245 pages
English language
Published Oct. 29, 1990 by Vintage Books.
In the summer of 1956, Stevens, the ageing butler of Darlington Hall, embarks on a leisurely holiday that will take him deep into the countryside and into his past . . .A contemporary classic, The Remains of the Day is Kazuo Ishiguro's beautiful and haunting evocation of life between the wars in a Great English House, of lost causes and lost love.
Very rare we find books which are so well written that the power of what is not said, and stories which just didn’t happen, often surpasses those on the book.
The novel reminds us that the choices we make—or fail to make—define the days that shape our lives.
PS: The evening’s the best part of the day..
Content warning spoilers for the ending
This book is not a love story but a character study. It's a meditation on professional dignity, and what happens when you sacrifice everything - every opportunity, every chance for connection, for human emotion - on the altar of that dignity. It's a book about misleading yourself. It's a book about giving in to sunk costs.
The last few pages are what made this story work for me. Because Stevens is a sympathetic, if deeply frustrating, narrator. I was rooting for him to have some kind of growth, to leave him ready to grasp the remains of the day. And it seemed like Ishiguro was leading him there, showing him reconsidering the value of bantering (and thus, human connection). But the very last thing Stevens thinks is how this will make him a better butler. Because in the end, he is too scared to be anything but what he has always been.
Superbly done by Ishiguro.
I didn't start getting into the story until around the 40% mark and even then, I felt like I had to make myself read it. If it hadn't been a book club pick, it'd probably be a DNF. I'm glad I stuck with it until the end. It was worth it from a literary and historical standpoint. But that ending felt incredibly depressing to me and I'm not sure it was meant to be? Was there meant to be little to no growth of the main character? Did he grow, but my own views are just so vastly different I can't see it? I have a lot of feelings to think about before my book club's discussion.
I mean, I'd say it's a 2.5 and I'll let it barely round up to 3.0. It's basically just a guy talking about his butler days. I expected it to be more profound.
A most excellent read.
I just cannot get over how good this book is.
On the face of it this book is about a stuffy old British butler who goes on a road trip and talks about his life. If you’re used to books with more plot, or you are sick to death of stoic old white guys who can’t feel their feelings, this might be a bit trying. (and many of the one-star reviews of this book would indicate it is VERY trying for a lot of people).
But for me the beauty of this book lies in the spaces between words, in the events that aren't actually described, and in the differences between how the main character believed things should work, versus how he thinks they did work, versus how they actually happened. It is beautifully and subtly crafted and the best kind of fictional writerly magic. One of the best books …
I just cannot get over how good this book is.
On the face of it this book is about a stuffy old British butler who goes on a road trip and talks about his life. If you’re used to books with more plot, or you are sick to death of stoic old white guys who can’t feel their feelings, this might be a bit trying. (and many of the one-star reviews of this book would indicate it is VERY trying for a lot of people).
But for me the beauty of this book lies in the spaces between words, in the events that aren't actually described, and in the differences between how the main character believed things should work, versus how he thinks they did work, versus how they actually happened. It is beautifully and subtly crafted and the best kind of fictional writerly magic. One of the best books I’ve ever read.
3.5 rounded up.
I wish I hadn't waited so long to read this one.
First, the obvious comparison: Anyone who enjoyed Downton Abbey should read this.
How best to describe it? A butler fails at badinage.
Or perhaps a line, used ironically, from within the book itself, is the most appropriate description: "Why should one not enjoy in a lighthearted sort of way stories of ladies and gentlemen who fall in love and express their feelings for each other, often in the most elegant phrases?"
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 …
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; literary-exploration.com/2013/03/17/book-review-the-remains-of-the-day/
