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Gentlemen and Players

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 5,565 ratings · 830 reviews

Audere, agere, auferre.To dare, to strive, to conquer.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. But this year the wind of unwelcome change is blowing. Suits, paperwork, and information tec...more

Hardcover, 422 pages

Published January 3rd 2006 by William Morrow & Company (first published 2005)

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Oct 06, 2010 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 1st, 2007 (Two weeks before Ava was born)

Not recommended!

I went to Kepler's a week ago and almost came home with four new books. But I instituted an emergency policy on the spot -- only one book purchase allowed -- and I picked this one. It sounded so promising... I love page turners and this was touted as "wickedly funny", literary, and all that good stuff. But my high hopes were dashed! And I gave up after about 120 pages.

In short, two narrators -- one who is supposed to be acerbically wi...more May 1st, 2007 (Two weeks before Ava was born)

Not recommended!

I went to Kepler's a week ago and almost came home with four new books. But I instituted an emergency policy on the spot -- only one book purchase allowed -- and I picked this one. It sounded so promising... I love page turners and this was touted as "wickedly funny", literary, and all that good stuff. But my high hopes were dashed! And I gave up after about 120 pages.

In short, two narrators -- one who is supposed to be acerbically witty and the other who is ominously sinister. But I found neither to be particularly well done. I'm ruined by Arthur Phillips' "The Egyptologist" and Nabokov's "Pale Fire". The unreliable narrators in those novels are finely wrought, hilarious, and clever to boot. This book just felt common.

Moving on...

--

After a comment on my review by a "stranger" on Goodreads, I thought I'd give this book another try.

--

October 6th, 2010 (Two weeks after David was born)

Okay, I'm circling back to review this book more fully, after picking it up again after three years and actually finishing it. First of all, my review from three years ago was totally off-base and mildly embarrassing in retrospect. I don't know what business I had comparing one of the narrators of this novel to the "unreliable narrators" of "Pale Fire" and "The Egyptologist." My guess is that I was actually misusing the phrase "unreliable narrator," because "Gentlemen and Players" has no unreliable narrator. So, shame on you, Lauren of three years ago!

I enjoyed this book after picking it up again. The rough plot is that someone is wreaking havoc at a crusty old-boy prep school in England. That somebody is one of a handful of new teachers, someone who has a history with the school -- harkening back to childhood when they were an outsider, the progeny of the school "porter." It's a sort of whodunit where the reader spends the novel guessing at this individual's identity. I actually knew from the beginning who the "bad guy" was, probably because three years ago when I first attempted to read the book and decided not to finish, I must have skimmed ahead (double shame on me!). But I enjoyed the book nonetheless. It isn't exactly deep, and for more insightful treatments of class at prep schools, I prefer "Prep" by Curtis Sittenfeld and "Old School" by Tobias Wolff. But this was a thriller and a decently-written one. I wouldn't classify it as "literary," because although the writing was steady, the themes weren't particularly insightful or deep.(less)

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Jan 24, 2012 Splash Of Our Worlds *Yiota* rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't know exactly why I bought this book. It looked nice to have a book on my shelves that was normal, with simple people, no magicians, no genius children and so. Well, I have to admit that most of the books I thought they are simple, they are not. And this is an example.

The book is telling the story of a young student. It's experiece. The way the school is working. And it's relationships with the people among it. It's family, its friends, its teachers.
The book is also telling the story of a...more I don't know exactly why I bought this book. It looked nice to have a book on my shelves that was normal, with simple people, no magicians, no genius children and so. Well, I have to admit that most of the books I thought they are simple, they are not. And this is an example.

The book is telling the story of a young student. It's experiece. The way the school is working. And it's relationships with the people among it. It's family, its friends, its teachers.
The book is also telling the story of a Latin teacher, who's been working for the school for several years. He tells us stories of his past and events that are happening to his life in the present.
Meanwhile, there is somebody in the school, a teacher, an assistant, a student, no-one knows, who makes jokes, that put in danger many lives and many work spaces.

As I said, this book is not normal. There are many travels back and forward to the past and the present as both of the main characters-the student and the teacher-are talking. When you read it, you have to be careful not to miss a spot. Mostly, when you follow the evidence correctly you understand the end before the book reveilles it. But this book was more complex than the others I've read on the past. You figure out the truth when the writer tells you so.

