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Summary: A Seperate Peace is an exceptional piece!!
Review: John Knowles novel A Seperate Peace creates multiple dynamic subplots in which he uniquely captivates first person narrative accounts of friendship, jealousy, and innocence. Knowles diverse styles pose and present the story of two teenage boys and their innocent rivalries that turn into a fatal tragedy. Knowles presents symbolism throughout the novel to portray characteristics of the novel's characters. The oak tree by the river serves as a symbol of Finny's courage and fearlessness. The tree also serves as a symbol of the evil buried deep inside of Gene. It reveals the jealousy and envy Gene posesses towards Finny when he lets him fall and break his leg. Knowles also frequently uses the literary device of foreshadowing to introduce the possibilities of the upcoming events. This is especially true in the end of the novel when Finny dies from the fall and the bone marrow reaches his blood. Gene finally realizes that he was the cause of Finny's death and that it was all out of pure jealousy of his "best friend". John Knowles novel is exceptionally well written and an enjoyable novel for young readers. The novel contains plots and events that young readers could easily realate to. Yet it also contains unique situations that most youths would never dream of happening between themselves and one of their closest friends. The novel contains morals and characteristics that a close friend should express, which Gene obviously did not. The novel is a fun and enjoyable novel for all readers, both young and old!
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Summary: A Timeless Classic of Boy-hood friendship
Review: Phineas and Gene are two teenage boys who are inseperable while living at their boarding school. Phineas is an athletic and popular leader of the school, and Gene is a reserved intellectual. Phineas, or Finny, is struck with a tragic accident that leaves him no longer able to play sports. Gene feels responsible for the injury to Finny and spends the whole novel trying to come to terms with his guilt. This novel lets the reader delve into the middle of a best friend relationship that has taken a turn for the worse. Heart-warming and endearing moments are shared between the students, Gene, and Finny during his recooperation. A Seperate Peace is a great read because it captures the readers attention and teaches us a life lesson, that friendship means the most in this world and can never be broken or taken away.
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Summary: This book has a winning combonation!
Review: A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, is a classic in every sense of the word. It is a novel that has been, and will continue to be, enjoyed for generations. The book centers around two main characters, Gene and Finny, and the trials that their friendship endures during World War II. Gene, a hard-working intellectual, and Finny, the wild daredevil, overcome their differences to become friends in their boarding school and to become the undisputed leaders of their peers throughout the novel. It's not always fun and games though. Conflict arises from the boys' friendship when Finny breaks his leg from a possibly Gene-induced fall from a tree. The fall however, pulls Finny closer to Gene, and upon Finny's return to school, it becomes obvious that the two characters feed off of each other. Each character helps the other in areas where they help is needed to the most. The novel goes on to outline their friendship and the guilt that overwhelms Gene's mind. A Separate Peace entertains the reader with fun and interesting stories of Gene and Finny's lives, while raising several more critical issues and morals. The mixture is an excellent combination that has launched A Separate Peace to the top of the classic list, where it belongs!
Rating:
Summary: A pretty good book
Review: When my teacher first gave me this book to read, i thought that the book was going to be boring like all the other books we read in school. Surprisingly, the book was actually one of my favorite books. The book talks about how two best friends learn the truth about eachother after a freak accident when one the main characters, Gene, shakes the tree branch that they are standing on, so the other person, Finny, falls off and breaks his leg. Finny now has to face the truth that he will no longer be able to join the war[WW2(i think) was going on during the book] and that his best friend made him fall. Finny, however, is unable to face the truth and has to learn it the hard way. The book was not boring at all. It was exciting from the beginning to the end. There were many parts in the book that were so suspenseful that i couldn't put the book down. I couldn't wait to finish the book and find out what will happen to the main characters. Knowles also added many great symbolisms into the story. Each main character has a different sysmbol, Finny symbolizes fun and trust, Gene sybolizes revenage and jealously, Leper sybolizes truth, and the tree that the kids jump off for fun symbolizes curiosity. All in all, i thought this was a great book and i think that anyone that hasn't read it is missing out on something great.
