A Separate Peace

Book 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.

Download Description

While adolescence is never easy, during wartime its difficulty is more pronounced.

This story of a boy's growing up and floating between identities is filled with moral dilemma.

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly enjoyable! a good quick read........2007-09-01

"A Separate Peace" by John Knowles.

In the summer of 1942 Gene Forrester attends the summer session of Devon a private school in New England. Gene's friend Phineas (Finny) decides it would be a good idea to jump from a tree overhanging a river on campus. A tree used to simulate jumping from a war ship by the seniors. Finny talks Gene into jumping as well. Gene as always goes along with Finny's idea........

This book was surprisingly enjoyable. The story is told from Gene's point of view as he goes through his last year of school while contemplating life, his friendship with Finny and others as well as the war which overhangs everything and everyone. The book isn't full of action and adventure per say but Knowles writing style is very engrossing and will keep you turning pages.

The good: The easiest way to sum it up is to say the writing. The style made for a completely enjoyable read. The characters all have a real feel to them. The ongoing description of the school was done well enough that it might be considered one of the characters as well.

The bad: Nothing memorable

Overall: A great read. Pick it up and give it a try.

family favorite.......2007-07-18

This novel has become a new favorite in our family, we have all read it.

A simple but striking story; it should make you uncomfortable .......2007-07-08

The story of Gene an' Finny is peppered with so much irreversible psychological harm being committed that it is impossible to not feel uncomfortable as the story unfolds. One boy is a lively free spirit while the other is being driven down a path to adulthood without stopping to appreciate the joy of the last years of real peace. World War II is looming an' the story is all the more troubling because of this disenchantment with mankind's determination to destroy each other so present in these boys, while knowing that "the war to end all wars" was really anything but; that the cycle of violence as akin to superiority, to racism, to sectarianism, all aspects of the idea of one nationalism over another, was only going to escalate an' grow more deadly; an' that the lines between who was right an' wrong, good or bad, in these wars would begin blurring rapidly. If it was ever there in the first place.

What happens between the two boys in this story could constantly be reinterpreted, whether it was premeditated an' malicious, or an unintentional act that simply weighed too heavily on the conscience to accept as an accident. An' the eternal question I constantly posed to myself being whether where the story ends up places the fault on a young boy regardless of the aforementioned uncertainty of the act's intent.

I could read this again and be enveloped by this feeling as though it were fresh. Maybe because in the time since I've read it I've never resolved the moral question here. And probably never will. Cheers to the late Mr. Knowles for tackling something pure an' human in a universal way. One of the seminal reading experiences of my life.

A Seperate Piece.......2007-07-02

This book had little markings on it, but I was expecting that. Otherwise, the book was in great shape. No pages ripped, no missing pages, etc. Although the book is boring but interesting to me...

Astounding.......2007-06-27

John Knowles is a skilled story teller and a master at writing. His deep and rich descriptions give your mind the ability to paint your imagination with images that are much more than just images. These images are alive. His words not only bring life but they add another dimension to the picture. Emotion.

What sounds to be a simple tale transcends beyond any expectation and puts your soul, your very being into the picture. Your emotions are played like a delicate instrument. You feel for the characters and your sympathy runs deeper than as if you were a friend or relative. Their emotions are your emotions.

Main character Gene and Phineas quickly become friends at a prep school. As World War II approaches, the boys at the school are torn by emotions. Each boy struggles to find himself.

This book is definitely a classic. I only wish it were better known because it is far better than some of the other classics out there.

Tom Stoppard: Plays 3: A Separate Peace, Teeth, Another Moon Called Earth, Neutral Ground, Professional Foul, Squaring the Circle (Faber Contemporary Classics)

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Stoppard Collection

Tom Stoppard: Plays 3: A Separate Peace, Teeth, Another Moon Called Earth, Neutral Ground, Professional Foul, Squaring the Circle (Faber Contemporary Classics)
Tom Stoppard
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

United States | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0571194281

Book Description

Plays Three:
A Separate Peace
Teeth
Another Moon Called Earth
Neutral Ground
Professional Foul
Squaring the Circle

Introduced by the author, this third collection of plays written by Tom Stoppard contains his television plays, written between 1965 and 1984. They show that Stoppard's writing for the small screen is comparable to his more celebrated stage work, as the masterly and timely Professional Foul demonstrates. In his introduction the author briefly describes how the pieces came to be written and the circumstances of their original production.

