A humorous, poignantly sad book about the effects of a public self upon the private self. It points out that if one becomes too rigid and enamored with one's public self (as a professional, as an optimist, as a together one, etc) the result is isolation from others and oneself. The writing is superb as well. ( )

Good read, nostalgic and slow yet memorable ( )

Do we really appreciate the implications of the choices we make in life? Kazuo Ishiguro doesn’t seem to think so; it is one of the themes that pervades his fiction. Nominally the story of Stevens, an English butler in service to a Nazi sympathizer during World War II, reflecting back on his career, this novel is really a journey of self-realization that comes way too late to save the protagonist from himself.

There is not a single false note in the entire story, which works as both a character study and an examination of the social mores of a faded time and place. It is also one of the most delicately and subtly written books I have ever read. Through his portrayal of Stevens, the author allows the reader to consider the ultimate cost we pay for blindly devoting ourselves to the wrong cause. It is a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that richly deserves the numerous awards it has won. ( )

The story is told from the point-of-view of a British butler, Stevens, and takes place in post-war England. Stevens served Lord Darlington's household for decades until Darlington died. He now remains in the Darlington house and serves its new owner, an American. The story slowly unfolds as Stevens travels through the countryside to visit Darlington's former housekeeper, Miss Kenton. As he travels, Stevens reflects on the events in the past few decades, including his relationship with Miss Kenton and Lord Darlington.

Although it sounds like a contradiction in terms, the subtlety of this book overwhelmed me. Ishiguro writes so beautifully. He unveils his characters slowly, giving them time to settle into the reader's mind before providing more insight into their thoughts. It's a simple plot, but the realizations Stevens faces about how he has spent his life are profound. I found myself thinking about the characters frequently after I'd put the book down. It has a heartbreaking simplicity and reminded me that stories don't need to rely on complicated plots when the characters are so well drawn. ( )

A profound sense of sorrow lingered as I closed this book—sorrow for a life not wasted, but not lived to the extent that was possible.

We meet the English butler, Stevens, considering the offer of his present employer, Mr. Faraday to take a holiday. Mr. Faraday even offers to allow him the use of “the Ford”, and to “foot the bill for the gas”. Stevens has spent most of his adult life working in one of the great English houses—that of Lord Darlington. After his lordship passed on, the house was purchased by an American, and the butler was part of the package. The place that was owned by and frequented by “true ladies and gentlemen” of the first decades of the 20th century is now almost shut down and staff is reduced to just four, including the butler.

Stevens has been having some difficulty coming to grips with the change in the house since Lord Darlington’s death. Staff was reduced, and Stevens feels that he is not doing his job as well as he should. He finds himself discomfited and disconcerted by his American employer’s attempts to engage him in “bantering—something he does not know how to do. He sets about trying to teach himself to “banter”.

As he contemplates the offer, Stevens begins to reminisce about his life and work since just after the end of World War I. He ruminates on how one would be considered to be a “great butler”. Although he never asserts that he is such a person, it is apparent that he would like to believe that he would qualify as such. In fact, the reader must agree that he was a “great butler”.

Lord Darlington invited statesmen and politically influential men to what he saw as conferences designed to avert war with Germany. Stevens seemed oblivious to what appeared to be his employer's sympathy for the German position as Hitler laid waste to regions of Eastern Europe. He relinquished all independent thought about the world around him in deference to his employer’s perceived position. It is not just that he properly refused to engage in discussion with his lordship’s political visitors; he genuinely did not think about the important questions of the day. Stevens believed that important decisions about war and peace and democracy should be left to those of Lord Darlington’s class. He strove to run the house to always do well by his employer, and succeeded. In doing so, however, he sacrificed what most people would think were the more important aspects of a full life.

Finally, Stevens’ devotion to his work and effort to be a “great butler” precluded any possibility of any real personal relationship—his dying father is tended by the housekeeper while he maintains his post waiting to wait on the great gentlemen having the great discussions. And he vaguely recognizes feelings he has for that very same housekeeper, but sets them aside as he hurries to fulfill his duties.

A simple story, simply written with profound impact. ( )