience as I got to know Mr Stevens, but by the end of the story he had become one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. Recommended to anyone who's in the mood for thoughtful, character-driven fiction.

"The Remains of the Day" is a fascinating study of character, and to some extent of history as well. The novel spans the professional life of an English Butler named Stevens. It guides us from his heyday as a loyal servant at Darlington Hall to his twilight years as a curio for the estate's new American owner. Steven's is a man of impeccable loyalty and stubbornness. While these qualities ensure Stevens' professional survival, they also provide his life with tragic limitations.
In some parts of the book, Stevens' loyalty is admirable albeit misdirected. For example, Stevens is unable to acknowledge his father's infirmity until Lord Darlington brings it to his attention. He is also unable to shed his professional scales just long enough to have a meaningful interaction with the woman he loves. At the end of the book, Stevens returns to Darlington Hall from a short trip to the country and resolves to master the sort of "bantering" that his American employer requires. All of these factors make Steven's a humorous caricature, but Ishiguro did not write this book merely to make fun of English butlers.
The real issue lurking in the depths of this book centers on fascism and conformity. Stevens' master, Lord Darlington has ties to the British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley, and is later denounced and disgraced for that reason. Blind loyalty prevents Stevens from acknowledging the error of Lord Darlington's conviction, even after he fires all the Jewish members of his staff. Long after Lord Darlington's death, when his estate has been purchased by a wealthy American, Stevens still feels unquestioning loyalty to the master. It costs him his relationship with the woman he loves, and makes us rather pity his blindness.
Stevens is in fact the prototypical conformist. His endless loyalty comes not so much from conviction but from protocol and habit. It is adaptable and transferable to any form of authority be it a fascist aristocrat or an American business man. Much like the fascists of Western Europe, Stevens is still quite useful to have around even when the old order passes and the new one takes over. Obedient, passionless, and blind to the injustices around him--Steven's morality is an open standard that can be retrofitted for any authority.
After reading this book, I recommend that you check out Bernardo Bertolucci's film "Il Conformist". Bertolucci explores the same sort of mindset albeit from a different perspective.

Since Stevens is an unreliable narrator, I was left doubting for much of the book. However I did appreciate the themes presented in the story and am happy to say that I close the book as someone a little different than before. It had me ponder the changes of modern society and how I am accommodating to them. It had me reflect on my own actions — that no matter my intentions, someone else will be affected and someone may see to themselves to use it.

Stevens is a butler so professional and refined that, on a week's drive through the countryside, people assume he is a lord. In his account of the trip, he begins with a meditation on what it is that distinguishes a truly great butler from the rest, and the writing opens up beautifully into memories of his friendship with Miss Kenton, the housemaid, and some cracks of doubt about his previous master, a man who was deeply involved in "great affairs" before World War II.
The prose is impeccable and beautiful, written entirely in the voice of this fascinating character without a hint of the dramatic irony that becomes stronger and stronger, until the novel's heartbreaking conclusion when, all at once, evening has already arrived.

I have never read a book with better character voice and tone than "The Remains of the Day". Ishiguro has done a perfect job inhabiting the personality of Stevens, an aged and perfectly repressed English butler. Stevens has avoided emotional connections to anyone in his pursuit of being the perfect butler. He is not always honest with himself, so some of the beauty of the book comes from figuring things out from his reactions to people's reactions to him. The story is understated, but brilliantly done as Stevens reflects on his life and the reader begins to glimpse the problems that Stevens willfully ignored as a butler to Lord Darlington. I highly recommend "The Remains of the Day" as an absorbing and contemplative read.

ishiguro, with this novel, clearly proves he is master of tone and subtlety. its hard to believe this novel was not written by an english 'gentleman'. the strength of this brilliant and moving novel is its ability to unravel the various facets of the 3 lead characters, the narrator Mr. Stevens, Lord Darlington and the Housekeeper Miss Kenton, through subtle intones about their moods and behavior and morality and feelings without ever for an instance saying anything blatantly.
this is a work of a true master, through a light hearted and dextruosly woven word play he evokes the feel and sense of a time and place, enabling us to study three powerful and interesting characters. a definite must read for all discerning lovers of the novel.

I watched the movie starring Emma Thompson and Sir Anthony Hopkins several years ago - long enough ago that I didn't remember anything but servants scuttling about in an old British manor. Now that I've read this excellent novel, I'll need to rent the movie again and see if I like it better. Ishiguro unwraps the main character, Stevens, in a first person narrative that draws in the reader in a most wonderful fashion. His descriptions of his driving vacation through English countryside make the reader wish for an open car and a few days to ramble to your heart's content. The further Stevens drives, the more deep his introspection delves until he's finally able to see things much differently than he had previously done.

This not just another ‘period piece’. I must read it again, now that I get the point, in order to see the nuances that make all the difference in this book. It’s written just like the butler ‘IS’. Brilliant, powerful, and applicable in so many elements of human endeavor.

