Only The Diehard Remain - Battery

What Remains of a Life?

Advantages: Wonderfully restrained, idiosyncratic narrative, slow-burning twists.
Disadvantages: A slow start requires a little patience.

an intensely realistic picture of a key point in English history, pre-World War II, a period which is brought to life with similar accuracy. Though born in Japan, Ishiguro moved to England at an early age, and The Remains of the Day is full of an Englishness which is key to the story, so closely tied is it to the all-important notion of "dignity": "Continentals are unable to be butlers because they are as a breed incapable of the emotional restraint which only the English race is capable of ... in a word, 'dignity' is beyond such persons." The pay-off to this novel is no more bombastic than the rest of the story; it is instead delivered with the characteristic low-key, incisive tone - but is nonetheless quite devastating in its quiet, subtle way. This is something the novel achieves throughout, delivering its blows with a delicacy that means ...

Puggers 28.04.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

Seize the Remains

Advantages: Fantastic characterisation, really gets into Stevens' head, a plot that may make you think
Disadvantages: Seems a bit heavy-going at first (probably the language)

this isn?t impenetrable), but because it takes a bit more experience and maturity to empathise with Stevens. The best part of his day is over, and having failed to ?seize the say?, he is left with only the remains to make the most of. It?s a powerful message too. And I thoroughly enjoyed re-visiting it for this review. Currently half price on Amazon ? down to £3.99 ISBN: 0571154913 ...

a-true-ben 11.09.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

Only one question remains...

Advantages: Hysterical in places and finding out the question to the ultimate answer...
Disadvantages: A tendency to wander off the plot(s) at times.

... 'Where shall we have dinner?' If you haven't read the Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, the short main character list below will be very useful for understanding the following review; Arthur Dent - Last male Human Being and hero of the Hitch-Hiker books. Tricia McMillan - Last female Human Being and only rational, intelligent person on the Heart of Gold. Nicknamed Trillian. Ford Prefect - Arthur's best friend (who turns out to be an alien very early on in the first book) and field researcher for the guide. Zaphod Beeblebrox - Ex-President of the Galaxy with massive ego. And two heads and three arms. Vogons - Gray/yellow aliens always in a bad mood, sent to destroy the Earth to make way for an inter-stellar bypass. Not satisfied until all the Humans are gone. The Heart of Gold - Space ship that Zaphod steals; has the only ...

Sam_Garland 10.06.2006 · Read full review
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Review of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams