Title: A Separate Peace Author: John Knowles
ISBN: 978-0-7432-5397-0
Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 10th to 12th
Publisher: Scribner
Media Type: Book
Copyright: 2003 (original publication 1959)
Genre: Fiction
Reader's Annotation: With two different personalities, Gene and Phineas's friendship is bound to have some bumps and bruises, but no one ever expected things to turn out this way.
Plot Summary: Set during World War II, Gene and Phineas, the two male protagonists, attend boarding school together in New England. With drastically different personalities the two become unlikely friends. At first, their friendship seems sincere. They engage in activities typical of teenagers such as sports and even forming a secret society; however, jealously, competition, and paranoia set in. Gene is more academically inclined and Phineas is the school sports star and the attention one of the boy receives becomes too much for the other. One of the boy's friendship becomes insincere and something happens that forever changes the course of both of the boys' lives.
Evaluation: (A) John Knowles not only developed a believable plot line, but also created convincing characters who effectively conveyed thoughts and emotions that many teenagers feel. Whether male or female, young adults may experience feelings of jealously and competition even among the closest friendships. While Gene and Phineas's friendship may not have been the closest friendship in the beginning one could sense sincerity among the boys. The sincerity lost, based on seemingly immature and paranoid thoughts, is true-to-life and therefore makes for a page turning read.
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ISBN: 978-0-7432-5397-0
Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 10th to 12th
Publisher: Scribner
Media Type: Book
Copyright: 2003 (original publication 1959)
Genre: Fiction
Reader's Annotation: With two different personalities, Gene and Phineas's friendship is bound to have some bumps and bruises, but no one ever expected things to turn out this way.
Plot Summary: Set during World War II, Gene and Phineas, the two male protagonists, attend boarding school together in New England. With drastically different personalities the two become unlikely friends. At first, their friendship seems sincere. They engage in activities typical of teenagers such as sports and even forming a secret society; however, jealously, competition, and paranoia set in. Gene is more academically inclined and Phineas is the school sports star and the attention one of the boy receives becomes too much for the other. One of the boy's friendship becomes insincere and something happens that forever changes the course of both of the boys' lives.
Evaluation: (A) John Knowles not only developed a believable plot line, but also created convincing characters who effectively conveyed thoughts and emotions that many teenagers feel. Whether male or female, young adults may experience feelings of jealously and competition even among the closest friendships. While Gene and Phineas's friendship may not have been the closest friendship in the beginning one could sense sincerity among the boys. The sincerity lost, based on seemingly immature and paranoid thoughts, is true-to-life and therefore makes for a page turning read.
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