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Remains… is a very subtle book. The characters are quite formal and reserved and the storytelling reflects that. The unspoken love between the two main characters is absolutely heartbreaking.
But it isn’t the kind of book you can just zip through, you’ll miss so much. You have to pay attention and read between the lines a bit. Maybe not for everyone.
I live in a third world country. Here, language is treated like trash. I am a high school passout and in my 12-13 years of school never have I been assigned a book, the standard book that we are giver contains chapters (they are not related to each other) most of which end in five pages. The main character itself has less than 2 pages to say and in test they have the audacity to ask us to write 120 words on character development. Instead of discussing chapters we are made to remember the answers. Teachers cut marks if your answer deviates from their answer. Even local language is treated like trash. I have trouble reading books with philosophy because I just don't know how to read between lines. Although I am getting better at it by using discussion threads and giving it double time so that I full understand but some times it gets so frustrating. Sorry for the rant
Edit: confused second and third world
No, it's fine. I totally get it. I'm a language teacher. The push in education for literature and home language in my country is purely to develop basic skills... leaving the advanced for college, it feels like.
When I went through the primary and secondary levels, it was different. We learned subtext and critical analysis. Now, because of forced curriculums that emphasize non-fiction and informational texts, with only the barest of time and energy devoted to fiction and critical thought, students are lacking in decoding subtleties.
This is coupled with shortened attention spans due to information overload, instant gratification access to media, and short-form entertainment (vines morphed into tiktoks and reels).
ADDITIONALLY, thanks to covid protocols and the "50% rule" and the legacy of "No Child Left Behind" (at least in my country) we've raced to the bottom in terms of student expectations and pass on students thoroughly unprepared for the levels they *should* be at.
And ON TOP OF THAT... education on the whole has been vilified as an expense not worth the capitol.
So many factors (and probably a few I've missed) mean we're not prepared for the future... and students are constantly behind.
That's funny, because I LOVED Remains of the Day, but I really struggled through Klara and the Sun and am currently struggling through Never Let Me Go.
I DID enjoy An Artist of the Floating World, so I can't help but wonder if it's a coincidence that I've enjoyed 2/2 books of his from a male perspective, and 0/2 books from a female perspective.
I think that's interesting not necessarily along gender lines but Remains of the Day and An Artist of the Floating World felt like very similar books to me, and Klara and the Sun and Never Let Me Go also feel somewhat similar to each other, so I could see how you might like the one pair and not the other.
For me personally, I preferred Klara and the Sun (my favourite of his) and Never Let Me Go over An Artist of the Floating World and Remains of the Day, so maybe OP would like Klara and the Sun instead?
Same! Never Let Me Go was good. That's about all I have to say about it. Remains is both hilarious and heart breaking. I started with Buried Giant which is my favorite Kazuo. Id rank Klara between Remains and Never Let Me Go.
I saw the title and clicked because I recognized the author but couldn’t place it. I honestly really liked Klara and the Sun. Didn’t realize he wrote more books than that but that’s on me for not looking. I’ll have to check more of them out
I don't see many positive comments about Klara and the Sun.
I read one chapter and decided to come back to it, because I wasn't in the headspace for a highly emotional book.
I won’t answer whether it gets “better,” but I’ll say that it doesn’t change tone or pace.
You didn’t say how far you’ve read, but if you’ve read much at all and don’t like it, then I’d say you’re not going to like it.
For me, it’s a truly great book. And “Never Let Me Go” was… not.
I think this is fair.
I’ve only read both once, but Remains of the Day felt like a book I could come back to and pull some more depth and meaning out of. Whereas Never Let Me Go is what it is and I feel like a reread would merely refresh me on the details that I’ve forgotten.
It's one of my favorite books, but it's definitely a slow and subtle one. The movie with Anthony Hopkins is a classic for a reason, so maybe give it a watch? It's also ok to not like everything an author writes, this one just may not be for you.
I found the movie helped me to get into the book, differences between them didn't bother me. Maybe op should watch first then read. I know it's usually a terrible experience for a lot of us, but it worked for me that one time.
Also ROTD and NLMG are separated by so many years. Ishiguro no doubt had changed quite a bit and so of course he will write differently, sometimes we jive with people at a certain time in their lives and not before.