Customer Reviews:

Stoppard Collection.......2000-10-11

Stoppard is a wonderful playwright, but these are not some of his best plays. The collection is good, but I recommend buying some of his better plays even though they're not in an easy format like this, simply because it's better worth your money. If you already own those, however, this book will make a fine addition to your collection.

Reliable Partners: How Democracies Have Made a Separate Peace

Average customer rating:

Good theory but not a page turner
Agree to disagree

Reliable Partners: How Democracies Have Made a Separate Peace
Charles Lipson
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

War & Peace | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Democracy | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0691122776

Book Description

Democracies often go to war but almost never against each other. Indeed, "the democratic peace" has become a catchphrase among scholars and even U.S. Presidents. But why do democracies avoid fighting each other? Reliable Partners offers the first systematic and definitive explanation. Examining decades of research and speculation on the subject and testing this against the history of relations between democracies over the last two centuries, Charles Lipson concludes that constitutional democracies have a "contracting advantage"--a unique ability to settle conflicts with each other by durable agreements. In so doing he forcefully counters realist claims that a regime's character is irrelevant to war and peace. Lipson argues that because democracies are confident their bargains will stick, they can negotiate effective settlements with each other rather than incur the great costs of war.

Why are democracies more reliable partners? Because their politics are uniquely open to outside scrutiny and facilitate long-term commitments. They cannot easily bluff, deceive, or launch surprise attacks. While this transparency weakens their bargaining position, it also makes their promises more credible--and more durable, for democracies are generally stable. Their leaders are constrained by constitutional rules, independent officials, and the political costs of abandoning public commitments. All this allows for solid bargains between democracies. When democracies contemplate breaking their agreements, their open debate gives partners advance notice and a chance to protect themselves. Hence agreements among democracies are less risky than those with nondemocratic states. Setting rigorous analysis in friendly, vigorous prose, Reliable Partners resolves longstanding questions about the democratic peace and highlights important new findings about democracies in world politics, from rivalries to alliances. Above all, it shows conclusively that democracies are uniquely adapted to seal enduring bargains with each other and thus avoid the blight of war.

Customer Reviews:

Good theory but not a page turner.......2005-03-13

Lipson lays out a compelling argument for the contracting advantage of democracies leading to more peaceful relations among them. Contrary to a previous review, he does present good reasons why elected leaders can't just toss everything their predecessors did out the window (e.g. constitutional constraints, reciprocality, etc.) and explains that, even when they manage to, the public debate has given other states fair warning to adjust policy. That said, the overall quality of the writing could have been a bit better, being on the dry, repetitive side, and he would have done well to get another proofreader. Just don't expect this to be one of those books you can't put down.

Agree to disagree.......2005-02-17

I think the previous reviewer just has an ax to grind about democratic peace theory in general. I do not agree in everything "Good Time Charlie" Lipson says, but I do think that his argument is solid, original, and worth a closer look.

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A Separate Peace
John Knowles
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A SEPARATE PEACE - BANTAM #S3210

Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Average customer rating:

Psychological Thriller
a very boring and pointless book
A Separate Peace does not deserve a separate kind of praise
How else can you explain...
A masterpiece!

A Separate Peace (Cliffs Notes)

Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Notes | Education | Reference | Subjects | Books

Study Guides | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0822011832

Customer Reviews:

Psychological Thriller.......2001-12-12

A number of reviewers have called this book long, slow, and boring. Well that's either beacuse they must not enjoy reading too much, or because they're too young to understand the true meaning of the book. It does not have much action in it, but it's very deep, and gets you thinking. If you like a powerful, provocative, psychological novel, then this one is for you. It is for people that would enjoy reading about the incredible complexities of humanity. Great book!!

a very boring and pointless book.......2001-05-23

first off i think this book is very very boring.the book has some good points but if your thinkin of reading this book for entertainment then you better think twice. if it wasn't for having to read it in school i would have ditched this book when i read the first page. yeah it makes you think but i think that the author was being a little to lazy and jus wrote a bunch of crap that you have to try to fit together. This book is not good at all!

