The Remains of the DayThe Remains of the Day
Score Classic
What it's about
In 1956, Stevens, the aging butler of Darlington Hall, takes a rare holiday: a road trip across the English countryside to visit Miss Kenton, the estate's former housekeeper. As he drives, he looks back on his decades of service to Lord Darlington, and on the 1930s, when his lordship hosted secret meetings with Nazi sympathizers. Stevens has devoted his life to dignity and duty, and slowly, through what he won't quite say, we see what it cost him.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Booker Prize, and Ishiguro won the Nobel Prize in 2017. It became a film with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, and it's one of the most quietly devastating novels ever written.
You'll love it if you liked
Atonement
Rebecca
Small Things Like TheseGood to know
Stevens is an unreliable narrator: what matters is in what he leaves out. It's slow and gentle.
By the numbers
- Readers69 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics67 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller33 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #45 of the 116 historical novels we rank
- #152 of the 762 classics we rank
- #473 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
More by Kazuo Ishiguro
Never Let Me Go
An Artist of the Floating World
Klara and the SunIf you like this, read next
The Color Purple
I, Claudius
War and Peace
The Count of Monte Cristo
Catch-22
The Age of InnocenceExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Remains of the Day worth reading?
Yes. It won the Booker Prize, and Ishiguro won the Nobel Prize in 2017. It ranks #473 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Remains of the Day about?
In 1956, Stevens, the aging butler of Darlington Hall, takes a rare holiday: a road trip across the English countryside to visit Miss Kenton, the estate's former housekeeper. As he drives, he looks back on his decades of service to Lord Darlington, and on the 1930s, when his lordship hosted secret meetings with Nazi sympathizers. Stevens has devoted his life to dignity and duty, and slowly, through what he won't quite say, we see what it cost him.
How long does it take to read The Remains of the Day?
About 6 hours (245 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Remains of the Day won?
Booker Prize winner (1989).
What should I read after The Remains of the Day?
If you liked it, try Atonement by Ian McEwan, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier or Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.