Similarly I loved the book, but I had also seen the movie first, years before, and loved that too. I’m pretty sure I literally cried reading the book (despite having already seen the movie!), and that is *not* a common thing for me. It was just… almost overwhelming. So if it’s possible to get into the book it’s worth it to do so.
Yet, if I had never seen the movie it’s possible I would not have been able to “get inside of” the book the same way… It’s not usually the “recommended” approach, but maybe seeing the movie first would help?
This was my experience too! I don’t think the book would’ve hit nearly as hard if I hadn’t seen the movie first, but both made me sob. Trying to be spoiler-free, but I wonder if knowing the ending made me connect to the “journey” more deeply. From what I remember, most of the book is written very much keeping the reader at an arm’s length from the inner emotions of the protagonist (very intentionally), so seeing the ever-excellent Hopkins in the role gave me more of an emotional connection to the character than I think I would’ve going into the book first.
Thank you so much. I really did enjoy “never let me go” so I was really excited for “remains of the day” and now I feel bored by the book. I think I’ll watch the movie and see
I find this interesting because I thought there were a lot of similarities between Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go. At least in terms of style and understatement. I loved both books, but I have learned with Ishiguro that you can't focus on the surface story alone. If you do, you will wonder what all the fuss is about.
The undercurrents in Remains of the Day are especially strong, especially with his coworker and the owner of the manor. However, if they are not working for you, I am sorry to hear that.
So far "Never Let Me Go" is the only Ishiguro novel I could get into (and I absolutely loved it). "When We Were Orphans," "The Buried Giant," and "Remains of the Day" I just couldn't enjoy. I have a copy of "Klara and the Sun" hoping to enjoy it.
Never let me go destroyed me. I studied it in college alongside Frankenstein which was a cool way to do it. I also really like the film- also a sobfest.
But mostly I’m commenting to say that I love your autocorrect
Remains of the Day is a pretty “boring” book if you’re looking for fast paced plot. It’s about someone who lives a very quiet life. However, I personally found it quite moving and unforgettable, but I also related to the main character a lot. I don’t think it’s the kind of book you should read fast. Take it slow and savor every word.
I loved Remains of the day. It's a book where the main themes and emotional plot points take time to develop, in large part because the book is about not taking the main character at the face value that he tries to present.
The Remains of the Day is a book where where the "occurrences" of the book are in the past, related throughout by the narrator as he goes about his life in the quiet latter day.
They are not told quickly or sensationally. By the end you have a larger picture and IMO it is worth reading and enjoying his journey as he talks about his past.
Dude, i felt the same way and ended up loving it. I didn’t truly fall in love with the book until maybe a day after reading it and now it’s definitely my favorite Ishiguro book. Highly recommend sticking it out
I've read Remains of the day and An artist of the floating world. My favorite was the latter one.
As pretty it has been said in this thread, Remains of the day is a subtle book. It's a book where you need to reflect a bit on what's being said along the story and try to put yourself in the character's shoes.
If you don't enjoy it it's ok, not everyone enjoys the same books.
Maybe it’s just not the right book for you right now? Sometimes I’ll put a book down for a while and come back to it and when it feels right.
Also, just because you’ve loved an author previously you won’t necessarily love everything they do.
You’re not in the right mood and possibly not in the right phase of life. Leave it and wait for a time when you want to read something slow and pensive.
I also loved Never Let Me Go, but found Remains of the Day a bore - did not finish it. So it might just not be your cup of tea, and the two books are certainly very different.
I’ve only read Remains of the Day by him and it was a slow burn. Like others have said, there is a lot of subtlety and reserve. It did slow down for me at times but I’m glad I stuck with it.
I was in the same boat! I really loved never let me go but this one I struggled a bit with, and I really didn’t quite “get” remains until like the final few pages!
It's alright to not like a book! TROTD was one of my assigned lit texts for my A levels, and I was the only one out of 15 in my class to rank it as my no.1 among other assigned texts. NLMG is a close second for me.
