Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

43 reviews

idajoh's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ishiguro is a master at giving a voice to his characters. This book is so different from the naivety of both Klara and the Sun and Never Let Me Go, mainly because we're dealing with an entirely different character.

The repetetiveness and snobish voice of Stevens are his biggest flaws. The fact that this book is introspective, again, only alludes to his flaw. Stevens is so concerned with the past that he seems unable to enjoy the remains of his life, which are essentially withering away.

I would say there are two main messages of this book. The first being to enjoy your life and to stop living in the past, a message I wholeheartedly agree with. Stevens seems to be a static characrer for the entirety of the book, even though we follow him for 30 yeaes. 

The second message this book conveys is about change. At first glance, this book seemed to convey that the only things you can change are those changes that are "available" to you, as Stevens seems to think. In his case, this being how polished the silverware is. However, we as readers realize the irony of this, because I sincerely think Stevens would have a bigger impact on his own life if he did not just go along with everything that happened, and genuinly expressed his opinions. Therefore, the message seems to be that we may have the power to change more things than what seems to be within our reach. Although this book deals with the second world war and foreign policy at the time, which I don't think was within Stevens reach. His relationship with Miss Kinnon, however, was. 

All in all, this was a very good read although maybe not entirely enjoyable, because of the repetitive nature of the book and the long monologues about Stevens ideas of being a "great" butler. Things that definitely contributed to his characterization, but did not interest me.

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litliz's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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anhii's review

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emotional informative reflective relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

In general, I enjoyed this book very much since it is beautifully written. However, I was sometimes averse towards the butler, because of his stiff and narrow views. Furthermore, when he was reflecting on his proudest moments in his career, I was sometimes appalled as it was less of a victory and more of failure on his part. This book definitely made me realize that your should never prioritize your job above all else. 

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mrockey28's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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mangopassion555's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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thatone2112's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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agirlsnightbookbash's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25


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kirstym25's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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daniellekat's review against another edition

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Dying of boredom. The narration is good but I hate Stevens as a character and have no emotional attachment to him or his outcome. This is the second Ishiguro book I've read and I had generally the same experience for both so I think his books are just not for me. 

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acresofclams's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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