A lot of literary types babble on about levels way too much. I usually don't buy it, it's just a way to sound smart or justify a career made of criticizing books rather than writing them.
This book has levels! I'm not talking about the inventions of pseudo-intellectuals, but real levels that I enjoyed discovering as I read. At it's most basic, it's a very sweet, tender yet tragic love story. It's also a fascinating character study. It's an interesting political story. It's a discussion of a culture, a dying culture. Finally, and at it's heart, it's about human conformity, philosophically and practically. What happens to one who's only concern is duty?
That's a pretty important question. Remains of the Day asks it gently and answers it with open ends.
This was the first book that made me cry. I recommend this book without qualification

"The Remains of the Day" is a very rare, very special sort of novel. It's a gem. I'd put off reading it for some time, and never got around to the movie (not a big Merchant Ivory fan - their stuff makes me sleepy). Anyways, while reading Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go," several friends spotted the name on the cover and suggested I read "Remains."

I regret sounding gushy, but in a real sense, "Remains" is sort of a near-perfect novel. One doesn't often encounter writing which so delicately balances a meticulous, character-accurate voice (in this case, the prim, ornately structured proper English of a high-class butler) with deep, nuanced human emotion. The book unfolds like a little Swiss watch, all intricate, interlocking parts, so carefully that you'd expect an end result focused on form and execution - impressive, maybe, but austere and distant.

But Ishiguro is a wizard.

This is as sensitive and devastatingly human as fiction gets. Without stratospheric revelations, tearful tragedies or high suspense, Ishiguro puts his man through a few days of quiet reflection and extracts an awesome payoff - a finely crafted, tiny little jewel of regret and doubt.

At 256 (suprisingly breezy) pages, "The Remains of the Day" is worth your time. It's really special.

Who would think that a story about a stodgy British butler could be a great read? But, this is exactly what "Remains of the Day" is. The book has a remarkable, quiet intensity
You can find details of the story in the other reviews. I will say that the serious reader will find many important themes in "Remains"; self-deception, love, history, racism, family, politics, and war. The story has two of the most intense scenes I've ever read, each having to do with Steven's persuit to be the very best butler he can be.
"Remains of the Day" is my favorite story of all time. The book is much better than the movie, but you can't go wrong with anything starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson! But, by all means, READ THIS BOOK!

Ishiguro masterfully uncovers the life of Stevens, a prudish butler, who is as strait-laced and bitchy as they come. Stevens lives comfortably sheltered from responsibility while his every decision is regulated by the rules of aristocratic England, until World War II shakes up the aristocracy, making his world obsolete. No longer able to let rules of propriety guide his every decision and relationship, he fondly recalls the golden days of his prime, when he passed over all chances for intimacy with a cold-hearted precision that is all the pride and glory left him in the remains of the day.

Ishiguro's portrait of a cold-hearted man of duty is beautiful and touching, even when it ought to feel chilling. He offsets Stevens with the one possible romance of the butler's past, Miss Kensington, who opts in the end for a harshly imperfect love.