This was the second book of Joanne Harris that I've read(the first was for young people). I wasn't sure at the beggining because Joanne Harris is also the writer of Chocolat (the book is been a movie with Johnny Depp). But it totally surpriced me. The book is not one of those that keep you in agony, because so many things are happening in, that after a point you understand that you have to sit back, relax and let the story reveille in front of you.

And the end comes. And you're adsolutely sure who's who. You've guessed, you've followed the evidence, it doesn't matter. Cause the end is going to surprise you, no matter what.

That's why I'm suggesting it to you. Believe me when I say that after reading it I was speechless for several days and I was refusing to read something else, since I wanted to calm after it.(less)

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Oct 25, 2012 Victoria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: lit-fic, mystery-thriller

Joanne Harris’ novels have consistently impressed me since first discovering her. She’s a great writer, and I just love the cadence of her prose and the wonderfully realistic characters that she presents in a vivid and rich setting. This more literary mystery of hers is no exception - it’s an enjoyable and entertaining read. The “evil” narrator’s real identity is not impossible to figure out before the end, but it doesn’t detract from the fun in reading it, and adds that wonderful joy of being r...more

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Oct 30, 2008 Autumn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alright, I'll say right up front that I would have given this book five stars, except that it has more profanity and school-boy crudities than I'm comfortable with in a book. But, (and this might be a bad thing), I'm willing to put up with a little more of that in a really great book. This book is definitely more PG13 than PG.
That being said, it's a great story. It's set in a boys' prep school in England and the story centers around Roy Straitley, a latin professor who has taught there for 33 ye...more

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Nov 20, 2009 Cygny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Cygny by: Daegaer

Shelves: owned

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 20, 2008 Lindsay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Gentlemen and Players" may not be the best known of Joanne Harris's works, "Chocolat" undoubtedly holds that title, but this novel is a riveting story worthy of praise for its intelligence and ingenuity. Centered around the public (private for those of us in the US) St. Oswald's grammar school for boys where things begin to go terribly wrong - and we are not talking paper airplanes and spit balls disorder, more like school for scandal.

As the school, and surrounding town, attempt to come to gri...more

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Mar 19, 2008 whatthedeuce rated it 4 of 5 stars

There was something about this novel that put me off, but I can't really put my finger on it. I found the premise of a young teacher seeking vengeance against a private all-boys school more than intriguing, and the writing was well-paced, but something just didn't quite gel for me throughout most of the novel. I will say though that the twist towards the end of the story is one that I never saw coming, and it knocked my socks off and gave me more of an appreciation for the author's creativity an...more

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Feb 16, 2009 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars

The thing I really like about Joanne Harris (Chocolat, Five Quarters of an Orange, etc.) is that she is not a formula writer. Each of her books is unique and can stand on its own merits. Gentlemen and Players is a bit of a cat and mouse thriller that effectively uses a chess analogy throughout the novel. Lots of twists and turns in this mystery. Many of the characters' names are cleverly used to offer some insights and hints. But don't read too, much about the story beforehand if you want to enj...more

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Feb 02, 2009 Anne Broyles rated it 3 of 5 stars

I listened to the first half of this on audiobook, and had trouble differentiating between the two narrators. Frustrated and tired of the younger (evil) narrator, I sent the audiobook back to the library. When the paperback arrived at the library for me, I gave it another go from the middle on to see what the surprise ending was I'd read so much about. I enjoyed the last pages of back-and-forth quick-fire narrative perspectives more th an the rest of the book, and am glad I persevered.

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Feb 21, 2009 Babs rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, international-authors

Gentlemen and Players is definitely not one of Harris' best novels, which possibly explains why I found a hardcover copy of it on the B&N bargain table for $5.98 not all that long after it was released. I'm a fan of Harris, however, and so I finally pulled this book out of my "to read" pile. I liked the book. It isn't as captivating as her other novels like Chocolat and The Girl With No Shadow. The book's chapters alternated between the points of view and story-telling of the two main charac...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Tifnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-detective

This was a rather interesting read. A little confusing at first since the story takes you down one road but then quickly changes the direction and then changes the direction again.

