Gentlemen and Players: A Novel (P.S.)

The item was in perfect condition, just as described. The book came well protected and faster than anticipated. Was very happy with the book and would highly recommend the seller!

Joanne Harris's "Gentlemen and Players," cleverly combines satire with a mystery thriller. It's set in an English elite grammar school for boys called St. Oswald's. Told in first-person alternating chapters by the revenge-bound sociopathic imposter posing as a teacher and Roy Straitley, the elderly Latin teacher who wants just one more term (which would make it an even hundred) before he retires, it's all about the sociopath's attempt to bring the school to its knees.We learn quickly that the sociopath is the son of a porter (i.e., the caretaker), John Snyde, who was done a bad turn by the school. And now the son, who went to a "comprehensive" (i.e., public school) has returned to St. Oswald's (which he used to infiltrate as a child) under an assumed name. He creates a chain of mayhem, beginning with stolen pens and escalating to far more serious crimes, and brags on them in his chapters. Straitley tries to uphold the honor of the school although his colleagues (all with Dickensian or chess-derived names) believe he's well past it and try to get him to retire. Indeed, had it not been for the chaos the imposter has created, that is exactly what would have happened. But as it is, the old Latin teacher stays on the job, and adds amateur detective to his CV.T'would be a crime to reveal anything further about the plot, but surely there is no harm in praising the author for the way she evokes the time (autumn) and the place (the school and its grounds). You'll probably smell the chalk dust, and hear the chatter of the boys and the drone of the lessons, and get dizzy at a scene on a rooftop. To say nothing of the stalking menace of the sociopath, lurking in the shadows, planning the next move. Until . . .Notes and asides: The novel, originally published in the UK, has apparently been edited for an American audience. Some busybody has attempted, and badly, to change Britspeak for American. "Trainers," for example have sometimes been allowed to remain in Brit, while at others they have been changed to the U.S. "sneakers." However nobody thought to change the more obscure "Casualty" to "Emergency Room," although I'm sure U.S. readers will quickly figure that out. Since this silliness can hardly be blamed on the author, no stars are deducted here. The author has written a mini-essay in the back about her teaching years, and translations of the Latin are supplied there, too.

If I could have I would have given it a 3.5 stars-- but I've erred on the liberal side for several reasons:The writing is clever, entertaining and does keep you turning the pages. However, I found the "great twists" others mentioned - predictable this time.(If you are surprised at the end --- then you'll be more inclined to rate it more highly).At the same time, because the characters and even their unique way of reaching a predictable twist were so fascinating - I didn't mind as much that I was pretty sure I knew where I was being led.I do think it's a good read - and it's worth noting a few things I wished I'd discovered sooner to help enjoy it even more:1) The school is in Britain and written in good old English (not American-English).If you don't spend time hanging with Brits, you may indeed find yourself "a bit" caught up with unfamiliar words and terms for everyday items like school courses, teachers, periods and classes.(In fact, I didn't know that the title Gentlemen and Players referred to British cricket - until after I'd read the book).2) In this edition, there is a nice handy guide at the back that translates Latin and historical references(which is not translated in the actual text of the book.) You know a great reference has been been made- just not to what exactly. I strongly recommend checking the back of the book for the translation as you go along unless your a Latin and Greek History buff - or you'll miss much of the humor and references.3) The book is written from a couple of different characters perspective- but they're all written in first person "I" language. It's confusing; but well done. After the first few chapters I realized that the little chess symbol at the start of each chapter indicated which character was speaking (e.g. a White King for Straitley, a black pawn for a mischief maker, etc.).It's a different type of thriller - and if you're tired of the old same type thriller, or enjoy entertainment with a different sort of twist (like  Shutter Island: A Novel ) you'll enjoy this one.

Very enjoyable

Up to the authors very high standard. An addition to her trilogy of mayhem in an English school

This is a well-reviewed author, but the story is too long and drawn out and ultimately the characters just get irritating. It could have done with a good edit. I expected a better read than this.

This is the first book by Joanne Harris that I have read and I will most definitely be looking out for her other novels. It is a story based around St Oswald’s, a private, all-boys school, told from two different points of view. Firstly, there is the aging Classics teacher Mr Straitley, a symbol of tradition, who is coming to terms with how much times have changed and who finds himself having to compete for his place against the newer but more current and relevant subjects.The second point of view is somewhat less obvious as, unless you guessed early on in the book, their identity is not revealed until much later in what I felt was one of the biggest twists I’ve come across in a long time (but more about that later). The mystery character is plotting revenge against St Oswald’s and all it stands for; the elite and superior within society. As we come to discover, the protagonist’s desire to take down the school and everyone in it is driven by their experience and bitterness that comes from being outside of its walls.As the intricate story of cat vs mouse progresses it becomes increasingly dark and gripping. I personally did not guess the identity of the main character so this was a twist that really made the book in my opinion. Once I knew however, I came to realise just how cleverly written this novel was. The way the author writes makes it easy to picture the long corridors, multiple classrooms and manicured lawns to the extent that you feel like you are there.This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and I have to say I wouldn’t have actually chosen to do so (thanks Book Club!). It kept me on the edge of my seat and I was thinking about it long after I turned the last page.

There is a mystery at the heart of Joanne Harris's "Gentlemen & Players" - the identity of one of the two narrators, recounting their adolescence at the fringes of an English public school, alluding to dreadful events surrounding that adolescence, and then giving an account of their return to the school as a teacher, many years later, and their determination to bring "St Oswald's" crashing to the ground.I have to say, it was a mystery whose essential secret I guessed very quickly, which is quite unlike me. And even more unlike me, I turned out to be right.It doesn't matter. In its contemporary storyline, Gentlemen and Players is a wonderful evocation of a school term. From the teachers' office politics to the effect of windy weather on the pupils' behaviour (a detail that marked Joanne Harris out as a former teacher even if I hadn't already known that was the case), St Oswald's is a thoroughly solid creation.In the backstory, the Porter's kid who infiltrates the school, and the boy befriended there over one idyllic summer, offer a fantastic portrait of teenage arrogance, hormonal intensity, and casual cruelty.There's more than a little of Mervyn Peake's Steerpike in the mystery saboteur, a ruthless manipulator, roaming around the school's rooftop kingdom.Although he'd have been far too young when the book was first published in 2006, it's hard to imagine anyone other than Stephen Fry playing Roy Straitley, the eccentric Classics teacher who narrates the other half of the book.Harris's characters are well-drawn and engaging, and her prose is wonderful. I may have worked out whodunnit, but I enjoyed every moment of the journey.