A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace by John Knowles
John Knowles
Star Rating
★★★
Reviewer's Rating
Sep 30, 2022

A Separate Peace is a historical fiction novel written by John Knowles. This

novel is about students attending a school called Devon in New Hampshire in

1942. This book goes over a 16 year old student who grows at the school, through

experiencing many different situations. He tries to make a relationship with his

best friend Finny, and tries to cope with all the situations he goes through with

him. The main characters are Gene Forrester, who's experiencing these emotions,

Phineas or also known as Finny, Leper, Brinker, and the rest of their friend group.

They try to cope with this war, and it shows how their life has changed. Gene wants

to be like Finny. However, his guilt and over-analyzing mindset always comes in

the way. He tries to learn new ways to trust his friend, but problems always come

in the way. However, they grow closer as time goes by.



At the end, even though there are many conflicts, Gene feels like they are

one. He plans to enlist in the war, trying to forget his past, but learning from it to

live a better future. The most compelling aspect of this book is when Gene is

guilty but he does not tell the truth. I was disappointed when he kept lying to

people and not telling them what really happened. This is because if he had told

people what really happened this would help him grow as a person and he could

gain more trust in other people's eyes. The thoughts and feelings at this book

inspired it to trust others in a positive aspect, and not overthink everything. I

recommend this book to overthinkers and those who wish to understand the true

meaning of trust.

 

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