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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The novel's narrator, Stevens, is a perfect English butler who tries to give his narrow existence form and meaning through the self-effacing, almost mystical practice of his profession. In a career that spans the second world war, Stevens is oblivious of the real life that goes on around him--oblivious, for instance, of the fact that his aristocrat employer is a Nazi sympathizer. Still, there are even larger matters at stake in this heartbreaking, beautifully crafted novel-- namely, Stevens' own ability to allow some bit of life-affirming love into his tightly repressed existence.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'A triumph... This wholly convincing protrait of a human life unweaving before your eyes is inventive and absorbing, by turns funny, absurd and ultimately very moving.' --Sunday Times
'A dream of a book: a beguiling comedy of manners that evolves almost magically into a profound and heart-rending study of personality, class and culture.' --New York Times Book Review
'A dream of a book: a beguiling comedy of manners that evolves almost magically into a profound and heart-rending study of personality, class and culture.' --New York Times Book Review
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
84 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book has the ability not only to make you feel deeply moved by its main protagonists but to re-evaluate your own life, relationships and values. It explores the break down in communications between individuals of "opposite" sex, social class and nationality and the pressure to conform to moral, social and political standards at the expense of natural feelings. The hero Stevens, a butler, represses his feelings so much that he cannot or will not admit his attraction to housekeeper Miss Kenton. His obsession with the "role" of butler and archaic notion of "Dignity" creates a barrier between them which neither is able to break down. The frustration for the reader is that the truth is there so plain to see, narrated by Stevens himself, and there are many opportunities for them to connect; when Steven's father dies; when Miss Kenton receives a proposal of marriage, but the hard shell of reserve the butler builds around himself never cracks. Tradition and reputation remain more important than his happiness. Meanwhile this small drama is played out against the backdrop of the British government appeasement of Hitler's burgeoning German Nazi party just before WWII, where, paralleling the difficulties in communication within the domestic staff, His Lordship tries to bring European leaders together for the best, but misguided, reasons. There are so many powerful episodes and touching scenes - when Stevens' demeanour causes him to be mistaken for His Lordship, when he is asked to his embarassment to explain the facts of life to His Lordship's betrothed nephew and when he is quizzed by one of his employer's politician guests as a representative sample of the working classes. Each of these confirm that he is a dying breed of dinosaur from a feudal age, an unquestioning and naive bond slave in a world turned sour and cynical and how ineffectual as a human being. As storm clouds gather over Europe, political lies and intrigue mirror the confusion in Stevens' household and relationships and both he and his employer ultimately and tragically suffer from an inability to recognise the truth. Behind the facade of dignified gentility, and a veneer of unwavering formality, the inner turmoil within the political arena, the house, the staff and Steven's own conscience make this an intense and absorbing read on many levels. He is an intensely maddening and yet touchingly likeable character. Absolutely fascinating and totally realistic. A top ten novel of the 20th century.
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This must be the most desperately sad and beautiful book that I have ever read. I was absolutly hooked from the first page right until the end, and even found myself crying once i had finished.
It is a story of hopelessness, a journey of self discovery and a love story, told simply. At the end, you are both exasperated with the narrator as well as desperately sorry for him.
It is a story of hopelessness, a journey of self discovery and a love story, told simply. At the end, you are both exasperated with the narrator as well as desperately sorry for him.
an exquiste read
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book a long while ago for a reason I don't remember, it must have been a recommendation, but it has been sitting on my bookshelf ever since. The other day I was looking for something to read and I went for The Remains of the Day. This book is a masterpiece. Beautifully written with intriguing characters I could have started this book over the moment I finished the last page. What I find most interesting is how the emotions of the repressed central character Stevens are only revealed by others reaction to him, he remains stoic and "dignified" to the end, despite ultimately coming realise he has wasted his life serving the misguided Lord Darlington. Kazuo Ishiguro has the most amazing grasp of the upstairs/downstairs England of yesteryear and I cannot recommend this beautiful and moving novel highly enough - fully deserving of its Booker Prize (not something to be said about them all!)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A triumph. A joyless triumph.
OK then, The Remains Of The Day. Bring it.
After the near-constant slaughter, incest, kin-slaying, king-slaying, beheaded and bedding of Storm of Swords, 6 pages of... Read more
After the near-constant slaughter, incest, kin-slaying, king-slaying, beheaded and bedding of Storm of Swords, 6 pages of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by mogwins
A beautiful, unforgettable book
If you are reading these reviews, then you must be thinking of reading the book. If so, please, please do so. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Stephen Hudson
A modern classic....
In 1956 Stevens, an ageing English butler, takes a road trip to visit and ex-housekeeper who married and moved to Cornwall. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Wynne Kelly
Going nowhere yet un-put-downable.
Gentle, clever and yet rapier sharp.
A tale of lost opportunities viewed as dignity, or one man's emotional constipation that he sees as an indication of success. Read more
A tale of lost opportunities viewed as dignity, or one man's emotional constipation that he sees as an indication of success. Read more
Published 7 months ago by P. Elliott
lovely writing but flawed psychology
This book tells the story of how Stevens, an ageing butler, reflects on his life whilst taking a short holiday in the 1950s. Read more
Published 7 months ago by James
Wonderful
Kazuo Ishiguro is an amazing writer. Even my least favourite of his books stands head and shoulders above many others which are often more hyped. This novel is exquisite. Read more
Published 8 months ago by 1reader
At the end of the day
Again many people have written very well and in great detail about this book, The Remains of the Day; the story is by now well known. Very skillfully written by Mr. Read more
Published 10 months ago by JohnEurope
THE PRICE OF DIGNITY
After immersing myself in two of Ishiguro's masterpieces lately, Never Let Me Go and the Artist of the Floating World, I realized I had never read this book, even though one of my... Read more
Published 11 months ago by NeuroSplicer
I don't think I got it
I read a lot of really good reviews about this and it appears in quite a few 'good read' lists. I've read it now and I don't think I got it? Read more
Published 11 months ago by CoolJules
Very moving
A beautiful, wistful tale of a bygone era. The story is of Stevens, the butler for many years to a well connected Lord, who is looking back on his life and questioning its value... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Glaucon
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