By Joanne Harris (422 pages)
Published by William Morrow
Bookish rating: 3.75
Have I mentioned my affinity for prep school dramas? Well, that's pretty much the reason I read Harris's Gentlemen and Players, which consists of chapters intended to mimic a game of chess. However, as someone clueless about chess, this symbolism is lost on me.
The plot: At St. Oswald's, a boy's prep school in England, a disenfranchised boy, the son of the porter, decides to bring the school down. Meanwhile, the aging Latin teacher is digging in his heels, refusing all change, from whiteboards to email.
The good: Harris has a natural, free-flowing writing style that is highly readable and effective. It's nothing extraordinary, but it's good enough to get the job done. In the last quarter of the book, she tosses out some major plot twists that I truly did not see coming. So, kudos for that.
The bad: Although I realize many pages must be devoted to setting a particular stage, this book could've been shorter. I mean, the administrative tasks of teachers are simply dull and boring. I'm not saying that they made up 100 uncessary pages . . . but they might have.
So, bottom line? I like the book enough, and it tossed me some juicy surprises. But overall? I wasn't particularly wowed. Quasi-recommended.
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