A Separate Peace

Rating:
Summary: I really did not like this book
Review: I was required to read this book for class, and I really did not like it. The plot itself is interesting, but the author's style of writing is especially tedious.

Rating:
Summary: Deep, Moving, Very Symbolic
Review: I read this book in about two weeks, taking lots of time to read it slowly and think about it a lot. It was very good, very sad, and well-written. But I think a lot of parts will go over people's heads. Take time to read it slowly. I liked the ending and the last two paragraphs are good in summing up all of the book's hidden meaning.

Rating:
Summary: Bland, boring, bad
Review: I found John Knowles "classic", "A Seperate Peace', incredibly dull and uneffective. The story of two very different young men growing up in a war-shooken world sounded interesting, but it just dragged on and on with uncreative dialogue and descriptions. The ending of this book was mildy poignant, that is the only positive thing about it. Some have compared "A Seperate Peace " to J.D. Salinger`s "Catcher In The Rye", but this book lacks all the good things "Catcher In The Rye" is famous for.

Rating:
Summary: Knowles... A Separate Kind
Review: In short, Knowles is of a separate kind! But... What makes this book so special?! Well, it's got to be the way on which he presents its characters. It seemed to me for a moment, that I already have known those guys (Gene/Phinneas/Lepper). Having wote his novel as an adult, Mr. Knowles really captures the escence of his own adolescence -that he lived at Exeter University, the real-life counterpart of Devon School. The only drawbacks have to be the somehow disturbing ending, and the lenght of the story itself. It's a quick two day book. Ideal for any course of English... As the one I'm taking now. :)

Rating:
Summary: an interesting parallel to our own lives
Review: The novel, A Separate Peace, contains several factors that make it intriguing. These factors consist of a well-developed plot, believable characters, a realistic setting, and practical themes. The author's use of techniques of plot kept the reader's attention. Many of the chapters ended with suspence, which caused the reader to continue to read to find the outcome of the events. Knowles also placed several well-timed foreshadowing incidents that gave clues about what happened later in the story. Finally, the surprise ending added to the novel's excitement. Knowles does a wonderful job of describing the main characters and giving them realistic personalities. The protagonist of the story, Gene, receives academic praise but little recognition in the way of sports. His jealousy of his friend Phineas proves to be a powerful weapon during the story. Phineas, unlike Gene, maintains a low grade point average, but he excels at sports. The realistic personalities given to the main characters make the story almost believable. The author beautifully describes the setting of the novel. A Separate Peace takes place in Devon, a boarding school for boys, located in New England. The boys regularly attend classes, but they had no value in the overall story. The story took place during World War II and lasted about a year and a half. The war that happened apart from the main conflict set a mood for the novel. These setting descriptions add to the believability of the novel. People's everyday lives see many of the themes in the story. The themes can be as simple as fights between good and evil or as complex as the meaning of friendship or life. These practical themes make the story realistic. The interesting plot and realism of the story make the novel attractive. These factors grab and keep the reader's attention.

Rating:
Summary: This novel is a classic young man's novel
Review: John Knowles' is a well-written young man's war novel. While the adults go off to fight World War II, several students at Devon School in New Hampshire experience the joy of life and the tradedy of death in the summer and fall of 1942. While summer brings the adventures of boyhood, it also brings injury into the students' lives. Then as summer fades into fall , the adults join the military to fight the war. However, at Devon, the young men are fighting fear, inquisition, and recrimination. The resolution of this mood brings the boys, the incident, and the war into focus with a thought provoking conclusion. This novel en courages the reader to step into the narrator's life and experience his emotional highs and lows. A reader can almost feel the excumberance of a raucous summer, and the melancholy of a fearful autumn. I feel that A Separate Peace is an excellent choice for reading entertainment. This novel is a classic young man's novel and is comparable to Mark Twain's Huck Finn and J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye for lasting appeal.

Rating:
Summary: The book taught a valuable lesson, and I would recommend it.
Review: A Separate Peace was a wonderful novel. The events in the story truly capture the potential evils of adolescence and also teach a lesson about true friendship. So much contained in this novel can relate to a particular quote in the story. This quote is, " Everything has to evolve or else it perishes." These words express the essence of friendship. All friends can face obstacles, but true friends overcome these set-backs. True friends do not let their friendship fade away because of obstacles.

Rating:
Summary: A story that will captivate many more people to come.
Review: A Separate peace was a wonderful book to read. I enjoyed the way the characters Gene and Finny developed despite their differences. However their differences also create conflict. John Knowles gives an excellent portrayal of conflict in Gene vs. Finny, but the conflict that added to the book the most was the one inside Gene's own head. Knowles did a beautiful job making original characters. Finny's careless attitude and free-spirited ways are characteristics that not many people have.

Rating:
Summary: In-depth character developement and plenty of suspense.
Review: The novel "A Seperate Peace", written by John Knowles, is a story about two friends going through adolescence during World War II. The boys were attending a boarding school in New England, by the name of Devon. The story is told through the thoughts of Gene. He is mainly thinking about his friend Phineas. I enjoyed reading this novel beause Knowles kept me interested with Gene and Finny's in depth character developement, and the suspense throughout the book. In my opinion, Knowles' portrayal of the hardships of friendship was accurate. While reading this novel I was reminded of another book "The Outsiders". "The Outsiders" is also about a group of young men going through a difficult period with no parents around. Another component that was common in both novels was the physically and emotionally harmful effect of jealousy. Some adults may believe that teenagers do not have many problems; this book will make them think otherwise.

Rating:
Summary: It was well written, but boring.
Review: I think it was kind of boring, because it did not have much action in it. It was very dramatic. So if you like drama you might like it. I don't really like drama too much, so it wasn't one of my favorites. Although I thought it was very well wriiten and had many great themes. I also think it had great charachter development. I recommend it highly for those who like drama, but for those who like action try to avoid it.