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A review by idajoh
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Death of parent
Moderate: Death and War