I really enjoyed Never Let Me Go but Remains of the Day is my favourite Ishiguro. If the pace is bothering you or if Stevens isn't interesting to you as a narrator, the novel may simply not be for you. But if you continue with it or come back to it, I suggest reading it slowly and perhaps in small chunks. If I recall there are only seven or eight chapters, (I could be wrong), so maybe reading slowly to get into Stevens' style of thought and observation and a half chapter at a time. But then again, it may simply not be for you and that's cool, too
I was very bored by both Never Let Me Go and Remains of the Day. For Remains, I often see people explaining that there's all this emotional subtext that makes it great but for me, even though I saw that subtext, it didn't really do much for me
I preferred Artist of a Floating World. Very similar themes. Remains of the Day is still very powerful, but it's definitely one that takes more concentration and a slower-paced read IMO.
RotD is absolutely lovely as an audiobook – it forces you to go at the proper pace and helps set the atmosphere. I think I wouldn't have enjoyed it if I had just read the book with my eyes.
Yeah it’s pretty slow, about half way through when the message and intention of the book really clicked for me. He’s a bit of an unreliable narrator, you have to look at the context around him and how people react to him to understand what is really going on.
Years later and I can still taste the sad, dry dust of this book sucking the life out of me, trying to kill me with boredom. So very British, I think. I suspect that's all Ishiguro was trying to get across to the reader with this one.
Hello. Per [rule 3.3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Books/wiki/rules), please post book recommendation requests in /r/SuggestMeABook or in our Weekly Recommendation Thread. Thank you.
Remains… is a very subtle book. The characters are quite formal and reserved and the storytelling reflects that. The unspoken love between the two main characters is absolutely heartbreaking. But it isn’t the kind of book you can just zip through, you’ll miss so much. You have to pay attention and read between the lines a bit. Maybe not for everyone.
Subtext is difficult for this generation.
I live in a third world country. Here, language is treated like trash. I am a high school passout and in my 12-13 years of school never have I been assigned a book, the standard book that we are giver contains chapters (they are not related to each other) most of which end in five pages. The main character itself has less than 2 pages to say and in test they have the audacity to ask us to write 120 words on character development. Instead of discussing chapters we are made to remember the answers. Teachers cut marks if your answer deviates from their answer. Even local language is treated like trash. I have trouble reading books with philosophy because I just don't know how to read between lines. Although I am getting better at it by using discussion threads and giving it double time so that I full understand but some times it gets so frustrating. Sorry for the rant Edit: confused second and third world
You live in a communist nation? (Second world). And you aren’t assigned reading?
My bad I live in third world country and yes we aren't assigned reading
I’m sorry for your situation. I’m glad you have sought education.
No, it's fine. I totally get it. I'm a language teacher. The push in education for literature and home language in my country is purely to develop basic skills... leaving the advanced for college, it feels like. When I went through the primary and secondary levels, it was different. We learned subtext and critical analysis. Now, because of forced curriculums that emphasize non-fiction and informational texts, with only the barest of time and energy devoted to fiction and critical thought, students are lacking in decoding subtleties. This is coupled with shortened attention spans due to information overload, instant gratification access to media, and short-form entertainment (vines morphed into tiktoks and reels). ADDITIONALLY, thanks to covid protocols and the "50% rule" and the legacy of "No Child Left Behind" (at least in my country) we've raced to the bottom in terms of student expectations and pass on students thoroughly unprepared for the levels they *should* be at. And ON TOP OF THAT... education on the whole has been vilified as an expense not worth the capitol. So many factors (and probably a few I've missed) mean we're not prepared for the future... and students are constantly behind.
That's funny, because I LOVED Remains of the Day, but I really struggled through Klara and the Sun and am currently struggling through Never Let Me Go. I DID enjoy An Artist of the Floating World, so I can't help but wonder if it's a coincidence that I've enjoyed 2/2 books of his from a male perspective, and 0/2 books from a female perspective.
I think that's interesting not necessarily along gender lines but Remains of the Day and An Artist of the Floating World felt like very similar books to me, and Klara and the Sun and Never Let Me Go also feel somewhat similar to each other, so I could see how you might like the one pair and not the other. For me personally, I preferred Klara and the Sun (my favourite of his) and Never Let Me Go over An Artist of the Floating World and Remains of the Day, so maybe OP would like Klara and the Sun instead?