"The Remains of the Day", Kazuo Ishiguro's 1989 Booker Prize winning novel, is the slim memoir of Stevens, a lifelong British butler, recounting his glory days before the second World War at the infamous Darlington Hall, while on a road trip through the English countryside. Or at least that is what a cursory read-through would leave the reader believing. In fact, it is much more than that. "The Remains of the Day" is actually three books in one, a fact that I will now elaborate on.
Firstly, it is a fine butler procedural. "Surely it is enough that the likes of you and I," Stevens writes to his ideal reader, "at least try to make our small contribution count for something true and worthy." Having attained a high position in one of England's finer homes, he has had the chance to rub shoulders with not only the most important political figures of the day (he's even met Mr. Churchill), but with some of the finest modern butlers. Men such as Mr. Graham and Mr. Donalds, names that his reader will most assuredly be familiar. They not only discuss amongst themselves the various butlering trends of the day (e.g. methods of polishing silver; how to remain constantly at their master's service while remaining out of sight), but also the less tangible characteristics of a good butler, such as dignity and loyalty.
On the former characteristic, Stevens gives an example from his father's history, as well as his own that illustrate his notions on the subject of dignity. His example concerns the Conference of March 1923, an attempt by Lord Darlington to retract the Treaty of Versailles. Already taxed during this busy weekend, Stevens is further inconvenienced when his father, a legendary butler in his own time now working at Darlington Hall during his waning years, falls gravely ill. During his father's last moments, Stevens never strays from duty, even going so far as to find fresh bandages for the French delegate's feet. You will agree that a butler, born to serve, must keep his mind on his duties at all times, personal feelings be damned.
As to the second characteristic, loyalty, Stevens maintains that, "it is... not possible to adopt... a critical attitude towards an employer and at the same time provide good service." Thus, he turns a blind eye to the popular opinion that Lord Darlington more hurt than helped England's cause. Paradoxically, Stevens doesn't advocate loyalty to an employer obviously not deserving of such. How does one achieve both goals? It is a question not even a butler of Stevens' caliber can fully answer, although in asking the question one has taken the first step towards enlightenment.
Besides being a butler procedural, "The Remains of the Day" is also a love story. But not your typical love story, for most of the romance is beneath the surface, hidden from even those involved. Part of the reason for Stevens' holiday in the country is the desire to be reacquainted with one Miss Kenton, the housekeeper at Darlington Hall during its halcyon days. She, having just divorced from her husband, may be interested in returning to her former post. Stevens, never admitting his feelings for Miss Kenton, is excited by this prospect.
But why did he not snatch her up when he had the chance? More apt to do what's good for the house than what's good for himself, Stevens "always found such liaisons [two members of the staff deciding to marry one another] a serious threat to the order in a house." So he represses his feelings. Much of the memoir's suspense comes from wondering what will happen when Stevens, out of his professional stuffy surroundings, finally meets Miss Kenton again. I'll not spoil the fun, but will warn the reader to bring along some hankies. Despite not being a conventional love story, "The Remains of the Day" succeeds at pulling your heartstrings.
Despite the tone I've adopted so far, I suspect a clever reader will have seen through my ruse. Implications abound above that "The Remains of the Day" is non-fiction. Sorry to mislead you, but you see I was trying to make a point. Just as a reader should not take anything I've said so far at face value, they also should not wholly put their trust in Stevens' words. For he is, in my opinion, the epitome of the post-modern rhetorical device that I find most fascinating: the unreliable narrator.
Stevens thinks he is doing his best to relate the events of his life, and, as a byproduct of this, clear Lord Darlington's name. But he is too stuffy and too reserved to fully complete his task. Several moments in the book explicitly point out that he -- intentionally or otherwise -- is hiding the real facts, for they do not support his hypothesis. When asked by a man helping him with his dry radiator if he, "used to work for that Lord Darlington?" Stevens implies that he didn't. Stevens is not able to come up with an answer for why he misled the man, but a perceptive reader will. Later, after he's spent four pages trying (unsuccessfully) to refute claims of Lord Darlington's anti-Semitism, Stevens realizes he has digressed from what must be the reader's real interest, the trend of meticulous silver polishing. Unconsciously, he leapt off on a tangent. When he realized that maybe he was in dangerous territory, he quickly backpedaled. Very telling.
Ishiguro, Japanese born but British bred and educated, captures the prudent voice of the English butler perfectly. He never falters in his accurate portrayal, to the point where a reader wouldn't be blamed for really thinking this a memoir. Along with this accuracy comes a story, full of mystery and romance and political intrigue and remorse, that, despite its lack of a propulsive narrative, never ceases to be a page-turner.

Written in a style that is by turns convoluted and poetic, Kazuo Ishiguro`s 'The Remains of the Day' is a haunting, relentless portrayal of one man`s journey to self-discovery--and back. The book is a detailed character sketch and a narrative at one and the same time, for each tiny incident, indeed each spoken word, opens new avenues of discovery; and while the places Stevens visits on his journey remain dim and faintly dreamlike, the memories stirred by the journey are vivid and alive with color and sound--each memory is another step down the real path, on the real journey. And so with painstaking subtlety the author weaves tiny threads, combining both past and present, to create a web that will at last catch and hold the protagonist, until he can no longer look away.
While reading the book one can only wonder: If forced to see the truth, the heart of the deception, what will he do?
The answer to that is the real tragedy of the book. Not that Stevens wasted his life, but that he could not at least find some redemption by accepting it. The greatest wound he inflicted on his own life was not when he sensed Miss Kenton was crying and did not go in to comfort her, but his managing to convince himself that there would never have been a reason to do so. The saddest part of the book was at the very end, when once again Stevens began ruminating on the art of bantering as if nothing had ever taken place. The cold mask that had slipped once would not do so ever again; at that the moment he dug a grave for his own soul.

This book deserved its Brooker Prize (and more). Take a well-written, understated story of a butler adjusting to a new (American) gentleman, put the butler on his first road trip, have the memory of his butler-father intermingle with his trying to make sense of his new world - you get this thought-provoking tale. What are the limits of professionalism and loyalty? How does one maintain these qualities in a world in which their definitions appear to be changing? How does one admit to themselves that clinging to old ways leave one unable to read correctly present situations much less respond correctly? These questions are explored in a tale of grace and humor. Recommended.

