Kell Posted December 26, 2006 Posted December 26, 2006 Author: Joanne Harris ISBN # 0552770027 Publisher: Black Swan First Published: 2005 506 pages Rating: 8/10 Synopsis: A new year has just begun, and for the staff and boys of the school, a wind of unwelcome change is blowing. Suits, paperwork and Information Technology rule the world and Roy Straitley, Latin master, eccentric, and veteran of St Oswald's, is finally - reluctantly - contemplating retirement. But beneath the little rivalries, petty disputes and everyday crises of the school, a darker undercurrent stirs. And a bitter grudge, hidden and carefully nurtured for thirteen years, is about to erupt. Who is Mole, the mysterious insider, whose cruel practical jokes are gradually escalating towards violence - and perhaps, murder? And how can an old and half-forgotten scandal become the stone that brings down a giant? Review: This is the complete opposite of Chocolat Quote
Liz Posted December 27, 2006 Posted December 27, 2006 Read this earlier in the the year. Absolutely loved it! A great book. Quote
Kell Posted December 27, 2006 Author Posted December 27, 2006 What, in particular, did you enjoy most about it, Liz? It has so much to recommend it, but I loved the way it moved between the two timeframes quite seemlessly & the characters were all people I could recognise from real-life, which made it all the easier to get into it all. Quote
Liz Posted December 27, 2006 Posted December 27, 2006 Well, I really enjoy books that are set around schools/universities, so that is probably one of the main reasons why I liked the book. Also, I liked the way the story kept changing person for more or less each chapter - made it a bit more interesting than just following the one person's story. Quote
Angel Posted December 27, 2006 Posted December 27, 2006 I thoroughly enjoyed this one earlier this year. It is so different from her other books and made a refreshing change. I also enjoyed the way that the characters took the lead in different chapters. It certainly has a dark thread running through it to provide suspense throughout Quote
Kell Posted December 27, 2006 Author Posted December 27, 2006 thing I did rather like was how many of the names & nicknames were related to chess - a game of skill. Initially, we're introduced to the King & the Pawn,telling thier respective stories, there's a teacher called Bishop & a pupil called Knight who play major parts in the action, & then there's the nickname, Queenie, later on - very clever,I thought. And a lot of the character names seemed to be very discriptive - Meek, Tidy & Dare... Quote
kernow_reader Posted December 27, 2006 Posted December 27, 2006 This one is on my tbr pile. Has been since August but I keep overlooking it for something else. Here, look. . it's now third in line. . oh, hang on. . I mean fourth. . Must just read this one before I start G&P. . Quote
Janet Posted December 29, 2006 Posted December 29, 2006 This is one of my favourite reads of 2006. It was so different from the three 'Food' books set in France by Joanne Harris that I have previously read. The book was descriptive and I loved the school setting. I certainly didn't guess what the twist would be. Quote
KW Posted December 31, 2006 Posted December 31, 2006 I picked this up at B&N last night and ALMOST got it!!!!!! Dangitall. Now, I'll have to pick it up. Sounds like something I'd enjoy. KW Quote
KW Posted December 31, 2006 Posted December 31, 2006 Are the English boarding school books REALLY an accurate picture of what boarding school in the UK is like??? I've seen some pretty funky ones on Amazon... Anyone out there who can answer this question??? Heluuu??? KW Quote
Kell Posted January 9, 2007 Author Posted January 9, 2007 I never went to a boarding school, so I couldn't say from personal experience. I don't think I even know anyone who went to boarding school. If I were to go by the Enid Blyton stories I read when I was very young, all-girl schools are all jolly-hockey-sticks, midnight feasts, and having a jolly-whizzy time together, but I've never read anything other than G&P set at an all-boys school... Quote
Pilgrim Posted March 21, 2008 Posted March 21, 2008 Glad this thread is here. Loved this book. As you all have said, the chess game, the twist(s) and the subtle back and forth from character to character where one has to wait for the clues to the identify the speaker. I thought it was a commuter school (though ritzy) because Pinchbeck didn't mention dorms (to my knowledge) and talked about their arriving in cars. I'm so glad I had no clue what the ending was. I have never wanted to read a book over (Except A Tale of Two Cities) but this deserves closer observation. Quote
Esiotrot Posted March 21, 2008 Posted March 21, 2008 I forgot I had this book, I bought it about 2 years ago and still havent got round to reading it. I read Chocolat by the same author and to be honest it put me off reading anything else she had written. Will have to dig it out and place it on mount TBR - it sounds great, glad to hear its completely different to Chocolat. Kx Quote
Roland Butter Posted March 21, 2008 Posted March 21, 2008 I'm sure I've said it before, but - excellent book! Can't recommend it highly enough. Quote
Welshman Posted May 19, 2008 Posted May 19, 2008 I remember reading this when it came out and became so excited by it that I almost cheated and leapt to the end to find out what would happen to the lead character. Lots of twists and turns, but more importantly, you become involved with the characters. Overall - not the best book I have ever read, but certainly a good 'un. Quote
Kate Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 This was an extremely good book in my opinion. I did not guess the twist at the end at all, which makes it a great read. I agree with Welshman that you get involved with the characters. I just loved this book. 10/10 from me. Quote
Guest Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 ...I certainly didn't guess what the twist would be. You didn't? I thought it was obvious. Saw it coming a mile off and I hoped I was wrong, but it spoiled the ending, having it signposted so far in advance. Quote
Kate Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 You are the first person I have come across that saw the twist. My Mum and her bookclub didn't see it either, which makes me feel better! Quote
Kell Posted May 23, 2008 Author Posted May 23, 2008 You are the first person I have come across that saw the twist. My Mum and her bookclub didn't see it either, which makes me feel better! Maybe it's because I've read so many books that I'm at the point where I see familiar plots ahead of time. I'm forever trying to work out what the author has planned and how they wove all the plot threads together. A lot of the time I ask, "If I was writing this book, what would I have happen next?" I spotted the twist fairly early on too, but I thought it was all very well-written, so I got a lot of satisfaction out of being right in my surmising the final outcome. Like Prospero, I quite often find myself thinking ahead to what could/should follow going by what's happened so far. Sometimes I end up very disappointed because I worked things out so early on, but other times I get a big boost out of it - but only really when I think the book is particularly good - I enjoy the ride. Of course, there have been occasions where I've been completely and pleasantly surprised by the end of a novel and thought, "Well! I never saw THAT coming!" Quote
Kate Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 I just read and see where I'm taken, instead of guessing. I prefer it that way. I did enjoy the book a lot though Quote
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