read this book cover to cover on a flight to hawaiiwhat did i think about it /lit/?
>>25513947i felt quite a bit for stevens, and understood how he had gotten thereinterestingly, hawaii was where a pivotal decision in my life was made that i guess could be seen as a "turning point" for my life where i choose future income and work over comfort and someone whom i loved -- ultimately it didnt work out and maybe it wouldve been the same way had i stayed with her but i guess there is no point in thinking about itoutside of my diary, the book was well written and engaging, if anything stevens seemed pretty autistic and not too dissimilar in style from some neets that post herethe relationship cut both ways- had darlington been anyone else the same mistakes would have been made. it was a very depressing ending, but i guess that is how life really plays out. you cant change those moments that replay in your head every night and keep you up when you realize all of your life youve been chasing the wrong thing. maybe it hit harder as i feel that way now and i likely wont change even though i could. who knows.
>>25513947I gave this book to my dad and he refused to read it because "I don't like butler stories."
>>25513947The whole fucking book was a buildup to just one phrase near the end. Not going to tell you which one. First time I read it it devastated me. 10/10
>>25513947we did that book in a book club awhile backgood discussioninteresting book
>>25513947You thought Aloha
i really don't get why people who read this book on this board specifically seem not to understand that stevens was always going to end up lonely firstly because of his father and secondly because of the nature of the job, it's like a wife complaining her detective husband always comes home late, there's nothing profound or novel about that, he always looked up to his father and was obsessed with filling in his shoes, it's not a particularly profound story, but it's very well written
>>25513947As a story of English butlering, it's merely a caricatureWhat it really is, is a musing of Japanese feudal culture and where that led them in WW2And to a certain extent, trad chinese culture too, which is why I loved this book
>>25514294>these truly are the remains of the dayHOLY KINO
>>25514971> that stevens was always going to end up lonelyThere's nothing self-evident about that given his position or the narrative, had she not already been taken it's likely they would in fact have taken the chance, that's the central crux of the fucking story. It's really about the stiff upper lip society in its dying era, and the cost of the renunciation of agency in its service (made literal).>>25514983>As a story of English butlering, it's merely a caricatureDefinitely, but caricatures exist to capture something essential about the subject. >>25514273>"I don't like butler stories."I'd actually venture to say this is a hell of a lot closer to reality for a butler, than the usual "butler story" where they're somehow the center of attention or the linchpin of the entire household. I like Jeeves & Wooster as a comedy mind you but it wouldn't even be a caricature of a butler, it's straight into farce.
>>25515038I didn't see any romance btn them. He was too fucking obsessed with his job. Unless you are autistic and can't see how harsh he treated her. There was simply never any prospect btn them because he had no clue until the end.
>>25515041>I didn't see any romance btn themWell, someday you'll touch a girl, and you'll learn how women behave
>>25513947>on a flight to hawaiiBut from where? That's important too.
Probably one of the more boring and forgettable literary classics ive read
