Rating: 
Summary: A brillant book
Review: A Separate Peace is a brillant book that seems so simple in its context, but yet is so deep in its meaning. The reader gets the oppurtunity to take a close look at the relationships and feelings of teenage boys as they change due to experiences and time. Throughout the novel, Gene, the main character, discovers a lot about himself and in the end he figures out his true feelings concerning his best friend Finny, which ultimatly helps Gene to discover himself and leads to his achievement of a separate peace. I have no doubt in my mind that this book will fully interest any reader; those who like simplicity in their reading and those who like to look for the deep meanings in a book. This book shows that in order for one to be happy, they must first accept themselves, long before anyone else can appreciate them and accept them. This book is not only entertaining but is also full of life lessons that one may take away from it.
Rating:
Summary: Not Another Coming of Age Story
Review: Wow! This book really touched me. I loved reading it and it is a great coming of age story. This story has great characterization and is very easy to read. The war (WWII) plays a dominant part as a backdrop throughout the book. Gene represents the war with his inner turmoil and jealousy and Finny represents the "perfect" world in which everybody wants to be in. Finny is the type of person that everybody loves and at the end of the book you feel like you really can relate to him and his antics. The book used flashbacks to tell the story and it served as a very effective device to use because you got to see Gene as a teen and an adult. Also, the vivid descriptions used in the book made it a lot more interesting and you felt as though you were right there with Gene and Finny. Finally, A Seperate Peace had accurate historical references throughout the book. Anyway, if you haven't read this book already go read it!
Rating: 
Summary: It¿s been done before
Review: The story of a struggle between friends is almost a cliché. It seems that authors use this topic if they just need to put another book out on the shelf. The main character, Gene, wallows in his own self-pity so much that it made me wish that I could punch him in the face. The only good part of the book was the character Phineas. He was full of imagination and tried to make the best of the war, World War II. He even made Gene forget about the war and train for the 44' Olympics. There are books out there that have much better story lines and have a better impact on the reader than this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A Seperate Peace
Review: A story told a hundred times which gets worse everytime. The theme of this book, a struggle between friendship, is in about half of the books out there. John Knowles leaves us without any impact at all. Instead of inspiring us it makes you want to do nothing. Gene, the main character of the book is engulfed by his friend Phineas. The entire book is Gene describing how much he adores his friend. The plot has no "moving" events, even at the climax of the book. The only good part of the book is the character of Phineas. He is well-developed and brings the spirit of a teenager into the book.
Rating:
Summary: Seperate Peaces
Review: Sort of as cross between Catcher in the Rye and The Red Badge of Courage, this was not a book on my list of assignments during Jr.and Sr. high school, but over the years it had come to my attention as one that could have been, so it came time to check it out.Other reviews on this site have covered a lot about the story, and what it may or may not have meant, so there's no need to rehash all of that here. Suffice it to say that there are several "Peaces" one can find here, either the peace found at the buclic school away from that far off war, which is alluded to directly in the text, or especially, the ones so desperately sought by the various characters in the story: Gene from his guilt, Finny from his tragedy, Leper from his sanity.... The one true peace that readers will find in this story is in Finny's serene and unalloyed affection for his best friend, who may or may not have ruined his life. A lesson for kids of all ages. To call this a masterpiece might be going a little far. "Catcher " is much more psychlogical and hard hitting. These Devon boys would be eaten alive in a modern day school. Knowles is a graceful craftsman; there is a lot of imagery crammed into those few pages. Overall it would seem that the book would be ideal for school assignments because of it's depth, teenaged subject matter--and you can nail it in a couple of nights.
Rating:
Summary: About being Young
Review: Like "Catcher in The Rye", "A Separate Peace" is very much a book about the adolescent experience, and I think part of the reason I enjoyed the book so much is my relation in age to the characters. Despite that, the book has wonderful character development. Gene and Phineas become real, to the point that I can remember small details or their idiosyncracies even though I read the book two years ago. Gene is the narrator of the book, which is set in a boys preparatory school in New England. The book has many themes, some people emphasis the theme of the war, which has presence, but this book is very much human. Maybe more about being young and envious. Or being young and dependent on close friends( young and insecure?).
I know, that I would most recommend this book to teens. There is something about reading it when you are going through it. About imagining your own friendship as that of Gene's and Finny. About your experiences (as they happen) put down in writing.
Rating:
Summary: Perspective
Review: I've noticed that most of the low ratings for this book are written by people lacking cranial capacity to digest the book, not really due to any judgment of the content. Which is surprising, since this book is a quick and easy read. The book failed to make an emotional impact on me, because I saw the perspective as being ridiculous. If it was set in any other time period, this would not have bothered me. Here we have a ridiculous child obsessing over the social hierarchy of an all boy's school, worrying about silly things, while across the globe, war atrocities are occuring, people are dying. This setting puts the main character's, Gene, strife into the perspective that it is all silly childish nonsense. The only emotional resonance this book contains concerns Knowle's only likeable character, Phineas. That is what earns it two stars.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: This is a deeply moving story. Even as a woman reading this story--ultimately the tale of young boys, with whom I have nothing in common--I felt I took so much from the book. There is much symbolism in the book, but even if you don't make the connections, the story itself stands alone easily. A must read.
Rating: 
Summary: A classic masterpiece
Review: We read this book in my English class when I was in tenth grade and it's pretty good. It's about 2 friends at an all-guys boarding school. They're total opposites, but they are also roommates. One is the typical jock type and the other is the typical intelligent type. Somehow, the guys end up being best friends. Well, this friendship leads to tragedy, when one of them falls from a tree. The one who doesn't fall blames himself and ends up being ridiculed by the other guys from the school. These guys make him feel even more guilty. Later, there is even more tragedy when the injured friend dies. This story is told from the point of view of the surviving roommate who is inspired to do better because of the deah of his friend. I seriously would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read good literature.
Rating:
Summary: A Separate Peace Review
Review: A Separate Peace by John Knowles is an excellent novel in my opinion because it talks about friendship and overcoming obstacles. I can relate to the main character, Gene, because both of us are sixteen years old and some events that happen to him I can relate to it similarly. What I like most about this book is that it is about friendship and I think that any sixteen year old teen can relate to some of the text. If you like to read a novel that contains friendship and obstacles then A Separate Peace by John Knowles is the book for you to read.
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