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katiegilley's review against another edition
4.0
This story takes us into the hallowed halls of St. Oswalds - a private boys school that is everything that one thinks of when those words are said - stately, old, and steeped in tradition. returnreturnWe have two main characters. The first is Roy Straitley, a Latin teacher who has been teaching at Oswalds for 33 years. He is the epitome of tradition - begrudges the technology changes and doesn't do email; teaches a dying language that is mocked by other instructors and is constantly trying to be pushed aside and ended by the school; and fiercely loves his boys and what he teaches. The second is a new teacher with a vendetta. This new teacher was actually the child of a past Porter (groundskeeper, basically) and longed to be a student at St. Oswalds. A tragic incident in the past causes this new teacher to seek revenge.returnreturnAnd boy, is the revenge serious. It starts out simply: missing pens, tea mugs. And then it becomes more and more serious as the story evolves.returnreturnI really enjoyed this book - reading about St. Oswalds made me feel cozy and the mystery and suspense of the story really drew me in. I'd definitely suggest this book to anyone who is interested in the life of private schools and the traditions they entail or anyone who likes twisted-types of mysteries.
natalegend's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ncat999's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to the audiobook, and I swear half the reason I liked this so much was the narrator.
canadian_cristal's review against another edition
4.0
It took a while, in fact I had to start over a number of times to get into the story. Once I was able to follow along the story became more exciting. Love the reveal. It made me think back a lot.
jessshire_cat's review against another edition
4.0
Imagine reading a book about red paint drying, but at the end, you discover that it wasn't red paint, it was blue paint. That's what this book was like. It was the most boring book I've ever red (the only point of comparison that comes to mind is Macbeth from high school English days, and I think Macbeth was more interesting), but the twist at the end was exceptionally well executed and I did not see it coming at all.
It would be interesting to read the book again now that I know it's about blue paint not red paint, but who wants to read a book about paint drying twice?
Update: I quickly read it again from blue paint's pov. Probably the cleverest thriller I've read (I was fully convinced it was red paint!) I still think the overall story line is boring though.
It would be interesting to read the book again now that I know it's about blue paint not red paint, but who wants to read a book about paint drying twice?
Update: I quickly read it again from blue paint's pov. Probably the cleverest thriller I've read (I was fully convinced it was red paint!) I still think the overall story line is boring though.
gretatimaite's review against another edition
A "what the heck I just read?" book. In a good way.
applegnreads's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know whether I was merely distracted or if she made this book a touch more confusing than it needed to be. Sigh.
nickeal1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nickeal1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
casspro's review against another edition
4.0
Joanne Harris is one of my absolute favorite authors. Her writings are rich and substantial, delicious if I'm fabulous enough to use that word to describe something other than cake. But one of Harris' trademarks is writing about a fiercly independent woman (usually a single mother) who comes to a small town or village (usually in France) and stirs up trouble because she's different. She falls in love with a man (usually of the rugged gypsy variety) and together than change the opinions of the town. Gentlemen and Players is an outlier in her typical cannon of novels. Set in England (not France!), it centers around the trials and scandals of the private school system. The chapters switch perspective, beginning with the elderly and slowly irrelevant, yet lovable Latin school Master and a lower-class-turned-bougeoisis former pupil of sorts who returns to the school for....revenge? attention? It's yet to be determined in this point of the novel, but it's definitely foundation shattering for the stodgy and all-appearances St. Oswald's.
It's refreshing to know that Harris isn't a one-trick pony. But even if she was, I'd buy into that trick over and over again. It's just that good.
It's refreshing to know that Harris isn't a one-trick pony. But even if she was, I'd buy into that trick over and over again. It's just that good.