One can't, in The Remains of the Day, hope for the same intellectual fulfillment that may come from reading a novel such as The Great Gatsby. However, this does not, in any way, detract from the novel's worth and greatness.
The Remains of the Day is a brilliantly crafted novel, concerned primarily with the character of Mr Stevens, that uses the plot as a device for the characters, rather than the other way round. In other words - Mr Stevens, Miss Kenton, Mr Farraday and Lord Darlington are such well written characters that one is genuinely able to care about them and the way they live their lives. Stevens, despite being often infuriating and incredibly stubborn, is at times simply magnificant in his devotion to duty.
Arguably, the reader can never feel totally satisfied with Stevens' progress due to the final moments of the book. I do not wish to elaborate on this, as it may lessen your enjoyment of the novel, but suffice to say - the greatest potency in The Remains of the Day comes from not what will happen, but from what will not happen. The philosophical doctrine of Carpe Diem is at its most profound, yet also at its most unorthodox, in Ishiguro's quite beautiful masterpiece.

Ishiguro tackles some big issues with this one. Professionalism as it relates to individual morality and humanity is the heart of the book. A heart the narrator spends little time exploring until a vacation ride through the countryside, late in his life, allows him the distance physically and mentally to reflect. Tragic in a most understated way, the book and Steve's stays with you a long time.

Kazuo Ishiguro gives his readers some food for thought about what it means to have "dignity" and how to approach one's job. Stevens, the oh-so-pompous butler who narrates this novel, thinks he has carried out his functions as a butler to an English lord with suspicious ties to the Nazis in a way that exemplifies dignity. Although he expresses doubts about the lord he serves, ultimately, he is nothing more than a robot, carrying out orders without thought or regard to their consequences.

More disturbing, though, is Steven's lack of emotions, as well as his inability to understand the emotions of others. As a reader, I wanted to knock some sense into this guy, yet Ishiguro does a masterful job of making the reader care about this butler, even if he has the EQ (emotional quotent) of a gnat!

Highly unusual book - somewhere between "Upstairs-Downstairs" and "Jeeves and Wooster". Not quite tragic, but somewhat sad, about a butler's obsessive quest for perfection serving a master whose political choices before World War II were less than wise. Steven's entire life had been spent in the service of Lord Darlington whose good name was eventually ruined forever through an unsuccessful libel suit. He had indeed consorted with the Germans - who used him attrociously. The title refers to what's left of Stevens' life. He has spent too much time looking back; he must look forward. He has judged his own life by the actions of Lord Darlington. Incredible tone of a superior English butler kept throughout. Reminds me somewhat of Henry James, in long sentences and rambling prose. I loved this book deeply. Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson star in the movie. The author displays marvelous sublety in allowing us to read between the lines - so much unsaid.

"The Remains of the Day" is an unforgettable book. The novel tells the story of Stevens, an English butler who journeys across the English countryside to meet with an old colleague with the hope of recruiting her back to Darlington Hall. As Stevens ventures away from his workplace for the first time in decades, he finds himself reminiscing about his former employer, an unofficial English diplomat who worked to dispel European tension between the two world wars. Stevens records his recollections in the form of a journal; these journal entries comprise "The Remains of the Day".

Stevens is a haunting character, unforgettable for his obsessive desire for perfection and for the devastation this obsessiveness ultimately causes him. Ishiguro examines the question of what it means to "inhabit" the role of butler, a necessity if Stevens is to perform his job properly. To be a good butler requires Stevens to show no emotion, but he lives at Darlington Hall and is never off-duty, meaning that he rarely gets the chance to "disrobe" and consider his own needs. Consequently, when afforded the opportunity to leave home by his new employer, an American businessman, Stevens allows the role of butler to fall away ever so slightly. The result is a conflicted account of the major events of Stevens' employment: recollections of Lord Darlington both confident of his decency and undermined by doubt.

Ishiguro also examines the question of "dignity": whether working for a man of apparent "greatness" makes Stevens great by extension, or whether it is instead pathetic to surrender so much control. Stevens confronts this question head-on in the book's final pages, in a scene on a pier that will stay with you indefinitely.

Then there is, of course, Miss Kenton. A maid at Darlington Hall during most of Stevens's tenure there, Miss Kenton is the person we want Stevens to be: committed to her work but willing to assess the politics of her employer. Through their mutual responsibility for the operations of the household, Stevens and Miss Kenton develop feelings for one another. Miss Kenton reveals her affection through teasing and gentle nosiness, and Stevens responds with awkwardness and, more often, strictness. When Stevens meets Miss Kenton toward the end of the book, his new self-awareness allows us to finally understand the vitality of their relationship and to feel the devastation of its lost potential.

"The Remains of the Day" is my favorite present to give, and I get jealous of friends reading it for the first time. Kazuo Ishiguro is a masterful author, and you will wonder why it took so long for a book like this to be written. Its scenes and narrator will both stay with you vividly.

