5 ms·

The Remains of the Day might be my favorite book. It does have my favorite quote, which I won’t spoil for anyone who hasn’t read the book as I think the emotion

The Remains of the Day might be my favorite book. It does have my favorite quote, which I won’t spoil for anyone who hasn’t read the book as I think the emotional impact is lessened out of context. This book gave me the sense that the author once felt an emotion so deeply that he needed to write an entire novel in order to convey it.

Retardo_88 6y ago
I think I know exactly which line you are referring to. I have read the book multiple times, and that line never fails to move me to tears, even when I know it is coming.
ycombinete 6y ago
It's been on my list for years now. I just haven't got around to reading it. Once I have I'll have to ask you about the quote.
- kyberias 6y ago
  I think you should drop everything else and run to the bookstore, buy the book and read it. Come to think of it, I'm going to do it myself right now.
Darthy 6y ago
Very interesting. Is the impact similar in the film?
- SNACKeR99 6y ago
  I think it is! There is an incredible amount of restraint and tension in that movie. It's in my top 2.
wenc 6y ago
The Remains of the Day isn't just my favorite book from Ishiguro. It is my favorite book, period. It is a book about many things, but one of the main themes is regret. As a younger person, I thought I would end up following the trajectory of Stevens. The narrative matched mine so much that I thought it was a description of an inexorable path in life that someone like me was bound to follow. As I got older, I realized the opposite: that Stevens was an anti-hero, that I did NOT have to follow the his trajectory, and that I had the agency to make different choices in life. In that way, the book's anti-message guides me today. p.s. with regards to Ishiguro, despite liking RotD, I didn't care for any of his other works. I didn't like Never Let me Go (which was highly acclaimed), nor the Buried Giant, nor When we were Orphans. Admittedly I have not read "An Artist of the Floating World".
kristianp 6y ago
I really enjoyed the movie, great performances by Hopkins and Thompson. I started reading "the Unconsoled", but stopped after feeling a strong sense of dread about the description of characters not having talked to their father for many years. I steer clear of his work for now my own mental health. His work contains a strong sombre element, it's beautiful but it's not for me.

Retardo_88 6y ago

I think I know exactly which line you are referring to. I have read the book multiple times, and that line never fails to move me to tears, even when I know it is coming.

ycombinete 6y ago

It's been on my list for years now. I just haven't got around to reading it. Once I have I'll have to ask you about the quote.

kyberias 6y ago
I think you should drop everything else and run to the bookstore, buy the book and read it. Come to think of it, I'm going to do it myself right now.

Darthy 6y ago

Very interesting. Is the impact similar in the film?

SNACKeR99 6y ago
I think it is! There is an incredible amount of restraint and tension in that movie. It's in my top 2.

wenc 6y ago

The Remains of the Day isn't just my favorite book from Ishiguro. It is my favorite book, period. It is a book about many things, but one of the main themes is regret. As a younger person, I thought I would end up following the trajectory of Stevens. The narrative matched mine so much that I thought it was a description of an inexorable path in life that someone like me was bound to follow. As I got older, I realized the opposite: that Stevens was an anti-hero, that I did NOT have to follow the his trajectory, and that I had the agency to make different choices in life. In that way, the book's anti-message guides me today. p.s. with regards to Ishiguro, despite liking RotD, I didn't care for any of his other works. I didn't like Never Let me Go (which was highly acclaimed), nor the Buried Giant, nor When we were Orphans. Admittedly I have not read "An Artist of the Floating World".

kristianp 6y ago

I really enjoyed the movie, great performances by Hopkins and Thompson. I started reading "the Unconsoled", but stopped after feeling a strong sense of dread about the description of characters not having talked to their father for many years. I steer clear of his work for now my own mental health. His work contains a strong sombre element, it's beautiful but it's not for me.