A holiday is an unusual, if not unheard of, thing for Stevens, the butler at Darlington Hall, but his new American employer is back in the US for a few weeks, and Stevens is off on a trip to the West Country, to see the sights and visit a former colleague. Miss Kenton, now Mrs Benn, was formerly housekeeper at Darlington and Stevens hopes to be able to persuade her to return. His reasons are solid and practical, citing the unavailability of staff in the modern post-war world of the 50s, but hidden away he holds more personal, sentimental ones.
As he travels the quiet roads of 1950s England, Stevens reminiscences about the inter-war glory years, when Lord Darlington was heavily involved in European affairs, and the house filled with people of power and influence, ponders on what makes a 'great' butler and the meaning of dignity, and just occasionally lets his imperturbable butler's mask slip enough to let us glimpse the man behind - the emotions he's bottled away, the life and love he could have had if not for his belief that duty overrides all.

I first read The Remains of the Day sometime in the early 90s shortly after it won the Booker prize; I loved it then, and it was a pleasure to revisit it, though I think my feeling about Stevens have changed. Then I felt his life had been totally wasted, and that it was his own fault - his loyalty given to a man who never deserved it, the love of his life lost through his stubborn pride and 'dignity'. Now I'm inclined to judge Stevens less harshly. Born and bred into the profession of butler, he follows his father's footsteps, and I feel there's little else he could have done. He copies the example set for him - believing that a butler should be ever-present, constantly at his employers beck and call, putting their needs above his own, never breathing a word of his own personal troubles. His aim is to be a perfect cog in a machine - in another life I could imagine him as the perfect Soviet factory worker putting tractor production and state quotas above personal feelings.

And like that factory worker, Stevens has put total faith in his employer. His sole aim in life was to be the best butler possible. He didn't consider himself informed enough to have an opinion on anything outside this, particularly on the wider poltical issues of the day, but unquestioningly left that to his 'betters', such as Lord Darlington. Such loyalty has turned out to be misplaced (in the light of later events Lord Darlington is labelled as a Nazi sympathiser), and Stevens now finds himself adrift, unsure of how he should have behaved, and uncertain of what life now holds for him.



The Remains of the Day is a quietly moving story of a life spent in serving others, often at the loss of personal happiness, but ultimately I feel it's one of hopefulness as we leave Stevens with his professional brave face on, looking forward to to the future.

Kazuo Ishiguro never ceases to surprise me! His writing is superb as always. Who would have thought the musings of a butler could be so entertaining?

I don’t know how I’ve never read the Remains of the Day before now - I even realised shortly before reading this review copy that I already owned the book yet had never opened it. In retrospect, this has been a mistake - Ishiguro’s novel deserves its classic status. This beautifully written book delivers devastating emotion in carefully structured avoidance strategies, unspooling the emotion hidden behind expressions of the practical and banal. The upper classes flirtation with Nazis is skilfully drawn out, and presented much more critically (between the lines) than in the film, which is fascinating.

Huge amounts to think about after reading.

The Remains of the Day is a classic from the so-talented Nobel Prize-winner Kazuo Ishiguro. Who, having read it, could ever forget Stevens, the butler at Darlington Hall, whose reminisces reminiscences of the 1920s and 1930s reveal so much of the major events in the outside world, as filtered by Darlington Hall?

This reissue has a new cover as part of a uniform series to fit in with his new book, Klara and the Sun.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this copy

This is one of my favourite books ever and one of my favourite authors. Unique and outstanding i wont spoil it with an explanation buy it and dive in you’ll thank me for it once you start the book

<i>"After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished"</i>

This is a memoir of sorts (it is fiction after all!) from the point of view of a long-standing Butler who is on his first road trip to see an old friend. It is a beautiful book as the quote I shared above shows with a character who develops throughout and I really enjoyed it. Mr Stevens clearly struggles with conveying his feelings both to himself and to his friends and colleagues in this novel, is that his purely his profession or maybe how he was raised? I loved how it developed and Kazuo Ishiguro wrote such a perfectly typical English butler which is impressive.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was a personal thing - I found Mr Stevens prose extremely chatty and sometimes he wittered on a bit too much, and I found myself drifting off in parts. Other than that I would say it is almost perfect.

<b>Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review</b>

Although I'd studied a few excerpts at university, I'd never read The Remains of the Day fully, and it was a pleasure to the delicate writing style and the poetic atmosphere that I had loved so much in Never Let Me Go and The Buried Giant. Kazuo Ishiguro is easily one of the best stylists of our times.

I revisited this book ahead of the much anticipated publication of the nobel laureate's latest novel "Klara and The Sun"


The pre-war butler of a great Lord is encouraged by his new American master to take a motor trip and the book is set on his drive across to the West Country where at the end he plans to (and does meet) the old housekeeper who he initially is convinced wishes to return to the house.

