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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Horrible, hideous characters but really well depicted. I wish I could spit on Miss Brodie's face.
I loved the first half of the book - couldn't put it down. But then it seemed to spiral into complacence and monotony. I'm quite thankful that I didn't need to study THIS book for A level or whatever.
This is a short good time, a kind of junior “The Group,” a bit of from-the-side-of-the-mouth feminism with a chewy center of internalized misogyny.
medium-paced
medium-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
Wow! This novel was not what I expected. As a reader, I started out liking Miss Brodie, a different kind of educator, willing to break rules and seemingly interested in actual learning rather than rote test taking. However, as the novel progressed there were little hints that perhaps Miss Brodie's influence on her charges was not entirely positive. Eventually she is revealed to be a charismatic but manipulative woman who is creating a cult of personality in her "Brodie set" (the students she favors), and will influence them in not entirely positive ways.
Spark's narrative plays with the timeline by skipping back and forth through the present (Edinburgh 1930s) and the future, showing us glimpses of what is to come, hinting tantalizingly at some "betrayal," and revealing new elements of the characters as the story progresses. I found this really effective and it's left me with a lot to consider, especially as I am a teacher myself.
Spark's narrative plays with the timeline by skipping back and forth through the present (Edinburgh 1930s) and the future, showing us glimpses of what is to come, hinting tantalizingly at some "betrayal," and revealing new elements of the characters as the story progresses. I found this really effective and it's left me with a lot to consider, especially as I am a teacher myself.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“One’s prime is elusive. You little girls, when you grow up, must be on the alert to recognise your prime at whatever time of your life it may occur. You must then live it to the full.”
A bittersweet story of a Scottish schoolmistress at a conservative girl's school in 1930s Edinburgh. Miss Brodie is a spinster who believes her life is in its prime, and she imparts her ideas of art, beauty, and even fascism with zeal on her young, impressionable, and romanticised girls. A deft little masterpiece, this classic was adapted as a play in 1966 featuring Vanessa Redgrave, then a film starring Maggie Smith in 1969.
Fantastic as always - this read round I noticed the calvinist element more, of extreme leaps from living to death whilst the living is still being recalled (Mary MacGregor's death comes to mind). Brilliant