The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Perennial Classics)

by Muriel Spark

published

February 1st 1999 (first published 1961) by Harper Perennial Modern Classics

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binding

Paperback, 160 pages

isbn

0060931736 (isbn13: 9780060931735)

description

The elegantly styled classic story of a young, unorthodox teacher and her special--and ultimately dangerous--relationship with six of her students.

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1547)

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Joanna rated it:

(review of isbn 014002235X)

07/24/08

bookshelves: 1001, 2008-read

Read in June, 2008

Embarassingly for someone with a degree in women's studies, I'd never read this classic. Thanks to jury duty the past couple of days, I've now remedied this gap in my reading. I shall now need to see the classic film, which I've also missed. That background aside, I really enjoyed this book. Yes, not much happens in the novel. But the richness of the characters and the dialog make this very short book crackle with electricity and life. Miss Brodie "in her prime" becomes an idealiz...more

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Molly rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

11/02/08

"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" is a charming and unsettling book, and in that sense, it is definitely emblematic of the rest of Spark's deceptively-simple oeuvre. Part of the novel's apparent simplicity stems from its form. It's a kind third-person retrospective that recounts the unconventional teaching methods of Miss Jean Brodie, her relationships with a particular group of her students, and their relationship with a married art teacher (with whom Miss Brodie is in love). But the...more

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Heather rated it:

(review of isbn 0060923989)

10/15/08

Read in October, 2008

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

A hilarious book. It’s almost impossible not to laugh when you’re reading phrases such as, “Allow me, in conclusion, to congratulate you warmly upon your sexual intercourse, as well as your singing,” and, as a description of Sandy, our closest character whom relays us insights into the story, “She was merely notorious for her small, almost non-existent, eyes, but she was famous for her vowel sounds...” It’s not often that finely crafted literature gets to be this funny.
Miss Jea...more A hilarious book. It’s almost impossible not to laugh when you’re reading phrases such as, “Allow me, in conclusion, to congratulate you warmly upon your sexual intercourse, as well as your singing,” and, as a description of Sandy, our closest character whom relays us insights into the story, “She was merely notorious for her small, almost non-existent, eyes, but she was famous for her vowel sounds...” It’s not often that finely crafted literature gets to be this funny.
Miss Jean Brodie is a woman in her prime. She’s a teacher at Marcia Blaine School where she doesn’t so much teach as impart culture and encourage enthusiasm. She’s beautiful. She’s intolerant of group sports and Catholicism for their deteriorative effects on individuality, and yet, somehow supports Fascist Italy and Germany. She’s altogether an interesting and glorious woman who happens to be ridiculous.
From her students she gathers those she feels are exceptional and they become her confidants. Her interest in them sets them apart. They are the Brodie set: Sandy, famous for her small eyes and insight, Jenny, famous for her acting ability, Rose, famous for her sex (seriously!), Monica, famous for her temper and mathematical ability, Eunice, famous for gymnastics, and Mary, the scape goat.
Although the main narrative is straightforward, and follows the girls from when they first come under Miss Brodie’s instruction to their eighteenth year, it is broken up with flourishes of Sandy’s active and self-glorifying imagination and flash forwards to the future of Miss Brodie and the girls. The flash forwards provide suspense and mystery by telling us that one of her girls will betray Jean and showing us moments where different characters try to figure out who it was. We too are then dragged along trying to figure out for ourselves who betrayed Miss Brodie. The flash forward technique also alters our perceptions of the girls. Their future selves color our perception from the main narrative. For instance, at the end of the first chapter, we are told stupid, dull Mary Macgregor dies at twenty-three in a hotel fire. It lends her otherwise superficial character a sad and tragic air.
A recommend this book highly. It’s a fun, short read....less

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Ginny rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

06/30/08

I read this book because it takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland. Miss Jean Brodie is a teacher at a girls school. She has her favorites and they are different than the other students. Early on the reader knows that Miss Jean Brodie will have to retire because one of her students betrayed her.

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lucke1984 rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

03/26/08

It is difficult to write about a book that has been so thoroughly overshadowed by it cinematic counterpart. The movie rests so firmly in my mind that though I know the construction of the book is at times wildly different... I do not recall how.

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Laurie rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

10/13/08

bookshelves: 1001-books-to-read-before-death, library-books

Read in October, 2008

This book was really interesting. I choose that word, general as it is because it is really the best way to describe it: It creates and hold a great amount of interest.

This is the story of a set of five chosen girls to be apart of a very charming and unorthodox teacher in a junior school, who become entangled in each others lives one of which ends in her undoing.

The narration of this story is where it really shines, being that Spark is constantly telling you what will happen before it ...more

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Donna rated it:

07/02/08

bookshelves: read---fiction

Read in June, 2008

This book well deserves its "classic" status. It is a delightful read filled with quirky,carefully drawn characters, sometimes whimsical, sometimes serious. The plot is simple and evolves around a group of adolescent girls influenced by one of their teachers--Miss Jean Brodie, who ultimately involves herself in a love triangle with both the school art teacher (a married man with six children) and the school music teacher (an eligible bachelor) both of whom are in love with her.

Bu...more

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kimberly rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

12/10/07

bookshelves: 1001-books, own

Read in December, 2007

recommends it for: feminists

I thought I'd grab something short to start my excursion through the 1001 books. I enjoyed this book, and Spark's style. She uses blunt repetition to keep the story moving. I would be interested to see how this book would be written today. It seems like many boarding school stories about single, sexual feminist teachers stems from this book.
One question on length: is it a novella at 180 pages, or still considered a novel?

