From the Bookshelf of The Book Barn 2010 Roundup…
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What Members Thought
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 ...more
Though I reserve the right to change my fee ...more
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) ...more
The moment when (view spoiler) ...more
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
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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
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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
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Jan 16, 2010
E
marked it as to-read
Jan 19, 2011
Vilis
marked it as to-read
Mar 26, 2012
Jessica Brightman
marked it as to-read
Jan 09, 2013
Joel Catapano
added it
Feb 07, 2015
Jose
marked it as to-read
