The Remains of the Day

Sad. Mr Stevens’ life of service strikes me as modern day slavery. And yet, either by choice or by temperament, he seems oblivious to his own feelings and the feelings/needs of anyone but his Lord Darlington. Were his choices just that or was his life inevitable? Beautifully written and lushly described situations throughout.

Some spoilers ahead.

First, my current mental state. I lost my father 7 years ago. He was 61, and I was 31 at the time. Last week- but it feels like a million terrible years - I lost my mother. She was 60, and I am now an old-feeling 38. My parents didn't have any other children, and I have virtually no family left from my childhood. I say this in part because it feels weird that I haven't told my "Goodreads friends" but also because it strongly ...read more

How can such a mundane storyline beguile the reader into the inability to put this book down? The soft gentle prose? The occasional smile you feel appearing? Such a unique, heartbreaking 💔 story for anyone who is looking back. Kazuo Ishiguro deserved his Noble prize in literature.

I dont like this book- I love it. It's on my bookshelf & has been read so many times. As the choice for Book Club read I decided to download the audio version but found actor Dominic West to be quite gruff & abrupt in his delivery (I'll tell him next time I see him!!). Could have done with Richard E Grant or Bill Nighy! Still a damn good read & an interesting snapshot of our social & political history.

Ishiguro is a master of negative prose. I don’t mean that his writing is pessimistic, but that like an expert painter who uses negative space to conjure an image, his writing communicates more through what is not stated than what is. Subdued, subtle, and restrained, the author somehow mesmerizes the reader in a manner not dissimilar to a mystery novel or thriller. Yet, this novel doesn’t rely on the comparatively cheap tricks of bloody crime scen...read more