YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

In 1956, Stevens, a long-serving butler at Darlington Hall, decides to take a motoring trip through the West Country. The six-day excursion becomes a journey into the past of Stevens and England, a past that takes in fascism, two world wars, and an unrealised love between the butler and his housekeeper. Ishiguro's dazzling novel is a sad and humorous love story, a meditation on the condition of modern man, and an elegy for England at a time of acute change.

I'll aim to do this one with ya! :)

24%: (view spoiler)[This reminds me of Downton Abbey. Stevens is a lot like Carson, especially with Miss Kenton and the china. (hide spoiler)]

52%: (view spoiler)[Very interesting that Stevens won't mention previous employers to people. That's a strange practice. (hide spoiler)]

83%: (view spoiler)[I loved the people of the little town Stevens stopped in. They're so nosy! (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[This was a really good book. I'm glad I read it. Ishiguro is a great storyteller, with this as well as Never Let Me Go. (hide spoiler)]

I'm sorry I couldn't start earlier. I know it's late, but I'll try to finish it for this month's challenge.

I just finished the Prologue: (view spoiler)[It's funny to see how horrified he is about American customs, like the casual and teasing conversations lords have with their butlers (hide spoiler)]

Abby wrote: "24%: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yes!! It reminds me a lot of Downton Abbey: the time, the location and the characters jobs. I never would have thought that Mr Stevens and miss Kenton didn't get along in the beginning. (hide spoiler)]

46% (view spoiler)[Well, I'm not sure if not being affected by your father's death is a sign of dignity or rather lack of emotions... (hide spoiler)]

Abby wrote: "52%: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I have the impression that he does it because he's trying to hide something about his previous master. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[I really enjoyed this book, I think the main character has made an endearing impression on me. It was very clear to me that he was too stuck-up and that he had feelings for miss Kenton, when they finally reunited it was so sweet. And the final idea is very interesting: there's still a lot to enjoy after the day and it's not a bad thing to take life less seriously. (hide spoiler)]

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Date changed. Restarting April 10th 2023. Happy Reading ☺

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Stevens as a character is something of a dying breed. Our first day has him travel to Salisbury while pondering the definition of dignity. He seems to espouse the covering of all emotions for the sake of appearing in control to others.

The end of Day one morning left me feeling rather wistful. Stevens prides himself on his regard to duty, but I found it sad that he was focused on work rather than his dying father. In the way he recounts the interactions with the housekeeper I can’t help but see him as rather pompous.

Day two focuses on his journey through Salisbury. Interesting to note the gradual decline in fortune of the house, and Stevens’s refusal to see it.

Third quarter. (view spoiler)[ In his recollections of the way Lord Darlington treated his Jewish staff and his recall of a colleague’s bereavement it’s hard to understand his lack of emotional awareness. A hard character to like. He’s missed out so much with his determination to play his role. (hide spoiler)]

Finished. Review on home page. Can't wait to see what you think of this.