Gentlemen and Players isn't about a game of chess in the most liberal sense as I once thought and as I will admit, I was actually looking forward to reading. It is however, about an all-boy private school, St. Oswald. An impressive building in both stature and achievement. St. Oswald as well as those masters who run it...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Scrittevolmente rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Romanzo uscito in Italia nel 2008, e l’autrice è la stessa di Chocolat, da cui è stato tratto il famoso film con Johnny Depp (cosa buona e giusta).
La narrazione è divisa tra due punti di vista, uno è Roy Stratley – insegnante anziano della St. Oswald – e l’altro è avvolto nel mistero, un personaggio che ci dice praticamente tutto di sé eppure per tutta la durata del libro non riusciamo a individuarlo; il che ci dà la prima dimostrazione di quanto la Harris sia una scrittrice eccezionale.
Lo stile...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Leo rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first novel I've read by Joanne Harris. It caught my eye as I love a well told revenge story and for the most part, this book didn't disappoint. I was also drawn to the setting, an old fashioned boys grammar school with it's variety of characters. I personally loved the dual narration, the cat and mouse aspect and reading about the same events from two different viewpoints. The two main characters were wonderfully written. I loved Roy Straitley's outlook and sense of humour, his litt...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Arwen56 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romanzi

Di Joanne Harris avevo letto solo Chocolat, che avevo trovato delizioso. Con mano lieve ed istinto felice, la Harris tenta i personaggi di questo suo libro con l’aroma ed il gusto del cioccolato, li tira fuori dall’involucro di indifferenza, ipocrisia, stanchezza, rassegnazione, per restituirli ad una vita più piena. Un romanzo sempre un po’ in bilico tra realtà e fantasia, tra sogno e veglia, nel quale il vento è portatore di irrequietezza, ma, da ultimo, forse, anche di pace.

Spiazza dunque, in...more Di Joanne Harris avevo letto solo Chocolat, che avevo trovato delizioso. Con mano lieve ed istinto felice, la Harris tenta i personaggi di questo suo libro con l’aroma ed il gusto del cioccolato, li tira fuori dall’involucro di indifferenza, ipocrisia, stanchezza, rassegnazione, per restituirli ad una vita più piena. Un romanzo sempre un po’ in bilico tra realtà e fantasia, tra sogno e veglia, nel quale il vento è portatore di irrequietezza, ma, da ultimo, forse, anche di pace.

Spiazza dunque, inizialmente, la lettura di questa Scuola dei desideri, poiché è chiaro sin dall’inizio che in questo caso non è l’ottimismo a dominarne le pagine, bensì un’ossessione nata durante l’infanzia e cresciuta senza tregua. Forse, chi ha letto altri libri dell’autrice è più preparato al cambiamento di registro, perché potrebbe essersi già manifestato altrove, ma per me il passaggio è stato brusco. Inoltre, da un universo intriso da un pizzico di magia, si passa ad un’atmosfera da romanzo giallo, che assolutamente non mi aspettavo.

Nell’insieme non è male ed il finale dolce-amaro riscatta anche quei passaggi che sono decisamente tediosi, perché, nella prima parte della storia, la Harris spreca un po’ troppe parole, che non sono assolutamente necessarie all’economia del romanzo. Detto in altri termini, la tira un po’ troppo per le lunghe. Un’altra pecca del libro, a mio avviso, è la definizione dei personaggi, che è carente. Nonostante si parli parecchio di ciascuno di loro, la loro immagine resta troppo sfocata, piatta, non sembra di conoscerli, ma di averli appena intravisti. Eppure gli spunti non mancavano. Anche le motivazioni dell’ossessione di uno dei protagonisti, che è poi il tema principale dell’opera, non risultano del tutto convincenti.

Riusciti sono invece l’alternarsi delle due voci narranti e lo stile di scrittura, che scivola via fluido e senza intoppi. In generale, mi è parso un libro godibile, ma decisamente inferiore a Chocolat.

(less)

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Jul 15, 2012 Nimue Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars

A tightly plotted and difficult to put down sort of novel, I read it in a 24 hour period. I think Gentleman and Players has more in common with Blue Eyed Boy than it does with Harris’s earlier work and I wonder if we’re seeing a change of direction. Blackberry Wine, Chocolate, Coastliners and others from earlier in her career were very much tales about (and I think, for) women. Touched with magical realism and otherness, they had a warmth and hopefulness I haven’t registered so much in more rece...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Madeleine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bullying

