Review Summaries

• Reader response centers on the setting and the skill of the narration. Some readers enjoy it as a journey where faith and danger intersect, while others see the dialogue-heavy movement as a dividing point in appeal.

• Critically, the novel is read as strongly autobiographical, somewhat loose, yet still compelling. The sense of moving back and forth between Christian surroundings and a Jewish background helps sustain its complex appeal.

Reviews

• I first read this book many years ago and was delighted to read it again. I enjoyed it very much and found it had not become dated but carried its weight well as a period piece. It renewed in me a desire to return to more Muriel Spark novels and I am busy doing so. I am disappointed to discover that "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" does not seem to be available as a Kindle book.. If I am correct, I hope that Amazon will rectify this situation. Mind you I am 94 and not very good on the computer so it may be that I am wrong in my Assumption. I recommend Muriel Spark both for new readers and as a good "second time round" for those who have not read her books b efore.

• This book wasn't overly compelling but had some nice moments. I liked it for the clipped, English humor but found the plot uninspired and somewhat pointless. The drivers seem arbitrary and forced. When looking for a well-stitched story, one hopes for invisible seams. Unfortunately, while visible here, they were also noteworthy for binding together the mismatched. The whole story depends on an uncharacteristic manic episode experienced by Freddy Hamilton, the main protagonist. A frame for the story gradually emerges during the course of the narrative, revealing events from some point in the future. This is not Marlow sitting on a verandah smoking, but seems instead like quick conversations in passing at social events. Even from what little we learn about these future characters, they seem unbothered as they look back. Leaving out the incongruous motives for the various characters' actions, the writing is fine. Spark's descriptions are great, and she has a knack for dialogue. She also renders the socio-religious dynamic of Barbara Vaughn's upbringing well. Finally, on their own, her characters can be quite interesting. So, while I "liked" the book within the confines of the rating system, I wouldn't recommend it as one to immediately seek out.

• Muriel Spark is a gem. Although I don't love all of her work, this is one that I do love. Still timely, although the gate is now not a crossing, and unfortunately things have probably gotten worse, the story resonates with the problems of the region just as it did when written. Perhaps a bit too much for some readers, this is not a light weight travel novel, nor a sentimental novel of love and barriers to love. It is a novel of religious feeling, political intrigue, and personal choices that was absorbing back when I first read it years ago, and last month when I bought and read the Kindle edition. I highly recommend it for thoughtful readers.

• Great price and book as good as new. Excellent service would certainly deal with them again. I will be a returning customer.

• Here we have an unconvincing plot too pointless to sustain a novel. Spark wants to show off her knowledge of biblical locales in the Holy Land. The reader wants more story and more love interest. It’s not a satisfying read. It has won some plaudits but one can’t see why.

Purchase links