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| A Separate Peace | 
 enlarge | Author: John Knowles
Publisher: Bantam Pr Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: $5.99
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $5.98 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  770 reviews
Sales Rank: 1211432
Media: Paperback
Edition: 55th printing
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 196
ISBN: 055323224X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780553232240
ASIN: 055323224X
Publication Date: June 1975
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
One of a series of top-quality fiction for schools, this is the story of a friendship between two 16-year-old boys in an American boarding school - one a natural athlete and the other a scholar. Their different temperaments cause tensions that lead to tragedy.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 765 more reviews...
 A Timeless Classic January 20, 2000
58 out of 65 found this review helpful
A Separate Peace displays a tale of two best friends sharing the times of their lives while at boarding school. John Knowles displays the hardships that high school boys face away from home during World War II. The lessons learned, their independence, and the security they discover can never be forgotten in a time of war and fear. Many people can relate to Knowles' central theme of friendship. I thoroughly enjoyed A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. The fact that I also attend boarding school helped me relate to the novel. Although the plot is not filled with lengthy adventures and exciting climaxes, if one can read between the lines and view the book for its real meaning, he or she is sure to enjoy it. One must be able to see through that thin barrier that blocks the emotions from leaping off the page, and look into Gene and Finny's hearts. It's difficult to be dependent on oneself at such a young age. Finny and Gene form a unique bond and help each other survive tough times. While Gene doubts Finny on occasion, deep down he relies on Finny's constant support and humor to get through troublesome times. When Finny's love for sports and competitiveness ends in an accident, Gene is left to live with the reality of that eventful night. The book's controversy deals with Gene's battle with the truth and Finny's acceptance of it. A Separate Peace proves that trust and friendship can take years to develop and an instant to destroy.
AN EXCELLENT BIT OF WRITING January 11, 2007
47 out of 53 found this review helpful
It has been said that A Separate Peace is the quintessential coming of age novel. That may quite be so. I certainly could not argue against that statement. That being said, I will say that this is one fine bit of smooth, restrained writing. The sentence structure, syntax and flow is some of the best to be found. If for no other reason, it should be studied for that reason alone. I note that there are quite a few critical and negative reviews on this one, for the most part, from kids who have been forced to read it in class. I, myself, probably would not assign this work to a general class in High School. I can remember from my school day, that anything that had the word "classic" attached, made m eyes roll to the back of my head before I even opened the cover of the book. An honors class, perhaps. This, at first glance, is a very simple book, but it is so much more. There are so many levels found in this work that it is actually rather difficult to track all of them with just one reading. I also feel that many of our young folks today would have problems relating to the setting and the situation addressed in this work. The subjects studied by the school boys of that day alone and at the level they studied them, would be difficult to find in any of our schools today. After all, it was published fifty years ago and times they have been changing. On the other hand, the emotions addressed in this work have been with us since the beginning of time and always will be. To the argument that it is a coming of age book written by another old white guy. This is true. Authors should write about what they know. The author was an old white guy, ergo, a coming of age book about a rich white kid. I am an old white guy and would never think about writing a novel about the life of a young Hispanic man living in this day and age. That would be silly as I would not have a clue. Knowles is a good story teller and a fine writer. I liked and enjoyed this work when it was first published and could well relate to the character at that time. I am old now, do not so much relate to the young man in the book, but certainly can relate to the old man telling the story. I do have to agree with another reviewer in that some of the pages in this book are absolutely hilarious, a fact often overlooked. All in all, recommend this one highly.
An underappreciated classic December 28, 2000
44 out of 57 found this review helpful
This is an underappreciated classic that, while labelled as a children's book, resonates with you at any age. Set in the world of a boarding school, two friends contemplate the outbreak of war even as their bonds of friendship grow. Like great "young adult literature," the characters in this book ring absolutely true. And when tragedy strikes at the end of the novel, you will be stunned when adolescent bravery plunges into sadness.A must-read for anyone ten and up. I fear that this novel has been left behind in the age of Harry Potter. Don't let that happen!
 Did he or didnyt he December 2, 2001
44 out of 73 found this review helpful
That will always remain the question. This week John Knowles passed away and took the answer to his grave. Set in an all-boys prep school in New Hampshire during WWII; this classic American novel centers around two young boys coming of age. It is the summer sessions before their senior year when a terrible accident leaves one of the boys crippled for life. The question is was the act perpetrated with malice. Exactly what really happened?A SEPARATE PEACE has been a must read for many high school students for years. After hearing that the author left it to our imaginations I thought how appropriate to allow us to see it from our own point of view. A quick easy read, I read it in a day. It brought me back to my younger days. A wonderful book. Kelsana 12/02/01
An Unexpected Novel February 3, 2000
39 out of 46 found this review helpful
A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a classic about two friends, Finny and Gene, who live at a boarding school during World War II. An instant classic, John Knowles takes the reader into a place that few have been to, inside the mind of an insecure adolescent, and lets the reader experience emotions that s/he might not in their day to day lives. A Separate Peace also explores how the common insecurities of a person might send him or her into a pit of evil that s/he might never recover from. Using well-developed characters and a plot that most anybody can relate to in some way, John Knowles makes A Separate Peace a novel that everybody should read. Normally, I won't go near a book if there isn't some sort of war or mass violence throughout the book. So when told to read A Separate Peace as an assignment, I was naturally reluctant to do so. I did enjoy reading this novel, once I got into it, despite the fact that it started off fairly slowly and there were points where putting it down was like relieving myself of a heavy weight on my shoulders. I soon realized that all of the boring and seemingly useless descriptions actually played a major role as the plot progressed and could not be ignored. Living at boarding school, I can personally relate to some of the emotions Gene feels through the book. After a while, I could not put the book down at all, and finished reading far ahead of when I was assigned to be finished reading. I do intend to go back and read this again when I have the time. A perfect novel for rainy days, summer nights or just when one has the free time, A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a classic for generations to come.
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