Rating: 
Summary: Tight, taut and suspenseful
Review: Brat Farrar agrees, against his better judgment, to assume the identity of a dead English boy and take his place as master of a small estate. He doesn't expect to feel an odd sense of belonging in the dead boy's life, or to feel such deep affection for the dead boy's family -- or to be treated with such contempt by the dead boy's twin brother. It's tough to make the "imposter" plot believeable - and Tey manages to suck you in from the very first page. What happens to Brat, and whether his deception is ultimately uncovered, makes for a taut, tense ride. Tey is not only great at building suspense, she's also a darn fine writer. Her characters are well-developed and psychologically true. She has a great eye for detail and paints an affectionate portrait of post-war English country life. I couldn't put this one down until I finished it.
Rating:
Summary: A true classic.
Review: Brat Farrar has been on my "Must Read" list for so long that I was almost hesitant to pick it up for fear it wouldn't live up to expectations. I shouldn't have worried. This is the kind of book you either read in one sitting or can't wait to get back to once you put it down. Tey weaves a wonderful web of characters and suspicion, turning the reader to face new possibilities in the plot like Brat might turn one of his horses. Brat is - without a doubt - an Ashby; all anyone has to do is look at him to know that. But is he the long-dead Patrick, heir to the Latchetts Estate? Arguing (delightfully) against his own better nature, Brat decides to pass himself off as the eldest son of the family only to suffer waves of guilt over his deception. Each member of the family and his or her reaction to Brat is so clearly drawn it's easy to see them jump off the page, especially Simon, Patrick's slightly younger twin who has just seen his inheritance handed to someone who may be an imposter. Tey mixes in clever little side stories which add flavor to the mystery not to mention a few clues before bringing it all to an almost perfect close. A few loose threads at the end are the only down note. What I enjoyed mostly was that unlike some other Tey mysteries which seem dated, this one has stood the test of time.
Rating:
Summary: A true classic.
Review: Brat Farrar has been on my "Must Read" list for so long that I was almost hesitant to pick it up for fear it wouldn't live up to expectations. I shouldn't have worried. This is the kind of book you either read in one sitting or can't wait to get back to once you put it down. Tey weaves a wonderful web of characters and suspicion, turning the reader to face new possibilities in the plot like Brat might turn one of his horses. Brat is - without a doubt - an Ashby; all anyone has to do is look at him to know that. But is he the long-dead Patrick, heir to the Latchetts Estate? Arguing (delightfully) against his own better nature, Brat decides to pass himself off as the eldest son of the family only to suffer waves of guilt over his deception. Each member of the family and his or her reaction to Brat is so clearly drawn it's easy to see them jump off the page, especially Simon, Patrick's slightly younger twin who has just seen his inheritance handed to someone who may be an imposter. Tey mixes in clever little side stories which add flavor to the mystery not to mention a few clues before bringing it all to an almost perfect close. A few loose threads at the end are the only down note. What I enjoyed mostly was that unlike some other Tey mysteries which seem dated, this one has stood the test of time.
Rating:
Summary: My All-Time Favorite Mystery
Review: Brat Farrar has everything a mystery should: a carefully-constructed plot, well-hidden but available clues, and an ending that wraps everything up without resorting to deux ex machina. The build-up to the "creation" of Pat Ashby -- the character the protagonist assumes in order to inherit an English estate -- is so thoughtfully described and developed, it was later referred to by Mary Stewart as the basis for her own character's deception in "The Ivy Tree."All of these lead to a good mystery; what makes it a great mystery is the plethora of believable characters. The reader is invited to be part of a charming English village and becomes the champion of Brat as he works his way through a complicated identical-twin relationship to solve the hidden-secrets mystery in the end.