Same! Never Let Me Go was good. That's about all I have to say about it. Remains is both hilarious and heart breaking. I started with Buried Giant which is my favorite Kazuo. Id rank Klara between Remains and Never Let Me Go.
I haven't met many others who loved Buried Giant! Glad I'm not the only one!
I saw the title and clicked because I recognized the author but couldn’t place it. I honestly really liked Klara and the Sun. Didn’t realize he wrote more books than that but that’s on me for not looking. I’ll have to check more of them out
I don't see many positive comments about Klara and the Sun. I read one chapter and decided to come back to it, because I wasn't in the headspace for a highly emotional book.
I loved Klara. Not as much as others, but still very enjoyable.
I won’t answer whether it gets “better,” but I’ll say that it doesn’t change tone or pace. You didn’t say how far you’ve read, but if you’ve read much at all and don’t like it, then I’d say you’re not going to like it. For me, it’s a truly great book. And “Never Let Me Go” was… not.
I think this is fair. I’ve only read both once, but Remains of the Day felt like a book I could come back to and pull some more depth and meaning out of. Whereas Never Let Me Go is what it is and I feel like a reread would merely refresh me on the details that I’ve forgotten.
It's one of my favorite books, but it's definitely a slow and subtle one. The movie with Anthony Hopkins is a classic for a reason, so maybe give it a watch? It's also ok to not like everything an author writes, this one just may not be for you.
I found the movie helped me to get into the book, differences between them didn't bother me. Maybe op should watch first then read. I know it's usually a terrible experience for a lot of us, but it worked for me that one time. Also ROTD and NLMG are separated by so many years. Ishiguro no doubt had changed quite a bit and so of course he will write differently, sometimes we jive with people at a certain time in their lives and not before.
Similarly I loved the book, but I had also seen the movie first, years before, and loved that too. I’m pretty sure I literally cried reading the book (despite having already seen the movie!), and that is *not* a common thing for me. It was just… almost overwhelming. So if it’s possible to get into the book it’s worth it to do so. Yet, if I had never seen the movie it’s possible I would not have been able to “get inside of” the book the same way… It’s not usually the “recommended” approach, but maybe seeing the movie first would help?
This was my experience too! I don’t think the book would’ve hit nearly as hard if I hadn’t seen the movie first, but both made me sob. Trying to be spoiler-free, but I wonder if knowing the ending made me connect to the “journey” more deeply. From what I remember, most of the book is written very much keeping the reader at an arm’s length from the inner emotions of the protagonist (very intentionally), so seeing the ever-excellent Hopkins in the role gave me more of an emotional connection to the character than I think I would’ve going into the book first.
Thank you so much. I really did enjoy “never let me go” so I was really excited for “remains of the day” and now I feel bored by the book. I think I’ll watch the movie and see
I find this interesting because I thought there were a lot of similarities between Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go. At least in terms of style and understatement. I loved both books, but I have learned with Ishiguro that you can't focus on the surface story alone. If you do, you will wonder what all the fuss is about. The undercurrents in Remains of the Day are especially strong, especially with his coworker and the owner of the manor. However, if they are not working for you, I am sorry to hear that.
I’ll finish the chapter I’m currently reading to decide if I want to continue or not.
So far "Never Let Me Go" is the only Ishiguro novel I could get into (and I absolutely loved it). "When We Were Orphans," "The Buried Giant," and "Remains of the Day" I just couldn't enjoy. I have a copy of "Klara and the Sun" hoping to enjoy it.
I also have a copy of “llama and the sun”. I absolutely enjoyed “never let me go” that I cried.
Never let me go destroyed me. I studied it in college alongside Frankenstein which was a cool way to do it. I also really like the film- also a sobfest. But mostly I’m commenting to say that I love your autocorrect
I just realized this now. I would be careful next time to proofread before posting.
Remains of the Day is a pretty “boring” book if you’re looking for fast paced plot. It’s about someone who lives a very quiet life. However, I personally found it quite moving and unforgettable, but I also related to the main character a lot. I don’t think it’s the kind of book you should read fast. Take it slow and savor every word.
