The Remains of the Day

Kazuo Ishiguro

Jan 2009 · Faber & Faber

About this ebook

*Kazuo Ishiguro's new novel Klara and the Sun is now available*
WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE
A contemporary classic, The Remains of the Day is Kazuo Ishiguro's beautiful and haunting evocation of life between the wars in a Great English House.
In the summer of 1956, Stevens, the ageing butler of Darlington Hall, embarks on a leisurely holiday that will take him deep into the countryside and into his past.
'A triumph . . . This wholly convincing portrait of a human life unweaving before your eyes is inventive and absorbing, by turns funny, absurd and ultimately very moving.' Sunday Times
'A dream of a book: a beguiling comedy of manners that evolves almost magically into a profound and heart-rending study of personality, class and culture.' New York TImes Book Review

Ratings and reviews

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro This was the first novel by Sir Kazuo Ishiguro that I ever read, it is quite deservedly described as a modern classic and the film starring Sir Anthony Hopkins is a cinematic classic. The plot of The Remains of the Day, tells the story of life in an English Country house between the two world wars. Stevens, a perfect example of a perfect English butler, is the story's narrator. The narrative starts in 1956 when Stevens, now ageing, takes a holiday into the English countryside which allows him to review his life at the time in question. Stevens has always been repressed, to the extent that he is almost a pastiche of himself and has failed to see life as it really is. This novel is so beautiful that it always makes me cry, in my opinion it is one of our greatest literary treasures, please read it if you haven't already done so and, if you have then please read it again. Perfection is the only word for it.

Beautifully written , filled with romantic descriptions of the English countryside, memorable characters and decadent lifestyle of titled people in post-war England. The book is easy to read compared to many other English literatures. I just love Kazuo Ishiguro's style. Very classy. I will read this book over and over again without ever getting bored.

The book starts a bit slow, but it's worth sticking around. Beautiful writing style, gentle and deep at the same time.

About the author

Kazuo Ishiguro's eight books have won him world-wide renown and many honours, including the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Booker Prize. His work has been translated into over forty languages. The Remains of the Dayand Never Let Me Go have each sold in excess of one million copies in Faber editions alone, and both were adapted into highly acclaimed films. His most recent novel, The Buried Giant, was published in 2015, debuting at number 1 on the Sunday Times bestseller list.