"The Remains of the Day", Kazuo Ishiguro's 1989 Booker Prize winning novel, is the slim memoir of Stevens, a lifelong British butler, recounting his glory days before the second World War at the infamous Darlington Hall, while on a road trip through the English countryside. Or at least that is what a cursory read-through would leave the reader believing. In fact, it is much more than that. "The Remains of the Day" is actually three books in one, a fact that I will now elaborate on.
Firstly, it is a fine butler procedural. "Surely it is enough that the likes of you and I," Stevens writes to his ideal reader, "at least try to make our small contribution count for something true and worthy." Having attained a high position in one of England's finer homes, he has had the chance to rub shoulders with not only the most important political figures of the day (he's even met Mr. Churchill), but with some of the finest modern butlers. Men such as Mr. Graham and Mr. Donalds, names that his reader will most assuredly be familiar. They not only discuss amongst themselves the various butlering trends of the day (e.g. methods of polishing silver; how to remain constantly at their master's service while remaining out of sight), but also the less tangible characteristics of a good butler, such as dignity and loyalty.
On the former characteristic, Stevens gives an example from his father's history, as well as his own that illustrate his notions on the subject of dignity. His example concerns the Conference of March 1923, an attempt by Lord Darlington to retract the Treaty of Versailles. Already taxed during this busy weekend, Stevens is further inconvenienced when his father, a legendary butler in his own time now working at Darlington Hall during his waning years, falls gravely ill. During his father's last moments, Stevens never strays from duty, even going so far as to find fresh bandages for the French delegate's feet. You will agree that a butler, born to serve, must keep his mind on his duties at all times, personal feelings be damned.
As to the second characteristic, loyalty, Stevens maintains that, "it is... not possible to adopt... a critical attitude towards an employer and at the same time provide good service." Thus, he turns a blind eye to the popular opinion that Lord Darlington more hurt than helped England's cause. Paradoxically, Stevens doesn't advocate loyalty to an employer obviously not deserving of such. How does one achieve both goals? It is a question not even a butler of Stevens' caliber can fully answer, although in asking the question one has taken the first step towards enlightenment.
Besides being a butler procedural, "The Remains of the Day" is also a love story. But not your typical love story, for most of the romance is beneath the surface, hidden from even those involved. Part of the reason for Stevens' holiday in the country is the desire to be reacquainted with one Miss Kenton, the housekeeper at Darlington Hall during its halcyon days. She, having just divorced from her husband, may be interested in returning to her former post. Stevens, never admitting his feelings for Miss Kenton, is excited by this prospect.
But why did he not snatch her up when he had the chance? More apt to do what's good for the house than what's good for himself, Stevens "always found such liaisons [two members of the staff deciding to marry one another] a serious threat to the order in a house." So he represses his feelings. Much of the memoir's suspense comes from wondering what will happen when Stevens, out of his professional stuffy surroundings, finally meets Miss Kenton again. I'll not spoil the fun, but will warn the reader to bring along some hankies. Despite not being a conventional love story, "The Remains of the Day" succeeds at pulling your heartstrings.
Despite the tone I've adopted so far, I suspect a clever reader will have seen through my ruse. Implications abound above that "The Remains of the Day" is non-fiction. Sorry to mislead you, but you see I was trying to make a point. Just as a reader should not take anything I've said so far at face value, they also should not wholly put their trust in Stevens' words. For he is, in my opinion, the epitome of the post-modern rhetorical device that I find most fascinating: the unreliable narrator.
Stevens thinks he is doing his best to relate the events of his life, and, as a byproduct of this, clear Lord Darlington's name. But he is too stuffy and too reserved to fully complete his task. Several moments in the book explicitly point out that he -- intentionally or otherwise -- is hiding the real facts, for they do not support his hypothesis. When asked by a man helping him with his dry radiator if he, "used to work for that Lord Darlington?" Stevens implies that he didn't. Stevens is not able to come up with an answer for why he misled the man, but a perceptive reader will. Later, after he's spent four pages trying (unsuccessfully) to refute claims of Lord Darlington's anti-Semitism, Stevens realizes he has digressed from what must be the reader's real interest, the trend of meticulous silver polishing. Unconsciously, he leapt off on a tangent. When he realized that maybe he was in dangerous territory, he quickly backpedaled. Very telling.
Ishiguro, Japanese born but British bred and educated, captures the prudent voice of the English butler perfectly. He never falters in his accurate portrayal, to the point where a reader wouldn't be blamed for really thinking this a memoir. Along with this accuracy comes a story, full of mystery and romance and political intrigue and remorse, that, despite its lack of a propulsive narrative, never ceases to be a page-turner.

Written in a style that is by turns convoluted and poetic, Kazuo Ishiguro`s 'The Remains of the Day' is a haunting, relentless portrayal of one man`s journey to self-discovery--and back. The book is a detailed character sketch and a narrative at one and the same time, for each tiny incident, indeed each spoken word, opens new avenues of discovery; and while the places Stevens visits on his journey remain dim and faintly dreamlike, the memories stirred by the journey are vivid and alive with color and sound--each memory is another step down the real path, on the real journey. And so with painstaking subtlety the author weaves tiny threads, combining both past and present, to create a web that will at last catch and hold the protagonist, until he can no longer look away.
While reading the book one can only wonder: If forced to see the truth, the heart of the deception, what will he do?
The answer to that is the real tragedy of the book. Not that Stevens wasted his life, but that he could not at least find some redemption by accepting it. The greatest wound he inflicted on his own life was not when he sensed Miss Kenton was crying and did not go in to comfort her, but his managing to convince himself that there would never have been a reason to do so. The saddest part of the book was at the very end, when once again Stevens began ruminating on the art of bantering as if nothing had ever taken place. The cold mask that had slipped once would not do so ever again; at that the moment he dug a grave for his own soul.

