" I'm a big Ishiguro fan, and this novel is probably most famous, so I'm surprised that I didn't like it better than I actually did. I'm used to Ishiguro novels having sweeping prose with excellent character development and plenty of plot twists and turns. While this was beautifully written, and the characters (for the most part) well sketched, the plot of the novel just didn't keep me in its grip. It was extremely slow-moving, full of rambling thoughts and ponderings and lacking in action. The main character, Mr. Stevens, is a butler from an era where large, society houses and their inhabitants reigned supreme in England. After World War Two, that world essentially ended. Mr. Stevens now has to face the prospects of performing his duties in a changing world. While I did sympathize and identify with his character, he also frustrated me to no end. His inability to ever think for himself or let himself be human was really difficult to witness. This novel could have been a great love story or historical portrait of English society during wartime, but it mostly sticks to the musings of a man who is looking back on a life that he is coming to realize was pretty much wasted. If you are going to read an Ishiguro novel, I would recommend instead When We Were Orphans or Never Let Me Go. Both are fantastic novels. This one just left me wanting more....and not in a good way. :-( "
— Anne, 1/15/2014