A review by and_what_then_88
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Spark's writing is unparalleled. She is funny, savagely satirical, sparse, poetic; never a word out of place. She manages to write a story about schoolgirls and their teacher that is a scathing critique of fascism and the cult of personality, a novella length story that is both full of postmodern textual experimentation and easy to read and love (while not really liking any of the characters - that's not what this is about. Miss Brodie has a real mystique to her, she is a defining character of 20th century literature, but if you like her you have missed the point pretty badly!) This book, Spark's writing, and Miss Brodie's presence stays with you.