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| ISBN | 0571225381 | | DEWEY edition | DC21 | | ISBN13 | 9780571225385
(What's this?) | | Pages | 272 | | Publisher | Faber and Faber | | Published in | London | | Imprint | Faber and Faber | | Previous ISBN | 9780571200733 | | Format | Paperback | | Height (mm) | 198 | | Publication date | 03 Mar 2005 | | Width (mm) | 129 | | DEWEY | 823 | | Academic level | General |
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It is a nostalgic look at the decline of the English aristocracy. For a Brazilian who before reading Ishiguro had lived in Cambridge, England, over two years, it also represented a subtle look at 'Englishness', somewhat in the line of the saying that 'Englishmen not only act according to form, but feel according to form'. Beautiful language, full of delicate nuances. The book is also about regretting what you did NOT do, and perhaps realizing that you SHOULD have done what you did not dare doing some decades earlier. - Helga HoffmannKazuo Ishiguro's deeply affecting, beautifully written novel was an unexpected reading pleasure on my university course last year. Not having read any of the author's previous work and not having seen the film starring Anthony Hopkins, I had no idea what to expect. However the novel grabs your attention with a gentle touch and draws you into the story of Stevens, an almost fanatically devoted butler taking a journey into the West Country on the advice of his new employer, in the process discovering himself and the country he continues to believe in. Ishiguro's enfolding of Stevens' personal journey, including his rejection of former housekeeper Miss Kenton's affections, and the political journey Britain has gone through, is tactfully done, and it's a real pleasure to read a book based in the often neglected west of England, far away from London. The ultimate tragedy of the novel (it would be shameful to spoil it) that comes upon Stevens in the final pages, will leave the reader genuinely moved and reflective. - Sean Wilson Write a review
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