As he journeys he reminisces on his service; considers the meaning of a great butler which he concludes is: to serve with complete dignity – meaning laying all one’s own feelings and emotions aside; a great master – meaning someone close to the hub of affairs (not the social ladder) who strives to improve the world; and increasingly reflects on his relationship with the housekeeper who we and he increasingly realise – he only really when he meets her – liked him and had hoped for a relationship with him but was unable to get past his professional detachment and seeming indifference.

Beautiful and controlled writing which conveys emotions as much by what is unsaid as what is said.

The central narrator butler figure (who narrates in the present tense but is almost always thinking of past scenes so that the present tense can jar when it returns) is a very convincing character bewildered by the changing world and so fixed on the dignity of his position that he only notices much too late both the irresponsibility of his appeasement-leading master but the frustrated affection of the housekeeper.

Magnificent

A quiet but beautifully told story of repression, and the lives we lead versus the lives we might have led.

Which of us have never experienced the feeling of wishing we had been a little braver, or stepped outside of our comfort zone, on certain occasions? And which of us have never wondered at missed opportunities, or divergent paths we may have taken at specific points in life?

This story presents a central figure who embodies these ideas, in Mr Stevens, the butler at a stately home in England in the mid 20th-century. Stevens leads his life obsessing on notions of dignity and impropriety, and how others perceive him, rarely allowing his own desires to surface.

Ishiguro expertly paints Stevens, who feels like a real person and draws both the reader's sympathy and ire.

There is little by way of 'plot' here, but the book is very readable and is deftly built to a thought-provoking denouement.

Having recently read - and enjoyed - "Never let me go", by the same author, I was looking forward to reading this book. There is no doubt that Ishiguro is an excellent writer, and beautifully evokes a sense of time and place. However, I didn't feel the story arc was as strong as in NLMG - I was anticipating a huge twist at the end, which failed to materialise. Personally, I feel that a little less description and a little more dialogue would have given the story a better sense of pace. I'm pleased I've read it, but feel it suffered a bit in comparison with NLMG.

This is a subtly written and moving story, of loyalty and repressed love.
Set post ww2, it begins with a butler, who has worked at an English stately home, for most of his life. He follows all the proprieties in his life, but doesn’t see when to bend and his emotions are repressed because of it. The story follows him as he decides to visit an old colleague, the previous housekeeper.
Miss Kenton.
This story is a gentle and subtle novel exploring the feelings and emotions of the characters, in an understated way. We gradually discover their true feeling, and are almost impatient with them for their denial of emotions, but the world was a different place then, and it’s difficult for us as readers to understand how duty and loyalty ruled people’s lives at that time.

This book is beautifully written, and absorbing. Well worth a read.

This book is set in 1956 around the life of Stevens who is the Butler of Darlington Hall. Stevens has been in service all of his working life, previously to Lord Darlington at Darlington Hall prior to the Second World War and latterly to Mr Farraday, the American and new owner of Darlington Hall.

Stevens follows in the footsteps of his father for whom he has the utmost professional admiration. He is so conscious of his professional appearance - to appear dignified, restrained and in control, that he is unable to behave any differently.

When Stevens is given the opportunity to use his employer’s motor vehicle for a short break, he decides to travel to the West Country. His journey is potentially life-changing . He will be visiting ex-housekeeper, Miss Kenton and he has high hopes of asking her to return with him.

On his journey, Stevens narrates his past service to Lord Darlington, the international politics that he became involved in the periphery of, for example, the conference held to discuss The Treaty of Versailles.

This is a beautiful story, it’s a slow-burner, there are no peaks and troughs. It is a story about the life of a gentleman who, because he cannot express emotion, has missed his opportunity to find love. If it is not already a classic, I believe it will become one.

I rate this book 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Kazuo Ishiguro's novels always take you by surprise. This one is more of a concept: do you remain the same or change when you are living in a new environment? This is definitely a slow burner but it will become a classic without doubt.

I was more than happy to reread this story and I found as fascinating and enthralling as the first time.
It aged well and I think it can be considered a classic.
It’s not a story for anyone who wants a fast paced and action packed story: you have to sit and let the words and the storytelling take you to another time and place.
Excellent storytelling and character development, a fascinating and vivid historical background.
It’s strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc, all opinions are mine

PUBLISHER’S DESCRIPTION:
From the Nobel Prize-winning author of Never Let Me Go
Winner of the Booker Prize
ONE OF THE BBC'S '100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD'
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.
In the summer of 1956, Stevens, the ageing butler of Darlington Hall, embarks on a leisurely holiday that will take him deep into the English countryside and into his past.

