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The Remains of the Day [Paperback]

Kazuo Ishiguro (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 1 April 2010

WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE

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.

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Product details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Faber and Faber (1 April 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0571258247
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571258246
  • Product Dimensions: 1.8 x 12.6 x 19.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Authors

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Kazuo Ishiguro
Chris Rice

Product Description

Amazon 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

"An intricate and dazzling novel." --"The New York Times"
" "
"Brilliant and quietly devastating." --"Newsweek "
" "
"""A virtuoso performance ... put on with dazzling daring and aplomb." --"The New York Review of Books"
" "
"A perfect novel. I couldn't put it down." --Ann Beattie
" "
"The novel rests firmly on the narrative sophistication and flawless control of tone ... of a most impressive novelist." --Julian Barnes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
95 of 95 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the 20th Century's best novels 30 Jan 2001
By A Customer
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.
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41 of 41 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful 12 Nov 2001
By A Customer
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.

an exquiste read

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47 of 48 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book - surely among the best 9 April 2007
By Ms. Rebecca Hancox
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
5.0 out of 5 stars Butler issues
I really liked this novel, which at first i did not expect due to it's narrative perspective. However, I found Stevens as a narrator very engaging and witty. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Paige-Ruby Dorman
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Absolutely fascinating character study and gripping, though very simple, story. the whole atmosphere and the immense sadness I found quite gripping and it was a very sympathetic... Read more
Published 1 month ago by MRS JANET E DAVIES
4.0 out of 5 stars most enjoyable
the story is different to nay of the other stories I usually read, life narrated by a butler, a real English butler. Read more
Published 1 month ago by claudia
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
Can't think why it has taken me so long to get round to it. A book to make you think.
Published 2 months ago by antonygm
5.0 out of 5 stars The Remains of the Day
It is certainly one of the greatest contemporary books in English for a very simple reason. Namely, if we forget about the exact time frame or locus and socio-cultural conditions... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Boyko Ovcharov
2.0 out of 5 stars Slow
As with all Ishiguros novels this is very well written but I found it slow and a bit dull. .
Published 2 months ago by H Rees
5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant
What most struck me was Ishiguro's extremely subtle approach to telling what was essentially a love story, and the struggle of maintaining professionalism in the face of strong... Read more
Published 3 months ago by P.Rose
5.0 out of 5 stars A really good read, I loved it
A tale of misplaced loyalty and a lifetime almost wasted. Once you have started you will not want to put it down
Published 4 months ago by Savagetrombone
1.0 out of 5 stars A shot in the water
I bought this book based on 1) the summary and 2) reviews. I must say I was very disappointed. The story is slow and not compelling at all. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Patrique Tanque
4.0 out of 5 stars interesting read
This is a captivating narrative written in the formal language of a bygone era. Well worth perusing as the characters develop and reveal the constraints and conventions of the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by wrentherapy
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