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idajoh's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Ishiguro is a master at giving a voice to his characters. This book is so different from the naivety of both Klara and the Sun and Never Let Me Go, mainly because we're dealing with an entirely different character.
The repetetiveness and snobish voice of Stevens are his biggest flaws. The fact that this book is introspective, again, only alludes to his flaw. Stevens is so concerned with the past that he seems unable to enjoy the remains of his life, which are essentially withering away.
I would say there are two main messages of this book. The first being to enjoy your life and to stop living in the past, a message I wholeheartedly agree with. Stevens seems to be a static characrer for the entirety of the book, even though we follow him for 30 yeaes.
The second message this book conveys is about change. At first glance, this book seemed to convey that the only things you can change are those changes that are "available" to you, as Stevens seems to think. In his case, this being how polished the silverware is. However, we as readers realize the irony of this, because I sincerely think Stevens would have a bigger impact on his own life if he did not just go along with everything that happened, and genuinly expressed his opinions. Therefore, the message seems to be that we may have the power to change more things than what seems to be within our reach. Although this book deals with the second world war and foreign policy at the time, which I don't think was within Stevens reach. His relationship with Miss Kinnon, however, was.
All in all, this was a very good read although maybe not entirely enjoyable, because of the repetitive nature of the book and the long monologues about Stevens ideas of being a "great" butler. Things that definitely contributed to his characterization, but did not interest me.
The repetetiveness and snobish voice of Stevens are his biggest flaws. The fact that this book is introspective, again, only alludes to his flaw. Stevens is so concerned with the past that he seems unable to enjoy the remains of his life, which are essentially withering away.
I would say there are two main messages of this book. The first being to enjoy your life and to stop living in the past, a message I wholeheartedly agree with. Stevens seems to be a static characrer for the entirety of the book, even though we follow him for 30 yeaes.
The second message this book conveys is about change. At first glance, this book seemed to convey that the only things you can change are those changes that are "available" to you, as Stevens seems to think. In his case, this being how polished the silverware is. However, we as readers realize the irony of this, because I sincerely think Stevens would have a bigger impact on his own life if he did not just go along with everything that happened, and genuinly expressed his opinions. Therefore, the message seems to be that we may have the power to change more things than what seems to be within our reach. Although this book deals with the second world war and foreign policy at the time, which I don't think was within Stevens reach. His relationship with Miss Kinnon, however, was.
All in all, this was a very good read although maybe not entirely enjoyable, because of the repetitive nature of the book and the long monologues about Stevens ideas of being a "great" butler. Things that definitely contributed to his characterization, but did not interest me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Classism
Moderate: Death and War
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
anh_read's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In general, I enjoyed this book very much since it is beautifully written. However, I was sometimes averse towards the butler, because of his stiff and narrow views. Furthermore, when he was reflecting on his proudest moments in his career, I was sometimes appalled as it was less of a victory and more of failure on his part. This book definitely made me realize that your should never prioritize your job above all else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Antisemitism, and Death of parent
Moderate: War and Classism
mrockey28's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Antisemitism and Death of parent
Minor: War
asmallgremlin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Been going through a reading slump recently, and unfortunately I started reading this book in the middle of my reading slump. However, I managed to pick it back up and I am very very glad I did.
I absolutely loved this book. I think it’s fair to say that Ishiguro is becoming one of my favourite authors, I think his books are so interesting and so well-written, and this was no different. The book focuses primarily on Stevens, an ageing butler who was the butler to the now deceased Lord Darlington, as he goes on a journey to reunite with a former colleague and friend Miss Kenton (the former housekeeper of Darlington Hall), and along the way he reminisces about his life in service and especially his service during the life of Lord Darlington.
This book’s structure is really interesting, because you essentially have three stories happening at once - you have Stevens travelling to Cornwall and interacting with people along the way; you have the flashbacks to Stevens’ service to Lord Darlington when the Lord is alive; and you have the gradual reveal that Lord Darlington is a Nazi sympathiser; and all three narratives interweave and mingle with each other - Lord Darlington’s true nature is discussed by people Stevens meets on his journey and his journey is fundamentally linked to remembering his past, since he is meeting Miss Kenton and she is a significant part of his memories of service. While the structure is complex the story is not difficult to follow, and the three narratives are an interesting way to tell the story.
As a character and narrator, Stevens is infuriating but also deeply loveable. He is emotionally repressed and this causes the reader to sometimes think him heartless, such as when he does not stay with his dying father, rather continuing to do his job, and his inability to accept his feelings for Miss Kenton. I would argue that his emotional repression is due to a) being the product of a time when men were expected to conceal their true feelings and present a ‘stiff upper lip’ and b) his entire life being linked to his work and therefore being unable to have a life outside his work. He remains emotionally repressed throughout, and his last thoughts in the novel are of his employer. As a narrator he is unreliable as he does not understand what is happening around him or he turns a blind eye to the truth, such as the truth of his master’s ideals and ideas. He is a character who never wishes to find out the truth, he would rather stay in the dark, and this makes him both an infuriating and fascinating protagonist. Ishiguro gives him a distinct voice, the voice of a man raised in a certain time and with certain beliefs. Reading ‘Remains’ after having read ‘Never Let Me Go’ and ‘Klara and the Sun’ was an interesting experience since Stevens is so different and yet so similar to the main characters of those novels - they all share an unreliability and emotional detachment.