A Separate Peace does not deserve a separate kind of praise.......2001-03-31

We had to read 'A Separate Peace' as an English II project. The book started out so slow, that if I wasn't being made to read, I would have abandoned it right away. It is slow, and really has no point. It is also disappointing in the end. I do not suggest this book if you are lookning for and kind of stimulation-intellectual or otherwise.

How else can you explain..........2000-03-15

How else can you explain the way people feel during the war, trying not to believe it's there? John Knowles, in my opinion, has done the best job of explaining the unique characteristics each person adopts during a major turning point in world history. With deep insight on human personality and emotion, the themes astounded me with its truth and relative simplicity. A definite five star if you like the heavy stuff!

A masterpiece!.......1999-12-17

I believe that some people have had the same experience as Gene and Finny. The author makes a great connnection to wars and makes people see that war is not with someone else, it's inside you. So, are you constructing your Maginot Lines, too?

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A Separate Peace
JOHN KNOWLES
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

A Separate Peace

ASIN: B000E5HFRC

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A Separate Peace
John Knowles
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Readings on a Separate Peace (The Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to American Literature)

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Readings on a Separate Peace (The Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to American Literature)

Manufacturer: Greenhaven Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Literary Criticism & Collections | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1565108272

Una Paz Solo Nuestra / A Separate Peace (Biblioteca Tematica / Thematic Library)

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Una Paz Solo Nuestra / A Separate Peace (Biblioteca Tematica / Thematic Library)
John Knowles
Manufacturer: Alianza Editorial Sa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

El Senor De Las Moscas/ Lord of the Flies

ASIN: 8420658529

Amazon.com

Jean Auel's fifth novel about Ayla, the Cro-Magnon cavewoman raised by Neanderthals, is the biggest comeback bestseller in Amazon.com history. In The Shelters of Stone, Ayla meets the Zelandonii tribe of Jondalar, the Cro-Magnon hunk she rescued from Baby, her pet lion. Ayla is pregnant. How will Jondalar's mom react? Or his bitchy jilted fiancée? Ayla wows her future in-laws by striking fire from flint and taming a wild wolf. But most regard her Neanderthal adoptive Clan as subhuman "flatheads." Clan larynxes can't quite manage language, and Ayla must convince the Zelandonii that Clan sign language isn't just arm-flapping. Zelandonii and Clan are skirmishing, and those who interbreed are deemed "abominations." What would Jondalar's tribe think if they knew Ayla had to abandon her half-breed son in Clan country? The plot is slow to unfold, because Auel's first goal is to pack the tale with period Pleistocene detail, provocative speculation, and bits of romance, sex, tribal politics, soap opera, and homicidal wooly rhino-hunting adventure. It's an enveloping fact-based fantasy, a genre-crossing time trip to the Ice Age. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

After their epic journey across Europe, Ayla and Jondalar have reached his home, the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, the old stone age settlement in the region known today as southwest France. Jondalar's family greet him warmly, but they are initially wary of the beautiful young woman he has brought back, with her strange accent and her tame wolf and horses.

Ayla has much to learn from the Zelandonii and much to teach them. She is intrigued by their clothes, their crafts, and their home, and wants to learn their customs and the ways that they live, so that she will fit in. She is delighted when she meets Zelandoni, the spiritual leader of her people, a fellow healer with whom she can share medicinal skills and knowledge. The Zelandonii are surprised to learn she was found and raised by the Clan, the ones that they call flatheads and think of as animals, and are skeptical when she tells them they are people.

After the rigors and dangers that have characterized her extraordinary life so far, Ayla yearns for peace and tranquility, to be Jondalar's mate and to have children. But her unique spiritual gifts cannot be ignored, and even as she gives birth to her eagerly-awaited child, she is coming to accept that she has a greater role to play in the destiny of the Zelandonii.

Customer Reviews:

No stars, No story.......2007-10-06

Unfortunately Amazon doesn't let you rate a book with zero stars. How so little could happen in so many pages, I'll never know.

A decent book but a lot of the same old stuff.......2007-09-14

So I have read the Earth Children series a few times and I thought that this was a decent addition, but it has nothing on the first two books. I agree with the review that talk about how great it would be if Ayla and Jondalar had mediocre sex for once and if Ayla could become less of a godess. I kept waiting for the people in the book to proclaim Ayla The doni in person and build her a throne of gold. I did enjoy the Summer Meeting and seeing Ayla and Jondalar finally mate. A lot of people go on and on about how wonderful the historial descriptions are but personally I skip over them. I can't spend 20 pages reading about the color of a lake!!! All and all pretty good but not the best. I am looking foward to the 6th book and I hope we finally get to find out about what happens to Durc and the Clan.