This book deserved its Brooker Prize (and more). Take a well-written, understated story of a butler adjusting to a new (American) gentleman, put the butler on his first road trip, have the memory of his butler-father intermingle with his trying to make sense of his new world - you get this thought-provoking tale. What are the limits of professionalism and loyalty? How does one maintain these qualities in a world in which their definitions appear to be changing? How does one admit to themselves that clinging to old ways leave one unable to read correctly present situations much less respond correctly? These questions are explored in a tale of grace and humor. Recommended.

One can't, in The Remains of the Day, hope for the same intellectual fulfillment that may come from reading a novel such as The Great Gatsby. However, this does not, in any way, detract from the novel's worth and greatness.
The Remains of the Day is a brilliantly crafted novel, concerned primarily with the character of Mr Stevens, that uses the plot as a device for the characters, rather than the other way round. In other words - Mr Stevens, Miss Kenton, Mr Farraday and Lord Darlington are such well written characters that one is genuinely able to care about them and the way they live their lives. Stevens, despite being often infuriating and incredibly stubborn, is at times simply magnificant in his devotion to duty.
Arguably, the reader can never feel totally satisfied with Stevens' progress due to the final moments of the book. I do not wish to elaborate on this, as it may lessen your enjoyment of the novel, but suffice to say - the greatest potency in The Remains of the Day comes from not what will happen, but from what will not happen. The philosophical doctrine of Carpe Diem is at its most profound, yet also at its most unorthodox, in Ishiguro's quite beautiful masterpiece.

Ishiguro tackles some big issues with this one. Professionalism as it relates to individual morality and humanity is the heart of the book. A heart the narrator spends little time exploring until a vacation ride through the countryside, late in his life, allows him the distance physically and mentally to reflect. Tragic in a most understated way, the book and Steve's stays with you a long time.

Kazuo Ishiguro gives his readers some food for thought about what it means to have "dignity" and how to approach one's job. Stevens, the oh-so-pompous butler who narrates this novel, thinks he has carried out his functions as a butler to an English lord with suspicious ties to the Nazis in a way that exemplifies dignity. Although he expresses doubts about the lord he serves, ultimately, he is nothing more than a robot, carrying out orders without thought or regard to their consequences.

More disturbing, though, is Steven's lack of emotions, as well as his inability to understand the emotions of others. As a reader, I wanted to knock some sense into this guy, yet Ishiguro does a masterful job of making the reader care about this butler, even if he has the EQ (emotional quotent) of a gnat!

Highly unusual book - somewhere between "Upstairs-Downstairs" and "Jeeves and Wooster". Not quite tragic, but somewhat sad, about a butler's obsessive quest for perfection serving a master whose political choices before World War II were less than wise. Steven's entire life had been spent in the service of Lord Darlington whose good name was eventually ruined forever through an unsuccessful libel suit. He had indeed consorted with the Germans - who used him attrociously. The title refers to what's left of Stevens' life. He has spent too much time looking back; he must look forward. He has judged his own life by the actions of Lord Darlington. Incredible tone of a superior English butler kept throughout. Reminds me somewhat of Henry James, in long sentences and rambling prose. I loved this book deeply. Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson star in the movie. The author displays marvelous sublety in allowing us to read between the lines - so much unsaid.

"The Remains of the Day" is an unforgettable book. The novel tells the story of Stevens, an English butler who journeys across the English countryside to meet with an old colleague with the hope of recruiting her back to Darlington Hall. As Stevens ventures away from his workplace for the first time in decades, he finds himself reminiscing about his former employer, an unofficial English diplomat who worked to dispel European tension between the two world wars. Stevens records his recollections in the form of a journal; these journal entries comprise "The Remains of the Day".

Stevens is a haunting character, unforgettable for his obsessive desire for perfection and for the devastation this obsessiveness ultimately causes him. Ishiguro examines the question of what it means to "inhabit" the role of butler, a necessity if Stevens is to perform his job properly. To be a good butler requires Stevens to show no emotion, but he lives at Darlington Hall and is never off-duty, meaning that he rarely gets the chance to "disrobe" and consider his own needs. Consequently, when afforded the opportunity to leave home by his new employer, an American businessman, Stevens allows the role of butler to fall away ever so slightly. The result is a conflicted account of the major events of Stevens' employment: recollections of Lord Darlington both confident of his decency and undermined by doubt.

Ishiguro also examines the question of "dignity": whether working for a man of apparent "greatness" makes Stevens great by extension, or whether it is instead pathetic to surrender so much control. Stevens confronts this question head-on in the book's final pages, in a scene on a pier that will stay with you indefinitely.

