The Remains of the Day

Un libro en el que no pasa nada, con un protagonista sin emociones y a la vez pasa mucho y es muy emotivo.
Extra puntos por la voz unica del protagonista.

I am so confused by this book. People whose literary tastes I deeply respect have suggested this book and it did so little for me. The main character feels like a caricature of a type and not even after hundreds of pages of being in his head does he feel any more like a real human. I think he's supposed to be endearing to us and somewhat tragic, and yet he is none of these things. This single dimension character does not grow, does not learn, and does not reflect.

There is a narrative device employed in this book which is fairly pointless. In its essence, we the reader are served the musings and stories of the past from an old English butler as he takes a trip through the English countryside to see a female coworker from his past. Along the road trip, his remembered stories move chronologically and tell us about the history between the Wars as experienced by him, a butler in the house of an influential British gentleman. And yet, this framing serves no narrative or thematic purpose and makes little sense for how the protagonist's recollections unfold. His stories from the past are entirely disconnected from what's going on around him on the road trip, and there's no reason why it would take six days for him to think of and share with us the story of his former employer's ruin and disrepute at the onset of WWII.

The supposed romantic “tension” with the female lead here is absurd because there is no reason why any other human would want to be with the main character. And so the book's big “reveal” that she has had surges of love for him throughout their life around one another sounds more like dysfunction on her part rather than wistful romance of what could be.

One person who suggested this book to me called it beautiful. I've got no idea what book they were reading. Some quaint descriptors here or there, and very “clear” prose, sure–but beautiful? Nope. There is no poetry in these pages. Straightforward meandering descriptions.

I suppose the book is meant to be a witness to the loss of innocence and sense of propriety and “dignity” (a word/theme brought up with little subtlety throughout) as England moved into its post-empire, post-war self. It wants us to see the naivety of the “old ways” and mourn the savagery of realism and “growing up” to human nature on the world stage. And yet, the book, its narrator, its structure, its language, and its “romance” fail to make this hit home.

The novel is beautifully written, entertaining and funny. The way it tells the story encourages the reader to think about it and question the subjectivity and unreliability of the narrator. It follows Mr Stevens, who is so devoted to his work that he doesn't appear to be human. And reading a story in such a perspective forces the reader to think about human behaviour and why someone would act a certain way, as Mr Stevens does not understand the people around him.


I truly enjoyed reading this novel, which tells the story of an English butler, Mr Stevens, who decides to go visit Miss Kenton, the former housekeeper of Darlington Hall. The novel discusses ‘dignity' which is crucial to being a ‘great butler' to Mr Stevens and ‘banter', a problem he is struggling to solve and master. Also, it touches upon the restrictions due to his profession, which keep him busy all the time that e.g. he doesn't think it is favourable to marry and his loyalty to Lord Darlington who surrounded himself with incriminating people and did some bad decisions because of it. Additionally, it shows the incapability of Mr Stevens to understand Miss Kenton's behaviour. He insists on having a professional relationship with her, which often crosses the line and they develop a friendship that he doesn't understand. Mr Stevens is always surprised when Miss Kenton acts as if they're friends and pushes her away. Due to the story being told completely in Mr Stevens' perspective, it is very subjective and as he does not understand her behaviour, the reader doesn't as well. But when reading between the lines, one can see that Mr Stevens cannot grasp the prospect of love. Only in the end does he express that he cares for Miss Kenton (Mrs Benns) and shares some advice, which is always useful.

really good. hated the main character, but at least i got to live a minute in the mind of a moron. new experience for me.

I love a story with an unreliable narrator. Ishiguro's command of language is heartbreaking.

4.5 stars and a potential to be a 5, but we'll see. Masterfully written in the stream of consciousness style that is Ishiguro's trademark. There is such finesse in the language he uses and the intricate weaving in of his memories into the road trip at present, that you feel like you have inhabited Mr Steven's very being. It isn't an Ishiguro book if you do not feel deeply the helplessness of the character. The final 20 pages were probably the most impactful, so it really is worth it to read till the very end.

