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A Separate Peace Audiobook
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(3.90) - 53 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
An American classic and great bestseller for over thirty years, A Separate Peace is timeless in its description of adolescence during a period when the entire country was losing its innocence to the second world war. 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.
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"A really well-developed novel. Very complex, deep characters, with intricate relationships. Some fantastically descriptive, vivid descriptions. Greek mythological and biblical allusions add texture to the characters and plot. Poignant message about the nature of hatred and war. Who is the enemy? "
— Iridollae (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A quietly vital and cleanly written novel that moves, page by page, towards a most interesting target.”
— Truman Capote -
“A model of restraint, deeply felt and beautifully written.”
— Observer (London) -
“A masterpiece.”
— National Review -
“I think it is the best-written, best-designed, and most moving novel I have read in many years. Beginning with a tiny incident among ordinary boys, it ends by being as deep and as big as evil itself.”
— Aubrey Menen -
“Mr. Knowles has something to say about youth and war that few contemporary novelists have attempted to say and none has said better.”
— Warren Miller -
“Is he the successor to Salinger for whom we have been waiting so long?”
— Encounter -
“The volatile world of male adolescence provides the backdrop for John Knowles’ engrossing tale of love, hate, war, and peace… Not only does [narrator Scott] Snively give a distinctive voice to each of the main characters, he also delineates the mannerisms and personalities of the other boys and the teachers surrounding them. Intense, mesmerizing, and compelling, this rendition of a classic coming-of-age tale belongs in all public library collections, and will be especially helpful to high school students.”
— School Library Journal
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
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A National Book Award Finalist
A Separate Peace Listener Reviews
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john toothaker, 1/23/2016
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" Read a long time ago. Supposedly set in a fictionalized version of Exeter, my older brother's prep. <br/>school. De rigueur reading for preppies of the 50's and 60's. Date read is a guess. "
— Chris, 5/24/2011 -
" Read "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" and Fosterize this one. It'll blow your mind. "
— Alicia, 5/22/2011 -
" Read "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" and Fosterize this one. It'll blow your mind. "
— Alicia, 5/22/2011 -
" I thought it was a great book I did find it kinda sad what happened to Gene's best friend (Finny). I think anyone would seriously enjoy it if you give it a chance "
— Jean, 5/21/2011 -
" I thought it was a great book I did find it kinda sad what happened to Gene's best friend (Finny). I think anyone would seriously enjoy it if you give it a chance "
— Jean, 5/21/2011 -
" eeehhh, not my cup of tea. "
— He-who-must-not-be-named, 5/18/2011 -
" eeehhh, not my cup of tea. "
— He-who-must-not-be-named, 5/18/2011 -
" Lovely, hilarious, and horribly sad. "
— O.c., 5/15/2011 -
" Loved this book. A tale of pure masculine friendship. If it were written in our modern age, I'm certain that there would have been a gay declaration or two. "
— Adam, 5/13/2011 -
" Loved this book. A tale of pure masculine friendship. If it were written in our modern age, I'm certain that there would have been a gay declaration or two. "
— Adam, 5/13/2011 -
" How does this author say so much so well, so concisely? Never had it inflicted upon me in school; first encountered it as an adult. So well written. "
— Kimberley, 5/12/2011 -
" How does this author say so much so well, so concisely? Never had it inflicted upon me in school; first encountered it as an adult. So well written. "
— Kimberley, 5/12/2011 -
" I loved this book when I read it last year I'm high school. It was one of the few required books I read in my English and I adored the book I would definitely recommend this novel to someone looking for a good easy read! "
— Nicolette, 5/9/2011 -
" I loved this book when I read it last year I'm high school. It was one of the few required books I read in my English and I adored the book I would definitely recommend this novel to someone looking for a good easy read! "
— Nicolette, 5/9/2011 -
" i had to read this for school. this book was okay. it was easy to understand. it was just long and boring. i thought i would like it because its considered modern (its written about world war 2), but its just not that interesting. its a lot of jealousy, and not a lot of action. "
— Caitlyn, 5/7/2011 -
" i had to read this for school. this book was okay. it was easy to understand. it was just long and boring. i thought i would like it because its considered modern (its written about world war 2), but its just not that interesting. its a lot of jealousy, and not a lot of action. "
— Caitlyn, 5/7/2011 -
" Another one I had to read for high-school, but it stuck with me so much I bought a copy of my own in adulthood and read it again. "
— Yosep, 5/6/2011 -
" I hope to reread this at some point. "
— Charlie, 5/6/2011 -
" I chose to put off reading this book until a day before it was due. It just sounded so boring, so terrible: the title, everything about it. Once I got past the first three chapters or so, it actually got better. I didn't really like the plot of it, but it otherwise was amazing. "
— Patric, 5/6/2011 -
" I chose to put off reading this book until a day before it was due. It just sounded so boring, so terrible: the title, everything about it. Once I got past the first three chapters or so, it actually got better. I didn't really like the plot of it, but it otherwise was amazing. "
— Patric, 5/6/2011 -
" My second favorite book of all time, right after Little Women. "
— Lindsey, 5/6/2011 -
" I liked this coming of age story of two boys facing the dark side of adolescence and realities of life and war as they mature. However, i don't agree John Knowles is the next Salinger. It was good but not great to me. "
— Laurie, 5/6/2011 -
" Another one I had to read for high-school, but it stuck with me so much I bought a copy of my own in adulthood and read it again. "
— Yosep, 5/6/2011 -
" I hope to reread this at some point. "
— Charlie, 5/6/2011 -
" My second favorite book of all time, right after Little Women. "
— Lindsey, 5/6/2011
About John Knowles
John Knowles (1926–2001) was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and Yale University. His first novel, A Separate Peace, was published in 1959 and adapted for film in 1972. In 2004 it was adapted again as a television movie by Showtime. He wrote seven novels, a book on travel, and a collection of stories. He was the winner of the William Faulkner Award and the Rosenthal Award of the National Institute of Arts and Letters.