A Separate Peace
by John Knowles · first published 1959
11% recommend33% neutral56% critical
Gene Forrester looks back fifteen years to a World War II year in which he and his best friend were roommates in a New hampshire boarding school.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2010–2026Lost Horizon
James Hilton
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 103 recommend · 10 mention3 recommend · 103 recommend
2010–2026Tender is the Night
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 125 recommend · 12 mention5 recommend · 125 recommend
2007–2026The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Recommended by 58 · mentioned by 23858 recommend · 238 mention58 recommend · 23858 recommend
2007–2026The Catcher in the Rye
J. D. Salinger, Shao jia yun
Recommended by 60 · mentioned by 23460 recommend · 234 mention60 recommend · 23460 recommend
2009–2026The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer, John E. Cunningham, Peter Ackroyd, Ted Stearn
Recommended by 15 · mentioned by 7115 recommend · 71 mention15 recommend · 7115 recommend
2008–2026The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway
Recommended by 27 · mentioned by 7127 recommend · 71 mention27 recommend · 7127 recommend
2008–2026To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
Recommended by 72 · mentioned by 24172 recommend · 241 mention72 recommend · 24172 recommend
2007–2026A Canticle for Leibowitz
Walter M. Miller Jr., Volter Maikl Miller-molodshii
Recommended by 69 · mentioned by 10969 recommend · 109 mention69 recommend · 10969 recommend
Your Catcher in the Rye reference reminds me of "A Separate Peace" Anyone else not only read this classic but had it as a "favorite" book once, in the introvert genre?
on “Ask YC: In the hack of life, is it the people or the code? ” ↗What is more of an issue here, the possibly representative reactions of a few students and teachers, or the whole process by which school readings are chosen? As a high school student, I really hated A Separate Peace and Lord of the Flies. I wondered, with all the great literature written just in the past century, why were we forced to read such downers? Why couldn't they choose novels that made more students enjoy…
on “Students hated 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' Their teachers tried to dump it” ↗…discussion, so it makes sense it is flagged quckly. >it was only a sarcastic couple of sentences Sarcasm is almost invariably worthless clutter, regardless of the subject of discussion. I always refer to A Separate Peace, "As I said, this was my sarcastic summer. It was only long after that I recognized sarcasm as the protest of people who are weak."
on “Judge strips unvaccinated mother of her visitation rights” ↗…ADDED: In general, I don't think I read any, but both Fitzgerald and Hemingway seem pretty reasonable for a high school English class. Probably better choices than the like of Catcher in the Rye and A Separate Peace to be honest.
on “H.L. Mencken Reviews the Great Gatsby (1925)” ↗A Separate Peace. Oops, I'm the charity case and I accidentally pushed you, Rich Boy, out of a tree! And then you were crippled! AND THEN YOU DIED! Watership Down. Three words: creepy rabbit ghosts. Old Yeller. To Kill…
on “School Books That Set Us Up For A Lifetime Of Depression” ↗My train of thought: From Holden --> Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye) --> Books influential to adolescence --> A Separate Peace --> Gene Forrester --> Phineas --> Finny --> uspto.gov --> Live trademark search --> Finnie --> domai.nr --> "phinn.ie" --> back to uspto.gov --> "phinnie" is good…
on “HN saved us millions; we need to change our name” ↗My high school had it as required reading (over summer vacation). I was never a big reader to begin with so this book along with others (Jude the Obscure, A Separate Peace) have always been in a bad light for me in my mind (I guess having a book that I would tested and grilled over first thing in the school year does that). However, as an adult I found reading books such…
on “Why Do We Keep Reading the Great Gatsby?” ↗…Books You Should Read as an adult who can just read them as books and not some sort of obligation. That said. some of them are still stinkers that only a weird boomer could love. I'm looking at you, A Separate Peace & fucking anything by Joseph Conrad (sorry). Half the pleasure of reading these books as they were meant to be read (as books, and not at frogs to be dissected in class) is that you get to discover it…
on “How “The Great Gatsby” took over high school” ↗…several assigned books we read for class in either junior high or high school. I think there were more, but these are the ones I can recall easily today. Pride and Prejudice. Last of the Mohicans. A Separate Peace. Tom Jones. Beowulf. Grendel. Crime and Punishment. Waiting for Godot. Tale of Two Cities. Also, several Shakespeare plays, though I am no longer sure which were read when. We also had other reading…
on “Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class” ↗