Not really a coming of age book in my mind, unless that coming ...more

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Elizabeth rated it:

07/14/07

Read in June, 2007

I had no idea Spark was such formidable and experimental writer-of-her moment. Is that due to just my ignorance or has she been slighted in our American literary culture? (I think the original pub date on this is 1954). The jacket copy on this slim book describes her as a “surrealist,” which I’m not sure is accurate or refers to anything in particular (certainly not Breton). I’m guessing that if she does pertain to a literary school it’s Barthes’s post-modern one (along with Borges)?...more

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Nikki added it (review of isbn 0060995874)

11/14/08

bookshelves: decided-not-to-read

A while ago I read The Girls of Slender Means by the same author. I remembered liking it, and felt like re-reading it; I figured I'd also grab this one while I was at it. This one, however, didn't seem to be as interesting. Not as sprightly and clever as I remember The Girls of Slender Means as being.

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Kelly added it (review of isbn 1857152743)

05/04/08

Read in December, 1978

This was perhaps the most influential book on my life, even before I actually read it. When I was thirteen years old, the BBC series of the book staring Geraldine McEwan as Miss Brodie was shown on television. Miss Brodie efforts to instill gentility into her students had a great effect on me and along with them, I determined to make myself the "crème de la crème". I followed her instruction in all ways from walking with a book on my head to practicing proper skin care and credit ...more

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Jean rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

10/14/08

bookshelves: not-the-us-, novel-or-story-collection, power-control

Reviewing another book made me remember how much I enjoyed Muriel Spark, and especially this book. I think this book was way ahead of its time in its depiction of a strong, smart woman in control (though she does come a cropper) alongside its depiction of the smart young girl student who observes and memorializes Miss Brodie. Makes you want to cheer as Miss Brodie sails along and inculcates subversive good sense and freedom of thought in her students.

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Bogdan rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

11/06/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in September, 2007

Muriel Spark creates a very interesting character with Miss Jean Brodie. Although I liked Brodie, my sympathy for her was a result created by her differences regarding her contemporary people.
My copy of this book is in romanian

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Kirk rated it:

(review of isbn 0452264510)

02/25/08

<Spoiler?>

The thing that resonates with me most is how the students admiration and desire to be like Ms. Brodie lead ultimately to the betrayal. For whatever reason I have been thinking about this a bunch lately and it keeps cropping up in the things I read and see. It was handled really well in The Assassination of Jesse James (2007) and has prompted me to read the Hansen book. I have grown to dislike the obligatory scene in some movies where the criminal and the detective...more

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Chris rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

06/09/08

Read in June, 2008

Sandy's tiny eyes, Sandy's tiny eyes, Sandy's tiny eyes, Sandy's tiny little screwed-up eyes. Despite the book's habit of repeating its chosen character details with maddening frequency, I still enjoyed its deftness and wit. But I read it because it was on both the Modern Library and TIME Best-of lists, and I hoped I was getting my hands on my favorite kind of book -- the "lost" classic. Instead I read it wondering "is this all this is about?" and hoping for a final revela...more

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Bianca rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

07/11/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2008

recommended to Bianca by: book club choice
recommends it for: everyone, I guess, it's quick/easy enough to read

Eh...I liked it okay, it was an interesting short read and clearly the author was years ahead of her time with her writing but none of the characters were overly "likeable" and I was really hoping for some kind of great ending but the ending was just like the rest of the book; repetative and a little bland. If this book was a lot longer and still contained the same content I would be angry that I wasted so much time on it. I have to admit, reading the parts about the girls' later schoo...more

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Demisty rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

06/23/08

Read in June, 2008

recommended to Demisty by: Brock Clarke during a writing conference
recommends it for: Anyone, especially lit aficinados and teachers of upper-level hs or lower level college

This is now one of my new favorite short novels. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is an exquisitely written novel set pre-World War II. It constantly creeps in a little more information as to who betrayed Miss Brodie. This book, with calculated suspense, intrigue, and just plain good writing, would be perfect for a freshman or sophomore English course, or a semi-intellectual day at the beach.

It was somewhat reminiscent of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, although done well befor...more

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Pamela rated it:

(review of isbn 0452264510)

04/23/08

recommends it for: Teachers (and students) of point of view

I really would prefer to give this 4.5 stars--especially because I admire the way time is handled in this book--past/present/future all contained and reexamined in the novella's length, like a kaleidoscope's changing scenes. Click--there's one pattern, one way of seeing. Click, another pattern emerges. Perfect form, and Ms. Spark has a wicked, wicked needlepoint prose style.

I didn't have (and don't aspire to be) a teacher like Miss Brodie, but I can certainly see her having this cult of p...more

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Simmy rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

06/18/08

Read in June, 2008

Never read this book before or seen the film so I was pleasantly surprised by it.

The story is about a spinster teacher in the 30's in Edinburgh and about her attitude toawards teaching (anti filling the pupils heads with dead knowledge) and how she creams of six of them to be 'her set'.

She was ahead of her time but I found her sad and lonely and seemingly living her life through her pupils. She also had an unhealthy hold on the girls and in the end is betrayed by one of them.

Would de...more

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Allison rated it:

(review of isbn 1857152743)

02/23/08

Maggie Smith won Best Actress for the film adaptation (1961?), which beautifully mirrors the novel. Miss Brodie is a brilliant, flawed, passionate character - inspiring even in her madness. Fascinating from a feminist perspective as well - is she the embodiment of fulfilled independence or a shining beacon of warning against extremes? And, in the end, still couldn't ever fully decide with whom my sympathies lied - Miss Brodie, her pupils, her superiors, or her lovers.

Recommend the book fi...more

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