Gentlemen and Players by Joanne M. Harris is a dark and sinister thriller set in a prestigious all boys boarding school, St. Oswald's. The story revolves around a clever psychopath seeking revenge on the school, creating a complex psychological mystery that keeps the reader hooked until the unpredictable ending. The narrative is told from multiple perspectives, including that of Roy Straitley, an elderly Classics master, and the mysterious assailant, adding depth to the plot and character development.
The book delves into themes of revenge, deception, loyalty, and identity within the backdrop of a British public school. With a well-crafted plot, unexpected twists, and engaging character interactions, Gentlemen and Players offers a gripping and suspenseful read that keeps readers guessing until the very end.
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Potential triggers include themes related to bullying, mental health issues, and violence.
From The Publisher:
The New York Times bestselling author takes a riveting new direction with this richly textured, multi-layered novel of friendship, murder, revenge, and class conflict set in an upper-crust English school-as enthralling and haunting as Ian McKewan's Atonement and Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley
Audere, agere, auferre.
To dare, to strive, to conquer.
For generations, elite young men have attended St. Oswald's School for Boys, groomed for success by the likes of Roy Straitley, the eccentric classics teacher who has been a revered fixture for more than 30 years. But this year, things are different. Suits, paperwork, and Information Technology rule the world, and Straitley is reluctantly contemplating retirement. He is joined in this, his 99th, term by five new faculty members, including one who-unknown to Straitley and everyone else-holds intimate and dangerous knowledge of St. Ozzie's ways and secrets, it's comforts and conceits. Harboring dark ties to the school's past, this young teacher has arrived with one terrible goal: Destroy St. Oswald's.
As the new term gets underway, a number of incidents befall students and faculty alike. Beginning as small annoyances-a lost pen, a misplaced coffee mug-they soon escalate to the life threatening. With the school unraveling, only Straitley stands in the way of St. Ozzie's ruin. But the old man faces a formidable opponent-a master player with a strategy that has been meticulously planned to the final move.
A harrowing tale of cat and mouse told in alternating voices, this riveting, hypnotically atmospheric novel showcases Joanne Harris's astonishing storytelling talent as never before.
Ratings (11)
Loved It (7) | |
Liked It (1) | |
It Was OK (3) |
Reader Stats (44):
Read It (12) | |
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Not Interested (9) |
1 comment(s)
As the new school year starts in S:t Oswald both students and teacher feels a change is coming, but not at all wanted. We follow an Latin teacher on the brink of pension. Something he doesn't look forward to. Things start happen at the school, old grudges come up and a hidden scandal might get some unwanted attention. This is a slow burn book but very entertaining to see how everything unfolds. I've read it in 2018 and thought it was about time to give it a reread and I still give it 4 stars.
What can you read after
Gentlemen and Players?
About the Author:
Joanne Harris's Whitbread-shortlisted Chocolat was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. She is the author of many other bestselling novels, including Lollipop Shoes, Peaches for Monsieur le Curé, and The Strawberry Thief, all also featuring Vianne Rocher. She has also written acclaimed novels in such diverse genres as fantasy based on Norse myth (Runemarks, Runelight, The Gospel of Loki), and the Malbry cycle of dark psychological thrillers (Gentlemen & Players, Blueeyedboy, and Different Class). Born in Barnsley, of an English father and a French mother, she spent fifteen years as a teacher before (somewhat reluctantly) becoming a full-time writer. In 2013, she was awarded an MBE. She lives in Yorkshire, plays bass and flute in a band first formed when she was sixteen, and works in a shed in her garden.
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