A Separate Peace by John Knowles

ISBN: 978-0-7432-5397-0
Scribner, NY
First Scribner Trade paperback 2003 (first edition 1959)
204 pages

Plot Summary

Gene and Phineas are roommates and best friends at a New England boys' prep school during the early days of WWII. Gene is the brain and Phineas is the dare-devil and the best athlete at the school. He moves with such grace that sports seem to come easy to him. One summer day though, Finney and Gene decide to jump together from a tall tree into the river below. Gene moves the branches just enough that Finney falls and breaks his leg badly. Finney returns to school with his leg in a cast and just must be careful not to injure himself again.

Critical Evaluation

This book and Catcher in the Rye, are the two "classic" coming-of-age stories that are referenced by many contemporary YA coming-of-age novels. A Separate Peace is actually a little less dated than Catcher in the Rye because not as many slang terms are used, but I'm not sure how many teens today can picture themselves in a prep school like Devon. This is a finely-draw, multi-layered portrait of WWII-era youth but it may take adults to appreciate it.

Reader's Annotation

Gene, the intellectual, and Phineas, the athlete, are roommates and best friends at a New England prep school in the early days of WWII. How does Gene react when an accident cripples Phineas?

Author Info

John Knowles graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy and Yale University. He died in 2001 at the age of 75. A Separate Peace was his masterpiece and he was awarded the William Faulkner Award and the Rosenthal Award of the National Institue of Arts and Letters.

Genre

Classic coming-of-age story

Curriculum Ties

Has been on required reading lists for years.

Booktalking Ideas

1. Why does Phineas turn Gene into an athlete for the 1944 Olympics?

2. Why does Phineas insist there is not war?

Reading/ Interest Level

High school/ college/ Adult

Challenge Issues

I can't imagine any.

Why I Included This Book

Since I read many contemporary coming-of-age YA novels that referenced both A Separate Peace and Catcher in the Rye, I felt that I should re-read this book.