What Lila Thinks.......2007-08-29

This is the best book I've read so far. I can't wait till Jean M Auel writes the next book in the series. I love her books.

Lila Guptill

768 pages where almost nothing happens........2007-08-09

I just finished reading *Shelters of Stone* after it sat on my bookcase for almost four years. I enjoyed all four of the preceding novels. Therefore, I forsook my '39 page rule' (if the author hasn't hooked me by the 39th page, I give the book away.) I thought in almost 800-pages, Ms. Jean would get around to introducing new concepts, new cultures, new `happenings', or new stuff. But *SoS* turned into a repetitious travelogue of *Plains of Passage*. It is long, ponderous, dull, and boring!

I was astounded when I noticed that this is review #756, and the average rating is 21/2 stars. It's as if the author got tired of writing this book, padding it with repetitive recollections from past novels instead of finishing it off in 400 pages. I hate to say this but I think Ms. Auel was paid by the word

I kept plugging away, getting more and more upset at Ms. Auel for explaining almost everything repeatedly--the long-winded name introductions; the stories of finding and domesticating her animals; the customs of the Clan, how much Brukenval looked like her old tormenter Broud when he looked angry. Even the `sharing Pleasures' parts were repetitious. And when the `The Mother's Song' was repeated for the nth time, I almost gagged.

What's also bad about this mammoth effort is that nothing happens. No new inventions and no new places (other than some under-described caves and cave paintings). She introduces new characters, but most are one-dimensional and uninteresting. The ones who do show some promise--like Brukenval, or Larimar the brewer, Echozar of the mixed spirits, or even the ponderous Zenandoni are neglected, under-described, or under-utilized.

In the previous novels Ayla and Jondalar, were responsible for most of the technological and philosophical advancements of humankind to that point: the spear thrower, use of flint and steel to start fires, the sewing needle, domestication of the wolf and horse, the horse halter, the travois, human genetics theory (Ayla's theory of mixed spirits), and where babies really do come from. In *SoS*, Ayla and Jondalar invent nothing, go nowhere, and do little except share Pleasures, get mated and have a baby. There are no major threats from nature, animals, or people; no clash of cultures. Just flares of Cro-Magnon temper and different opinions on the nature of `flatheads'.

For almost 800 pages I kept waiting for something to happen, for Durc to show up at the head of The Clan. For a blizzard, a flood, a plague or earthquake to hit. Another adventure or trip somewhere would have been nice. There wasn't even the trademark Auel anthropological monograph on how to make a flint axe head, basket, or garment.

I'll probably get suckered into the next/last book in the series if she ever completes it. But first I'll read the Amazon reviewers opinions and rigorously apply my 39-page rule.

The Shelters of Stone.......2007-05-14

I was so disappointed in this book that were supposed to be the last in the series. The endless repetition was enough to drive me insane. How could this book ever have been published? Was it only for the sake of money that could be made out of the sale of this book, because everyone who followed the series was waiting in anticipation for it. I still can't believe a person who wrote Clan of the Cave Bears, Valley of the Horses etc, could give her readers something like this......????

The Shelters of Stone (Earth's Children)

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The Shelters of Stone (Earth's Children)
Jean M. Auel
Manufacturer: Coronet Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0340821965

The Shelters Of Stone - The Earth's Children Series, Book 5

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A Bridge to Nowhere?

The Shelters Of Stone - The Earth's Children Series, Book 5
Jean M. Auel
Manufacturer: Crown Publishers, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000KIT9U4

Customer Reviews:

A Bridge to Nowhere?.......2007-04-05

This is the 5th book (2002) in the Earth's Children series. After an extensive gap (12 years) between the 4th and 5th installments in the series, Auel offers up a very long, somewhat repetitive book with no real plot. The main characters finally arrive at their destination after the endless but interesting trip related in The Plains of Passage, we meet a boatload of new characters (to whom the same explanatory stories about all of Ayla's "oddities" must be told over and over, almost word for word, which is where a lot of the repetition comes in), and we get a lot of information about everyday life in this new place and about the structure of this new society. But nothing . . . ever . . . really . . . happens.

