Passionately determined to write his novel whilst running College Sunrise, a finishing school for both sexes and mixed nationalities, Rowland Mahler is assisted by his wife, Nina Parker. This term there is a new star pupil - Chris, seventeen, also determined to write his masterpiece. As Chris's novel takes shape while his own flounders, Rowland becomes increasingly obsessed and The Finishing School becomes awash with his jealousy and envy. This new novel amply displays Muriel Spark's extraordinary talent: her cool, biting humour and unique vision of human nature.
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Amazon Review
The elegantly written The Finishing School reminds us again of Muriel Spark's unique talent, combining a wry sympathy for human behaviour with a clear-eyed assessment of our foibles. All her books, from the The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to the lesser known volumes, possess an insinuating charm and an understated but often lethal satirical thrust; few middle-class absurdities have gone unanalysed.
The Finishing School is concise but it has all the insinuating charm of her best work. Rowland Mahler and his wife Nina run a mixed-sex finishing school called College Sunrise. Rowland has aspirations as a novelist but he has an unconscious rival--a talented pupil, Chris--whose literary efforts effortlessly outpace Rowland's. Soon a poisonous atmosphere suffuses the school as Rowland falls prey to agonies of jealousy. Spark has always been good at the tensions and rivalries of the school environment, and her touch is as sure as ever in this highly diverting piece. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"An empress of literary sleight of hand. . . . What grace and beauty she's still displaying during the golden days and starlit nights of her absolutely marvelous career." -"The Washington Post""Ingeniously comic. . . . Spark has packed a multitude of twists and turns into this relatively brief novel, and the action skims along merrily from one surprising revelation to the next." -"Los Angeles Times Book Review"""The Finishing School "has all the ingredients of her best-known fiction." -"The New York Times""Delicious. . . . A deft new comic novel. . . . Spark remains a master of quick-stroke portraiture and trenchant moral investigation." -"The Seattle Times""A youthful academic comedy. . . . Her style . . . remains as sharp, even shocking, as it's always been." -"The New York Times Book Review"
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'You begin,' he said, 'by setting your scene. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
'You begin,' he said, 'by setting your scene. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Ralph Blumenau
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Nine teenagers from wealthy families attend a rather fly-by-night finishing school in Switzerland run by Rowland Mahler and his wife Nina. Roland teaches creative writing, Nina teaches etiquette. Both of them are somewhat fraudulent. Rowland is trying to write a novel, but can't get on with it. He has read the enviably brilliant opening pages of a novel written by one of his students, the self-confident 17 year old Chris Wiley, who, after that, will not show him work in progress. Rowland's envy of Chris begins to obsess his entire life, driving him into mental illness. Chris notices this; it becomes a stimulus for his own work, and he seems to enjoy torturing Rowland.
That is the gist of this slight novella of 156 pages. I can't quite believe in Rowland. Nina is more credible. The other teenagers are merely sketched in. I don't think much of the ending: it seems forced and rushed, as if Muriel Spark were herself in a hurry to end the book somehow. But she writes so easily and entertainingly that it's a pleasant enough read.
That is the gist of this slight novella of 156 pages. I can't quite believe in Rowland. Nina is more credible. The other teenagers are merely sketched in. I don't think much of the ending: it seems forced and rushed, as if Muriel Spark were herself in a hurry to end the book somehow. But she writes so easily and entertainingly that it's a pleasant enough read.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By HORAK
Format:Paperback
Rowland Mahler and his wife Nina founded the College Sunrise in Ouchy, Switzerland. They are respectively 29 and 26 and they have nine students. Rowland teaches creative writing and in his spare time he aspires to become a novelist. But then his seventeen year old student Chris Wiley starts writing a novel about Mary Queen of Scots entitled "Who Killed Darnley" and Rowland suffers from writing block because he is jealous of the ease with which Chris's writing progresses. Rowland can't understand why his teenage pupil is able to write like a professional, how he can manage language so wonderfully and with so little experience. Nothing compared with his own dismal efforts at mediocre prose.
But as the reader progresses along the plot, he realises that nothing in Mrs Spark's novel is as it seems. The characters are well drawn, the scenes are often very amusing because they are laced with acute and witty observations about authors, publishers, school life, marital relationships and more generally about present day preoccupations.
