Criticism > Contemporary Literary Criticism > Ishiguro, Kazuo (Vol. 110) - Merle Rubin (review date 30 November 1989)

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Merle Rubin (review date 30 November 1989)

SOURCE: A Review of The Remains of the Day, in Christian Science Monitor, November 30, 1989, p. 13.

[In the following review of The Remains of the Day, Rubin praises Ishiguro's ability to get inside his characters and portray all their complexities.]

Stevens, the hero of Kazuo Ishiguro's third novel, is the perfect butler. All his life he has sought to embody the ideals of his profession: service, composure, dignity, and discretion. Having reached an age when, although still fully employed, he is starting to think about the shape of the rest of his life—"the remains of the day"—Stevens has set out (with his employer's blessing, to be sure) on a highly unaccustomed (for him) motoring trip. His general aim is to see something of the countryside (where he's lived all his life but never really visited). More specifically, he hopes to persuade Miss Kenton (now Mrs. Benn), a former...

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1. Introduction
2. Principal Works
3. Criticism
   1. Kazuo Ishiguro with Gregory Mason (interview date 8 December 1986)
   2. Merle Rubin (review date 30 November 1989)
   3. Gabriele Annan (review date 7 December 1989)
   4. Hermione Lee (review date 22 January 1990)
   5. Kazuo Ishiguro with Allan Vorda and Kim Herzinger (interview date 2 April 1990)
   6. Cynthia F. Wong (essay date Winter 1995)
   7. Bert Cardullo (essay date Winter 1995)
   8. Roz Kaveney (review date 12 May 1995)
   9. Merle Rubin (review date 4 October 1995)
   10. Richard Eder (review date 8 October 1995)
   11. Brooke Allen (review date 11 October 1995)
   12. Charlotte Innes (review date 6 November 1995)
   13. Stanley Kauffmann (review date 6 November 1995)
4. Further Reading
5. Copyright