Customer Reviews (1)

Spanish version of "The Remains of the Day"
This is a Spanish translation of the major work by Kazuo Ishiguro, "The Remains of the Day", which was set to film starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. Ishiguro is a British writer of Japanese descent, and writes a stunning tale of a butler of a large manor home in England, around the time of World War II. The prose is brilliant, the pathos sublime. If you enjoy good writing, stories about England in the "good ole days" and slowly unwinding tragedies, this story is for you. I have recommended it to many friends, and none has been disappointed so far. ... Read more

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Participating in the reframing of literary studies, Cosmopolitan Fictions identifies, as cosmopolitan fiction, a genre of global literature that investigates the ethics and politics of complex and multiple belonging.

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Anglo-Japanese author Kazuo Ishiguro has garnered considerable critical and popular acclaim since his novel, "The Remains of the Day", won the Booker prize in 1989. Presently, there is no adequate explication of his fiction employing a well thought-out critical framework to address some of the debates about contemporary literary and cultural studies. This book examines Ishiguro's fiction and how it tackles certain genre forms and exceptionalist cultural assumptions. ... Read more

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In his haunting and important novel, Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro introduces cloned children who grow up with a single purpose: to donate their organs for the benefit of others. The narrator, Kathy H., takes us on detailed and analytical journey starting in her early days at the Hailsham Boarding School and continuing to the present day. Her recollections are disturbingly flat and unemotional. As we listen to Kathy, we enter a strange world where life has eerie similarities to our own, and yet is very different. That difference is inherent in our very definition of what makes a human being .

Ishiguro poses no ultimate solutions, but asks many questions about the path of scientific progress, its purpose and rationale, as well as its potential choices and consequences. Never Let Me Go explores the nature of the human soul, for example, what it is and whether it is the indispensable key to being human.

The Bookclub-in-a-Box guide considers whether love and compassion for people trumps scientific curiosity and advancement. It explores the various ethical dilemmas facing Kathy and the others, and it looks at the reason Ishiguro tells a futuristic story in the here and now. The guide also reflects on the fascinating link between Ishiguro and Joseph Conrad and investigates how they each perceive the darkness of the human soul and heart.

Every Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols, writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author. ... Read more

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This is part of a new series of guides to contemporary novels. The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to some of the most popular, most acclaimed and most influential novels of recent years – from ‘All the Pretty Horses’ to ‘White Teeth’. A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not ideal for a general reader
This book would probably be useful in an academic setting, but it fell short for me, as someone who just wanted to get a deeper understanding of Ishiguro's wonderful novel. To give credit where it is due, I will note that this guide contained some intriguing insights, such as pointing out the only time when Stevens does not address his father in the third person. This is what I was looking for. Sadly (for me), the bulk of the book addresses academic concerns. I suppose it is somewhat interesting to look at the differing viewpoints as to whether Ishiguro should be considered a Japanese writer, but such things go on at far too great a length for a general reader.

The biggest failing of this book is that it almost completely ignores Miss Kenton as a character. Stevens is the narrator, and the book is mostly about him, but Miss Kenton does provide enough fodder for analysis. Ironically, about the only treatment she gets here is a comment in the section about the movie that Emma Thompson shows us what Miss Kenton could be like, if she was allowed to live. It's too bad this guide didn't recognize the life she did demonstrate, and devote a few pages to her.

The Quintessential Reader's Guide
An impressive entry into the field of Reader's Guides, Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day by Adam Parkes is valuable on two levels: for the individual reader who wants to enhance his understanding of The Remains of the Day, it's like taking a Master Class; and for the book discussion group leader it's like stumbling on a gold mine of useful information.

In the hundreds of books we've discussed on SeniorNet.org/books, this one stands alone as the most in-depth, challenging, and comprehensive Reader's Guide offered. The chapter on Style, Form, and Irony is worth the price of the book itself. It leaves no stone unturned and turns up some you'd never have imagined.

This slim volume begins with a study of the author, moves to an analysis of the book itself, the issues and sub themes, comparative literature, the reception of the novel, some questions, a bibliography and recommended reading, and more. There's even a section on the movie Remains of the Day for comparison.

This is the first book by this author in this series I have ever tried, and I would buy anything by either again: it's that good.

An Excellent Book
This volume is a most distinguished contribution to the Continuum Publishing Group's new series of studies by international scholars of important contemporary fiction. Professor Adam Parkes eschews popular academic jargon and writes in a clear, straight-forward style, giving a brilliant and succinct analysis of this many faceted book.
The 90 page book will interest and inspire the general reader and, in particular, will prove an ideal tool for those teaching modern literature in universities or sixth-forms but, best of all, will send the reader back to the novel with his understanding and enjoyment enhanced. ... Read more