From the Bookshelf of The Book Barn 2010 Roundup

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What Members Thought

Kaila
I knew nothing about this going into it besides that it was about an aging English butler. I'm not sure what to say. I'm sure everything there is to say has already been said. It was beautiful, subtle, moving. I felt nostalgic for a world I never knew. I think about death and dying a lot. Like...a lot. Maybe everyone does, I don't know. I was raised atheist so I feel like death has always just been the next step in life and not a thing to be afraid of.

Though I reserve the right to change my fee
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tara bomp
Aug 25, 2023 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: fiction, english
Deeply bleak and powerful mediation on the nature of Englishness and how English people see themselves and their past - a beautifully constructed nostalgia piece that's also deeply angry about a country in love with its past for all the wrong reasons. Of course there's much more to it than that. It's a story with a sledgehammer subtle point but written in subtle and complex ways while still being consistently clear and easy to read.

The moment when (view spoiler)
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David Piwinski
Apr 07, 2013 rated it it was amazing
What a great little novel. Set in the 1950's, the story is told entirely from the perspective of Stevens, an English butler who is taking a trip through the countryside and reflecting on his life. He is a somewhat unreliable narrator - not that he ever lies to us, but his perspective and mindset are so limited that everything he says usually only tells us part of the story, and we need to fill in the blanks ourselves. I think that much of the brilliance of the novel is the way that Ishiguro slow ...more
Billy Pilgrim
Jan 08, 2010 rated it it was amazing
It's about a man who realizes too late that he's wasted his life as a mindless tool for a man who is used as a tool himself. He realizes that his goal in life to be "professional" distanced him in life and ruined a possible romantic relationship he had developed over the years. It's looking forward to the future despite your past? maybe? It's 3:30 in the morning and I'm not even sure if this is still coherent and I don't even know why I'm still up ...more
Scott
Jul 14, 2012 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: finished-2014
Beautifully written and surprisingly engaging. I never thought I would be interested in hearing about what makes for a great butler, but Ishiguro's prose kept me entertained and, at times, laughing out loud. The way Mr. Stevens views the world and his place in it feels extremely stiff and, as a millenial, extremely outdated. I can't help, though, but feel bad for him. Even after finally meeting with Mrs. Benn and the fellow on the bench, all he looks forward to is being a better servant to Mr. F ...more
Elan
Jul 27, 2008 rated it really liked it
Atalva
Aug 09, 2008 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: owned
E
Jan 16, 2010 marked it as to-read
Vilis
Jan 19, 2011 marked it as to-read
Kristen
Mar 04, 2011 rated it it was amazing
Julie
Sep 29, 2011 rated it liked it
Rachael Sherwood
Jan 28, 2012 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: favorites, 2012
Jessica Brightman
Mar 26, 2012 marked it as to-read
Loosechanj
Mar 06, 2013 rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2013
Leah
Jul 25, 2017 rated it it was amazing
Kyle
May 15, 2014 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Jose
Feb 07, 2015 marked it as to-read
Milpool
Apr 24, 2015 rated it it was amazing
Noah Posthuma
Apr 15, 2018 is currently reading it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: fiction, japanese
Bradley
Oct 25, 2022 rated it liked it
Shelves: 2022-read