A Separate Peace

Rating:
Summary: A Seperate Peace
Review: The novel, A Separate Peace, is a book with only a mediocre amount of suspense, and a star rating of three, was really a fairly good read. Many of my friends said that this book was the biggest waste of vocabulary and Latin and Greek classical roots. I, however, have a different opinion. After reading this book twice, I may conclude that it is a well written novel that anyone over the age of 10 could enjoy. It is about friendship and the stages and phases that young adults pass through. As if being a teenager wasn't enough, these boys had the pressure of having to fight in the war at an extremely young age! If you enjoy books that have a mix of tragedy, suspense, and a book about trust, this is the book for you.-

Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL
Review: I read this book for a high school honors English class last year. I remember another girl mentioning how she did the same but they all hated the book. Well, I guess it's a book that some love and some hate. But I think it was beautifully written and is one of my favorites. I love the way the author described feelings and even scenery. He made it seem like a movie that you didn't want to end. I could never write such a wonderful book and I'm glad I had the delight of reading it. I would reccomend it to anyone(even those who aren't taking it for English):) I even made my Mom and friends read it.

Rating:
Summary: boring book
Review: this book is really boring but if you like analyzing stuff and enjoy reading about competition between boys i would recommend it

Rating:
Summary: i dont think it even deserves one star.
Review: I read this book this past school year in my Honors English class. My teacher was a fan of this book, but the 25 people in my class thought it was terrible. when we discussed the book after we finished it we agreed that the book had a boring plot and no climax. all the time we were reading we were waiting for something to happen but then Hey! the book ends!without anything happening. Also in the beginning of the book the characters are not described well at all! i had to keep going back trying to find that person again and see who they were. also some characters would just disappear. i quote another reviewer: you think"stupid kid cant appreciate a classic." Well your wrong. Smart kid can recognize a classic and appreciate it when they read one. well 25 smart kids didnt appreciate A Separate Peace along with many other students out there. To any student reading this book and has grades depending on it: GET THE CIFFS NOTES! one person in my class got them and he saved us all!(thanks matt! you helped us find the relationship between the water and war!!!)

Rating:
Summary: A Parable of Friendship in a Time of War
Review: John Knowles' A Separate Peace has been a classic for forty years and has remained in print all that time. That is a good thing as it allows new readers to discover introverted Gene and that kooky handsome, athletic Phineas and watch their friendship change as the war throws its own shadows on them. I first read this as a teenager myself and loved it. Having re-read it since then I discovered deeper meanings but the first impact was so strong and pure (much like Catcher in the Rye read in the one's early years) that it is definately a book to discover in the first pangs of adolescence. There are many ways of reading this novel but that first purely emotional one is the strongest. A great book.

Rating:
Summary: A provoking book
Review: This book's message can mean so little to some who do not understand it's underlying deep meaning, yet can be so much to those who do understand. It involves a war between jealousy, friendship, and a natural unrefined hatred. Gene's character developes into somewhat stronger, while the effects of WWII war show very evidently on others. A wonderful book for those who want to search for a deeper meaning of human emotions. I think John Knowles is a genius.

Rating:
Summary: A Separate Peace is a good book, but without much of a point
Review: A Separate Peace is a good story of being a teenager, but I do not feel it has a point. If you are looking for a "moral of the story" in this book, you will be left disappointed. It is still an excellent book though.

Rating:
Summary: Should be mandatory reading for all young tragic heros.
Review: This book in a word is superb. There are a lot fo cliche-ish things I could say about it, but over all, it is a modern classic. I won't tell you about it, but I will say that this should be mandatory reading for all teens who feels like they are trying hard to do everything right, and can't always remember why. Knowles beautifully takes a very rare sampling of people (wealthy, white, world war II era boys attending a prep school) and manages to pluck out the lessons that transcend class, race and gender. People who find refuge in stability, people who feel flawed in spite of themselves, or people (particularly youth) who feel the world is just a little to big and complicated to deal with will read this book like a diary. I certainly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Tragically Disappointing
Review: This cliff notes is very disappointing. To much analysis and not enough straight fact from starters. Also, as I perused it in 10th grade for my final exams, I wondered if Cliff and I had read the same book. The book is short..you're better off reading the book. At best, use it as a companion to the book.

Rating:
Summary: A mediocre coming-of-age fictional book
Review: I first read this book in eighth grade, and although I am now much older I thought my perspective would change having to read the book again, but instead I have found that indeed it hasn't. It is supposed to be a coming-of-age book, but it seems that the boy, Jean, doesn't really grow up at all. He is immature and insecure to begin with, and he is immature, insecure, and a bit psycotic at the end. I've been jealous of some of my friends before, because they may be more athletic, better-looking, smarter, get more attention. It is normal to have these feelings at any age. But they are still my friends, and I treat them not only with respect but I stand by them. Even if they weren't my friends or even if I hated the person, I certainly wouldn't let them fall out of a tree. He might be a little bit sorry for letting his best friend fall off of a tree so he could break his leg at the end, but it is very obvious that throughout the book Jean's jealousy seems to conquer his entire sense of self. In addition, I find the book to be very boring and unengaging. I don't think this is a very good book to put in a High School English class because I don't think many students could relate. People who like to read coming-of-age books I think are people who have already grown up; because that way they see how much they themselves have changed.