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A Separate Peace |  | Author: John Knowles
Publisher: Scribner
Category: Book
List Price: $12.00
Buy Used: $0.63
as of 9/4/2010 19:11 PDT details
You Save: $11.37 (95%)
New (66) Used (365) Collectible (5) from $0.63
Seller: goodwill_industries_san_francisco
Rating:  790 reviews
Sales Rank: 910
Media: Paperback
Pages: 204
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0743253973
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780743253970
ASIN: 0743253973
Publication Date: October 7, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9780743253970 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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Product Description
Set at a boys' boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world. A bestseller for more than thirty years, A Separate Peace is John Knowles's crowning achievement and an undisputed American classic.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 790
 A Good Read August 24, 2010
MIB
This book was one of the most exciting books I've read. It starts out somewhat boring like all other books, but it gets better as the story progresses. John Knowles must be a genius!
Very pleased with it over all August 22, 2010
Oreo450le
I had to read this book for school, and I thought it was a good book. It was, in all, a well written novel.
 4.5 Stars . . . A Muted War August 11, 2010
Eric Wilson (Nashville, TN United States)
Had I been subjected to this novel as a school assignment, I, like many of the younger reviewers on here, might have found it a chore to get through. The action is sparse, the conflict more psychological than physical, and the setting hard to relate to for readers in 2010. And yet, I loved it.
"A Separate Peace" follows two high school boys, at a New England private school in 1942 and '43, as they tumble through one glorious summer and then face the consequences of that summer and the ensuing darkness of winter and world war. Gene Forrester is the intelligent, brooding narrator of the story, and he draws us into the carefree and charismatic world of his best friend, Phineas. Finny, as he is known, challenges other boys to acts of courage, comes up with unannounced winter festivals, and pushes the boundaries with his somber schoolteachers. Despite his wild-child ways, Finny never seems to get in trouble. The teachers realize he means no serious harm and acts out of no real rebellion. This intrigues many of Finny's classmates, but Gene begins to suspect an ulterior motive--and once he buys into this suspicion, finds himself plotting against his own friend.
Gene's actions lead to trouble for Finny, but Gene is the one locked away in a world of guilt and deception. Soon, other schoolmates latch onto the truth, and they push for a full unveiling. In the end, the results are somewhat sudden, surprising, yet inevitable. As others prepare for recruitment into the war, Gene discovers a separate peace inside himself, the lull after he has fought his own muted war. Like the much darker "Lord of the Flies," this book explores the evil that can sprout within the human heart, even in the midst of idyllic surroundings. Jealousy, envy, suspicion, rage--they all show their hands through John Knowles' vivid and utterly believable narrative.
 Classic Reading or Not? July 27, 2010
Shannon L. Yarbrough (St. Louis, MO USA)
You've probably seen this book on the "Classic Reading" table at your local chain bookstore, especially this time of year when the smell of unsharpened pencils and three subject notebooks is in the air. Sadly, it was not part of my own junior high or high school curriculum. Besides the condensed versions of Dickens in our English textbooks, I can only remember reading "A Light in the Forest" in junior high. Most of high school was devoted to Shakespeare. So, I decided to travel back and discover for myself what A Separate Peace is all about and why so many schools consider reading it enough to make bookstores highlight it.
Being Knowles' most popular work, the book opens with a man by the name of Gene returning to his school after 15 years and revisiting two "fearful" places. One is an old tree next to the river and the other is a marble staircase. From there, the story goes back to when Gene was attending school during wartime 1940's. Gene is an academic while Phineas (Finny) is a promising athlete, but both are the best of friends and dorm mates. Finny enjoys being the center of attention by making up games and secret societies. One such game is climbing up the tree and jumping into the river; Phineas says this is a drill that recruits have to practice to prepare for the war. An accident at the tree involving Phineas soon takes center stage in the novella, causing Gene to contemplate whether he was responsible or not.
Much of the book's theme stems from the teens' thoughts on war. Many of their friends consider enlisting, while Phineas questions whether or not a war is actually taking place. A large part near the end of the story concentrates on one friend who did enlist and was quickly discharged under "Section 8" violations. While Section 8 is not used today, back in the 40s it was and concerned soliders who could not serve due to psychological disorders. It is these rebellious thoughts toward war which have probably been responsible for making the novel a classic. Written during a time when such thoughts about war and your country were considered so taboo. I have to admit that I thought the book was about homosexuality and it is easy to "read" that idea in the novel when considering Gene's thoughts and admiration toward Pheneas.
I can't say I would have enjoyed the book back in school, nor that I enjoyed it much now either. Its underlying themes of war and friendship are beautifully written, but almost written over with Knowles heavy descriptions. Knowles certainly had a talent for writing, but the book felt very very heavy to me and clouded with imagery. It almost became more about the technical aspect behind the way the book was written, and less about the story itself which made it hard for me to dissect as far as what was happening. The book definitely calls for some concentration. It's tragic ending was a bit of a shock to me that I never would have predicted, but the lackluster last few pages were a let down.
I don't regret this read, but I just didn't come away from it feeling any different than I did before I read it, meaning the book just didn't capture me the way I had hoped it would, the way so many other good books and stories did back in the day.
Great service July 6, 2010
Regina
Ordered this book for my daughter's summer reading list. Received it in excellent condition and very quick service.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 790
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