This thriller by Joanne Harris (author of Chocolat, which I STILL need to read) centers around St. Oswald's, an ancient all-boys school for the social elite. It is the Ozzies who populate the halls Oxford and Cambridge and get doctorates and go abroad. The story focuses on two characters and narrators: Roy Straitley, a Classics teacher, whose given his entire life to St. Oswald's only to see it destroyed by incompetence and computers, and a mysterious, unnamed narrator, the child of the old Port...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Jenny Sparrow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Для меня, читавшей до этого только околоШоколадные книги Харрис, роман "Джентльмены и игроки" оказался очень неожиданным и приятным - в книге совершенно иной оттенок, стилистика, настроение, реалии и герои, нежели в "Шоколаде" и "Леденцовых туфельках". Видно, что автор может отлично писать и вот такие истории - мрачные, загадочные, детективные, реальные. И это очень приятное открытие. Кроме того, я всегда питала слабость и горячую любовь к книгам о школах, а старая добрая Англия, где происходит...more Для меня, читавшей до этого только околоШоколадные книги Харрис, роман "Джентльмены и игроки" оказался очень неожиданным и приятным - в книге совершенно иной оттенок, стилистика, настроение, реалии и герои, нежели в "Шоколаде" и "Леденцовых туфельках". Видно, что автор может отлично писать и вот такие истории - мрачные, загадочные, детективные, реальные. И это очень приятное открытие. Кроме того, я всегда питала слабость и горячую любовь к книгам о школах, а старая добрая Англия, где происходит действие - еще один мой фетиш и огромный плюс роману в моих глазах. Правда, Англия тут предстаёт не такой уж старой и, конечно, вовсе не доброй...

Особенность Харрис, которая бросилась мне в глаза еще раньше - она любит и удивительно ярко и тонко выписывает ощущения и мысли подростков, которых все окружающие дети делают изгоями. Такие были и в "Шоколаде" (хотя не так ярко), и в "Леденцовых туфельках", и, естественно, в этом романе.

Еще одна особенность, уже касающаяся формы - писать книгу от первого лица, но повествование вести устами разных персонажей. Уже третий роман построен по такому принципу. Причем это не многоголосие, когда одни и те же события описываются разными персонажами. Нить повествования не прерывается и не скручивается, только передается из одних рук в другие. Мне нравится.

На самом деле, мне очень трудно написать что-то внятное о "Джентльменах и игроках": слишком много всего роится в голове, так что я просто поставлю книге свою оценку: 9,5 и еще раз горячо посоветую всем, кто уже клюнул на мою Харрис-удочку - Читайте и наслаждайтесь!(less)

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Jan 18, 2011 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars

This novel was very readable and enjoyable- like so many other reviewers I did not see the twists coming at all. Harris controls the plot with impressive dexterity. I loved the characterisation of Straitley- the humour and warmth of the portrayal taking me back to memories of the old guard of teaching, especially when I was a young teacher getting to know some of the oldest staff members as their colleague. His narrative voice provides the perfect contrast with the other young voice, and I was d...more

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Jul 10, 2010 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book started out just a little slow for me and I began to think I wouldn't like it as well as Joanne Harris' other books. I was so wrong. After just a bit, I was hooked and was so sad when I finished it.
The story is about an elite school in England for boys, St. Oswald. The story is told through two voices - Roy Straitley, who has taught at the school for 30 years, and a teacher who is new to the staff as the book begins. This new teacher, unknown to everyone but the reader, has come to...more

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May 17, 2010 Diane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Joanne Harris is the author of Chocolat,, as well as several other books interesting for their variety. One blurb of the back cover of Gentlemen and Players,/i> indicates that once a reader starts this book, he or she will not want to put it down. However, I have to say Harris is a master of pacing, and even though the book's early chapters have a measured pace, she implies enough of the mystery to come to keep anyone turning the pages. This is one of those books that I wish I could read agai...more

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Feb 01, 2010 Tori Hoeschler rated it 3 of 5 stars

