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The History Boys (Paperback)

by Alan Bennett (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £5.47 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: Faber and Faber; 1st American Ed edition (17 Jun 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0571224644
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571224647
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.2 x 1.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 14,404 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #10 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > B > Bennett, Alan
    #76 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > Drama

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Product Description

Product Description

An unruly bunch of bright, funny sixth-form boys in pursuit of sex, sport and a place at university. A maverick English teacher at odds with the young and shrewd supply teacher. A headmaster obsessed with results; a history teacher who thinks he's a fool. In Alan Bennett's new play, staff room rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence provoke insistent questions about history and how you teach it; about education and its purpose.


From the Inside Flap

An unruly bunch of bright, funny sixth-form boys in pursuit of
sex, sport and a place at university. A maverick English teacher at odds
with the young and shrewd supply teacher; a headmaster obsessed with
results; a History teacher who thinks he's a fool. Staffroom rivalry and
the anarchy of adolescence provoke insistent questions about History and
how to teach it; about education and its purpose.

'The History Boys', the screenplay, contains Alan Bennett's diary of the
filming, the shooting script and an Introduction by director Nicholas
Hytner, as well as an extensive plate section showing stills from the film
and behind the scenes. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The History Boys - applause all round, 2 Mar 2005
The latest play from Alan Bennet proves both funny, thought-proking and currently hugely successful at the NT. The characters are all beautifully created and lovable, from the confused homosexual youth Posner to the stressed, icy Headmaster, obsessed with league tables and results. The witty one liners and amusing comments,especially from Mrs Lintott, contribute to an extremely funny backdrop to a deeply serious play, where the issues of the purpose of education, homosexuality and the inevitable competition of youth are addressed and debated. The "History Boys" themselves successfully represent the thousands of hopeful Oxbridge candidates each year, all of them experiencing the highs and the lows of studying and the joy of learning, making this play a timeless jem.
The teacher Hector, whom Richard Griffiths is currently portraying with great conviction at the NT, is intellectually brilliant and extremely impressive, and yet, he is just a fallible human being with temptations and desires that finally get the better of him. This point is so tragic and powerful it evokes great sympathy from the reader and adds to the effectiveness of the play.
A thoroughly enjoyable play to light up both the stage and the mind. It is one of the rare plays that you feel you can watch time and time again, learning something new each time.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Faithful Audio Production, 7 April 2006
By D. McBryde (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The History Boys (BBC Audio) (Audio CD)
I saw The History Boys on their Australian tour and since it was sold out and I could not see it again I had to buy this audio version to satisfy my desire.
I'm not sure that all of the magic of the stage production is able to carry through to an audio play, but it is good listen anyway.
It is an incredibly witty piece of entertainment, thoroughly enjoyable, and reminded me so much of my own school memories of the all boys school I went to. The struggle between the two intelligent school teachers - Irwin and Hector - over the souls of the boys they teach could perhaps appear unlikely to those who missed out on having such teachers, but it reflects my experience as well. Bennett wavers (or seems to) between taking sides in their not unimportant dispute, but (or therefore?) is good enough of a writer or human being not to load the dice in the favour of one over the other.
More superficially: Samuel Barnett (my favourite) sings and acts wonderfully, all the boys are mischievously fun, and the cast is all round excellent.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning writing, a stellar cast, Alan Bennett at his best, 28 May 2006
By G. Riley "GBR" (Eton, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The History Boys (BBC Audio) (Audio CD)
I have seen the History Boys twice at the National Theatre, the first time with the cast that appears on this BBC CD recording. Bennett has produced a gem of a play, dark in places of course but full of light and shade especially when the ensemble cast are fully in their stride. The musical interludes are a joy and the CD version gives full rein to the superb Richard Griffiths. One can only really appreciate this play in full by experiencing the live version on stage. But for fans of Bennett, this beautifully crafted BBC radio production is one that will be taken from the CD rack on a regular basis for an evening's listening. Thoroughly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Production and Radio Drama
I love radio drama, so I bought this BBC Audio production CD box after having watched the movie on DVD. I was not disappointed! Read more
Published 6 months ago by Steffen Bretzke

2.0 out of 5 stars film is much better than the book
The book, written in the form of a play, is total rubbish, or maybe I did not understand all the hidden meanings . The film is good, though. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mark Billinge

4.0 out of 5 stars A multi-layered look at adolescence
The play blends comedy with tragedy and has many layers and themes. Whilst the story is ostensibly about education and, in particular, the teaching of talented pupils on the cusp... Read more
Published 15 months ago by P. BRIGGS

1.0 out of 5 stars Most over-rated play ever
I hated this play. Stereotypes as characters, tired and cliched, ignorant about education. The worst play I have ever seen in a long life of theatre going. Read more
Published 17 months ago by John Green

3.0 out of 5 stars Tarnished wit
Having just seen the National Theatre production of The History Boys, performed in Bennett's Leeds for the first time, I was disappointed. Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2007 by Edward Royle

5.0 out of 5 stars "A question has a front door and a back door. Go in the back, or better still, the side."
Set in the 1980s in a boarding school in the north of England, this Tony Award-winner for Best Play of 2006 is a dramatic comedy in which eight young "sixth-formers" prepare for... Read more
Published on 23 Jul 2006 by Mary Whipple

5.0 out of 5 stars Really funny, subtle and intensely moving.
The play is about eight sixth-form students who are applying to oxbridge, and the teachers that help them through it. Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2004 by D. Russell

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant
A superb new work by this writer of brilliant things. Great observation of nuances and life, and of course great use of language.
Published on 22 May 2004

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