But as the reader progresses along the plot, he realises that nothing in Mrs Spark's novel is as it seems. The characters are well drawn, the scenes are often very amusing because they are laced with acute and witty observations about authors, publishers, school life, marital relationships and more generally about present day preoccupations.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Writer
Format:Paperback
I found this book entertaining but lacking in vital areas and padded out with unnecessary text.
I would have liked more content on the simmering relationship between the protagonists and more details on the other characters. Instead, it was padded out with a whole poem from Thomas Hardy, a stanza by Byron and a long list of what each pupil wore at a fashion show; none of which were necessary to the story. I also found the dialog about Chris's book very boring and unnecessary at times, but then maybe it's because I don't have an interest in historic novels or indeed history.
However, the relationship between the two main protagonists was excellent and it had me hooked! Rowland, the teacher, is very jealous of Chris his talented pupil, who is writing a novel. Rowland has always wanted to write a novel and the more success Chris has with his novel, the more it upsets Rowland. Chris goes out of his way to taunt Rowland, which is amusing.
The setting of the book is very interesting too, a finishing school which moves between European towns each year, with only 9 pupils, who are taught a variety of ad-hoc topics.
I have mixed feelings about the book, however, I think the unsatisfactory and very rushed ending tipped the scales for me in the wrong direction. So to summarise, great characters, great setting but let down by a poor ending and poor editing.
I would have liked more content on the simmering relationship between the protagonists and more details on the other characters. Instead, it was padded out with a whole poem from Thomas Hardy, a stanza by Byron and a long list of what each pupil wore at a fashion show; none of which were necessary to the story. I also found the dialog about Chris's book very boring and unnecessary at times, but then maybe it's because I don't have an interest in historic novels or indeed history.
However, the relationship between the two main protagonists was excellent and it had me hooked! Rowland, the teacher, is very jealous of Chris his talented pupil, who is writing a novel. Rowland has always wanted to write a novel and the more success Chris has with his novel, the more it upsets Rowland. Chris goes out of his way to taunt Rowland, which is amusing.
The setting of the book is very interesting too, a finishing school which moves between European towns each year, with only 9 pupils, who are taught a variety of ad-hoc topics.
I have mixed feelings about the book, however, I think the unsatisfactory and very rushed ending tipped the scales for me in the wrong direction. So to summarise, great characters, great setting but let down by a poor ending and poor editing.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Simon Savidge Reads
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
From the title you might well assume that `The Finishing School' is a Sparkian (does that sound to grand?) tale of a school for young ladies in the vein of `The Prime of Miss Jean Broadie' or `The Girls of Slender Means' but its not. In fact this is the tale of Rowland Mahler, an aspiring author, and his wife Nina Parker who run a writing school `College Sunrise' that travels through Europe (the main reason for that is they can leave debts behind and charge more to the student's parents) its students coming from here there and everywhere. One such student is Chris who as it turns out can write and well; in fact Chris seems to be flying through writing a historical novel about Mary Queen of Scots and the murder of her husband. Something that Rowland should be pleased about and yet is quite the reverse he becomes obsessively annoyed and frustrated by it leading to tense times and dark doings.
That makes the book sound rather simple and it's not as there are two main themes underlying the whole story those of jealousy and sexuality, to say too much more would be to give far too much away. Muriel Spark is a genius at writing what goes on in the minds of all sorts of people and with the mixed sexes, backgrounds and mental attitudes of the students in this novel/novella she has free reign to enter the minds of an array of characters. Not that I ever felt I really knew any of them too well other than Chris and Rowland who the book really focuses on.
I felt Spark had a huge amount to say and had somehow limited herself from spelling everything out by keeping the book so short and yet throwing in random scenes like a College Fashion Show that didn't move the plot or the characters forward.... Read more ›
That makes the book sound rather simple and it's not as there are two main themes underlying the whole story those of jealousy and sexuality, to say too much more would be to give far too much away. Muriel Spark is a genius at writing what goes on in the minds of all sorts of people and with the mixed sexes, backgrounds and mental attitudes of the students in this novel/novella she has free reign to enter the minds of an array of characters. Not that I ever felt I really knew any of them too well other than Chris and Rowland who the book really focuses on.
I felt Spark had a huge amount to say and had somehow limited herself from spelling everything out by keeping the book so short and yet throwing in random scenes like a College Fashion Show that didn't move the plot or the characters forward.... Read more ›
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