In many respects this novel reminds me of the two more thought provoking films I’ve ever seen, Memento and The Game. You carry on for the majority of the story thinking you know what’s going on and then, at the last minute, a mind bending plot alternative is presented that casts EVERYTHING you have just read into an entirely different light and then all of a sudden the pieces fall into place. To this end, it is a very clever book and I honestly had a moment where I thought to myself, “Oh no way…...more In many respects this novel reminds me of the two more thought provoking films I’ve ever seen, Memento and The Game. You carry on for the majority of the story thinking you know what’s going on and then, at the last minute, a mind bending plot alternative is presented that casts EVERYTHING you have just read into an entirely different light and then all of a sudden the pieces fall into place. To this end, it is a very clever book and I honestly had a moment where I thought to myself, “Oh no way…how did I not see that?!” The problem however, is that the 90% of the book that leads up to the revelation is drawn out and very often tedious. So, unlike my viewing experiences with the aforementioned movies, Gentlemen and Players, on an aggregate basis, is very underwhelming.
One of my biggest reading pet peeves is when authors become too wrapped up in their intended genre that the actual content of their books suffers a plague of semantic clichés. Take Dan Brown, for example. He (and apparently his editor) is so ensconced in his ivory tower of melodrama that his books become almost comical with his gross misuse of italicized and capitalized words. “Robert Langdon suddenly realizes that if he actually twists the door handle THE DOOR MIGHT OPEN.” It’s like, ugh, get over yourself.
In Harris’ case, the downfall of Gentlemen and Players is the constant use of unspoken subtleties and hidden clues. If this were an “adventure/quest” type story, such nuances would be charming and truly add value to the plot. And although this book is marketed as a suspenseful chiller (the main critical review on the cover describes it as “constantly surprising and wickedly fun”), this is actually a book about extreme and unresolved teen angst, sexual discovery, delusion and hatred. Quirky hint dropping (note the shape and color of the chess pieces that mark the beginning of each chapter) really serves no purpose here and ultimately trivializes the overall narrative.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Suggested With: Nothing else better to read at the moment. (less)

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Jul 26, 2009 Booklogged rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Booklogged by: Jenclair

by Joanne Harris (read August 2006)
I read this novel because of a review on JenClair's blog, A Garden Carried in the Pocket. I read Harris' Five Quarters of the Orange and really did not like it. As much as I disliked that book I liked Gentlement and Players. The story takes place in England at St. Oswald, an exclusive school for boys. Five new teachers are hired for fall term, one of them has a vengeance to inflict on the school. Like watching dominoes fall, the descent of St. Oswald's from an...more

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May 25, 2009 Jennifer Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris is a complex novel. The story takes place at Oswald's School for Boys (fictional), a school steeped in tradition and values of an older generation. The school caters to the wealthy and elite and the students often find themselves at conflict with the other students of the local public school. At the start of a new teaching season, St. Oswalds finds itself slowing unravelling, being swallowed by scandals that get increasing more controversial. Can the school...more

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Oct 08, 2010 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As Nancy Pearl says, life is too short to finish books you don't enjoy. I gave this one a fair chance, but I was unimpressed and saw no reason to continue. This book is supposed to be a thriller/suspense novel, but I found myself yawning with boredom through the first several chapters. We know very early on in the story that one of the narrators is planning on taking down a boy's grammar school from the inside by securing a teaching post there, with the goal of murdering someone out of revenge....more

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Dec 15, 2011 Sonia Gomes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-but-not-fantastic, kids, thrillers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. How do you feel when you know you are nothing but the porter’s son and will never ever be accepted by any of the boys at St. Oswald’s?
Oh the agony of being overlooked, ignored, despised when you know that you are as good maybe even better than those snoots.
That’s when you transform yourself from Julian Snyde into Julian Pinchbeck, as Julian Pinchbeck you have the run of St. Oswald's, as the porter’s son you have the bunch of keys that allows you to inspect every nook and cranny of St. Oswald,...more

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Jul 06, 2010 Libby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: unforgettable, favorites

