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Gentlemen & Players [Paperback]

Joanne Harris (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Book Description

Publication Date: 5 Jun 2006

At St Oswald's, a long-established boys' grammar school in the north of England, a new year has just begun. For the staff and boys of the school, a wind of unwelcome change is blowing. Suits, paperwork and Information Technology rule the world; and Roy Straitley, the eccentric veteran Latin master, is finally - reluctantly - contemplating retirement.

But beneath the little rivalries, petty disputes and everyday crises of the school, a darker undercurrent stirs. And a bitter grudge, hidden and carefully nurtured for thirteen years, is about to erupt.

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Gentlemen & Players + The Lollipop Shoes (Chocolat 2)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Black Swan; New Ed edition (5 Jun 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0552770027
  • ISBN-13: 978-0552770026
  • Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 2.7 x 19.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 8,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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› Visit Amazon's Joanne Harris Page
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Product Description

Review

[A] gripping psychological thriller... Harris is one of our most accomplished novelists and Gentlemen & Players, with its pace, wit and acute observation, shows her at the top of her form (DAILY EXPRESS )

[A] delicious black comedy ... the plot is so cleverly constructed, the tension so unflagging, you'd think she'd been writing thrillers all her life (DAILY MAIL )

With a lightness of touch, Harris illuminates just how resentment of privilege and exclusion can lead to violent resolutions... Marvellously mischievous (GOOD HOUSEKEEPING )

[A] clever story of obsession and revenge... Ms Harris has scored another success (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

A classic whodunnit with the characters carefully crafted and the tension at a knife edge (SUNDAY EXPRESS (TOP TEN FICTION 2005) )

Book Description

The eagerly awaited new novel from the bestselling author of CHOCOLAT
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
89 of 92 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Back to her best 10 Oct 2005
By Harry Hughes
Format:Hardcover
I must admit to being a little disillusioned by Joanne Harris' past few offerings. Holy Fools, Jigs and Reels and Sleep Pale Sister have failed to grab me in the way her food trilogy and Coastliners did. It was therefore with some trepidation that I began her new novel, "Gentlemen and players" I confess to having a preconception that like many of her other books this was likely to be a good read and enjoyable enough, but not likely to blow my socks off as Chocolat, Blackberry wine, Coastliners and the superb Five Quarters have. So I settled down to read this latest offering and I was hooked.

The story is a basic one. A nameless narrator starts off the book with their father living in the porters cabin at an esxclusive grammar school, "St Oswalds". After this first chapter however we learn that a decade and a half has passed since the opening chapter and our narrator has secured a job at St Oswalds and intends to destroy it. This story is intertwined with than of eccentric latin master Roy Straightley who is slowly being undermined and encouraged into retirement. Asd the story progresses scandals start to hit St Oswalds by way of a mysterious figure known simply as Mole (Our nameless narrator). As the scandals increase and even murder strikes St Oswalds the ancient school begins to crumble. This is when Straightley finally realises who Mole is, but can he stop another murder?

This is without doubt the best techincally written book Joanne has produced. She builds up through her dual narrative a crescendo of feeling and emotion. One cannot help to feel intreagued as to what will happen to St Oswalds will it fall and be lost forever or can Straightley avert the disaster. The ending is sublime and wil leave you physically breathless as the exciting denouement closes in. The idea of heading the separate sections of the book as the names of chess pieces and terminology is yet another master stroke, my only regret was the the final book was "Mate" rather than "Stalemate" which I would have preferred, but that is a minor point.

All in all this is a display of brilliance from one of the finest authors working today she is undoubtedly back to her very best form, this novel will rank alongside Blackberry Wine, Chocolat and Coastliners in the second tier of Joanne's work. A very good book, but nowhere near the masterpiece of "Five Quarters".

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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic story telling and complex plots to tax the mind 12 Sep 2006
By A Common Reader TOP 50 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Gentlemen and Players is a wonderful book which convinced me that nobody does plots, intrigues and denouements better than Joanne Harris. On the face of it, this is a straightforward story, of the jealous son of a pirvate school caretaker, who infiltrates himself into the school by stealing bits of uniform and surruptiously taking part in sports and games, and later lessons. However, this turns out to be a tale of high drama, as a number of years later, the school suffers various calamities which threaten its very existence.

The characters are very well drawn - Roy Straitley, the aging classics master is perhaps the key character and so much of the story revolves around his slightly embittered and cynical personality. Roy has seen it all before, and yet events take even him by surprise and he turns out to be a key player in the unfolding drama. But all the characterisations are strong, and several weeks after reading the book, I find it easy to remember the parts played by the various "gentlemen and players".

This is a "mystery" book - at its core is a complex story with an unpredictable ending. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a great story, and the feeling of being so absorbed in a book that you want to go on reading it at a single sitting.
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72 of 76 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book! I couldn't put it down! 2 April 2006
By D. A. Rees
Format:Paperback
I was recommended this book by my wife who has read all of her books! Eventually I took up the challenge and was completely absorbed by the brilliant characters! The book is written from a dual narrative perspective and manages to switch from one to the other without losing the thread - it is a real testament to the quality of the writing that I was desperate to find out what was going to happen from both narrative views. Add to this the fact that the book has unexpected developments that hit you at precisely the right time and have you thumbing back through what you've read for clues. I read this book incredibly quickly and am still thinking about the way it all panned out.
In short this is an incredibly good book, very readable and keeps your interest at every page. It has a wry humour despite some extremely dark human behaviour!
I would recommend this book to anyone. I enjoyed it so much even though it made my wife extremely smug to be proved right! I now want to read her other books - apparently one is written from the perspective of a bottle of wine!! If she can pull that off then she is, indeed, an exceptionally talented writer!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent story with a great twist
I love all Joanne Harris' books, but this is definitely my favourite. Set in an English private school, the story goes backwards and forwards between the narrator's childhood and... Read more
Published 8 days ago by LadyGrey
4.0 out of 5 stars Public School V Comprehensive?
Despite some incredible story lines some people in our book club enjoyed this. The especially liked the twist at the end.
Published 22 days ago by E M Garland
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read.
I enjoy Joanne Harris very much, I have read a number of her books, but Gentlemen & Players is a departure from her themes incorporating food and France. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Judith
2.0 out of 5 stars Book club choice
I found this a very confusing rambling book, I only finished reading it because it was my book club choice. Read more
Published 2 months ago by HOWARD AND JACQUELINE KNEEN
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!!
I have read most JH books and just love her writing style. This book captivated me from the start, it is different from her other books but not in a bad way. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Fifi
5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Engrossing Story
Gentlemen & Players. I found this book a very good read with a surprise at the end. It was much less mystical and therefore easier to follow than Joanne Harris's later books.
Published 5 months ago by Lyn Kear
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant !
I was looking for a book to take on holiday last month - and picked up "Gentlemen & Players" at Tesco during a last-minute shop. Read more
Published 6 months ago by DingBat
4.0 out of 5 stars Joanne harris book
Gentlemen & Players

An excellent story which unfolds slowly in and around a public school. Read more
Published 10 months ago by R. C. E. Guy
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Really good read that has left me wanting to read more! Can't wait to pick up the next book and take it on holiday with me.
Published 11 months ago by J. Harvey
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
I've read most Joanne Harris books and this is by far one of my favourites. I adore the setting, the characters and the twist. Brilliant read.
Published 13 months ago by Blue Shoes
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