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Summary: T-Bones REVIEW
Review: I enjoyed this book toward the middle and end but in the beginning, I found it a little dry. John Knowles is a great author because it's so amazing how he can take leaves and compare it to the main character for pages! My favorite character was Finny because I like the way he took charge, but in some cases he seemed power-hungry, although that was how he rose to the top. I didn't like Gene because I found him stuck-up and full of himself. Finny always thought of Gene as his closest friend but inside Gene felt the total opposite. He wasn't caring and I didn't like the overall development of Gene's character. The book is about two friends in college whose relationship started breaking up slowly because of an accident. My review is that I like the book. I like the writing style of John Knowles and how he uses metaphors, imagery,etc.. I recommend it for twelve-year-olds and up because this is a book that you need to concentrate and grasp the concepts of to understand it. It's also a challenging book that makes one think.I enjoyed reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: CLASSIC????
Review: "A Separate Piece of Crap"--- Because it's hard for me to condense my hatred for this "book" into a short paragraph, please bear with me. WARNING: Anyone who has an unconditional love for this book may not want to read this... My English class was forced to read this my Sophomore year in high school. Notice I say "forced" because there is absolutely no chance on earth anyone in their right mind would want to voluntarily read this book. The plot is pretty much this... a kid falls from stuff... repeatedly. That's about it. Now so as to make sure no one is under the false impression that I have no sense for literary masterpieces, I will say that some of my favorite novels include "Lord of the Flies", "Brave New World", and "To Kill a Mockingbird" among others. I really did try to like this book, but it seems as though I am the only person on the planet who cannot find one redeeming sentence in the entire storyline. Even my English teacher's love for "A Separate Piece" failed to keep me from speaking my mind. As a matter of fact, I was kicked out of class for not being able to keep from laughing when I read the ending. The entire story is just ridiculous, and it irritates me that high schools across the country are forced to read this pointless drivel. When will America learn that just because a novel is labeled a "classic" by some people does not mean that it is a requirement in high school english curriculums. Meanwhile, great American novels such as "The Adventures of Huck Finn" are banned???? Something is very very wrong with this picture. I hope I'm not alone in thinking so... P.S. Why was I not able to give this book zero stars?
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Summary: A Perfect Gift, And a Wonderful story
Review: I was forced to read this book in my school. Though I hate being forced to read books, I found this one the best out of all the ones we were forced to read. Yes, I consider this book better than To Kill a Mockingbird and Cry, The Beloved Country. It is very heartwarming and touched me so far, that it makes me as a 15 year old male want to cry. If you could just picture yourself in the place of Gene, it really makes you think about the hardships of what they must have gone through. The one music peace that reminds me of this book is 3 Doors Down's "Loser". It almost sounds like the book! THIS IS A MUST READ!
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Summary: A LETTER TO MR. KNOWLES
Review: Dear John Knowles: One of the most compelling and interesting novels I have read was your, "A Separate Peace." Not only did it present a heart felt story of a boy experiencing high school during World War II, it also raised certain issues, such as ways to deal with bad times. The association between adolescents and an ongoing world war in your story, shows your understanding of the teenage life. Being an adolescent, I can relate to the story. Although I have never experienced a war, I have fought through numerous trials and tribulations along side my friends and have grown a bond with them as strong as brotherhood. The fact that the setting of the story was at an all boys school where boys have the chance to grow together as brothers, pulled me into the story even more. I liked the way that the main characters of the story, Gene and Phineas, were so different yet still managed to be best of friends. Gene, who actually told the story as I read, was an intellect and a high achiever in academics at Devon high school. Phineas, on the other hand, was more of an athlete than an intellect. Together, the two boys participated in many sporting events with their fellow students and had realistic experiences that best of friend usually have. Who would imagine that breaking a leg while jumping out of a branch of a tree into a creek would result to a later death, as Phineas did? In the summer that Phineas broke his leg, Gene blamed himself for the accident since he was beside him on the branch when Phineas fell. However, when school started in the fall, he didn't pay much attention to Phineas' disability. I believe that Gene handled the situation the way he did in order to not remind Phineas of his problem and show him that he accepted Phineas for the kind of person he was on the inside. Unfortunately, due to some marrow from his broken leg traveling through his arteries to his heart, Phineas passed away. Every moment of the story captured my attention even greater. A major reason to why this book interested me was because I felt as if I was reading about my own experiences. Roughly four years ago, my friend by the name of Ed and I were playing games