bookwormbelle reviewed on 4/1/2010 + 16 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 3

It's not often that I dole out 5 stars for a book, but this one is totally deserving of such an honor. My mom and I read this at the same time, and I thoroughly enjoyed our teatime discussions after finishing each section of the book. Ishiguro paints a beautiful portrait of pre- and post-wartime England aristocracy through the eyes of Steens, the most flawed protagonist I've ever come across. He considers his "dignity" (the definition of which is the subject of debate in this novel) to be his greatest quality, when it actually hinders and even damages his life. He truly is a tragic hero in every sense of the phrase. Ishiguro is wonderful at getting his readers to think in an analytical sense ("Why would the author put that in the story? What does this anecdote say about this character?"), and I was sad to finish the book. Great rainy day reading!

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