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Comments (42)

Community comments are the opinions of contributing users. These comments do not represent the opinions of Omaha Public Library.
What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 42 items
Jul 07, 2023Anita_Dickey rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I read this book for the 52 books in 52 weeks reading challenge. I used the 2023 summer reading challenge read a book set in the 1980's. It is also on Listopia's 300 books everyone should read once list. It was ok. Not great, not bad. I…
Feb 26, 2023
4.14. 269k. 258pp
May 12, 2022SusyHendrix rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The most fascinating use of first-person narration I have ever come across. I love how layered Stevens is as a character.
Feb 22, 2022QuinnM_2 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I listened to this quiet story about a butler reminiscing on his life over a six day vacation. Perfectly read giving life to this character who’s goal in life is to be the perfect butler. Unfortunately, being the perfect butler makes him…
Jan 22, 2022Sallyb_7 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Beautifully, artfully written, this is a novel to be savored.
Nov 30, 2021dan_cieslewicz rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I would recommend reading Salmon Rushdie’s introduction AFTER you finish this book, because it contains many spoilers.
Aug 23, 2021leki7658 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
What is going on inside the minds of the greatest butlers in history? Kazuo Ishiguro answers strongly with this novel following the career of Stevens, a butler to one of the most prominent figures in the past political landscape. Now in a…
Jul 05, 2021unicorn1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book is so compelling that I read it in a day. It won't be everyone's cup of tea as the reader follows the interior dialogue of a man who has given his whole life to the great house in which he serves as butler. If you get caught up…
Jun 04, 2021krsbozo_losaltos rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A stunningly sad story told by a man who has spent his whole life devoted to serving others as a butler, who comes to the end of his career, and realizes that his life has been wasted and without love. He weeps next to a total stranger who…
Mar 21, 2021Kidbean rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A feat of most amazing writing ability. Altogether readable and fascinating, I will read more of this author.
Mar 20, 2021Alpha_zzz rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Not really a fan of this book. It could be a difference in cultures that causes the rub. Stevens was very stiff and stoic, as butlers tend to be. And the times were the 50’s and before so there could be the change of decades too. It…
Feb 06, 2021sgcf rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Kazuo Ishiguro’s writing is brilliant in the way it captures the essence of upper-crust England during the early 20th century. His impeccable characterization of Stevens, the straight-laced, devoted butler who defines himself by his…
Jan 30, 2021M4112379 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
When I started reading this at first I was like idk, but then the greatness of the book starts coming through and encouraged me to continue without hesitation and I wound up reading the whole book in under 24 hours ultimately. I really…
Jul 14, 2019izyani rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is a story about blind loyalty at the expense of one’s love, youth and ultimately one’s allegiance to his country.
May 29, 2019m0mmyl00 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I loved this dear book. The story and characters seemed quite simple, but they lived with all the tangled complications we all do. Stevens is an aging butler, deeply committed to striving for perfection in his duties. He was in charge of a…
May 16, 2019fred98115 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Marvelous book. A butler goes on a short holiday and reflects on his career and employers, noting that change is happening, a change that he may not join.
May 01, 2019ArapahoeAnnaL rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1989, I couldn't put down this quiet story of an English butler reflecting back on his career and life.
Mar 11, 2019xiaojunbpl12 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Mesmerized reading his retrospective and introspective narrations, I felt a touch of melancholy mixed in perpetual peace with oneself. Resignation from others' ambitions and pursuits is not promoted in our time and place. For now, I take…
Dec 19, 2018darladoodles rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book is a thought-provoking and delightful read. As Mr. Stevens motors his way through the countryside he reflects on happenings both past and present. His quest for dignity is a prevalent theme as are his ruminations on acquiring the…
Jan 27, 2018julia_sedai rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
So amazing. What a well-written book. It's hard to describe what it's like, but the author is so clever at revealing the past slowly. I can see why this book has won so many prizes. It's a treat to read. It reminded me a lot of…
Jan 12, 2018writermala rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Frankly I only picked up this book because it was a Booker Prize winner and by a Nobel Prize winning author. It was a P.G. Wodehouse meets Jane Austen account of four decades of a British butler's life. Stevens the Butler has a wonderful…
Jan 08, 2018Joeybiomaster rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I chose this book because Kazuo Ishiguro had won the Nobel Prize in Literature and I was really excited to read something of his, maybe a little too excited. I guess the low rating is a result of how boring I found the book, yet I think…
Nov 18, 2017Morwenn rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
One of my favorite books. Seamlessly written. I love the way the underlying story dawns--even as the day (the butler's life, an era in England) is fading.
Nov 09, 2017harrissusanc rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Butler on holiday through the countryside in the 1920’s confronts criticism of his previous master’s politics. The cool voice leaves you with great pity for the subservient Mr. Stevens - for his utter acceptance of loyalty, and for the…
Mar 25, 2017LovieBooker rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This is one of those instances in which I'm glad I saw the movie first. I love the story. It's about an era I've always had a great interest in, the time between the two world wars. The movie was a precursor to Downtown Abbey. It…