Old School

Literary Art

Old School is the type of book you need to read slowly and absorb carefully. It is very intricate and passages oftentimes require a second read-through. It is centered around an unnamed sixth-former at a prep school that is frequented thrice yearly by important writers. However a conflict arises when the protagonist is struggling to write a piece for one of the contests. Now while the first quarter or so of the book moves quite slowly, once all the introducing is done the story speeds up and really gets interesting. However if there is one gripe I have with Old School, it is that the story completely shifts focus away from the main character in the final act, so the protagonist doesn't get a proper resolution. The external resolution explored is very strong however, so the two act well to counter-balance each other. While the pace may be a detractor, luckily it does not last the entire book as I often found myself lost in a reading session with no sense of the book dragging on. The author, Tobias Wolff, is most definitely a wordsmith and he flexes those muscles well in Old School weaving complex metaphors with the greatest of ease while never interrupting the smooth flow. Wolff also tackles some very thought-provoking subjects in the story, the largest being identity, and a boy¿s quest to figure out what role he plays in the big picture of things. Overall, Old School is a very refreshing read in the field of young adult literature. The author makes some interesting choices, such as choosing not to name the protagonist which some could argue makes him more distant from the reader. Wolff Also chose not to include quotation marks when dialogue is spoken which may come off as a slight inconvenience to the reader as I sometimes found myself retreating back to the beginning of a conversation to see who was speaking at the moment. However, all complaints aside, Old School is a very solid and enjoyable read with a very important message.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Tobias Wolff is a tremendous writer

Okay, I am a little late to the Tobias Wolff fan party. I knew he was lauded and had many, many loyal fans, but "Old School" is the first of his books I actually bought and read. I cannot believe I've missed this amazing writer's work all this time. Wolff is a master. He seems to be effortless in his ability to swiftly create an entire mood and a complete experience in just a sentence or two. I read the first lines of this book and was HOOKED. The narrator introduces us to himself and his school by describing how the boys there regarded the politics of the day, 1960: "Nixon was a straight arrow and a scold. If he'd been one of us, we would have glued his shoes to the floor. Kennedy, though - here was a warrior, an ironist, terse and unhysterical. He had his clothes under control. His wife was a fox. And he read and wrote books, one of which, 'Why England Slept,' was required reading in my honors history seminar. We recognized Kennedy; we could still see in him the boy who would have been a favorite here, roguish and literate, with that almost formal insouciance that both enacted and discounted the fact of his class."

When the skill-level of an author is this high, I don't care what the plot is. But in case you do - it is about a group of young boys at a prep school, written in the first person narration by the boy who thinks his lack of pedigree means he is an imposter, wanting to belong but feeling he doesn't. This is certainly not a new theme: think "Brideshead Revisited," or "Atonement," and this boy self-destructs too. But "Old School" rivals "A Separate Peace" and "A Prayer for Owen Meany" in this genre because the writing is simply outstanding.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Slow and boring read

I lost interest when I got to the last two paragraphs and stopped paying attention. I should probably read it again in a few years so I can actually understand it and get something out of it. In the book, Ayn Rand is so self-centered and her opinions made me mad. She is like the characters in 'The Fountainhead', Dominique and Roark the way the narrator describes them. How did Bill know that the narrator was a lapsed Catholic? Just because he stopped going to that Catholic place with other boys? I couldn't believe what Bill accused the narrator of doing! What eventually happens to the narrator is heartbreaking. I was disappointed by the ending it was boring and didn't make any sense. I really liked what Robert Frost said about science though.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Classic

Tobias Wolff is a writer's writer. Based on his sales rank he is obviously underappreciated. It was also disappointing that this is his only book in the stacks at our local library. I attended a New England boarding school in the late 1960's and it seems that a good many of the details were near universal at that time and I found myself becoming nostalgic. The book will keep you turning the pages and the plot has a unique structure. It is a great book for motivated high schoolers (for those of you doing book reports) who will identify with the protagonists. Whereas baby boomers will be attracted to Wolff's evocation of the unique time period and the obstacles that are overcome by the hero. There is also much that any writer could envy in Mr Wolff's mastery of craft. The only problem with the book is that is that the plot is derivative of Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man and several other coming of age stories.

The Old School - full of vocabulary!!

This book has been selected as required reading (summer) for our high schooler who attends a college prep school and for incoming freshman to a college that is well known for academics. That said, it was not a favorite in our house but contained good vocabulary. The time it takes to select a book for required reading at either the college or prep school level says that it is worth the time it takes to actually enjoy it as "it only gets good at the end." The vocabulary in the text requires dictionary use and much inference! All good stuff for the SAT!!!

awesome book

I loved this book. Tobias Wolff is a master writer. Just read the dam book. I read it in 2 days.

