The Remains of the Day

September 12, 1990
Stevens, an elderly butler who has spent 30 years in the service of Lord Darlington, ruminates on the past and inadvertently slackens his rigid grip on his emotions to confront the central issues of his life. PW called this Booker Prize-winner ``a tour de force--both a compelling psychological study and a portrait of a vanished social order.'' Author tour.

Stevens, the repressed and self-denying butler at the center of this audiobook, is in some ways one of the most appalling protagonists in all of literature. Not until close to the end does he allow himself to show, or have, an emotion. Nicholas Guy Smith's narration captures the persona that Stevens has constructed without making it completely monochromatic. The novel is the story of a quest for a woman whom Stevens has driven away, and Smith does it full justice. Stevens comes across as a fascinating monster, utterly heedless of the consequences of his actions and incapable of authentic human relationships. Smith brings him to existence, if not exactly life, and brings the listener to understanding, if not quite sympathy. D.M.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine