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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Excellent novel of psychological suspense. Harris keeps you guessing about the identity of the person so bent on revenge until the last few pages. I went back and forth on who I thought it was about a dozen times. As soon as I thought I knew, Harris threw in another twist and I started to look...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“A good read”
Mandy L wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“this is a classy read.... dark and somewhat disturbing it has the best twist i have ever experienced in a book and it kept me thinking well after i finished.... and just as good on the second read”
BOOKMARK wrote this review 10 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Not bad. An interesting little twist. It moved along reasonably well. Good for the beach or light reading.”
Christine B wrote this review Wednesday, November 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“A clever book that follows the game of chess. Very interesting in the way that she was able to put the book together and follow the game all the way to check mate. ”
Kristen B wrote this review Sunday, October 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Many unexpected turns. ”
henriettevs wrote this review Wednesday, October 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“If you are a teacher you should read this book. Good Guy Fawkes scene.”
Anna wrote this review Thursday, October 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“LOVED the twist in this book...I was surprised right up to the end!”
Amy L wrote this review Thursday, October 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This was an audiobook -- of course I always think I would enjoy this more if I were reading it my own pace, and sometimes the reader can take away from the book. That having been said, I actually was really engaged in this one. Both the book and the reader kept me enthralled all the way to the end. ”
MeggieC wrote this review Saturday, October 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I probably - no, definitely - would have given this book a higher rating if it had been written by another author. It was quite good. But I raised the bar on my expectations for Joanne Harris after reading books such as Chocolat, Coastliners, Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange, and The Girl With No Shadow (aka The Lollipop Shoes.) And this book didn't live up to those. It totally lacks the magical realism that gives most of Harris' work such a mystical and wise beauty.
ghost of a rose wrote this review Thursday, October 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
That being said, Gentlemen and Players is an excellent psychological mystery. It isn't action/adventure, but more about relationships and personality, the things that make people who they are. And those are the things that Harris does best, whether through magic realism or in a completely realistic book such as this one.
This is also an in-depth look at a traditional upscale boys' prep school in England and the ways in which such schools are changing with the times. The plot (in both senses, the plot of the book and the anti-hero's plot to bring down the school) is devilishly clever. There is a major twist about 3/4 of the way through, that I didn't even begin to see coming; and that suddenly changed the whole way I saw and felt about the book.
The other main theme of the book (beside the anti-hero's plot to destroy the school) concerns an elderly Latin professor who has been there for the many decades of his career and might be getting too old and out-of-date to cope with the job anymore. It is fascinating how Harris develops the reader's opinion and feelings about this character as the book progresses all the way through to the thunderous end.
Coincidentally, I happened to have read The River King by Alice Hoffman recently. That's a book with a theme similar to this one, by an author whose work is similar in style to Joanne Harris'. The juxtaposition of the two is most interesting. Comparing and contrasting them enhanced my enjoyment and appreciation for both. I recommend reading them together and feel delighted by the accident of fate that led me to do that!
(422 pages)”
