The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro     245 pages

This is Kazuo Ishiguro's profoundly compelling portrait of Stevens, the perfect butler, and of his fading, insular world in post-World War II England. Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the "great gentleman," Lord Darlington. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's "greatness," and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life.

This is a masterpiece of prose. Ishiguro is so skilled at writing narrative fiction, his characters always so thoughtful and philosophical. And yet, somehow as you read it, it doesn't get boring or too meandering. This book has almost no plot, and yet I found I didn't mind that. This book is essentially the musings of an English butler, looking back on moments in his life that could be considered "turning points," all brought about by the news that an old acquaintance might be free to return to her post. 

Each moment in the past brings to light more and more of Mr. Stevens' character, and you slowly get a sense of who he is as a person and it also brings into focus aspects about himself that he appears not to see, or is trying to persuade the reader he is not/does not feel, and yet you know he is/does. I love how all of this can be conveyed just through Mr. Stevens' own inner thoughts and recollection, but put in tandem with his remembrances of conversations he held in the past. Is he a reliable narrator? Perhaps, but it is obvious he does not know his own heart, or is trying to reject possible feelings or ideas because it would make his life unbearable. 

The ending itself is so perfect and things come together in such a bittersweet way. I'll just share one quote that really is one of the most beautiful things I've read:

"Perhaps, then, there is something to his advice that I should cease looking back so much, that I should adopt a more positive outlook and try to make the best of what remains of my day. After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished?" p. 244

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves realistic fiction, especially fiction that touches on historical - certain events of WWII are mentioned. This is classic English literature at its best.

Winter of Our Discontent

Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
291 Pages


This was the last novel of John Steinbeck and the one that won him a Nobel Prize for Literature.  Ethan Allen Hawley is a store clerk with a wife and two children.  His family was once prominent and rich but Ethan's father lost the family fortune.  Despite this Ethan is happy but his wife and children want more, they want the material wealth that everyone else is enjoying and this pressures Ethan to concoct a plan to put aside the morals he follows to gain wealth and power. 

The book is moral of American society losing its way in the 50's and 60's as its populace becomes materialistic.  The constant refrain throughout the book is others urging Ethan to not be so honest, to get ahead by taking advantage of others, after all everyone is doing it.  While some of the language and idioms used in the book are dated, it still is an accurate portrayal of the honorable everyman striving to succeed in a corrupt society and still hold on to basic decentness. 

Dr. No

Dr. No by Ian Fleming, 256 pages

When reading Bond novels I found that the villains tend to break into two groups; crooks that want to kill people for revenge or ones that want a lot of money. The first group of villain I can understand. They feel like they have been wronged in some way and have blown it way out of proportion and now want to destroy entire cities to get even. Crazy? Yes, but who hasn’t done something stupid or crazy when angry. Examples of Bond books with these villains are Moonraker and From Russia With Love.

Next are the villains that are trying to make millions. These are obviously motivated by greed and tend to be more violent the other group. They want money and will break the law to get it. Diamonds are Forever and Casino Royale are good examples. Again can see where they are coming from. In some cases they are still breaking the law, but at least they aren’t killing people. At least not until someone interferes with their plans.

Finally there is a third side group. This is the group of villains that are trying to make money but are killing animals to do it. The books with those villains are Live and Let Die and Dr. No. These are the villains that I cannot understand and find to be the worse. In both cases the killing of the animals was not necessary. In Live and Let Die they were smuggling gold bars and coins in the bottom of fish tanks and killing the fish at the other end. With Dr. No it involved a certain species of bird called the roseate spoonbill. Maybe it’s just my love for those birds but as soon as I read that Dr. No was adversely affecting their population I was hoping for his demise. It didn’t matter that he had killed fisherman and trespassers, but when he picks on the birds then it’s time for him to go. In both of these cases they never had to hurt the animals but didn’t care they just wanted their money.   

Once I got past my anger at Fleming for targeting one of my favorite birds to be the victim in the novel I started to enjoy it. Fleming knows how to get your attention and keep it. In Dr. No he does this in two ways. The first is his vivid descriptions of the wildlife that Bond comes across. From describing a sea snail climbing up a glass wall to the giant squid his attention to detail is astounding. His second method is the time proven method of adding an attractive naked woman. Of course the woman instantly falls for Bond and comes with him on the journey. This makes for an interesting novel that makes the pages fly by. If you have enjoyed any of the other Bond books this one is worth the read.

From Russia With Love

From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming, 268 pages

From Russia with Love is easily my favorite Bond novel so far. Not only does it have some of the best characters, but it also is the first novel that depicts more of the theatrical James Bond people have come to know.

The basic story line is SMERH, Russia’s anti spy division, has setup a trap for Bond involving a beautiful Russian agent named Tatiana Romanova. She is to pretend to be obsessed with Bond and when he comes to escort her to Britain she will bring along a brand new Russian decoding device.

In Bonds travels to extract her he meets Drako Kerim, head of Britain’s Turkey division. Drako is a man that is so full of life you can’t help but cheer for him and enjoy his company. He brings back the classic spying motif. From sliding bookcases, to secret tunnels and even a gun disguised as a cane.  But Bond is also being hunted by a man named Red Grant. Grant is a psychopathic killer who loses control over himself and feels the need to kill people when the moon is full. He is also SMERH’s head executioner. All of this comes to a thrilling finish on a four day ride on the Orient Express.

