Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3296 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The novel's narrator, Stevens, is a perfect English butler who tries to give his narrow existence form and meaning through the self-effacing, almost mystical practice of his profession. In a career that spans the second world war, Stevens is oblivious of the real life that goes on around him--oblivious, for instance, of the fact that his aristocrat employer is a Nazi sympathizer. Still, there are even larger matters at stake in this heartbreaking, beautifully crafted novel-- namely, Stevens' own ability to allow some bit of life-affirming love into his tightly repressed existence.

Customer Reviews

Dignity and denial - the noble art of butlering
It has been said that many of Ishiguro's novels are about `blindness' and it was with `blindness' in mind that I read `Remains of the Day', also a fine film. I was not disappointed - there are several threads in this novel that pertain to 'blindness': the butler-narrator Mr Stevens' unquestioning faith in the political acumen of his employer Lord Darlington, despite the preponderance of evidence to the contrary; Lord Darlington's apparent blindness to being used as a pawn by the pre-war Nazi propaganda machine; and Stevens' own blindness to the affections of Darlington Hall's housekeeper Miss Kenton. In some cases Stevens' and Lord Darlington's blindness could be viewed as naivety, a blind faith in the way things should be done, and in other instances as active denial, a stubborn refusal to concede to inconvenient truths. Denial and blindness, of course, are not mutually exclusive, and the author does a fine job of using his unreliable narrator to imply information that is not yet - and may not ever be - apparent to the narrator himself.

Having seen the film first it is virtually impossible not to read `The Remains of the Day' and not imagine Anthony Hopkins inhabiting the role of narrator. But there is one disadvantage to this - where the film superbly internalises much of Mr Stevens' perspective, or at least suggests them in less discursive ways, the book finds its protagonist playing a much more active role in his own ignorance or blindness. We are privy to pretensions and pride regarding the noble art of butlering and at times the novel is in danger of turning Stevens into a characateur, especially when it is revealed Stevens reads articles published in `A Quarterly for the Gentleman's Gentleman' by an exclusive and secretive `Hayes Society' of butlers.

That Ishinguro succeeds in telling the entire story in such a particular voice - which, with its gentlemanly modesty and eloquent servility, is by turns funny and compelling - is in itself a fantastic achievement. There are several long treatises on the nature of `dignity', a quality Stevens believes to be the key to the art of butlering. He frequently cites the Hayes Society's assertion that "the most crucial criterion [of being a butler] is that the applicant be possessed of a dignity in keeping with his position", and provides an example his own. In a particularly moving chapter he recounts the immense self-control he had to exert while waiting at table for an important political gathering despite having recently learned of his father's death. The fact that Stevens seems at pains to prove his `dignity' in these circumstances is tinged with pathos. 'Dignity' thus becomes a by-word throughout the novel with an honourable suppression of feeling, of placing profession over personal affairs, and of respecting the authority of superiors unquestioningly.

We also discover that Stevens' notions of dignity are also bound together with a belief in British reserve and gentlemanly manners, blind - as is his employer Lord Darlington - to the fact that the world is changing. At one stage he claims,

"Continentals are unable to be butlers because they are as a breed incapable of the emotional restraint which only the English race are capable of."

Some of these comments on the nature of British dignity stretch to his appreciation of the innate "greatness" of the British landscape, which he claims,

"possesses a quality that the landscapes of other nations, however more superficially dramatic, inevitably fail to possess".

Stevens' conviction in the Britain's greatness is tied into his idea of dignity, that a country, like its people, display a certain un-showy reserve, the aesthetic equivalent of a stiff upper-lip. Nothing wrong with that of course, though Stevens' patriotism takes a slightly nastier turn later in the novel when Lord Darlington orders the sacking of two Jewish maids from the house, an order Stevens undertakes without question - again, "in keeping with his position" - despite the reservations of Miss Kenton. When challenged by her over the issue, he claims,

"There are many things you and I are simply not in a position to understand concerning, say, the nature of Jewry. Whereas his lordship, I might venture, is somewhat better placed to judge what is for the best."`

Later, Lord Darlington capitulates and Stevens naturally follows suit, and I assume Ishiguro is suggesting here that his narrator is more guilty of a blind following of orders than any deep-rooted prejudices of his own - although there is of course a very fine line between appeasement and culpability, a distinction handled with subtlety by the author. He informs Miss Kenton that it was a difficult and regrettable task for him to do, a fact that to which she responds in surprise,

`"Do you realize, Mr Stevens, how much it would have meant to me if you had thought to share your feelings last year"`

And it is his inability to share his feelings with Miss Kenton - or even to the reader and thus, in essence, himself - that provides the framework to the narrative: Stevens embarks on a road trip in order to meet her 20 years later under the pretext that he can convince her to rejoin him working at the disgraced Lord Darlington's former residence, now owned by an American. We suspect some deeper motive to his trip, since he surmises that she has separated from her husband, but he dare not articulate this even to himself. Not only does he repeatedly deny himself his own feelings, Stevens never admits to any personal frivolity, at one point even lying to himself about the reasons for reading a romantic novel, refusing to allow the possibility that he might yearn for affection, even to the reader. In a passage made doubly famous by a beautifully rendered scene in the film, Miss Kenton has to prise the novel out of his hands to discover its contents, creating a charged moment between them that he seems unequipped to interpret:

`I am afraid it is not easy to describe clearly what I mean here. All I can say is that everything around us suddenly became very still; it was my impression that Miss Kenton's manner also underwent a sudden change; there was a strange seriousness in her expression, and it struck me she seemed almost frightened'

Despite Stevens' blindness and denial, we never stop empathising with him. For all his subservience and pomposity he is after all a man who has dedicated his life to honourable principles, however misguided, and we can't help but suffer his missed opportunities with him.

Engaging and Enjoyable
Remains of the Day is Kazuo Ishiguro's third novel. It is set in the beautiful countryside of Southern England but also in Stevens', the Butler and narrator's past.
Taking the reader on a reflective journey, Stevens meets an old friend and unrequited love Miss Kenton and through reminiscence we feel the sadness of Stevens wasted opportunities in life through Ishiguro's use of evocative language and style of writing. Dominating Stevens' thoughts is the question of what makes a great Butler. The exploration of the word dignity also plays a prominent role in the novel. However the underlying plot surrounds pre World War 2 events that show his employer to be politically naive and embroiled in Nazi idealism culminating in the sacking of two Jewish workers at the house. Stevens tries to maintain that Lord Darlington was a good man through use of other examples but you get the feeling that by doing this Stevens simply exposes more flaws in his master's character. The reputation of Darlington Hall on Stevens' travel through the countryside only serves to emphasise this.
However the most noticeable thing about Remains of the Day is the author's command of traditional English Language. For someone who English is not their native tongue the style used is exceptional. Sometimes it has the feel that Ishiguro is maybe trying too hard, but then there is something about his brilliant craft that reassures you otherwise. Remains of the Day is a beautifully created masterpiece and without doubt one of the most engaging and enjoyable books I have ever read.

One Of The Greatest Novels In British Literature..
Many of the best novels have essential qualities, they are thrilling, moving, highly readable and beautifully written. However, while The Remains of the day has ALL of the above, theres one major quailty that really made this novel resonate and touch me like no other book i have ever read. That quality is that this book allows you to re-evaulate your own life. It gives you a new perspective of life, and choices we make, and ultimately teaches us to follow our hearts and by what we feel its right. So that by the end of our days we can look back and not regret making such tragic choices as Stevens does. This book has truly touched me and moved me like no other. Althought the movie adaptation was terrific, you have to read this book to truly get a grasp of the genius this book is. In an era where the word 'Masterpiece', is so easily thrown about, The Remains of The Day, is truly and deservedly a MASTERPIECE.