Gentlemen and Players

By: Joanne Harris

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times best-selling author takes a riveting new direction with this richly textured, multi-layered novel of friendship, murder, revenge, and class conflict set in an upper-crust English school - as enthralling and haunting as Ian McKewan's Atonement and Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley

Audere, agere, auferre.

To dare, to strive, to conquer.

For generations, elite young men have attended St. Oswald's School for Boys, groomed for success by the likes of Roy Straitley, the eccentric classics teacher who has been a revered fixture for more than 30 years. But this year, things are different. Suits, paperwork, and Information Technology rule the world, and Straitley is reluctantly contemplating retirement. He is joined in this, his 99th, term by five new faculty members, including one who - unknown to Straitley and everyone else - holds intimate and dangerous knowledge of St. Ozzie's ways and secrets, it's comforts and conceits. Harboring dark ties to the school's past, this young teacher has arrived with one terrible goal: Destroy St. Oswald's.

As the new term gets underway, a number of incidents befall students and faculty alike. Beginning as small annoyances - a lost pen, a misplaced coffee mug - they soon escalate to the life threatening. With the school unraveling, only Straitley stands in the way of St. Ozzie's ruin. But the old man faces a formidable opponent - a master player with a strategy that has been meticulously planned to the final move.

A harrowing tale of cat and mouse told in alternating voices, this riveting, hypnotically atmospheric novel showcases Joanne Harris' astonishing storytelling talent as never before.

©2006 Frogspawn, Ltd. (P)2006 BBC Audiobooks America & HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Best of all is a dazzling climactic twist...its last move is a winner." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Harris combines the conventions of the academic novel -its vicious politicking and rich dynamics - with the taut suspense of a thriller as she leaves tantalizing clues as to the perpetrator's identity....This is one hypnotic page-turner." (Booklist)

My jaw dropped...

Like many good books, I had to get into the rhythm of this writer and reader. And once I did, I found myself looking forward to my next listen. I'm not usually too surprised by twists and turns, but my jaw actually dropped twice listening to Harris's manipulation of this story. She has an easy command of her story and I listened effortlessly.
This was the first time I listened to Steven Pacey and he was great! I will seek out more of his work.
This is a fun story with a few unexpected twists and extremely entertaining.

Excellent Beginning to End

I'm so glad I found this one. Fascinating villain, one worthy of association with Professor Moriarty and Hannibal Lector. Fabulous narration, really made the characters come alive. Fine story, most satisfying. In fact, before I listen to this one a second time, I'll definitely be exploring the other selections available by Joanne Harris, who's a happy new discovery for me. "Gentlemen and Players" is a darkly burnished psychological drama, gleaming like a sleek auto in the moonlight, purring to life when started, then accelerating thrillingly under its own power all the way to the end of the road. Don't miss the ride!

Great Story, Good Mystery

Would you listen to Gentlemen and Players again? Why?

Yes, because even though I now know who did it, it was an excellently told (and narrated) mystery, with complexity and subtelty.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gentlemen and Players?

The "reveal", when things started to come together.

What does Steven Pacey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Two very distnct voices - Mr. Straitley (the school teacher) and the nemesis - who alternately are the narrators of the story, so we get two different points of view throughout.

If you could rename Gentlemen and Players, what would you call it?

Schoolmasters and Schoolboys, I suppose.

Any additional comments?

This was a really good story, well-written and well-narrated. A nice change from some of the less stellar books I've read recently.

Perfect union of top-notch story and narrator

This is the best of its genre (the private school murder mystery) I’ve ever read, or in this case listened to. Intricately crafted, beautifully written and full of observational gems. The narrator gives an absolutely stunning performance, multiple voices and perfect modulation. When two geniuses like this combine (all too rare) the result is hours of listening pleasure. Cannot recommend highly enough.

English boy's school mystery

A complicated mystery , cunningly plotted. It requires some understanding of acceptable English boy shenanigans.

Wonderful!

Excellent performance and witty, sly, delightful writing. Full of dramatic and unexpected plot twists and memorable characters. Fairly dark, and a whole lot of fun.

Fine Book

This is a very fine book, a sort of Mr. Chips goes to Hell, or to the Fun House. Fascinating characters, each distinct, each interacting with the others. The book is told from two perspectives, one narrated by a young person, the other old. The only problem I had was that at first I assumed the youthful narrator was a flashback and that the narrators were one-and-the-same person, which is not the case. There would have been no confusion if that had been understood from the beginning. Nonetheless, this book takes a twist on manners, appearances and the clever machinations of a diabolical mind. Very fine writing.

5 Stars all the way!

Which character – as performed by Steven Pacey – was your favorite?

The classics teacher (Straightway?). A great reading by Pacey, made me mentally cast the role with the late great Charles Laughton.

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

The rooftop scene, as told by Julian.

Any additional comments?

At one point I thought to compare this with "The Talented Mr Ripley", since it explores some similar themes, but the author threw in a couple of truly jaw-dropping curveballs and plot twists that I really didn't see coming until they were revealed. Wonderful writing, witty and suspenseful. Terrific, fully realized characters. Absolutely could not turn it off. Highly recommended!!!!

Wonderful

Loved it! An amazing story, great language, very well read. Will be reading more from this author.

Wonderful Little Story

I debated whether this book deserved five stars. It is not "great" literature. It is not a particularly "unexpected" plot. (I figured out the who-done-it earlier than I would have liked!) And yet, how could I not give it the maximum score? I read for entertainment and I could NOT stop listening. The writing was spectacular (turning the "not particularly unexpected plot" into an absolute delight, wrapping you up into the horror-you-know-is-coming without letting you avert your eyes) and the reader's spot-on delivery just added to the experience (incredible performance).

Told from two points of view, this is a story of diabolical revenge. You see it unfold from the eyes of a student who felt invisible fifteen years before at an English private school for boys (we all know how much evil lurks in those!), as well as from the eyes of an old professor whose entire life has been devoted to preserving that institution (even though he is well aware of its shortcomings). The story switches between the two, as well as between the present time and "the past" that brought it all on. As I said, not particularly original...but rendered so by the way it's told.

I was disappointed to see that the writer's previous books seem quite different (even though I did enjoy the movie, "Chocolat."). Might have to try some of them anyway. This one was such a great experience.