I was originally going to buy this book for my sister for Christmas, but wasn't quite sure that she would like it so I bought it for myself instead. It was my intention to lend it to her if it was a great read, however I think I'm still undecided.
This is the story of an ageing butler reminiscing on his times serving Lord Darlington between World War I and World War II.
This book won the Booker Prize but I must say that I was a little surprised at how slow it was in the beginning. The sections I enjoyed most in the book were the main character's memories of the day to day events and conversations in his role as butler of Darlington Hall. The language and dialogue in these sections were very formal and I enjoyed these immensely. I know my sister would enjoy these sections too, however the surrounding commentary could be a little slow in parts.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed the book, but not quite sure it was worthy of the Booker Prize.
My rating = ****
Carpe Librum!
The novel never goes out of the way to build the story through the flashbacks and travelogue of an old butler on a journey. Loyalty, dignity, relationships, politics and even romance were discussed in the most astonishing style devoid of the cheap theatrics.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rahul, I completely agree with you and glad you also enjoyed this book.
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