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This is a lovely book. “H”, the narrator, is an old man looking back, telling the story of his youth and first love. Beautifully written – even poetic – it takes you on a journey to a place you can clearly picture in your mind. (Of course, I once lived in East Anglia so maybe that helped!) The setting is wonderfully evoked including the all-boys boarding school where H lives, & the cottage by the sea where his friend Finn lives. This is one of those books that will make you think about simplicit
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The unnamed narrator recounts a brief period in his life when he was happiest. As a lackluster, watchful boy at a boarding school in 1960s England, the narrator is deeply unhappy. A chance encounter introduces him to the masterful Finn. Finn is his own age, but manages to live alone in a small hut by the sea. The narrator is fascinated, and insinuates himself into Finn's small, quiet life.
A quote near the end that I loved. ...more
A quote near the end that I loved. ...more
I really don't know how to rate this book. It wasn't bad, the writing was decent, but in the end I just didn't really get the point of the whole thing.
A man who is almost 100 looks back at his days as a 16 year old living in a boarding school. During this time he meets Finn, an orphan who lives alone in a hut that can only be reached by boat. In Finn, the narrator sees the person he would like to be. All of this is fine but then there is this "twist" that is just weird and then the book basicall ...more
A man who is almost 100 looks back at his days as a 16 year old living in a boarding school. During this time he meets Finn, an orphan who lives alone in a hut that can only be reached by boat. In Finn, the narrator sees the person he would like to be. All of this is fine but then there is this "twist" that is just weird and then the book basicall ...more
My basic reaction on finishing this book was, "wow. I need to reread this," but of course I didn't have a chance before I had to return it to the library. It's a boarding school story turned on its head; set in the 1960s but without really feeling like historical fiction. Like Rosoff's other books, it could be marketed as either adult or YA - it does a great job of taking advantage of straddling that line, in terms of content and character and style. This was one of those books with a frustratin
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An intriguing novel filled with obscure characters. I enjoyed this book, although I thought it was exceptionally odd and maybe could have used more development. For me it was largely about the main character's relationships, how he defined those relationships and what that said about him as a character. It is also somewhat of a commentary on non-conformity. A good read overall.
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I felt very distant from the main character the whole time. This book was oddly mundane and I felt like maybe I was missing something.
Feb 19, 2008
E
marked it as to-read
Jun 13, 2008
Angie
marked it as to-read
Mar 17, 2009
Lisa
marked it as to-read
May 27, 2009
Nicole
marked it as to-read
Jun 05, 2009
Sharon
marked it as did-not-finish
Jun 21, 2010
Lara
marked it as to-read
Jun 28, 2023
Clare
added it