- SPOILER ALERT FROM THIS POINT -


At one point I did feel a little annoyed at Miss Kenton for her lack of forthrightness with her feelings. However, the book is about people's mental self-imprisonment, with Stevens' being the most. I liked how the book was wrapped up, helping us make sense of why the book was named as such. The ending came to a full circle with the beginning, with the talk about banter. Also, I couldn't help thinking back to Stevens' father when Stevens was reflecting about his loss of ability as he aged. And the helplessness sets in again because we know that Stevens does not have the mind to retire like the butler at the pier and inevitably his father's end will come to him too, yet we know that at this point he has more hope in his life, to enjoy the remains of the day, to do something new in his work. The book makes me feel things acutely which I cannot necessarily put into words.

There are certain books that require a certain depth of experience to fully appreciate, and Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day is undoubtedly one of them.

Ishiguro adeptly taps into our collective romanticised perception of the English butler, revealing the inherent harm in such idealization. Through clean, precise prose, like a butler's, Ishiguro establishes two central themes: Lord Darlington's disreputable sympathies and Stevens' unexpressed affection for Miss Kenton, showing through both the consequences of failing to challenge societal norms, urging readers not to succumb to stagnation as Stevens does, shackled by his steadfast adherence to notions of ‘dignity' and ‘duty.' A slightly hopeful ending suggests that even in the “evening” of one's life, missed opportunities can pave the way for embracing the present.

One can only hope to have Steven's courage when confronted with the necessity of shedding our misguided beliefs, of which I know I hold too many. However, let us earnestly hope that we encounter books like this sooner, so we can heed their call to action and reevaluate our convictions and choices in time. Fun dinner-table question: What erroneous beliefs have you mistakenly anchored your life upon, only to later realize the need to let them go?

I'm afraid this book comes in at 3.5 stars for me, but I had to round down. Hold the rotten tomatoes! My rating does not mean that I didn't enjoy “The Remains of the Day.” I did! And I recommend it to others, especially those that enjoy character studies and interesting points of view. Yet, I did not leave the book with the sense that it was a masterpiece as I have often heard or that it was worthy of a major book award (side note - I am largely unimpressed by the Man Booker prize recipients and have been disgusted with a few in recent years). Also, I don't think the movie version, which was quite faithful in my memory, impacted my view of the book; in fact, it was an excellent adaptation and captured the pace, plot, and characters well.

Are we to believe that Stevens could exhibit that much grace under pressure/show must go on/stiff upper lip and show few cracks even in his inner monologue that we are privileged to view? Could the repression of emotions and choosing not to explore a life outside of service be entirely self-selected? In my opinion, no, as many signs point towards autism. Stevens rarely forms a real connection to anyone other than Miss Kenton, including his own father. Even then, he has real difficulty expressing his thoughts and feelings to her and ends up criticizing her when he intended to ask how she was doing after the death of a beloved aunt.

Stevens also exhibits an inability to empathize, to understand the emotions of others, or to banter. In some ways, this innate ability to retain a wall between himself and the staff below or his superiors above made Stevens ideal for the almost monk-like life of service expected from the butler of large, English country homes before World War II. While Stevens seeks to emulate not only his father, but also other great butlers of the English countryside, he moves further into exile and isn't able to answer the call to change his life. While he is comforted by routine, and, in fact, thrives on extreme order, are we sure Stephens ever feels at home in Darlington?

Some of the most touching moments occur when Stevens is merely sitting in a bench near a sweet pond or on a pier watching the lights go on as the sun falls. It is then that he becomes aware that both his inborn character and chosen path have left him lonely and regrets the path not taken with Miss Kenton.

Yet, could he truly have taken a different path? Consider Miss Kenton's threat to leave Darlington after two excellent understaff are let go for being Jewish. She later explains that she had nowhere to go, no well-off relatives to support her, or other positions (nearly impossible at that time without a written reference, especially for a housekeeper of a large home). Stevens was similarly limited. Perhaps, in addition to the inner boundaries, he was aware that leaving service meant that he would need to find an alternate livelihood, no mean feat in a time when educational opportunities were likely out of his reach and class distinctions played a much larger role.

Further fleshing out Stevens' possible autism is the specter of poor communication with others including the audience. It is not Stevens who tells the reader that he breaks into tears at the death of his father or when Mrs. Benn tells him that she thought she may have had a happier life with Stevens than with her husband; it is Lord Darlington or the stranger on the pier. Stevens even has problems communicating with himself, sometimes through fallible memories and other times due to single-minded focus on duty and dignity.

