Remains of the Day

by Kazuo Ishiguro

During the summer of 1956, Stevens, the aging butler of Darlington Hall, embarks on a leisurely motoring holiday that will take him deep into the heart of the English countryside and thence into his past.

• ISBN13: 9780571153107
• Publish Date: 30 June 1989
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 12 January 2010
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Faber & Faber
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 245
• Language: English

Reviews

[clementine]

Flawless prose, masterful characterization. This book is quietly disturbing and surprisingly devastating. Stevens is a thoroughly tragic character. Somehow some humour is retained throughout, although the overall mood of the novel is very sad.

[luddite]

3.5 rounded up.

[nannah]

(4.5)
Ouch.

Talk about tragic. Stevens is one of the most interesting characters to read about (and whose POV is one of the most interesting to read), because on the surface he's the absolute most boring person. He's so wrapped up in his own concept of "dignity" that he can't separate himself from it. Basically, Stevens's idea of dignity is to remain in his role as butler even through trying events. But he has become so attached to his own ideal that he's lost in it, and he's lost himself and nearly any ounce of personality he may once have had. His dignity is all he is, and because of it he misses out on what's important in his own life.

I feel like I can call Stevens an unreliable narrator, because I believe he misleads readers about his own feelings. Not deliberately, though. He's suppressed his emotions for so long that suppression has become part of who he is. It comes through in the masterful way the POV is written. Really, the writing and crafting of this novel is so beautiful and well thought through.

Most of the time, I only get to glimpse how Stevens actually feels about something when other characters express concern for him ("Are you all right?" "Have you been crying?" etc. Or something like that--these are from memory . . .). He keeps so much to himself that when he actually, truly lets himself be vulnerable (and you know what part I'm talking about!), it's just--ouch.

It's just one line, but it seems to bring the entire book together into the tragic love story that it is.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

England 1956, Stevens is a long-serving butler at Darlington Hall who decides to take a motoring trip through the country. Partly for work and partly for personal reasons, but this six day outing becomes a trip into the past as he remembers not only two world wars but an unrealised love between himself and his housekeeper. The Remains of the Day is an incredible novel of meditation, a changing England and missed love.

Stevens is an old fashion butler, always keeping to the rules and holding himself to a higher standard particularly when it comes to dignity. Throughout the novel he reflects on what it takes to be a truly accomplished butler; often referring to the Hayes Society, an elite society of butlers in the 1920s and 1930. The notion of “a dignity in keeping with his position” being the main ingredient to making a truly great butler. As he reflects on the idea of dignity, he also reflects on how he upholds himself as well as the changed world. Lord Darlington has passed away and an American, Mr Farraday is the new owner of Darlington Hall. This means a whole new way of doing things and as Stevens masterfully adjusts to the new way, he notices that he is doing too much as well as lacking in the ability to communicate the way his new employee wishes. Stevens takes his job too seriously so he struggles to be able to banter with his employee in the way Farraday wishes. He agonizes over his need to offer some witty banter and all attempts fail. He fails to realise that it is his delivery that is lacking and yet he keeps on reflecting on this.

The reason I wanted to talk about dignity and banter, is while Stevens’ is such a great character, he spends all his time reflecting on how he can be the best butler to his that he completely misses the opportunity of love. As this novel progresses and Stevens reflects on his time at Darlington Hall you can see a relationship blossom between the housemaid Miss Kenton and himself. The further you read, the more her feelings develop, while he is blissfully ignorant. Stevens does eventually realise but it is far too late.

The Remains of the Day is such a beautiful novel; while it does remind me a little of Downton Abbey (which I adore) this novel has other elements in it which make it worth exploring. It’s a book of loyalty and politics, love and relationships as well as memories and perspective. I don’t think I’ve seen the movie adaptation of this book but I’m struggling to see how it would work in that format. Does anyone know if the movie is worth watching?

I do recommend this book to fans of Downton Abbey, but I also want to recommend it to people looking for a stunningly elegant to read. Kazuo Ishiguro masterfully crafted this book and it paid off, winning the Man Booker Prize as well as Guardian’s “Books You Can’t Live Without” and the “1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die” list as well as a whole lot more. I’m so glad I picked up this book, it was short but it did so much. I would have to add it to a list of essential readings.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2013/03/17/book-review-the-remains-of-the-day/

[jamiereadthis]

A book that completely sneaks up on you; a story two for one, you read between every line.