A Separate Peace

By: John Knowles

Narrated by: Spike McClure

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Even though the war had thrown a shroud over the outside world, Phineas and Gene remained untouched by it. In the summer of ’42, the Devon school was a lot like Camelot, fairly bursting with adventure and promise. As much as Gene resisted it, there had been something eternal and unforgettable about that summer. And by the time he understood what life without Phineas could be—it was too late.

©1987 John Knowles, Inc. (P)1991 Recorded Books, LLC

hi😊

My only issue is I wish he would read faster other wise it was good

Wish I had actually read this in high school

What did you like best about this story?

The characters are complex and well-developed.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The scene where Gene is outside Finny's hospital window.

Any additional comments?

We all were supposed to read this when I was in the 10th grade and like so many other books, I didn't bother and just read Cliff's notes and faked my way through. My loss. This is a good book with deep, emotional themes about coming to understand yourself and who you are.

LOVE IT

This story takes you away to a different time and place ... i truly loved it ... i just hated the ending ...

Good Story, Poor Narration

What did you like best about A Separate Peace? What did you like least?

A Separate Peace was a very diverse story. Gene, the main character, made his "separate peace" with the world. I didn't like the random darkness quite so much, but I suppose that's much of literature.

What other book might you compare A Separate Peace to and why?

Candide. The innocence to realism transitional archetype.

Would you be willing to try another one of Spike McClure’s performances?

No. At least in this reading, he was very monotone. It practically sounded like he was saying "and then... and then... and then..."

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Maybe, probably not.

Good story, Worst narration ever! Read the book!

Would you try another book from John Knowles and/or Spike McClure?

I would consider another book by this author but will stay away from anything with Spike McClure.

What didn’t you like about Spike McClure’s performance?

This was the absolute worst narration of any of the almost 100 books I've enjoyed. The guy had no sense of what he was reading. The voices were terrible! Did he not know where these characters were supposed to be from? His inflection was unbearable. This story could have been an opportunity for a great performance. He gave no personality to the characters.

Any additional comments?

My daughter had to read this book for school. Don't know why, it is far from a classic. But the story is decent. She asked if she could download this and listen to it over the weekend. I figured if she had to read it I would also so we could discuss it later as I was not familiar. She could not finish listening as it was ruining the story for her. I did not have the time to read it, thus audiobooks existence, and was barely able to complete the story. If not for discussing with her I would have quit. Save your time and money and read the book.