Audio cassette
English language
Published Feb. 9, 2006 by BBC Audiobooks America.
For generations, privileged young men have attended St. Oswald's Grammar School for Boys, groomed for success by the likes of Roy Straitley, the eccentric Classics teacher who has been a fixture there for more than thirty years. This year, however, the wind of unwelcome change is blowing, and Straitley is finally, reluctantly, contemplating retirement. As the new term gets under way, a number of incidents befall students and faculty alike, beginning as small annoyances but soon escalating in both number and consequence. St. Oswald's is unraveling, and only Straitley stands in the way of its ruin. But he faces a formidable opponent with a bitter grudge and a master strategy that has been meticulously planned to the final, deadly move.
This is so good!
Masterful storytelling.
A must read!
This was an interesting and worthwhile read, but I wasn't impressed with the crisscrossing of the two first person stories. Perhaps it was the Kindle version's fault, but it wasn't terrifically fun trying to discern who was talking at each break.
The plot twist at the end was interesting, but felt a bit fake because of the realities of telling the story in novel form. I don't think this would have worked quite as well in movie form. The ultimate resolution could have been a bit more satisfying.
The setting and characters really made the story and the plot moved along fairly well though the pace could have been more brisk. The author could have done a bit better at introducing such a large number of characters.