Then there is, of course, Miss Kenton. A maid at Darlington Hall during most of Stevens's tenure there, Miss Kenton is the person we want Stevens to be: committed to her work but willing to assess the politics of her employer. Through their mutual responsibility for the operations of the household, Stevens and Miss Kenton develop feelings for one another. Miss Kenton reveals her affection through teasing and gentle nosiness, and Stevens responds with awkwardness and, more often, strictness. When Stevens meets Miss Kenton toward the end of the book, his new self-awareness allows us to finally understand the vitality of their relationship and to feel the devastation of its lost potential.

"The Remains of the Day" is my favorite present to give, and I get jealous of friends reading it for the first time. Kazuo Ishiguro is a masterful author, and you will wonder why it took so long for a book like this to be written. Its scenes and narrator will both stay with you vividly.

I think Ishiguro has achieved the unachievable. The subtlety of human nature painted so well through the power of Mr. Ishiguro's pen. The best part is definitely about Steven's trouble with rambling with his new American employer. His selfless nature and almost blind devotion to his Nazi-sympathizing boss which comes into picture when Stevens almost ignores the death of his father to attend to conventions of "global importance unfolding upstairs" in Darlington Hall. Ishiguro's language is pitch-perfect and his prose wonderfully polished. I read after being recommended by a professor in a literature class. And I really thank him for introducing me to this gem of a book!

Kazuo Ishiguro has not created a realistic character in Stevens but an almost mythical figure representing the ideal characteristics of a servant, or perhaps more fittingly, a vassal. Only a writer with an understanding of a rigid class-system could have wrought such a brilliant archetype. Stevens is a samurai so dedicated to his Lord (Darlington) that he has sublimated his entire life to serve him. Stevens has no romantic life--he avoids the subtle and not-so-subtle advances of the housekeeper Ms. Kenton. He reads in his spare time, but only to improve his command of the English language, to make himself a better butler. He has no political views, defaulting completely to his Lord--even reversing his views as his lord reverses himself.
And in the final comparison between men--between lord and vassal, the vassal is clearly the greater man. It is Darlington's role in society to conduct diplomacy and he fails miserably, completely outmaneuvered by his counterparts in Germany. But Stevens shines! He even works through his own father's death, never betraying any emotion. Darlington dabbles in work "best left to professionals," while Stevens IS the ultimate professional.
Many people see the work as a study in tragic mistakes. But I think there is too much emphasis in Western society on individuals satisfying their own emotional, psychological, and romantic needs. I read this from a more ancient and Eastern viewpoint: Stevens is not haunted during the remains of his life but rather can be proud that he achieved perfection in his craft. The fact that the story can be interpreted in both ways makes it a piece of genius.

Usually, movies and novels don't mix. If one is poignant and relevant, the other is utter crap. In the case of The Remains of the Day, though, this is definitely not true: the movie actually *enhances* the book, and vice versa.

This novel takes place in post-WWII England, laden with pre-WWII flashbacks. The story of Stevens, the obedient butler of Lord Darlington, is not for the action-adventure lover: it is a quiet, almost meditative story that contemplates love, war, obedience, the working class, and patriotism. The story is slow but rich; if you liked The English Patient or Schindler's List, you will enjoy this book.

I had seen the movie several times before I settled into the novel; I have found that it's especially pleasant if you can hear Stevens in your mind in the voice of Anthony Hopkins.

Having been disappointed by Ishiguro's "When We Were Orphans", I was hesitant to pick up "Remains...", but I loved the movie, and was curious how the book had inspired such a great film. I was more than surprised at how quickly I was immersed in the writing, which is incredibly measured and truly lovely. Where the movie focused more on the unrequited love between Mr. Stevens and Miss Kenton, the book explores the definition of living a life of "dignity", and what defines that type of life. Stevens is a much more sympathetic character here, because of his flaws and misconceptions of how he thinks dignity is attained, and ultimately he lives a quietly tragic life. It is this contrast between perception and reality that makes this story so rich and readable.

You'll either love this one, or you'll hate it. It won the Booker Prize in 1981, so critics mostly loved it.
Set in post-World War II, it deals with the life of the perfect English butler who has sacrificed himself, his identity, and his life to the ideal of `service' to his English master.
Both sad and funny, The Remains of the Day is also a love story that does not end well.
How, one might ask, can a Japanese author write so convincingly of British society, but Ishiguro, while born in Japan, lived in Great Britain from the age of six. He skillfully (some say cruelly) skewers the attitudes of the old British empire.
See the movie (with Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins), too; it's good.

