Phineas - by John Knowles (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

John Knowles's A Separate Peace is an American classic; a timeless portrayal of adolescence and the loss of innocence that comes with it. Set in a New England prep school resembling Knowles's own from boyhood, the novel resonated across generations. This newly published collection of three stories occupies that same world.

In "A Turn with the Sun," Lawrence, an outsider from Virginia, is plucked from obscurity and finds himself both beguiled and repulsed by the school's most elite boys. In "Summer Street," Mel is on the precipice of change with departure for boarding school imminent, and muses about running away. In "Phineas," our unnamed narrator--whom Knowles later shaped into the character of Gene in A Separate Peace--bonds with his new roommate, nicknamed Finny, who lives by a personal code rather than a social one and ultimately prompts our narrator to be honest with who he really is.

In each of these stories, John Knowles deftly explore the victories and anxieties of boyhood, the politics of prep school, the ways money percolates through the world, and what friendship can look like in spaces where power subtly trades hands.

Review Quotes

"Discerning in his perceptions... [Knowles] is sensitive without being delicate, subtle without being obscure." --New York Times

"Is he the successor to Salinger for whom we have been waiting so long?" --Encounter

"[Knowles] writes with wit and style, those two qualities so rare these days we sometimes think they have been lost forever." --Warren Miller

Praise for A Separate Peace

"A modern classic for its sensitive evocation of adolescent conflict....The novel's enduring appeal also stems from its layered richness. It is a tale of innocence and evil, and an exploration of opposing selves." --Los Angeles Times

"I think it is the best-written, best-designed and most moving novel I have read in many years. Beginning with a tiny incident among ordinary boys, it ends by being as deep and as big as evil itself." --Aubrey Menen

"A quietly vital and cleanly written novel that moves, page by page, towards a most interesting target." --Truman Capote

"A masterpiece." --National Review

"A model of restraint, deeply felt and beautifully written." --The Observer

"Exceptional power and distinction." --The Times (London)

"Artistry of a high order." --Saturday Review

About the Author