Remains of the Day (Ishiguro) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews 
First though let's say there's not a lot of plot; this is a character-driven novel. But what a character. Stevens is the butler of a once great English estate, and he tells us his story. In doing so, he becomes the poster child for Unreliable Narrator.
A LitLovers LitPick (Jan '08)

Greeted with high praise in England, where it seems certain to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Ishiguro's third novel is a tour de force-- both a compelling psychological study and a portrait of a vanished social order.… This insightful, often humorous and moving novel should significantly enhance Ishiguro's reputation here.
Publishers Weekly

The Remains of the Day is a dream of a book: a beguiling comedy of manners that evolves almost magically into a profound and heart-rending study of personality, class and culture.... Stevens plays perfectly the role of model butler as obliging narrator.... .Underneath what Stevens says, something else is being said, and the something else eventually turns out to be a moving series of chilly revelations of the butler's buried life - and, by implication, a powerful critique of the social machine in which he is a cog. As we [progress on the trip] with Stevens, we learn more and more about the price he has paid in striving for his lofty ideal of professional greatness.
Lawrence Graver - New York Times Book Review