Reader's Diary: "Jeeves? Oh that's right, your name's Stevens!"

It's taken me a looooooong time to get to this book. But I'm so glad I finally have.

It's slow, it's methodical, it's disorganized stream of consciousness. But I love it.

And so will anyone, I think, who enjoys classic British butlery books. Stevens, the wise, methodical, so-boring-in-person-that-he'd-probably-make-you-cry butler of Darlington Hall, is a character that makes you want to read the book from start to finish in one sitting. (Too bad I'm not sick in bed or something, 'cus I would if it weren't for so many English classes!)

So far (I just finished the prologue/intro), Stevens has set up a typical day in the life of a butler, and his various awkward moments with his new employer, a "flashy" American named Mr. Farraday. What I love about this duo is that they are so very typical of their home countries. Farraday is so typically roguish, jovial, and down-to-earth. He doesn't understand, in contrast, Stevens' calm, uptight, emotionless behaviors as his butler. Though they have mutual respect for each other, it is obvious that each finds the other slightly eccentric, either openly or in a muted fashion.

The narrative, too, is told in first person, from Stevens' perspective, so we can enjoy his perturbed awkwardness around the American; we see how normal Farrady is, but how odd he would appear to such a sequential person as Stevens.

There is a hint of mystery set up in the beginning as well. Who, exactly, is Miss Kenton? According to Farraday - in a particularly embarassing, but wonderfully humorous moment - this old acquaintance must be a "lady-friend" for Stevens.

Nothing's farther than the truth...or at least, so Stevens claims.

He sets out on a six day journey to meet Miss Kenton and address her recent letter to him: she is interested in returning to her position as housekeeper at Darlington Hall. This comes in the nick of time, and would be highly beneficial to the house, as they have recently lost most of their staff, and - according to Stevens - "there is nothing more sinister than a faulty staff plan" (5). (How terribly Jeeves-like, eh?)

So, on to Day 1 of Stevens' cross-country trip, and deeper into the dutiful, devoted interior of the butler of Darlington Hall.

(For those of you who don't know, Remains of the Day is:

- Set in the aftermath of World War II
- Written by highly-acclaimed British author, Kazuo Ishiguro
- Was made into a stellar movie in 1993, starring Anthony Hopkins(love!), Emma Thompson, Christopher Reeve, James Fox, and a very young Hugh Grant. It was nominated for eight academy awards and a golden globe.
- Other than The Mask of Zorro, is my favorite Hopkins movie!