Separate Peace

The book seems to be a little old quite damaged .

bought for my teenage son for his birthday

Average book

What is your favorite coming of age book, story, or movie? Two of my all-time favorites are Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This was my first time reading the coming-of-age novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles and it was an excellent story. This novel was chosen as the January selection by the Back to the Classics Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library. We had a great discussion about this book.Set in 1942, intellectual Gene and athletic Phineas are best friends. They are having a great summer at school until a tragic accident. How will these two friends move forward? I had never read this book and was surprised by the story. I don’t want to ruin it for anyone else.I liked the deep look at friendship and at bullying in this novel as it related to the different boys at the school. It was interesting to me to also look at how often there is a dominate friend and how does that impact your friendship? It was a good coming of age story that looked at male bonding, friendship, jealousy, and betrayal.This was a quick and thoughtful read that is interesting to discuss. I really liked that it was set as a reflection of a man in the future looking back at the events that happened that summer and how they shaped him. I thought the setting was fascinating as it was set in 1942 as this generation saw their friends graduate and go off to war.My edition had a great afterward as well as good questions for a book club. We went over some of the selections during our meeting.I did not read this in high school or college, but I think it would be a great book to read in high school. Although set in a different time period, it involves teenagers and would be more relatable than many of the classic books I read in high school.Favorite Quotes:“Nothing endures, not a tree, not love, not even a death by violence.”“All of them, all except Phineas, constructed at infinite cost to themselves these Maginot Lines against this enemy they thought they saw across the frontier, this enemy who never attached that way – if he ever attacked at all; if he was indeed the enemy.”Book Source: Purchased from Amazon.com

I had not heard of this book, despite it being an ‘American Classic’, until it was referred to in another book I was reading. I have just finished reading it and enjoyed it.The school and landscape are described vividly, as are the characters , immediately drawing you in.I was not prepared for the ‘event’ that was the focus of the book. This event, and the consequences of it, linger on in every page thereafter, reminding us that split second decisions can shape the rest of yours, and others, lives.Although this seems to be reviewed as a teenage read I think it is just as much an adult book. One of the main characters is telling the story as an adult, with the insight and hindsight that mature reflection brings.I would definitely recommend this book. It is quick to read, is thought provoking and beautifully written.

Great piece of literature

An excellent read. Highly recommended.

Se que es un clásico de la literatura norteamericana, y un life changer of a book, pero al menos no lo fue para mi.En general me agradó la novela como la posible metáfora que el autor quiere dar a entender, pero no es mi fav.