Kazuo Ishiguro's story of an English butler's reflection on his life is a subtle discourse on the consequences of not living life to the fullest, not "seizing the day." As Mr. Stevens journeys towards a meeting with a former housekeeper, Miss Kenton, with whom he had a strange and romantically unfulfilling relationship, he remembers events spanning the period from just after WWI until 1956 about which he has deep, though barely and belatedly acknowledged regrets.
Being a butler in one of England's great houses, Stevens witnesses meetings between many of Europe's high rollers. It is only through remembering (a characteristic of Ishiguro's works) that Stevens comes to realize the gross misjudgements of his employer, a Nazi sympathizer. Still, the ever loyal Stevens' defense of his former employer only shows cracks late in the novel, as his disturbing memories continue to surface.
Absorbed in his work, like his father, Stevens seems afraid to form close relationships and instead cloaks himself in the "dignity" he feels to be the most important attribute of a great butler. His rationalization of the pride he takes in such a "professional," yet colorless, existence is Ishiguro's subtle and ingenious warning about the regrets such a life eventually causes. Indeed, Steven's own father waits until his deathbed to express his regret over not being a better father.
Stevens' relationship with Miss Kenton and the eventual climax are moving. Their exchanges over the years reflect Ishiguro at his best. Unlike The Unconsoled or When We Were Orphans, there is little here that would be considered dream-like, though Ishiguro shows why he is a master of creating a mood. If you've seen the movie, you won't be able to help seeing Anthony Hopkins as Stevens, but it is still worth reading for all the added nuance Ishiguro brings to his characters. Along with The Unconsoled, Ishiguro's best!

In the novel The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro appears to have used the protagonist Stevens to illustrate how trapped humanity is by the social classes they are born into, and the difficulty of moving out of them. Stevens is an older man who has conformed to class and culture his entire life, but begins to question the choices he has made when changed is forced upon him.

I just love this book because although Stephens is so different from me on the outside, I have can relate totally to his inner fears and struggle. It makes me understand how scary change can be for all humans.

The beauty of Ishiguro's writing is hard to get right the first time when, let's say, you are trying to describe it to someone you really like, and have taken her out to dinner. To finish the job, you'll need to throw a wine and anthrax party simply to do justice to his use of language alone. All authors weave a carpet, and some authors manage to turn that into a magical one and deliver you into pure flights of fantasy. This one does both. Remains of the day is like a finely tailored suit from Saville row. The finest of the fine. Brave, honest, tragic, tearful of lost opportunities and bygone days, how loyalty to ethics can cloud Ethics itself. After I read this, i picked everyone of his novels to read. They are spellbinding

I like Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins as much as anyone, but the book is far more satisfying than the movie. For one, given the impressionist technique used to advance the narrative, learning the truth about Lord Darlington is a far more satisfying experience when reading the book than seeing the movie. It is only then that the reader is alert to the fact that everything he had been told is warped by the hero's perspective-he cannot admit to us or himself that he has given his life to an unjust cause. Rather than spoil anything else, I will leave it at that. Read the book, before seeing the movie, you will not be sorry.

The Japanese always has an objective and incisive view of his conditions and the particular issues realating his life. Clearly Ishiguro has inherited this and has acquired such a mastery over the language of his adopted country that the product of the confluence is of a rare breed in every sense. The butler analyses his job, the criteria that evolve to define excellence, his relationships and the scopes therein and definitely the limitations one inevitably faces in oneself in resolving these issues. But then justification of one's effort and purest intent comes in the form of DIGNITY, the ultimate and only mark of acknowledgement whether from inside or from outside. Ishiguro explores the aspects of its perception, evolution and its role in the context of different individuals and societies. The helpless limitations of life, human communicability at the end gives way to the acceptance of bantering as something legitimate even to an orthodox traditionalist like the butler. That comedy necessarily has its root in tragedy is possibly being uttered once again in this book, but in what a delectably novel manner! This is literature, an endless source of renewal!

I'm hard pressed to think of a book I enjoyed more in the last 20 years. Every time I re-read it, I keep wishing that Stevens will follow his emotions rather than trying to follow his station as butler. Anthony Hopkins does a terrific job in the movie showing the character's extreme restraint and inability to acknowledge his love. Not only is this a great love story, it's a great historical novel, psychology study and beautifully written to boot. Ishiguro writes with such nuance and understatement and with such an eye for detail that I think any reader will be captivated. This is one of the most breathtaking books Ishiguro ever wrote and one of the best contemporary books around.

"The Remains of the Day" is that rare find: a richly-layered story of love offered and lost, of nationalities mocked and embraced, of characters stolid and self-decieving... and compulsively readable. This is one of, if not THE best book I have ever read, and I have read plenty to judge it against. Ishiguro's narration of Stevens is pitch-perfect- he is an almost-freakish talent. Stevens is a full-blooded character, nuanced to the hilt and rational to the brim. The main power of this story, however, is its almost overpowering subtelty. This is probably the best example of dramatic restraint in a century or so of literature. The Booker Prize it deserved... and so much more. Read this book, the language and devastating storyline (especially the ending... the dialogue then will make your heart tremble) is classic literature of the highest order. Bravo to Mr. Ishiguro.