Vengeance is an awesome and complex human motivation. Very few of us pass from childhood to old age with no episode for which we would like payback. Gentlemen and Players is a tale of just such a revenge played out in narrative from the avenger and his unwitting target. The setting, St Oswald's School, is a venerable institution, clothed in gentlemanly tradition and the scent of old money. Its graduates go forth armored with computer science, a little Latin and the assurance that they are in no...more Vengeance is an awesome and complex human motivation. Very few of us pass from childhood to old age with no episode for which we would like payback. Gentlemen and Players is a tale of just such a revenge played out in narrative from the avenger and his unwitting target. The setting, St Oswald's School, is a venerable institution, clothed in gentlemanly tradition and the scent of old money. Its graduates go forth armored with computer science, a little Latin and the assurance that they are in no way alike to the "proles" of the world. To the eyes of a child of the working class, a child too intelligent, too bookish and too fragile for the town school, St. Oswald's is a vision of Paradise Forbidden. For such a child, whose father is employed as the St. Oswald's porter, the school is a gilded Christmas sweet, tantalizingly close, but always out of reach. It is impossible to think that such a yearning, clever child would refrain from trespass, and impossible to believe that it could result in any thing but disaster. The calamitous results are told to us bit by bit by our child turned Avenger. Intermixed with this narrative is the tale of the Latin Master, who all unknowing, has been the witness to the many tiny pieces of the puzzle. The Latin Master, a quirky, likable teacher, has been at St. Oswald's his entire career and knows many of its secrets, past and present, but even he does not realize that he, his fellow masters and his beloved boys are about to feel the lash of bitter revenge.
Joanne Harris is a skilled storyteller and she slips her story through past and present deftly. Through all of it runs the dread of what will come next, and even when the reader can clearly foresee disaster, the author serves up another slick twist. This is a masterful psychological thriller, filled with cunning ploys and twisty head games. She creates empathy with her characters ( even the nasty ones) and the reader is sucked into her plot from page one. I recommend this one to any lover of devious plotting, and also any reader who is still smarting from the taunts and blows of childhood bullying. (less)

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Aug 11, 2011 Elaine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Литературный обзор романа Джоанн Хэррис "Джентльмены и игроки": (пер. с англ. Старостиной Т.)

Врачи часто оперируют понятием «не навредить». Многие писатели подспудно хотят «не наследить». Не в истории литературы, а так, чтобы читатели, среди которых обязательно найдутся прототипы тех или иных героев произведения, не смогли бы привязать историю к конкретному месту и обвинить автора в предвзятости и компромате. И во вступительном слове к своим произведениям часто пишут: «Совпадение имен и географ...more Литературный обзор романа Джоанн Хэррис "Джентльмены и игроки": (пер. с англ. Старостиной Т.)

Врачи часто оперируют понятием «не навредить». Многие писатели подспудно хотят «не наследить». Не в истории литературы, а так, чтобы читатели, среди которых обязательно найдутся прототипы тех или иных героев произведения, не смогли бы привязать историю к конкретному месту и обвинить автора в предвзятости и компромате. И во вступительном слове к своим произведениям часто пишут: «Совпадение имен и географических мест является случайным». Не потому ли Джоанн Хэррис предпочитает помещать действие своих произведений в места, названия которых исчезли с географических карт? А заброшенные или исчезнувшие места, как известно, таят в себе много загадочного, мистического и нередко опасного. И хотя Хэррис трудно отнести к авторам мистических романов, ее произведениям присуща аура таинственности, загадочности, напряженности и непостижимости.

В новом романе «Джентльмены и игроки» Хэррис оказалось мало «игры» с рецептами приготовления деликатесов, которыми в предыдущих книгах («Шоколад», «Ежевичное вино», «Пять четвертинок апельсина») автор щедро потчевала своих читателей, втягивая в бурные воды интриг и мистификаций. На смену пришла игра интеллектуальная – шахматы. Новый уровень предусматривает и новизну во взаимоотношениях героев.

Привилегированная школа «Сент-Освальд» для мальчиков – своеобразная шахматная доска. Таких школ по всей Британии сотни. А потому не быть ей вторым Итоном. Но первым «Сент-Освальдом» она может остаться в истории навсегда. 33 года отдано школе, 99 семестров. До круглой цифры осталось всего ничего – и тогда прямой ход в центурионы, почетные легионеры школы, где с трепетом относятся к традициям, с неким идолопоклонством – к устоям, и готовы принести в жертву самых преданных преподавателей на алтарь столь хрупкой репутации, которая всегда является отличительной чертой всех привилегированных учебных заведений. Аналогии с римской армией не случайны, так как один из «я», от чьего имени ведется повествование, – преподаватель латинского языка, Рой Честли (Roy Straitley). Здесь впору отметить удачно найденные переводчиком эквиваленты английским фамилиям, которые Джоанн Хэррис успешно обыгрывает, беря за основу и характер героев, и их возможные ходы, как если бы они были шахматными фигурами. Пэт Слоун (Pat Bishop) – тот самый слон, которого нужно сместить, беря реванш в игре, ведь он может стать сильной атакующей фигурой, если его вовремя не заблокировать. А студент Роя Честли – Колин Коньман (Colin Knight) – конь, единственная фигура, которая может ходить сразу в двух направлениях в один присест. Однако шаг вперед и прыжок в сторону часто оказываются роковыми в самом конце игры. Белый король Рой Честли должен присутствовать при развязке финальной партии, и он честно, оправдывая свою фамилию, становится свидетелем откровения: шаха и мата, но с чьей стороны – предстоит узнать зрителям. В данном случае читателям.

