From the Bookshelf of Constant Reader…

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Muriel Spark

Start date: July 1, 2010

Finish date: August 1, 2010

Discussion: Classics Corner

Discussion leader: Carol

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What Members Thought

Jun 24, 2015 Ken rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: finished-in-2015

One of those books I've heard much tell about, but for me it lacked spark. There's no question it is well written. And so, on technical merit, a high score. But the story and the characters did little to move me.

Was Miss Jean Brodie supposed to become tiresome to the reader? Was she supposed to come across as a bit worse than odd (for, say, grooming one of her set to someday grow up and have sex with the school's art teacher)? Maybe so, but, despite the neat sliding back and forth in time (unus ...more

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May 09, 2010 Rosana rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-books, 2014

I found this book so well written. There is something “experimental” on the writing, but I never felt it overly done. The story is told like a psychological expose of the characters, more than driven by plot.

At the end, I realized that it was an ambiguous take on the “coming of age” genre. The girls coming into themselves as adults, and acquiring – some of them – a layer of contempt and spite. As if by becoming less shallow as persons, they – some of them – also become more malicious. The charac ...more

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Jun 29, 2010 Mary Ellen rated it really liked it

My reaction to this book is mixed, and I think my experience of reading it was compromised by all I "knew" about it before even starting it. The idea I had of Jean Brodie -- from vague acquaintance with the film, which I've never viewed in entirety -- did not match the character as written in the book. Brodie is a fascinating, complex, and (to me, at least) disturbing character. Her interaction with her chosen "set" of six girls, pupils she set apart at age ten and whom she continues to try to m ...more

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Jun 22, 2010 Katy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

I enjoyed reading this book back in the '60's and I enjoyed my reread. The thing that has always struck me about Muriel Spark's writing is her economy of expression. She is able to convey so much with so few words. Her ability to succinctly summarize the essential details of time, place, mood, and character is a rare talent. She does not belabor her readers with long descriptions. Her writing sparkles with precision and intelligence.
As to her prime, I think it refers to Miss Brodie's convictio ...more

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