From Russia with Love is also unique in the fact it ends with a cliff hanger. At this point Fleming was losing interest in the Bond series and was trying to decide what to do. The ending allows him to either wrap up the series and finish the Bond story or pick up and continue. As there are like 35 more books after this one I wonder which option he chooses.

 The novel like all of the ones before it has also been made into a move. Unlike some other Bond movies this one follows the book. 

Diamonds are Forever

Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming, 218 pages

At first I thought I would have to wait a couple weeks to read this novel as our patrons seemed to conspire against me. Despite having four copies of this novel in the system all of them disappeared a couple days before I went looking for them. Luckily I managed to find it in a collection of Bond works.

Having finished the fourth James Bond book by Ian Fleming, I think Fleming has established a theme with card games and gambling. In all except Live and Let Die there have been high stakes card games and or other gambling. In Casino Royale it was roulette and baccarat. Moonraker had bridge and a couple other card games. And finally Diamonds are Forever has horse racing, slots, blackjack, and roulette. Of course Bond comes out ahead on anything involving lots of money.

In Diamonds are Forever James is selected to replace a smuggler and bring some diamonds into the United States for some American gangsters. His escort from the mob is an attractive Tiffany Case. Naturally Bond develops a crush and wants to get her out of the mob business. Throughout this thrilling story Bond travels from Britain to New York and across the United States trying to unravel a multinational diamond smuggling ring. All of this leads to a climatic final that has plenty of shooting and explosions.

There is a movie with the same title, but the only similarities are the names and that Bond goes to Las Vegas.

Moonraker

Moonraker by Ian Fleming, 256 pages

Moonraker is the third James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming. Fleming works hard to incorporate both of his previous books into Moonraker. He mentions the dark tan/sunburn Bond got in Live and Let Die, along with Bonds famous card playing skills from Casino Royale. The book is divided into two main parts each involving a popular millionaire name Sir Hugo Drax.

 In the first part Bond is called upon to investigate a claim of cheating in a bridge game at the elitist gambling club Blades. Much like Fleming did in Casino Royale with the baccarat game, he walks you through the playing of the hands. Despite my minute knowledge on the playing of bridge Fleming manages to make the walk through not only interesting but in a way thrilling. Unlike my learning of baccarat from Fleming in Casino Royale I still have no idea how to play bridge. Bond quickly learns how the culprit is cheating and repays him in kind.

The second part of the novel involves Britain’s first attempt at making a nuclear missile capable of reaching most of Europe’s capital cities. When the head of security for the project is killed at a bar under mysterious circumstances Bond is brought in to make sure the project is not in danger. Bond being Bond quickly finds himself drawn to the attractive Gala Brand and with her help they uncover a plot that could change the world.

Moonraker is the first novel that has given us a deeper understanding of how Bond spends his time. Fleming describes everything from target practice, to chatting with secretaries, and even mundane paperwork at the office. While it was mentioned previously that there are only three double-oh agents at a time, Fleming reveals that the current three are 007, 008, and 0011. It is also mentioned that Bond only makes £2000 a year which seemed very low to me until research showed that in today’s values it would be closer to £300,000.

Overall Moonraker is a good book but is slightly off the pace of Flemings first two. While deduction and skill were heavily relied upon in the first two, this one seems to rely entirely on luck and a blind eye from the government. This didn't make the story less thrilling, just less believable.

Live and Let Die

Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming, pages 247

This is the second book in the James Bond series by Ian Fleming. It follows closely after Casino Royale and in fact the casino adventure is mentioned in conversation. Again this book also has a movie of the same title though parts of it, like Leiter being attacked by a shark, were used in other movies.

When I first picked up the book from the Central stacks the theme song from the movie was playing in my head. As I immersed myself in the novel thankfully the song faded and I was able to bring my full attention the Flemings writing. Like Casino Royale, it is quite evident that this novel takes place in the late 50s to early 60s. Fleming spends some time describing how the African American population is just coming into its stride with notable scientists, doctors and writers, but still uses terms such as "negro" and "negress." His portrayal of that community is also very stereotypical.

As far as plot goes live and let die is a fast paced thriller that follows Bond as he tries to uncover and expose the elaborate smuggling ring of Mr. Big. This takes him on a terror filled journey through New York, Florida and finally to Jamaica. Along the way he meets the lovely and mysterious Solitaire who is a prisoner of Mr. Big. With some help from the CIA he confronts Mr. Big in an action packed conclusion that has sharks, a damsel in distress and fiery explosions.  

Casino Royale

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming, 213 pages

 

Continuing with my trend of books that became movies I decided to read the first James Bond novel by Ian Fleming. Again this is a series of books where I have seen the movies but never took time read the source material.

Ian Fleming has a style of writing that not only drags you into the books; it also makes you understand them. A perfect example of this is the card game baccarat. Before I read this book the only thing I knew about baccarat was that it is a card game. But through Fleming’s description and by having Bond play through a couple hands in the book, I now have a fundamental knowledge of the game.

The one thing that I disliked about the book compared to the movie is the portrayal of Bond. I was expecting a smooth, ladies’ man but instead got a chauvinistic agent whose job comes before all else. Since Fleming was writing in the 50’s I guess it makes sense but it is hard to imagine the Bond on the screen today saying women belong in the kitchen.

Another observation I had is; why do many action heroes/secret agents have the initials JB. Off the top of my head I can think of James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer. Is there a reason for this?