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missroseroseI was completely taken by surprise at how much this book affected me emotionally. For the entirety of its modest length, it's a beautifully-written but almost painfully British life story of a man so devoted to his service as a "gentleman's gentleman" as to be completely blind to the other aspects of his life as they take place around him. And while I admired the tone and writing for most of it, I didn't really feel much about the main character other than a certain pity.
But the last chapter or so, when he finally allows himself a little self-awareness, and sees a glimpse of the fate his obliviousness caused him to miss out on? As in the best tragedies, it's entirely inevitable and yet packs an emotional wallop.
This is a gem of a story. And I mean that almost literally - it's small, and relatively short, but I find myself turning it over and over in my mind, admiring how each facet reflects and magnifies the effect of the others, at how it sparkles and flashes with a fire that belies its small size. It could so easily have been an overblown and pretentious "and so we witness the turning of an age" story, but each scene has been cut and polished and shined until it focuses on exactly the story it's telling: that of Mr. Stevens, and the era that he lived through, and the values that he held, and the eventual realizations he comes to, here at the remains of the day - which may yet prove to be the happiest time of his life, after all. A++ with cherries on top
But the last chapter or so, when he finally allows himself a little self-awareness, and sees a glimpse of the fate his obliviousness caused him to miss out on? As in the best tragedies, it's entirely inevitable and yet packs an emotional wallop.
This is a gem of a story. And I mean that almost literally - it's small, and relatively short, but I find myself turning it over and over in my mind, admiring how each facet reflects and magnifies the effect of the others, at how it sparkles and flashes with a fire that belies its small size. It could so easily have been an overblown and pretentious "and so we witness the turning of an age" story, but each scene has been cut and polished and shined until it focuses on exactly the story it's telling: that of Mr. Stevens, and the era that he lived through, and the values that he held, and the eventual realizations he comes to, here at the remains of the day - which may yet prove to be the happiest time of his life, after all. A++ with cherries on top
