25 NOVEMBER 1989, Page 42

Gabriele Annan

THE answer to the question which book did you enjoy most will have to be Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains Of The Day (Fa- ber, £10.95) — helas. It is also the answer to the second question: which was the most overrated book in your opinion? It did not seem as good as Ishiguro's two previous and almost flawless novels. This one is rather preachy and there are some boring and implausible passages about simple English country folk. But Ishiguro's imper- sonation — because that is what it is — of an old pre-war English butler is breath- taking.