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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
Atmospheric, touching and lugubrious novel with war constantly in the background. Gene, now as an adult reflecting back on his life at Devon School and his relationship with his friend, Phineas (or Finny).
Nothing much happens for most part of the book ; it has a sense of quietness. In the middle I was a bit bored. The characters are well-drawn especially the character of Finny; Knowles describes every movement, every expression and tone of voice in a vivid detail.
Friendship, jealousy, loyalty and kindness. Wrong impressions, misinterpretation of thought and action which fuels jealousy and colors judgement. How well we know and trust our own friends who are close to us. Gene, who misjudges Phineas and Phineas who blindly believes that his friend can't do him any harm. Gene doesn't fully realize the gravity of his crime and it's repercussions. But, he is courageous to confess it.
And, then there is war always looming and casting its grim shadow over lives of characters. There's world war II and an introspective war against one's inner thoughts and self. In school, no one exercised any real discipline; standards and rules are compromised.
"Wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart."
It was not the cider which made me surpass myself, it was the liberation we had torn from the gray encroachments of 1943, the escape we had concocted, this afternoon of momentary, illusory, special and a separate peace.
Nothing much happens for most part of the book ; it has a sense of quietness. In the middle I was a bit bored. The characters are well-drawn especially the character of Finny; Knowles describes every movement, every expression and tone of voice in a vivid detail.
Friendship, jealousy, loyalty and kindness. Wrong impressions, misinterpretation of thought and action which fuels jealousy and colors judgement. How well we know and trust our own friends who are close to us. Gene, who misjudges Phineas and Phineas who blindly believes that his friend can't do him any harm. Gene doesn't fully realize the gravity of his crime and it's repercussions. But, he is courageous to confess it.
And, then there is war always looming and casting its grim shadow over lives of characters. There's world war II and an introspective war against one's inner thoughts and self. In school, no one exercised any real discipline; standards and rules are compromised.
"Wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart."
It was not the cider which made me surpass myself, it was the liberation we had torn from the gray encroachments of 1943, the escape we had concocted, this afternoon of momentary, illusory, special and a separate peace.
F. and P. are young, wild and careless. In a New England boarding school in the early 40s, they share a room, lessons, and free time outdoors. They are best friends, but at the same time, they have some resentment for one another. They live the last golden years of their youth, as the war takes over in the background.
One day, something bad happens to one of them. The life of the other, everyone, and everything else take a different turn, while young Americans are being enlisted. War does no longer run parallel and distant, but approaches and takes over the world as they know it.
While there is some mannerism and ambivalent moralism to the story, it's well-written and psychologically deep. There is no hero and antagonist, or rather, both are both. The settings, the atmosphere are rendered with powerful accuracy, making you wish you could get back to a world you've never seen (and also to someplace I've lived in the recent past - there is a close resemblance!)
One day, something bad happens to one of them. The life of the other, everyone, and everything else take a different turn, while young Americans are being enlisted. War does no longer run parallel and distant, but approaches and takes over the world as they know it.
While there is some mannerism and ambivalent moralism to the story, it's well-written and psychologically deep. There is no hero and antagonist, or rather, both are both. The settings, the atmosphere are rendered with powerful accuracy, making you wish you could get back to a world you've never seen (and also to someplace I've lived in the recent past - there is a close resemblance!)
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh wow, I adored this! I absolutely enjoyed Knowles' writing, it was beautiful. I often found myself rereading sentences because I loved how they sounded.
The story did not turn out to be what I was expecting, it was much deeper and serious but it also made me laugh at times. The friendship and its development between Gene and Finny was very interesting and their dynamic was something I had not really encountered before. At times I wondered why they were even friends, at other times I wondered if they were actually in love with each other, and in the end I just was really sad. But what did I expect from a coming-of-age story set during WWII?
I had never heard of this book before but it is considered an American classic and it is (apparently) still on the reading list of many schools - I'm so glad that I found it and read it! :)
I also really enjoyed David Levithan's afterword that is in the edition I own, particularly when he writes about what this book means for him and others. It was lovely!
The story did not turn out to be what I was expecting, it was much deeper and serious but it also made me laugh at times. The friendship and its development between Gene and Finny was very interesting and their dynamic was something I had not really encountered before. At times I wondered why they were even friends, at other times I wondered if they were actually in love with each other, and in the end I just was really sad. But what did I expect from a coming-of-age story set during WWII?
I had never heard of this book before but it is considered an American classic and it is (apparently) still on the reading list of many schools - I'm so glad that I found it and read it! :)
I also really enjoyed David Levithan's afterword that is in the edition I own, particularly when he writes about what this book means for him and others. It was lovely!
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Two guys sitting on a a tree branch one knocks the other off the branch so they can be 5 feet apart and not gay!