I live in a large apartment building and often sit on the balcony and watch the world go by. One night I noticed one of my neighbors squatting down and staring at the front of his car, then walking around to the rear and doing the same thing. He’d circle the car and check the headlights, then the taillights, then the headlights, etc. Then he’d seem satisfied and walk away, only to pull up and come back to the car and repeat the episode. At first I thought he was looking for damage to the grill, or the wind had blown his hat under the car. Then I realized he was obsessive/compulsive and was fixated on whether or not his lights were turned off. I see him go through this at least a few times a week and imagine it's an always thing with him. The first night I wanted to shout, and still want to shout when I see him, ‘Just walk away!’

I mention this only in passing.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

The Remains of the Day is beautifully crafted, it’s a story that rewards scrutiny from several viewpoints. When first published it was taken as a condemnation of the right, but I think what it’s saying is that political leaders are deeply flawed and their every move needs watching. In fact, the only time the book breaks the fourth wall and the protagonist addresses the reader directly is in the couple of instances where he says that people can’t hope to know enough to lead, or aspire to great things on the world’s stage, and we need to pays our nickels and takes our chances. Ishiguro doesn’t think this at all.

The story is pretty simple- a large country estate, home to one of Britain’s leading families, is sold to an American- the Norman Rockwell Conquest. The house’s butler, Mr. Stevens, gets a letter from the old housekeeper that seems to hint that she’d like to return. Stevens sets out on a motor journey through the southern counties to visit her and, if she’s open to it, offer her a job. The day he sets out is the first day Darlington Hall has stood empty since it was built over 200 years ago.

There’s a mystic bit to start- a rustic points Stevens to a beauty spot where he sees the soul of England in the countryside. During the ride, Stevens reflects on his life in service to Lord Darlington, a central figure between the wars.

Remains has been called sad, and it is, or can be, profoundly sad in some passages. But it’s more the sadness of melancholy, leavened with sweetness, rather than the crushing sadness of despair. Ishiguro gives the reader hope, even if he identifies with Stevens, that respite is available and people come together to make merry when the sun sets. (The end of the book takes place on an amusement pier and is really beautiful.)

The book’s theme seems to me to be the falling away of the old order, based on duty and sportsmanship, and the rise of the professional man and self interest. Ishiguro seems to really hate the professional man. Stevens loses the girl because he forces himself to act professionally at all times. An American senator is revealed to be a dishonorable lout then praises rise of professionalism in the US.

Ishiguro gives the reader an out, but he condemns Stevens at the end, who he sits on a bench on the pier, drying his eyes over his lost life and steeling himself to improve his bantering skills. Maybe the book needed a martyr. ( )

As my daughter was packing to leave after a recent visit with us, she pulled this book off the shelves in her old bedroom (where I keep much of my TBR overload), plopped it in front me and said "Read this". Of course, I've been meaning to, for years. So under direct orders, I did. I can't for the life of me figure out why this book is so compelling, or how Ishiguro made his main character so utterly real, but I couldn't put it down. I struggled through the prologue, which I found tedious and belabored, but with several high recommendations behind the book, I continued reading, and somewhere around page 30 I realized I was hooked. There is nothing obviously striking about the prose itself, and the story line is minimal...just a framework from which to hang Mr. Steven's musings about himself and his past. Mr. Stevens is an English butler of the old order, and he is painfully conscious of the fact that, in the second half of the 20th century, his kind may be facing extinction. He has lived a life based on service, on suborning his own opinions and denying the existence of personal feelings. Throughout a road trip across the English countryside he wrestles with memories, defending his former employer's lapses of humanity and rationalizing his own seemingly heartless behavior. Running under it all is a glimmer of hope that a meeting with former housekeeper, Miss Kenton, may hold promise of a different sort of future for Mr. Stevens. I join the legions of LT'ers who give this book high marks. To quote my daughter, "Read this." ( )

A deeply devoted English butler, Stevens, reminisces about his life in Darlington Hall. He believed, as a butler, it was his duty and responsibility to be selfless in every aspect of his life. Therefore, he devoted himself to giving Lord Darlington his very best. During this reminiscing, Stevens begins to discover himself.

This was a very good book. It took me a long time to become interested, but eventually I became attached to Stevens. After that happened, I was eager to hear more about his life. Interestingly enough, last year when I read Never Let Me Go I had the very same reaction. Ishiguro has a great talent for luring me into the depths of his novels and leaving me in a state of thoughtfulness. (4/5)

Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..." ( )

Restrained is the first word that comes to mind. Ishiguro manages the feat of interesting the reader in a man who offers hardly a smidgeon of a promise of eventful narrative or a serious, keen mind. And yet, the tale is gripping, and the exposition of the butler's mind and attitude and its flaws is beautifully staged. ( )

Great book by one of the finest living modern authors. Sparse writing style but engaging and involving, and deeply moving. ( )