NO SPOILERS

I have read Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go which did not wow me but was, as the young people say, “meh” but I know Ishiguro is well respected (a Nobel prize winner no less!) and in interviews on the page and screen I really like him. So I hoped The Remains of the Day would be better; it has some splendid accolades. I was disappointed.

I should have loved this book as formality and tiny details are very much my thing but good grief, man, get to the point! The protagonist, Stevens, is so unbelievably dull. Now, I know in part, that’s the point; he is obsessed with propriety and dignity to such a degree that he misses the life right under his nose…good and bad; but being written in the first person this book, likewise, is unbelievably dull. Perhaps it is proof of Ishiguro’s skill as a writer that he can make me want to cross the road when I see Stevens coming but alas it also made me want to close the book…a shot in the foot, I think. However, as I was reading it for review I did finish it.

Perhaps you are a big fan of Ishiguro’s writing; perhaps you love The Remains of the Day but it’s just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the complimentary copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

I have enjoyed reading this book so much I could cry. It’s just magical. It has the most beautifully prose and is totally mesmerising. I savoured every word and will be recommending to all of my friends and family as the perfect lockdown read.

The Remains of the day is told from the perspective of Mr Stevens, a butler at Darlington Hall for many years. On a rare few days away from work, and a trip south to meet an old friend, Mr Stevens recalls key moments from his career and brings insight into some complex and curious relationships.

The professional, and personal, relationship he shared with his father was both admirable and heartbreaking. Mr Stevens having always respected his father’s professionalism, and perhaps striving for that kind of perfection a little too much.

Lord Darlington himself is somewhat influential figure in foreign relationships during World War Two. A dramatic backdrop for some lessons to be learned about the class system and the power of influence at that time.

Miss Kenton, the housekeeper adds another complex and endearing view of Mr Stevens. The two find their feet working together with numerous clashes along the way. The pair go on to share some of the most pivotal memories at Darlington Hall, unexpectedly shaping both of them.

Mr Stevens is an admirable, but emotionally awkward butler striving to be the best he can. As a reader you can’t help but find him endearing despite his inability to show any kind of emotion.

Kazuo Ishiguro brings empathy to a man who shows complete professional dedication and dignity in all his work to the expense of being fulfilled in other aspects of life. The end of the book helps the reader come to understand the literal meaning of The Remains of the Day, with a flood of emotion for opportunities lost, and the possibilities left to explore.

A classic! A beautiful story told with the dignity that was so important to Stevens the butler as he reminisces of times gone by. He works alongside Miss Kenton, the housekeeper and as the years pass by they develop a strong working relationship together with an affection that is not immediately recognised by Stevens. As he was taught by his father before him, his main aim in life is to loyally serve his master to the very best of his ability. He travels down through the picturesque Devon and Cornwall, meeting various colourful characters on the way, to meet up once again with his former colleague and it is here that we gently discover what remains of the day for the two of them. A joy to read!

This is an interesting and informative read about the changes in English society in the mid 20th century. It is narrated by the butler and feels like a really good insight into the changes that are occurring.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

It's 1956, and the butler of Darlington Hall is off on a six day excursion through the West Country. As we join Mr Stevens on his journey, we are given a glimpse into his past and the many memorable events that happened at Darlington Hall with his previous employer and the effervescent housekeeper Miss Kenton.

This is such a multi layered novel, steeped in history and fondness for a time past, as well as regret and lost love. Stevens struggles a lot with these conflicting emotions, as he searches for meaning in his life, the dedication and the sacrifices he has made for Darlington Hall and what little he has to show for it in his Twilight years. He's a complicated character, who on first examination seems easy to deduce. However, as the story unfolds and we see more of his character, the reader begins to understand that his role as butler as left him closed off and stoic with his emotions. His emotions just run a little deeper.

The writing is beautiful. It enfolds the reader, slowly unraveling this love story between a butler, a housekeeper and a profession that becomes a way of life. By including memories of the past we see through Mr Stevens eyes and his great joy for his job, his true calling, yet also the struggles this creates in other areas of his life. The relationship with Miss Kenton is full of tension. They are two like minded, stubborn individuals who must learn to rub alongside each other. They share a sometimes bitter, sometimes joyous time together and the fighting between them and ultimate climax to their working relationship was great to read.

That all said, something was just missing for me in this. My concentration wandered quite a lot while reading, and for such a short book it took me days to finish. I think this might be because of the pacing. It's very character driven and slow to pick up, meaning it took a long time for me to connect with the characters. Once I did, I was fully invested - but I did struggle at the beginning.

Beautiful writing, complicated characters with a rich backstory, this feels very unique and almost maudlin in tone at times. The interweaving of memories with an excursion made it feel dynamic and fresh, but the pacing was very slow to pick up and I struggled to care at the beginning. Recommend.