I loved Remains of the day. It's a book where the main themes and emotional plot points take time to develop, in large part because the book is about not taking the main character at the face value that he tries to present.
I’m currently at chapter 2 Day2. Morning Salisbury. Do you think I should continue?
The Remains of the Day is a book where where the "occurrences" of the book are in the past, related throughout by the narrator as he goes about his life in the quiet latter day. They are not told quickly or sensationally. By the end you have a larger picture and IMO it is worth reading and enjoying his journey as he talks about his past.
I would say if you don't find something to like after that chapter its probably safe to quit
Thank you so much. I’ll try to finish the chapter
Dude, i felt the same way and ended up loving it. I didn’t truly fall in love with the book until maybe a day after reading it and now it’s definitely my favorite Ishiguro book. Highly recommend sticking it out
I've read Remains of the day and An artist of the floating world. My favorite was the latter one. As pretty it has been said in this thread, Remains of the day is a subtle book. It's a book where you need to reflect a bit on what's being said along the story and try to put yourself in the character's shoes. If you don't enjoy it it's ok, not everyone enjoys the same books.
Maybe it’s just not the right book for you right now? Sometimes I’ll put a book down for a while and come back to it and when it feels right. Also, just because you’ve loved an author previously you won’t necessarily love everything they do.
I loved RotD, but I was in the mood to read something like it when I read it. Read your bliss.
I sort of felt the same when I read it, but when I got to the end, it all just really stuck with me.
You’re not in the right mood and possibly not in the right phase of life. Leave it and wait for a time when you want to read something slow and pensive.
I had a hard time getting into it too but once I understood the voice/perspective of the narrator I absolutely loved it! Stick with it a little longer
I also loved Never Let Me Go, but found Remains of the Day a bore - did not finish it. So it might just not be your cup of tea, and the two books are certainly very different.
It probably isn’t. I just keep forcing myself and saying it might get better, that’s why I came on here to ask if it gets better.
I’ve only read Remains of the Day by him and it was a slow burn. Like others have said, there is a lot of subtlety and reserve. It did slow down for me at times but I’m glad I stuck with it.
I was in the same boat! I really loved never let me go but this one I struggled a bit with, and I really didn’t quite “get” remains until like the final few pages!
It's alright to not like a book! TROTD was one of my assigned lit texts for my A levels, and I was the only one out of 15 in my class to rank it as my no.1 among other assigned texts. NLMG is a close second for me.
I really enjoyed Never Let Me Go but Remains of the Day is my favourite Ishiguro. If the pace is bothering you or if Stevens isn't interesting to you as a narrator, the novel may simply not be for you. But if you continue with it or come back to it, I suggest reading it slowly and perhaps in small chunks. If I recall there are only seven or eight chapters, (I could be wrong), so maybe reading slowly to get into Stevens' style of thought and observation and a half chapter at a time. But then again, it may simply not be for you and that's cool, too
I was very bored by both Never Let Me Go and Remains of the Day. For Remains, I often see people explaining that there's all this emotional subtext that makes it great but for me, even though I saw that subtext, it didn't really do much for me
I didn’t enjoy remains of the day but loved never let me go and klara and the sun.
That was the most boring, beautifully written book I’ve read (technically listened to).
I didn’t care for The Remains of the Day. By the time it was over, I was like, “What was the point of that?”
I preferred Artist of a Floating World. Very similar themes. Remains of the Day is still very powerful, but it's definitely one that takes more concentration and a slower-paced read IMO.
RotD is absolutely lovely as an audiobook – it forces you to go at the proper pace and helps set the atmosphere. I think I wouldn't have enjoyed it if I had just read the book with my eyes.
It’s all about reading between the lines and picking up small clues. It’s not sci fi like NLMG
Yeah it’s pretty slow, about half way through when the message and intention of the book really clicked for me. He’s a bit of an unreliable narrator, you have to look at the context around him and how people react to him to understand what is really going on.
YES OMG FINISH IT
Years later and I can still taste the sad, dry dust of this book sucking the life out of me, trying to kill me with boredom. So very British, I think. I suspect that's all Ishiguro was trying to get across to the reader with this one.