The old theme that the sins of the father are visited upon the son is also a current running through “The Remains of the Day.” The rigidity and inability to enjoy or, what's more, savor every moment have environmental and biological origins for Stephens, even if autism is an inaccurate assessment. Stephens' father chooses a life in service, never attaining the heights his son does, and yet was known for quality work. I wished for a little back story on both Stephens' father and his mother, who I don't think is even mentioned. It was unusual for someone to return to service after being married and having children, although not out of the question.

Lord Darlington is also somewhat of a father figure to Stephens. Is it surprising that Stephens would look up to Lord Darlington when we see that his own father (always referred to as Father in the third person) was not emotionally available? All three men make choices that ultimately leave them lonely in old age, left with feelings of failure. One wonders whether Lord Darlington truly made his own choices, or how much he was guided by others. Ultimately, we are not islands and are always guided by others and by our own limitations. On the last page, it seemed that Stevens, faced with no Miss Kenton in his future, begins thinking about how he can avoid the recent mistakes due to age and better satisfy his new employer, Mr. Farraday. Again, he turns back to the known, or as relatively familiar as working for an American unschooled in the upper class restraint Stevens is accustomed to.

Perhaps, for me, this book pales a bit after reading “The Door” by Magda's Szabo. While that book is also presented from the employer's point of view, I felt that every element of that novel more richly explored some similar themes (duty/success in work trumping personal relationships, inability to communicate or change at key moments).

All in all, the book is a meditative and interesting view into the quiet tragedy of a man unable to reach for fulfillment and is certainly worth a read.

This novel is about a butler who is trying to understand what qualifies someone as the best butler. His employer is out and offered him the Ford to take a little vacation. While travelling he is reminiscing about his time as a butler with his previous employer at Darlington Hall with Lord Darlington himself.

I loved reading about him visiting the village of Moscombe because it was interesting to read about villagers who thought Mr. Stevens was a ‘gentleman' instead of a butler. I was tickled to find out that Dr. Carlisle came to the conclusion too because Mr. Stevens had met all those well known people but didn't really have an opinion on them at all.

Throughout the novel you feel this push-pull between Mr. Stevens and Miss Kenton. It is like there should be more to their relationship than just the banter that they are constantly doing. The night of Miss Kenton's proposal is the night that if something were going to happen between the two it would have happened then. Unfortunately it did not and Miss Kenton left after her notice.

The butler's folly
dignity above all else
some sins are worth it.

Really good read.

Told in the first person narrative through the eyes of the perfect English butler who served in Darlington Hall, the home of an influential master who hosted many political gatherings, throughout the years of World War II. Stevens, our narrator dedicates most of his thoughts to the meaning of dignity and greatness, and fails to give a second thought to anything other than his work. Through the character of his coworker, Ms. Kenton, we are able to see just how much Stevens is missing out on in the world. Kenton marries and leaves the service, while Stevens stays with the house to serve a new master, essentially a piece of furniture. Will Stevens come to realize that he has thrown his life away serving a man who isn't as honorable as he believed? Now that it's over, how will he spend the remainder of his life?

This is definitely worthy of its Man Booker Prize. I recommend it to people who enjoy great things.

Beautiful book.. It's a light read but very profound book.
Love the way it was written, the character Mr. Stevens is talking directly to you and telling his life story about his lifelong career has a butler during his trip to go see Miss Kenton.


Well written, a truly enjoyable book!

This was just sort of quietly heartbreaking. I can say it was a good read; I don't know if I can say I enjoyed it.

It's the story of Stevens: master butler and relic of a bygone era, who served an English lord through two World Wars before the house, and what staff remain, transferred to a new American owner. He's a consummate professional, suborning all personal matters to the demands and dignities of his role.

On a rare – possibly only – vacation, Stevens finally has the leisure to reflect on his life. At first concerned wholly with his profession, his thoughts wander and he begins to peel back the years of his life, and layer upon layer of self- deception.

Often, Stevens' thoughts reveal to us as readers facts that he does not yet and might never realize himself. Front and center is his former master of the house, Lord Darlington. Stevens idolizes Darlington: as a butler he considers it his highest calling to serve a man so central to the halls of power in England. He considers Darlington above reproach, and as Darlington does foolish or even reprehensible things, he either makes excuses for the man, or else denies that it's even his place to judge. The most obvious is Darlington's hand in international politics. We slowly discover that Darlington is a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings; rather than acknowledge these failings, Stevens decides that Darlington knows better than his detractors. After all, Darlington is a great man.

