false 28921 0571225381 9780571225385 6590 713 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28921.The_Remains_of_the_Day 4280 Kazuo Ishiguro 30496 4597 4 0 false Sun Nov 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 21:44:06 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 07:23:52 -0800 2009


His trip serves as one of the first few times that Stevens has left his place of employment. He goes to see a former co-worker, Miss Kenton, who has since married. However, from her letter, he senses her longing to work once more at Darlington Hall so he goes and investigates. During his drive, he talks about the surroundings but also reflects on Lord Darlington and Darlington Hall.

Stevens admits that he served his best years in Darlington Hall. His story reveals carefully to the reader the true characters of every key person within Darlington Hall. It also captures an important time-period of history in a relatable way – with these strong characters, we can understand certain historical facts that are otherwise numbers and names we memorize for tests. We learn little snippets of information through each tangent that collectively tell the story of Stevens, of his employer and of the war.

By the end of the book, I felt bad for Stevens. He was a novelty. Coming home to his new employer, Mr. Farraday, who was only interested in owning a genuine English home with one of those real-life butlers, rather than someone who appreciated and acknowledged his talent. Having turned down love, lost family… what did Stevens really have?

In true Ishiguro fashion, the book was also humourous. Stevens was able to talk about his inadequacies in such a way that you couldn’t help but smile.

I am unsure as to which book, The Remains of the Day or Never Let Me Go, is a better introduction to Ishiguro’s style and the beauty of his prose. I think I like them equally.

The Remains of the Day won the Man Booker Award in 1989. It is his third novel.]]>