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affiknittyreads's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
randab's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
drexedit's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sprainedbrain's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
barbarabarbara's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
flogigyahoo's review against another edition
4.0
I re-read this book after about 30 years and now enjoyed it as much as I did first time, maybe more. Olivia Manning was famous for the excellent The Balkan Trilogy and the Levant Trilogy, the final book of which was published the year of her death. But in 1951 she published The School for Love, the story of young orphan, Felix Latimer, whose mother has died after the loss of his father while living in Bagdahd during WWII. Unable to travel home due to the war, Felix is sent to board with a foster aunt in her pension in Jerusalem in Mandate Palestine. His aunt is Miss Bohun, a woman who strikes him as mean, nasty, malicious, considering herself a good Christian woman, yet showing none of the aspects of one. Felix loves only her cat, Faro, until Mrs Ellis arrives, a young pregnant widow. Felix at first falls for this beauty but she and Miss Bohun do not hit it off well, needless to say, and Felix grows up very quickly watching the two of them battle it out. I loved this novel; Manning's spare style is wonderful.
sarahjsnider's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up after reading an article about underappreciated female authors, and I'm glad I discovered this voice. The plot is unevenly paced at times, but the characters are the real stars here. Everyone, even the cat, is drawn in such rich detail.
neven's review against another edition
4.0
A strange little book, talking around various points in a way that seems at times vague, but in the end adds up. Most importantly, it rings true.
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