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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Thanks to Netgalley and Algonquin Books for an advanced copy of this book.
Y’all know I’m a sucker for boarding school novels. But, I’ve had read some stinkers over the past few years. Shadow of the Lions is NOT one of the stinkers! It’s been described as a “literary thriller,” which I’m not sure I agree with. I’d say it’s more of a literary “mystery” than a “thriller” because it doesn’t have all the heart-pounding franticness that a thriller brings to mind.
The story begins with a wistful feeling as Matthias returns to campus and reminisces about his time there as a student and Fritz’s disappearance. And, it gradually picks up speed as Matthias decides he wants to find out what happened to Fritz once and for all. This is also a story about male friendship…the kind of bond that can only be developed in extremely close quarters with shared experiences (i.e. living together in dorms, in the military, etc). Shadow of the Lions is one of those books that you don’t have to think too hard about (I need these sometimes!), but that has enough depth to keep you interested…and is the final book I’m adding to this year’s Summer Reading Guide!
For more reviews, visit my blog: https://www.sarahsbookshelves.com/
Y’all know I’m a sucker for boarding school novels. But, I’ve had read some stinkers over the past few years. Shadow of the Lions is NOT one of the stinkers! It’s been described as a “literary thriller,” which I’m not sure I agree with. I’d say it’s more of a literary “mystery” than a “thriller” because it doesn’t have all the heart-pounding franticness that a thriller brings to mind.
The story begins with a wistful feeling as Matthias returns to campus and reminisces about his time there as a student and Fritz’s disappearance. And, it gradually picks up speed as Matthias decides he wants to find out what happened to Fritz once and for all. This is also a story about male friendship…the kind of bond that can only be developed in extremely close quarters with shared experiences (i.e. living together in dorms, in the military, etc). Shadow of the Lions is one of those books that you don’t have to think too hard about (I need these sometimes!), but that has enough depth to keep you interested…and is the final book I’m adding to this year’s Summer Reading Guide!
For more reviews, visit my blog: https://www.sarahsbookshelves.com/
First half was good- mysterious disappearance, elite boarding school, a writer coming back to teach... and then it kinda just veered away into something bizarre and it didn’t fit the first half of the novel.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Weak, underdeveloped characters, particularly with the women. Main character is Straight And Proud and Wants You To Know It. Terrible ending. the reason fritz leaves makes no fucking sense lmaooo don't waste your time on this, go read "The Lake of Dead Languages" by Carol Goodman instead
Well-written and enjoyable campus novel, but not a favorite. I think the pacing is a little off, particularly at the beginning.
A worker at a local bookstore told me that she didn't want to put this book down and couldn't wait to for me to read it. I loved this book. I have read other reviewers say that it starts slow, but it grabbed and held my attention from the start. I enjoyed the way it set up the story by alternating timelines from when Matthias was a boy and years later when he was a teacher. I liked the way the author used that the main character was both a student and teacher at the school and that he included excerpts of other books and bits of poetry.
I don't care for a book that tries to tie everything up in the last chapter. That is too rushed and oftentimes leaves me feeling disappointed. This book was so full of twists and turns along the way I couldn't wait to have time to read more and see how it would end. And sure maybe I may have suspected a thing or two along the way, but there were still many surprises and in the end it all fit together very well.
I don't care for a book that tries to tie everything up in the last chapter. That is too rushed and oftentimes leaves me feeling disappointed. This book was so full of twists and turns along the way I couldn't wait to have time to read more and see how it would end. And sure maybe I may have suspected a thing or two along the way, but there were still many surprises and in the end it all fit together very well.
Read my review on p 34 of the August issue of Perimeter North Lifestyle magazine: http://issuu.com/lifestylepubs/docs/perimeter_north_2017_8_print?e=10131829/51293103
or check it out on my blog:
https://ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/2017/07/my-review-of-shadow-of-lions-by.html
Two massive concrete lions have guarded the front entrance to Virginia’s Blackburne School for more than a century. Respected and revered, they symbolize the school’s fiercely held traditions, especially its honor code. After Matthias Glass confesses his honor code violation to his best friend, Fritz Davenport, they briefly argue before Fritz runs into the woods—and vanishes without a trace.
In the decade following Matthias’ graduation from Blackburne, he attends college, grad school, and writes a successful first novel. When he finds himself abandoned by his writing inspiration (and his model girlfriend), he accepts a position at Blackburne teaching English. Upon his return to his alma mater, he becomes consumed with finding out what really happened to his friend all those years ago. While looking for answers, a student death on campus opens his eyes to the dark underbelly of the prestigious boys’ boarding school. Partnering with a local ex-cop to solve the mysteries, Matthias begins to suspect a campus figure may have connections to both the recent student death and Fritz’s disappearance. As he digs deeper, his search turns up much more than he bargained for, including links to the FBI, cyber surveillance, exorbitant bribes, and issues of national security. He also uncovers various Blackburne secrets as well as the dark realities of a powerful Washington, DC, family.