This book seems to be an extensive stage-setting device, with Ayla's intellect and other powers coming to be recognized over time by Those Who Count in this new society (and, of course, resented by Those Who Don't), positioning her to do Big Things (and, of course, have Big Problems) in the next installment -- if it ever comes. It's almost been 5 years since this one was published, and the next book still isn't out. Without it, all of this stage setting is pretty much for nothing, in my view. If I were making the decision now to read the 750 sometimes repetitive pages of this doorstop, knowing what I know now, I'd wait to make the investment until Auel gets around to publishing the 6th book. Until then, the enjoyment you think you might derive from spending time with Ayla and Co. again won't really balance the fact that the book is repetitive and contains nothing you really need to know for its own sake.

The Earth's Children Series: The Clan of the Cave Bear, The Valley of the Horses, The Mammoth Hunters, The Plains of Passage, The Shelters of Stone (Books 1 - 5)

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The Earth's Children Series: The Clan of the Cave Bear, The Valley of the Horses, The Mammoth Hunters, The Plains of Passage, The Shelters of Stone (Books 1 - 5)
Jean M. Auel
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Clan of the Cave Bear

ASIN: B000M8YLJ6

Shelters of Stone, The (Earth's Children®)

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Shelters of Stone, The (Earth's Children®)
Jean M. Auel , and Sandra Burr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
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The Plains Of Passage Part 1 Of 2

ASIN: B000IOF0LW

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Excellence strikes again!

The Shelters of Stone: Earth's Children
Jean M. Auel
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLCS50

Customer Reviews:

Excellence strikes again!.......2007-09-30

Jean Auel should be an anthropologist, she researches her books that thoroughly. But she isn't boring, rather, her works are exciting, enthralling and educational - not to mention plausable. If the human genome project hadn't proven that we have no relationship to the Neanderthals (the Clan), her characters and story could have been real. As it is, her books make me wish that we still worshipped the way our ancestors did, and that we still had the exciting creativity that allowed us to survive to become the dominante species on our world. I can only hope that we haven't so destroyed our planet's ability to support us, that the rats will inherate the earth. I wish we all had Ayla's knowledge of plants and medicine - we would be so much better off with her abilities than with the pharmicutical industry's destruction of our body's natural abilities to resist the diseases that our ancestors managed as a matter of course. This is not only an excellent story (continuing the Earth's Children series), it and her other works are handbooks of nature's bounty and mystery. Anyone who claims to be literate must have this series in their library. I can't wait for the the next one!

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Around the world in stone.

Stone Shelters
Edward Allen
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Around the world in stone........2002-12-17

Lots of history on stone shelters from around the world. Could be more photo's, and colour ones would be better yet.

Homes: Shelter and Living Space (A Stepping-stone book)

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Homes: Shelter and Living Space (A Stepping-stone book)
Joanna Foster
Manufacturer: Parents' Magazine Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Shelter Poverty: New Ideas on Housing Affordability

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Shelter Poverty: New Ideas on Housing Affordability
Michael E. Stone
Manufacturer: Temple University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Housing & Urban Development | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1566390508

Book Description

In Shelter Poverty, Michael E. Stone presents the definitive discussion of housing and social justice in the United States. Challenging the conventional definition of housing affordability, Stone offers original and powerful insights about the nature, causes, and consequences of the affordability problem and presents creative and detailed proposals for solving a problem that afflicts one-third of this nation. Setting the housing crisis into broad political, economic, and historical contexts, Stone asks: What is shelter poverty? Why does it exist and persist? and How can it be overcome?

Describing shelter poverty as the denial of a universal human need, Stone offers a quantitative scale by which to measure it and reflects on the social and economic implications of housing affordability in this country. He argues for "the right to housing" and presents a program for transforming a large proportion of the housing in this country from an expensive commodity into an affordable social entitlement. Employing new concepts of housing ownership, tenure, and finance, he favors social ownership in which market concepts have a useful but subordinate role in the identification of housing preferences and allocation. Stone concludes that political action around shelter poverty will further the goal of achieving a truly just and democratic society that is also equitably and responsibly productive and prosperous.

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The Shelters Of Stone
Jean M Auel
Manufacturer: Book Club Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OIQKSE

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