Rating:
Summary: brat farrar
Review: ditto to the positive book reviews sent in. I love the (self-recorded) video of the TV show, but it is wearing out and I really would like to buy a commercial tape. Hans Neuberg
Rating: 
Summary: A moral dilemma
Review: Eight years after young Patrick Ashby's disappearance and presumed suicide, a young man presents himself to the Ashby family lawyers as the long-lost heir--just in time to reclaim the family estate from his slightly younger twin brother Simon on their approaching 21st birthday. He knows intimate details of Patrick's childhood and passes all of the tests devised by the lawyers to reveal an imposter. (The family's dental records in London were apparently destroyed during the war.) Could it be? Has the prodigal son returned home? In a word, no. That's not a spoiler, mind you. You'll learn as much on the back-cover blurb, and chapter 3 reveals the imposter in no uncertain terms as Brat Farrar, a foundling who grew up in an orphanage and spent much of his teen years exploring the American West. By the end of chapter 4, it doesn't take a whole lot of pondering to figure out 90% of what's really going on. It's just a matter of following along to see how it all plays out. I know that sounds boring, but it's rather an enjoyable read. You can look at it as being slow-moving, or as having a leisurely pace. If you take the latter attitude, I think you'll have a better appreciation of the manner in which Tey examines Brat's moral struggles and unfolds the layers of mystery surrounding the Ashby family. **Adapted from a Skullduggery review**
Rating:
Summary: Brat Farrar-an old friend
Review: First read at the age of 14 I now read this regularly and get something new out of it each time. It is just like sitting down with an old friend and chatting. The atmosphere, the characterisation are superb. Aunt Bee and all the rest come to life with a few well-chosen words. A note to the unnamed writer from Maryland who reviewed it and complained about the dentist being murdered, being exploded so his dental records could not confirm the identity. It is quite clear from the context and the period in which the book is set that the dentist dies in the London Blitz of the early 1940s. Her 'conspiracy theory' is wrong. Such a clever writer as Tey would not resort to murders by bomb explosions. It is mid-century England after all!
A wonderful read. Immerse yourself in a classic of crime and character.
Rating: 
Summary: Unresolved moral issues
Review: Firstly, the other Tey books I've read are 5 stars, but this one I found not written as well and quite disturbing. As the other reviews have stated, the plot is mostly revealed by the first couple of chapters - a family friend plots to have a lookalike (Brat) impersonate a family member to get an inheritance (and the family friend gets paid out of the inheritance by the impersonator.) And as some reviews have stated, the end leaves loose threads. But I find the cavalier handling by Tey of a murder that enables the impersonation to happen to be disturbing. The only obstacle to the sucessful impersonation: a dentist and his records (teeth don't lie.) As soon as Brat appears on the scene, we find the dentist (and his records) has been blown to bits, thanks to the family friend or someone he has hired to do this! AND THIS IS THE FIRST, LAST, AND ONLY TIME WE EVER HEAR OF THE MURDER OF THE DENTIST. Brat's moral dillema centers on his deception of the family alone, because at no point does Tey let him learn of the murder! How does he reconcile the consequences of his actions, when he doesn't know about them? And we have nary a mention that the family friend will ever be accountable for the murder of the dentist! It's as though the life of an innocent man doesn't matter! I found this disturbing. I don't ask for pat endings, but this is too large an issue to just entirely drop.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I don't agree with the many people who raved about this book. The plot synopsis hooked me, but the manner in which the lead character determines that a murder took place, and the manner in which he determines the murderer, is very simplistic, and unimaginative. Further, the "mystery" is really secondary to the plot of how the lead character is going to deceive those around them that he is the long-lost brother. Exceptionally disappointing - with a plot like that, the writer could have truly done much better.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I don't agree with the many people who raved about this book. The plot synopsis hooked me, but the manner in which the lead character determines that a murder took place, and the manner in which he determines the murderer, is very simplistic, and unimaginative. Further, the "mystery" is really secondary to the plot of how the lead character is going to deceive those around them that he is the long-lost brother. Exceptionally disappointing - with a plot like that, the writer could have truly done much better.
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