Поначалу захватывает тайна «я», так как их двое – лиц, ведущих рассказ от первого лица. Но кто есть кто, и если это одно и то же лицо, что их связывает? Что объединяет временное пространство между ними? Поначалу возникают ассоциации с «Призраком Оперы», о котором все знают или догадываются о его существовании, находят тому доказательства, но которого никто никогда не видел. Призрак свободно разгуливает по школе, никем не видимый, ничем не примечательный. Но тут же вплетается аналогия с «Талантливым Мистером Рипли» Патрисии Хайсмит, а затем сюжет настолько затягивает, что и этих аллюзий уже кажется мало. На ум приходит аналогия с «Секретной историей» Донны Тартт и «Линией красоты» Алана Холлингхерста. Все в доме смешалось. Но Хэррис не была бы Хэррис, если бы сюжет ее произведения просто напоминал читателю другие произведения литературы. Она идет дальше, и самое главное – своим путем. Пятнадцать лет собственной преподавательской практики в школе дали ей великолепный материал для создания героев Сент-Освальда, каждого из которых отличает неповторимая индивидуальность, даже если он ради достижения цели пытается ее в себе задавить.

Развязка интриги наступает в ночь костров, устраиваемых каждый год 5 ноября в честь провала «Порохового заговора» Гая Фокса в 1605 году. И это вполне логично: слишком много пороха (интриг и клеветы) заложено под фундамент Сент-Освальда. «Заговор» одного человека может унести жизни сотен невинных, прежде чем достигнет цели, но это не останавливает главного героя. Он готов пожертвовать многими фигурами, не говоря о пешках, чтобы только Белый Король, наконец, увидел человека-призрака, которого отказывался видеть и признавать его существование пятнадцать лет.

Роман Джоанн Хэррис затягивает не просто своим сюжетом, но и множеством перевоплощений, что не дают читателю почти до самого конца найти ответ на самый волнующий вопрос: «Кто есть кто?». Читатель подобен ученику, пытающемуся освоить сложную, но увлекательную технику игры в шахматы, в которой процесс и есть то увлекательное действо, ради которого противники садятся за стол. Тактические комбинации безграничны. Как и фантазия Джоанн.
(2006)
©Елена Дедюхина
© Copyright: Елена Карпос-Дедюхина, 2006
http://www.top-kniga.ru/kv/review/det...(less)

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May 14, 2012 Cassie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Harris fans, British school politics

Recommended to Cassie by: Author following

Joanne Harris is one of my absolute favorite authors. Her writings are rich and substantial, delicious if I'm fabulous enough to use that word to describe something other than cake. But one of Harris' trademarks is writing about a fiercly independent woman (usually a single mother) who comes to a small town or village (usually in France) and stirs up trouble because she's different. She falls in love with a man (usually of the rugged gypsy variety) and together than change the opinions of the to...more

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Sep 25, 2011 LindyLouMac rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read in 2006 and here is the entry I wrote for Bookcrossing.

Journal Entry 16 by LindyLouMac from Viterbo, Lazio Italy on Friday, May 12, 2006

What a really good novel Joanne Harris has written with Gentleman and Players. It is an enthralling and haunting read and in a new direction for this author. It really held my attention from the beginning but the last hundred pages or so I just had to keep going. It deals with deception, betrayal, ambition and forbidden longings, at an exclusive boys' sc...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Sarah Sammis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2006, pc

If I had track the moves in the book like a chess game, I would have guessed the murderer's identity. In all honesty, I'm glad I didn't because I enjoyed the final confrontation all the more. The book like many chess games starts out ponderous. The pieces are set up and the characters introduced. Pay attention to Staitley's description of his colleagues. It is the only time they will all be presented at once. From there the play flips between the black and white pieces, black represented by Stai...more

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Joanne Harris was born in Barnsley in 1964, of a French mother and an English father. She studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and was a teacher for fifteen years, during which time she published three novels; The Evil Seed (1989), Sle...more

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