Brilliant unresolved love, history of fascism & memory of a butler! ( )

4.75/5 As my first read by Ishiguro, I was stunned by his subtle and elegant prose. It captured perfectly the restraint of our 1st-person narrator, Stevens, who is not only on a physical journey in the English countryside, but an internal one as well. Now in his advanced years, Steven is searching for the overall meaning to his life and if his sacrifices have all been worth it in the end. This journey of both the mind and soul is worth the read. ( )

Deeply bleak and powerful mediation on the nature of Englishness and how English people see themselves and their past - a beautifully constructed nostalgia piece that's also deeply angry about a country in love with its past for all the wrong reasons. Of course there's much more to it than that. It's a story with a sledgehammer subtle point but written in subtle and complex ways while still being consistently clear and easy to read.

The moment when he ignores his dad dying upstairs to take care of guests and then as soon as he's described his dad being dead he says "that was the night I attained Dignity" is again incredibly unsubtle but still a gut punch moment. The slow unravelling of his facade of total certainty over the whole book is so beautifully done and feels very real. It's easy to see our own convictions and justifications for the way we live in it. ( )

Trying to practice my writing by completing reviews so here goes. This is my 3rd book by Kazuo Ishiguro and while not my favorite still stands as a worthy read. This book held my interest through out as it was told as part of a trip/journey diary without being called out as such in the story, you pick this up as you read along based on the timing and cadence of the story. Also as an avid traveler myself I enjoyed the descriptions of the English countryside in summer and how while having an overall journey plan taking detours from time to time to see gems as recommended by the locals. While the main character Stevens, is an obviously an terrible flawed individual, who amongst is not in some fashion or another! The main theme of the book is about what it means to ones life when one does not question authority or critically question the direction in which ones life is going, and make adjustments to better ones life accordingly, sooner rather later in life. The topic of banter as a means to making friends and developing relationship is also covered at length. I enjoyed learning about what goes on behind the scenes in a wealthy aristocrats household which is not often a topic covered in mainstream media. Overall a fascinating read that you can savor as it progresses and very much becomes un-put-downable towards the end. ( )

A beautifully short character study of a hopelessly flawed man. ( )