false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166670084m/15102.jpg 15102 26 <i>Audere, agere, auferre. To dare, to strive, to conquer.</i> 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 technology are beginning to overshadow St. Oswald's tradition, and Straitley is finally, and reluctantly, contemplating retirement. He is joined this term by five new faculty members, including one who -- unbeknownst to Straitley and everyone else -- holds intimate and dangerous knowledge of St. Oswald's ways and secrets. Harboring dark ties to the school's past, this young teacher has arrived with one terrible goal: <i>to destroy St. Oswald's</i>. As the new term gets under way, a number of incidents befall students and faculty alike. Beginning as small annoyances -- a lost pen, a misplaced coffee mug -- they are initially overlooked. But as the incidents escalate in both number and consequence, it soon becomes apparent that a darker undercurrent is stirring within the school. With St. Oswald's unraveling, only Straitley stands in the way of its ruin. The veteran teacher faces a formidable opponent, however -- a master player with a bitter grudge and a strategy that has been meticulously planned to the final move, a secret game with very real, very deadly consequences. A harrowing tale of cat and mouse, this riveting, hypnotically atmospheric novel showcases <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author Joanne Harris's astonishing storytelling talent as never before. 1099308 book 2005 Gentlemen and Players: A Novel total:1526|5:350|4:620|3:402|2:120|1:34| 1526 5710 2210 388 2 2 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Apr 29 22:52:34 -0700 2007 Wed May 02 21:28:08 -0700 2007
I went to Kepler's a week ago and almost came home with 4 new books. But I instituted an emergency policy on the spot -- only 1 book purchase allowed -- and I picked this one. It sounded so promising... I love page turners and this was touted as "wickedly funny"...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Oct 30 09:00:18 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 30 09:11:59 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false true Tue Oct 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 02 11:37:44 -0700 2008 Fri Nov 20 12:44:29 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 4 2 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 15 07:30:04 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 20 08:57:58 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Sun Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 14 09:26:08 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 17 04:07:29 -0700 2008 Chocolat--which isn't saying much, but still.

Its major problem for me is its length. It's a long book--which doesn't matter--but it doesn't need to be--which does. So much of the length is sheer repetition that it's astounding. Blah blah St Oswald's blah ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Mar 08 14:33:33 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 19 18:06:18 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Feb 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 15:33:28 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 09:14:21 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Feb 02 15:47:53 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 15:47:53 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 12:33:30 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 12:33:52 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Sun Jul 26 13:58:23 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 13:59:12 -0700 2009 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 a...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 15 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon May 25 21:21:22 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 21:21:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 17 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Mon Jan 05 04:42:23 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 05:15:55 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jan 04 11:30:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 11:30:00 -0800 2009
This is the story of teachers, students and former students of St. Oswald’s School for Boys. It has all the British pomp of preparatory middleschool and hi...more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Jul 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 29 08:50:53 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 03 18:12:23 -0700 2008
The style of this book is very different than Five Quarters of the Orange. This book is more of a susp...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 13:32:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 08:32:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jun 04 04:50:49 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 14:48:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Sep 21 10:09:09 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 24 05:05:57 -0700 2009
It's a great premise. Really great in fact. Her writing is her usual skillful handling of atmosphere, intensity and intent, but the road to the payoff takes too long.

...more...]]> 4 0 false true Sun Aug 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 10:59:52 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 11:03:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 03 11:42:23 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 09 06:01:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Apr 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 17:57:39 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 16:38:56 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=15102