A Separate Peace

Rating:
Summary: A True Masterpiece
Review: This is one of the best books i have ever read. It is written in the type of context that all should be blessed with. I just read it in my 9th grade literature class. It is stuuning and honest, full of events that many go through with their closest friends. If you have ever wondered what it is like to read a masterpiece, here's your chance to stop wondering.

Rating:
Summary: an all too real depiction of the battles of best friends
Review: I also had to read this novel for my SOAR english class and I was so not into reading it. But, as the cliche goes, "never judge a book by its cover".I have never in my life been so entrapped reading a novel as when I read this one. Knowles outperformed himself with his psychological analysis of two best friends not only coping with a world war, but also eachother. The characters feel like people we all know, or have been before. This is a definite "must read" for anyone who has a best friend and has felt Gene Forrester's jealousy for someone that they love so much, and could learn from Gene's mistakes. I did.

Rating:
Summary: You'll remember it.
Review: I first read this book when I was a sophomore in high school. Like most, I didn't enjoy being forced to read. Regardless, this book stays with you, and I have read it several times since. It's content is biting, it's intoxicating. But most importantly, the novel is true. There's no pretense in the writing or language. There's no attempt to convince you that it is "important." It is 200 pages chronicleing a relationship between two friends. That is important enough. Once read, the characters, especially Gene and Finny, grow, and you start to see them in your life, maybe even in you. But the novel remains even after you put it back on the shelf, and that is a testament to the quality of the tale. I highly recommend A Separate Peace.

Rating:
Summary: A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Review: This book seemed to lack suspense and or adventure. The story takes place in New England during World War II. Phineus and Gene are friends that go through hard times. The book seemed to drag a bit during the middle, but gained some "speed" at the end. I would reccomend this book for middle-schoolers.

Rating:
Summary: It needed pictures
Review: It makes u think, if u can't think then it's not the book for u. Challenge yourself and read it. if u're smart, u'll like it. if u're normal like me, u would probably think that it needs some pictures.

Rating:
Summary: A Surprisingly Good Book
Review: I went into this book **KNOWING** I'd hate it. After all, why the heck would I want to read a book that, from the front, looked like a romance novel? That (and the fact that I had to read it for my GT English class, God forbid) DID make me hate it, at least for the first two pages. Then I realized how understandable the characters and problems were, and how I could match every character of the book with one of my friends at school. I could really relate to the characters, especially Gene. That familiar "Outsider" feel drew me into the book, and before long I was utterly engrossed by it. Of course, I was revolted by this fact until I saw that almost EVERYONE in my class liked it. Now, you have to admit it doesn't happen everyday that a group of eighth graders like a book. This alone should make you want to buy it.

The reason I can't give it five stars is that the book is VERY difficult to get into, and you might be put off by the slow beginning. In fact, if not forced to do so by that lovable school system of mine, I probably wouldn't have made it past the third paragraph. Still, I'd recommend this book to anyone with a good attention span, and you'll probably like it.

Rating:
Summary: At some points it was good but other times it wasnt
Review: When the tables started to turn and Gene could show off his strong qualities was a part that i could get into but otherwise the book just trailed off. It had a good use of varities in symbolism and that was another strong factor. I didnt realy understand the importance of some characters so I gave it 3 stars.

Rating:
Summary: This book was rather exhilirating
Review: I think that the book "a Seperate Peace" is a good book. It takes place in a setting similar to those of any school out in the country, which happen to have the priviledge of attending. The whole story is based around a relationship between the two main characters, Gene anf Finny, and there athletic and mental pursuits to out do each other. It is a good book, with lots of symbolism; a good book for anyone looking for a book about a relationship.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and Beyond
Review: A Seperate Peace is my absolute favorite novel--I must have read this over 3 times during the summer. Vivid pictures, the stories, brilliant word uses, and dynamic characters all helped to shape one of the books that I now treasure the most. Gene and Finny, along with characters like Leper and Brinker, let us see a whole different perspective of the Devon School. Even during the war, Devon had a peace which could not be broken. Phineas was that peace. He tied everything together. His friendship with Gene is amazing. I definitely recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: A slow start but overall, a great book!
Review: I must admit, at the beginning of the book, I fell asleep during the first chapter and had to read it all over and fell asleep again. However, I finally forced myself to read it and the book caught my attention by the second chapter. There is a great amount of imagry in the book, but there are also situations that one can relate to in the story. This novel is about a 17-year-old boy, Gene, who envies his friend, Finny, so much that he is pushed over the edge. His friend is the perfect, all-around athlete that everyone likes. Gene despises Finny so much that his insecurity causes him to hurt his only best friend. I think that this was a good book because it kept my attention. Like Gene, everyone has insecurities about one thing or another. As readers, we are able to relate to those insecurities. And I think that we all might have a small bit of craziness inside us but most keep it hidden. Gene, unfortunately, let that out and will always regret it. Even though the beginning was slow, I was able to enjoy the book as a whole and learned a lot about how I may not be the only person with jealousy and insecurities.