The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Stevens, a very proper English butler, takes a holiday near the end of his career of working at Darlington Hall.  He spends much of his holiday looking back over his years of service, reassuring himself that he served a "great gentleman" with "dignity."  He reminded me of Mr. Carson from Downton Abbey, only even more so.  While I don't remember much about the movie version, I do remember that his part was played by Anthony Hopkins, who was the perfect actor for the part.  Now I want to see the movie again.  I really enjoyed the book and rated it 4 out of 5.