A review by bhnmt61
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

5.0

Mr Stevens, the butler of a distinguished British household in the years leading up to and following World War II, finds himself toward the end of his career reminiscing about his life. The book is written to someone, as if he were writing a letter, but the person he is addressing is never specifically identified (that I remember). It is beautifully written, and the heavily repressed butler is fully realized as a complex and lovely and tragic human being. Unlike almost every book I’ve read, it did not seem too long. It is exactly as long as it needs to be. I’m giving it five stars because I admire it so much— the writing is brilliant— but I have to admit my usual standard is how much I enjoyed reading it, and by that standard it’s more a four star read.