This book was highly fascinating and enjoyable, an ideal book for late autumn.
I absolutely loved this book. I think it’s fair to say that Ishiguro is becoming one of my favourite authors, I think his books are so interesting and so well-written, and this was no different. The book focuses primarily on Stevens, an ageing butler who was the butler to the now deceased Lord Darlington, as he goes on a journey to reunite with a former colleague and friend Miss Kenton (the former housekeeper of Darlington Hall), and along the way he reminisces about his life in service and especially his service during the life of Lord Darlington.
This book’s structure is really interesting, because you essentially have three stories happening at once - you have Stevens travelling to Cornwall and interacting with people along the way; you have the flashbacks to Stevens’ service to Lord Darlington when the Lord is alive; and you have the gradual reveal that Lord Darlington is a Nazi sympathiser; and all three narratives interweave and mingle with each other - Lord Darlington’s true nature is discussed by people Stevens meets on his journey and his journey is fundamentally linked to remembering his past, since he is meeting Miss Kenton and she is a significant part of his memories of service. While the structure is complex the story is not difficult to follow, and the three narratives are an interesting way to tell the story.
As a character and narrator, Stevens is infuriating but also deeply loveable. He is emotionally repressed and this causes the reader to sometimes think him heartless, such as when he does not stay with his dying father, rather continuing to do his job, and his inability to accept his feelings for Miss Kenton. I would argue that his emotional repression is due to a) being the product of a time when men were expected to conceal their true feelings and present a ‘stiff upper lip’ and b) his entire life being linked to his work and therefore being unable to have a life outside his work. He remains emotionally repressed throughout, and his last thoughts in the novel are of his employer. As a narrator he is unreliable as he does not understand what is happening around him or he turns a blind eye to the truth, such as the truth of his master’s ideals and ideas. He is a character who never wishes to find out the truth, he would rather stay in the dark, and this makes him both an infuriating and fascinating protagonist. Ishiguro gives him a distinct voice, the voice of a man raised in a certain time and with certain beliefs. Reading ‘Remains’ after having read ‘Never Let Me Go’ and ‘Klara and the Sun’ was an interesting experience since Stevens is so different and yet so similar to the main characters of those novels - they all share an unreliability and emotional detachment.
This book was highly fascinating and enjoyable, an ideal book for late autumn.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: War
agirlsnightbookbash's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Antisemitism, Death of parent, War, and Classism
kirstym25's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and Death of parent
Moderate: War
daniellekat's review against another edition
Dying of boredom. The narration is good but I hate Stevens as a character and have no emotional attachment to him or his outcome. This is the second Ishiguro book I've read and I had generally the same experience for both so I think his books are just not for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: War
curious_oyster's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and War
Minor: Antisemitism and Classism
booksjessreads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Despite generally liking Ishiguro's work, I was really surprised that I enjoyed this book so much. I listened to the audio alongside this (which I think has strengthened my star rating - I am unsure it would have been 5 stars had I just read it on its own) and it really brought Stevens to life for me.
At first, I didn't really understand the purpose of the book, since it seems as though it is just an older gentleman revealing anecdotes about his life and you feel as though you learn a lot about his character and sense of identity in the first chapter. However, each chapter slowly and gradually reveals more about his identity and the unreliability of memory. Stevens spent his entire life priding himself on being a credit to his profession, but as you go through the book, you realise his unreliability as a narrator, you begin to understand how the reality of his work torments him and how he is forced to reconsider his memory and his past.
I think some of the chapters are really long, perhaps too long in some cases. However, the audio did really help me get through them and keep my attention.
Overall, I really loved the synthesis in this novel, the themes of memory, identity and the complexity of emotion was explored so well. Genuinely one of my favourite books this year and I would really recommend this to anyone!
At first, I didn't really understand the purpose of the book, since it seems as though it is just an older gentleman revealing anecdotes about his life and you feel as though you learn a lot about his character and sense of identity in the first chapter. However, each chapter slowly and gradually reveals more about his identity and the unreliability of memory. Stevens spent his entire life priding himself on being a credit to his profession, but as you go through the book, you realise his unreliability as a narrator, you begin to understand how the reality of his work torments him and how he is forced to reconsider his memory and his past.
I think some of the chapters are really long, perhaps too long in some cases. However, the audio did really help me get through them and keep my attention.
Overall, I really loved the synthesis in this novel, the themes of memory, identity and the complexity of emotion was explored so well. Genuinely one of my favourite books this year and I would really recommend this to anyone!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief and War