The Remains of the Day Intro
and Quick Author Bio
Welcome to Reading Revisited, a place for friends to enjoy some good old-fashioned book chat while revisiting the truth, beauty, and goodness we’ve found in our favorite books.
Hello Fellow Readers,
Welcome our first official Quick Lit Friday! I love introducing you to the books we are reading and writing about some of my thoughts as I read, but I was starting to get a little long winded which means it is harder for people to find time to read not only a whole book a month but also all my rambling thoughts. So, in order to combat my general tendency to wordiness I am naming these Quick Lit Fridays mainly to remind myself to be a little snappier. If you’d like to know what else to expect around here make sure to check out this post from a few days ago. And off we go (in the spirit of quickness)…
Book Intro
Now we are ready for a good summery, British road trip/memory novel. In June we are reading The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. It is one of those books that is so atmospheric that it seems you should only read it in the summer.
This is a beautifully written modern novel published in 1988. In it we find a fictional first person memory novel written by Stevens, a butler who is taking his first vacation and setting out on a road trip across the English countryside. During this six day period of time he spends time remembering the man he served for most of his career and the implications of past events on his life. It is reflective and a page turner all at the same time.
I purposely put this directly after Crossing to Safety because they are both memory novels written only a year apart, but one is American and the other is British. They are both dear to me, but each has a unique quality that makes them feel very different. I am hoping to have some good discussion comparing the two books.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book when I read it for the first time a few years ago and I am eager to share it with you all and hear your thoughts as well!
Quick Author Bio
Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese-British author (1954-?). He is from Japan and moved to Great Britain when he was six. While known for his novels, he is also a short story writer, musician, and film writer. He went to school for Creative Writing and has been writing novels ever since. In 2017 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. His novels span the genres. As mentioned above, this is a memory novel by a British butler. Others are more sci-fi. Some are fantastical historical fiction. He wrote his first few books about life in Japan. So if you like his writing, definitely check out his other books.
Other Books
I have read the books pictured above which seem to be Ishiguro’s most famous novels (along with Never Let Me Go, which I have not read and do not own). I loved The Remains of the Day so much that I wanted to read more by him so I read The Buried Giant when it was fairly new. It was a very interesting in concept and also deals with themes of memory and what the loss of memory does to a community. A few summers ago I read Klara and the Sun on ’s recommendation and followed along with her summer book club. At the center of this novel are robot friends for children in a world where there isn’t much interaction between children. In all of his novels (that I have read) there is a mystery to be unfolded as you read. I find that makes for a good page turner and deep thinking!
If you have read other Ishiguro or have any thoughts we would love to chat with you in the comments…
Podcasts
did a series on this a few years back (which is how I discovered this book in the first place). I always find that listening to other readers talk about books spurs on my thoughts to greater depths. Here are the links:
Prologue and Day One
Day Two, Morning
Day Two, Afternoon and Day Three, Morning
Day Three, Evening
Conclusion
Q&A
Movie
There is also a movie starring Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins! I have not watched it yet, but it seems to have great reviews and a great cast!
Alright, that wasn’t quite as short as I was planning (normally the intro and the author bio will be on separate weeks), but I am done now. I hope you all enjoy your week and maybe get a jump start on reading The Remains of the Day.
Make sure you check back here next week for some Halfway Thoughts. Also I am hoping to have an essay on a previous book coming out to you in the next week or two.
Until then keep revisiting the good books that can enrich your life and nourish your soul.
A Few Reminders
If you are wanting to get in on the in person or virtual community please contact me!
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So happy to be re-reading this one. It’s one of the few modern novels that I absolutely LOVED on a first read about 3 years ago. I find the tone and narrative voice to be SO memorable.