The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

impeccableby Anonymous

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June 04, 2009: This is the second time I am reading this wonderful novel. If you're searching for an impeccable, nuanced read and character study. This is the book for you. If you're looking for a fast action, indiana jones type book, then no, probably not the book for you. Ishiguro surprises with his study of responsibility and self-delusion. The Butler Stevens is hilarious and heart wrenching in his quest for dignity and sense of the perfect butler. Ishiguro's NEVER LET ME GO is also an amazing read, completely different and yet the same in the character's resignation...I understand the book is to be made into a movie starring Kiera Knightley.

Its a great study in tone and reflection upon a vanished order. Stevens is impeccable.

I Also Recommend: Never Let Me Go.

A Disappointing Telling of No Progression...Spoiler Alertby Anonymous

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November 10, 2008: Ishiguro?s writing is very eloquent and descriptive, but his plot development is lacking. The book does a great job of showing the reader Stevens? every thought and his obsessive-compulsive way of thinking. However, there is so little action that the book is hardly worth reading.
The entire novel is told through a re-telling of Stevens? experiences. This all happens while he is supposed to be escaping from his work?which has consumed his entire life?and experiencing the English countryside. But Ishiguro focuses so much on Stevens? obsession with his work that nothing interesting happens on his journey at all.
Stevens is impossible to relate to because normal people are so much more self-centered than he. A main theme in the book is ?greatness.? Stevens measures greatness by how devoted one is to his work and how completely he can devote himself to his employer. His total devotion robs him of any personal development and leaves him socially crippled. This book is so disappointing due to the lack of any relationship development, and lack of any lessons learned.
Probably the most disappointing aspect of the novel was that the situations Stevens encountered gave perfect opportunity for personal development. Sadly, even though he was removed from his workplace, he still could not relax his professionalism and grow into his own person. His love interest was lost, he allowed his employer?s needs to get in the way of his own moral views, and he learned nothing about himself on what seemed would be a symbolic journey of discovery across the country.
The novel does a great job of showing Stevens? miniscule observations and obscure obsession with his work. I would recommend this book to a reader who is interested in in-depth character descriptions and skewed ways of thinking. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for plot or a personal progression in a novel.