This is hardly Darlington's only misstep. Darlington orders Stevens to dismiss the Jewish members of staff; the housekeeper, Miss Kenton, objects strenuously, and demands that Stevens recognize the immorality of the order, but Stevens resolves the cognitive dissonance by recusing himself from considering the matter. It is not his to reason: Darlington has made his wishes clear, and there's nothing more to say.

Miss Kenton, of course, is the other central figure in Stevens' life. She is representative of all that Stevens has failed to do: directly, as a potential romantic interest clearly interested in him as he is in her, and indirectly, as the conscience Stevens will not permit himself.

The motoring trip, as Stevens' first real extended time away from Darlington Hall, is a horrorshow of these revelations for Stevens. He slowly realizes that he's wasted his life: he pegged the entire value thereof to his service to a great man, only to discover in his twilight years – when his professional capabilities are beginning to desert him, as his father's did – that that man wasn't so great after all. There's still so much he hasn't come to grips with when the story draws to a close: his feelings for Mrs Benn (neé Kenton), the fundamental insufficiency of his world view – after all, he still has the same slavish devotion to his profession, he merely regrets the decisions of his previous employer.

By the end Stevens has grasped some of the inadequacies of the actors in his worldview, but come precious little closer to grasping the inadequacy of the worldview itself. Crushing.

Brilliant use of the unreliable narrator in a profound story.

Another poor, modern Japanese book. As with most books, the prose was fine.
Reminded me a lot of my favourite book “Being There” by Jerzy Kozinski. The character is flat, thinking only of their career and altogether missing too much from important interpersonal interactions. Luckily, a bit in the ending did clarify that for me.
Absolutely, not recommended.

Book Review - Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiquro - historical fiction about an English Butler reflecting back on his life of service to one of the great houses in England. Won a Booker Prize when it came out, nominated for an Audiobook award this year. Great for fans of Downton Abbey between seasons.

Click through for the full book review on my blog at http://bookwi.se/remains-of-the-day/

The Remains of the Day is a quiet, affecting novel that walks in the steps of a mid-twentieth century butler. Little happens in these pages that will excite your average reader. It is Ishiguro's ability to reveal the story so slowly, to create such a believable character, and to craft such a quietly devastating conclusion that makes this story “exciting”. It is very similar to the style Ishiguro utilized in Never Let Me Go, though the latter contained more elements of suspense and intrigue. I know of no other author who can so wonderfully create such a delicate story and make it not only interesting, but have it move me to the verge of tears. Twice now Ishiguro has shocked me in the final pages and made me teary-eyed, and he did it in such a way that I never saw it coming.

Mr. Stevens ist Butler auf Darlington Hall. Er lebt die Prinzipien eines Butlers: mit wuerde, zurueckhaltung dient er seinem herrn, unterdrueckt jegliche persoenlichen gefuehle oder unzufriedenheiten. Ms. Kenton ist die Haushaltsueberseherin, sie versucht sich ihm zu naehern, aber Mr. Stevens starrheit verhindert alles. Sie heiratet und verlaesst das haus. 20 Jahre spaeter macht sich Mr. Stevens auf eine Autotour, einem Brief von ihr folgend, der ihn veranlasst zu denken, sie wuerde gerne zurueckkehren. Beim Treffen spricht sie zum ersten mal aus, dass sie sich ein leben mit ihm vorgestellt hatte, mit der zeit aber ihren ehemann lieben gelernt hat. Das bricht ihm das herz, jedoch nicht seine haltung, schnell fokusiert er darauf, seinen lebensabend wuerdevoll als butler zu vollenden.

You will not find a character who feels more real, a character who is not likely to resemble anyone who will ever meet in modern life than the main character of this novel. He is a classic English butler, deeply flawed, completely devoted to his job to the exclusion of family or friends, and he is unable to feel for others and he has trouble interpreting others' emotions. Nevertheless, the reader falls in love with him, and can't help feeling strongly compassionate for his lost opportunities.

It's the novel that comes closest for me of hitting that five star ranking, a story with wonderful, rich characters amid the confusing time before and after World War II in England, set among those who work as servants in the most affluent of estates.