Sandy Springs author, Christopher Swann, creates a complex protagonist and conjures an alluring and ominous prep school setting from his firsthand academic experiences. As the English Department chair of Atlanta’s Holy Innocents' Episcopal School, Swann’s twenty-one years of teaching English are evident in Matthias Glass, a novelist turned English teacher turned amateur detective. Swann also draws on his own four years of high school at Woodberry Forest School, an all male boarding school in Virginia, to transport his readers to the insular community of Blackburne. In true Southern style, Swann also weaves the underlying theme of football into his debut novel. While the unofficial religion of the South offers many metaphors on life, Swann perfectly exemplifies the painfully tenuous transition between adolescence and adulthood with his powerfully detailed descriptions of grueling practices and an intense annual football game against their rival school.
Alternating between Matthias’ student and teacher periods and filled with literary references, Swann’s bildungsroman draws comparisons to beloved boarding school novels The Catcher in the Rye, Dead Poets Society, and A Separate Peace. Like these classics, Shadow of the Lions explores love, loyalty, loss, duty, and betrayal. It exposes burdens of privilege, the desperation to belong, the layered creation of one’s character, and the fact that intense adolescent friendships shape all of our adult lives, for better or worse.
or check it out on my blog:
https://ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/2017/07/my-review-of-shadow-of-lions-by.html
Two massive concrete lions have guarded the front entrance to Virginia’s Blackburne School for more than a century. Respected and revered, they symbolize the school’s fiercely held traditions, especially its honor code. After Matthias Glass confesses his honor code violation to his best friend, Fritz Davenport, they briefly argue before Fritz runs into the woods—and vanishes without a trace.
In the decade following Matthias’ graduation from Blackburne, he attends college, grad school, and writes a successful first novel. When he finds himself abandoned by his writing inspiration (and his model girlfriend), he accepts a position at Blackburne teaching English. Upon his return to his alma mater, he becomes consumed with finding out what really happened to his friend all those years ago. While looking for answers, a student death on campus opens his eyes to the dark underbelly of the prestigious boys’ boarding school. Partnering with a local ex-cop to solve the mysteries, Matthias begins to suspect a campus figure may have connections to both the recent student death and Fritz’s disappearance. As he digs deeper, his search turns up much more than he bargained for, including links to the FBI, cyber surveillance, exorbitant bribes, and issues of national security. He also uncovers various Blackburne secrets as well as the dark realities of a powerful Washington, DC, family.
Sandy Springs author, Christopher Swann, creates a complex protagonist and conjures an alluring and ominous prep school setting from his firsthand academic experiences. As the English Department chair of Atlanta’s Holy Innocents' Episcopal School, Swann’s twenty-one years of teaching English are evident in Matthias Glass, a novelist turned English teacher turned amateur detective. Swann also draws on his own four years of high school at Woodberry Forest School, an all male boarding school in Virginia, to transport his readers to the insular community of Blackburne. In true Southern style, Swann also weaves the underlying theme of football into his debut novel. While the unofficial religion of the South offers many metaphors on life, Swann perfectly exemplifies the painfully tenuous transition between adolescence and adulthood with his powerfully detailed descriptions of grueling practices and an intense annual football game against their rival school.
Alternating between Matthias’ student and teacher periods and filled with literary references, Swann’s bildungsroman draws comparisons to beloved boarding school novels The Catcher in the Rye, Dead Poets Society, and A Separate Peace. Like these classics, Shadow of the Lions explores love, loyalty, loss, duty, and betrayal. It exposes burdens of privilege, the desperation to belong, the layered creation of one’s character, and the fact that intense adolescent friendships shape all of our adult lives, for better or worse.
While not perfect (so few are) this is a STRONG debut novel. Swann's world held my attention from the first page to the last.
I can't wait to get my hands on Swann's next book, which is a funny thing to say a few days before the official pub date of this novel.
I can't wait to get my hands on Swann's next book, which is a funny thing to say a few days before the official pub date of this novel.
A trip down memory lane in Virginia. Enjoyed the setting a lot. Parts of the story seemed cut off too quickly but for the most part it was a really well done mystery with developed characters and an interesting plot.
13% into the book the author made a real bad attempt at using aave and the book didn’t get better from there. DNF’d at 24%.