associated with wars which was very similar to the "blitzball" game played by Gene, Phineas, and the rest of the children at Devon high school. The object of the game was to attempt to hit a person with a tennis ball. As I looked for people to hit, I spotted Ed on a branch near the tree next to which I was standing. With all of my might, I tossed the ball toward Ed. In order to get out of the way, he suddenly jumped to the branch next to him but missed his landing and fell awkwardly on his right leg. His doctor announced that he had fractured his leg and that there was a possibility that he would never be able to use it again. The next month, Ed and his family moved away from town and I lost my best friend forever. Although Ed did not die as Phineas did toward the end of the story, he has left me for good as Phineas left Gene. One of the messages I received from reading your novel is that one can always make the best of bad times. At the time of the story, World War II was in progress. I can imagine the depression that American families were in as their sons went off to fight for their country. However, instead of living their lives in sorrow Gene and Phineas found peace in the lives they lived at Devon high school. They seemed to disregard the war and live life as if there was no war, although it was on their minds. I believe that life itself would not be, without making the best of such times. Life is full of problems and depression. How can one live life to its fullest extent if they are always burdened with problems and let their problems get the best of them? After reading this novel, I sat and thought about this message and figured that it is indeed true. This was such a well written story that I have nothing bad to say about it. I recommend it to people of all ages and cannot wait to read one of your other novels. Sincerely, anonymous
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Summary: What Separates A Separate Peace
Review: John Knowles Separates himself from other authors by developing his two main characters, Finny and Gene, through imagery instead of conversation and action alone. John Knowles uses subtle images such as snow, to show Finny's purity and goodness, and trees, to represent the competitiveness Gene feels towards Finny. Many people criticize the book for the complexity these images added to the novel, but I enjoyed looking beyond the print and seeing what Knowles had intended for different images to represent. Winter, as an image represents the optimistic and adventurous person that Finny is. Winter depresses most people, but inspires Finny to be creative and invent the Winter Carnival, which lifts the sagging spirits of his classmates by making a bleak winter day into an athletic contest for them to compete in. Knowles intended for the snow to represent Finny's pure and good heart, while bringing out Finny's leadership skills, love for sports, spontaneous tendencies, and vivid imagination. Finny said to Gene that "Winter loves me, I mean as much as you can say a season can love. What I mean is, I love winter, and when you really love something, then it loves you back (102-103)." This quote not only shows Finny's good heart but also brings out the fact that Finny is not confident that Gene feels the love for Finny that he feels for him. The tree, as an image represents the competitiveness Gene feels towards Finny, and the guilt he feels for injuring Finny and destroying his greatest gift, which is athletic ability. The tree was the location where Gene felt that he had to be as good, and as brave as Finny and jump from the tree, so it is the basis of his jealousy and guilt. Gene's jealousy can be seen in his conversation with one of his friends at school. Gene said " Finny has deliberately set out to wreck my studies. ...that way he, the great athlete would be way ahead of me (45)." The reader can tell that Gene feels inferior to Finny because of his athleticism and he is almost trying to create a reason to hate Finny, who in Gene's mind is perfect. These two Subtle images are just a few of the many images that Knowles has brilliantly placed in his masterpiece A Separate Peace, and I feel that any reader would thoroughly enjoy discovering more.
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Summary: The Positive Peace
Review: I believe that John Knowles' A Separate Peace deserves a high rating because Finny's positive character grabbed and kept my attention through out the book. I especially enjoyed the way Finny was constantly entertaining other people and always looked on the bright side of things when problems arose. Finny adds an important element to the book. With out him there would be no one to brighten the mood. Finny's intriguing character and his optimistic attitude draw the reader into the book. Finny entices the readers because he is cheerful and witty. Finny's hopeful attitude is illustrated many times after he had the accident and broke his leg. All of the characters are sick of winter except for Finny. He says, "I love winter, and when you really love something, it loves you back, in whatever way it has to love." (103) Finny continues to love winter even though the harsh conditions make it very difficult for him to get around on crutches. This shows Finny's continuing vitality. Because Finny loves winter so much, he creates the winter carnival. Finny's creation of the winter carnival is an example of his power to entertain people. Gene tells Finny there is no winter carnival and Finny replies, "There is now..." (120). This passage shows that Finny was truly creative and imaginative. He was very outgoing and enthusiastic. I think Finny's amusing character and his positive outlook on things is the reason I recommend A Separate Peace to other readers.
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