WORST BOOK EVER!!!!

This book is litterally the worst book i have read in my life!!! its slow and nothing holds it together. Its just a scribble of random words on every page! it is awful!!!!!!!! DONT READ IT!!!!

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Slow in the beginning, slow in the end.

The novel, Old School, has an amazing and intriguing story. All of the characters are very well developed through there personalities and not just their appearance. This allowed me as the reader, to look beyond what the character might look like and allow myself to realize what the characters where thinking. Tobias Wolff did a great job with making the protagonist such a controversial character which kept me reading and wanting to figure out whether I sympathize or detest him. However, there were times after the first chapter of the novel where time just stopped and my focus was lost from the protagonist to the leaves falling off my tree outside my window. This also occurred in the last chapter of the novel when we have a ten page biography of Dean Makepeace. If those two chapters where taking away from the novel, I would consider this book a great read and future classic.

Great Writing, Weird Twists...

Tobias Wolff¿s Old School is a work of fiction in which the nameless protagonist faces the conflict of finding his own identity, among high-class boys at a prestigious New England preparatory school. Throughout this well-written novel, the sentences flow smoothly, utilizing vivid word choice and also incorporating insight into themes. The protagonist faces conflict with his Jewish identity, conformity, and social class all the while striving to become a well-known writer. He tries to become a good writer through imitation and identification with authors such as Ernest Hemmingway, Ayn Rand, and Robert Frost, which eventually leads to his expulsion. In his time at the prep school, he is so focused on fitting in that he fails to be himself or form true friendships. In this novel, the only character that is fully developed is the protagonist himself, which deprives the reader of emotional attachment to the book if he or she cannot identify with the protagonist. Therefore, when other characters are mentioned, it seems completely irrelevant because the reader can never draw a connection. Many themes are at play in this novel, yet the ending fails to involve the protagonist with a resolution. Instead, the last chapter entitled ¿Master¿ focuses on a completely new story about Dean Makepeace. The Dean¿s life does draw a parallel to the protagonist¿s life in the way that they both live a lie, yet this ending fails to provide a desired resolution involving the protagonist. In the end, an irrelevant ending spoils the quality of writing throughout the novel.

Not Worth It

Tobias Wolff¿s ¿Old School¿ is the epitome of an artistic book it offers incredibly beautiful passages which allow the reader to step inside of the book, to truly taste, feel, and see what is going on inside of the story, a character who goes through moral dilemmas almost constantly, and a non-existent plot. Nothing happens in the story. And then, as if the author went ¿Oh shoot, I¿ve got to make something actually happen¿, the ending of the story very suddenly appears and 30 years or so goes by in a couple chapters. The book might have been salvaged by a character who actually allowed readers to connect with him, but he remains anonymous and tells the reader very little about himself, thus making the reader less and less interested and the protagonists remains completely obsessed with the visiting authors. The book is beautifully written, but what good is a book that forces the reader to take naps to get through it? The story is dull, and offers nothing for the reader to grasp onto, and to make things worse, the ending of the story feels as if it were tacked on. It provides an interesting little twist, but not enough excitement to really make the book worth reading.

Old School Was Not One Of My Favorites

Old school started out as an interesting book that I enjoyed reading, however as the book went on I found it repetitive of the plot. The same situations happening many times. When something new happens(the narrator get caught for plagarizing) i felt that the conflict is just brushed off with a simple answer, to expel him. I liked how it went on to tell how he tried to resolve his problem, even though it never answered if it really did, but ending the book at him leaving school just would not have been right. I did not really feel a strong connection to the character which made it hard to read about him, i felt that a lot of the book was being secretive just the the protagonist. Overall, i thought the idea of the story was interesting but i caught confused when reading all the details, small important things went unnoticed by me because i felt they were not thoroughly explained.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS

This book was one of the best novels I have ever read. I would highly recommend this book to any reader of any age. It has something to offer everybody. Its brutally honest look at the life of a troubled teenager is fantastically told, showing tenderness, emotion, humor, anger, and most of all, inquiry into life itself. Presenting a spectacularly vivid mental image from cover to cover, this book is something every person, from 10 years old to 80 can relate to. It can be read merely as a pleasure novel, of which it is most pleasurable, or as a serious self relflection. This book truly is and will be one of the great pieces of fiction written in the twentieth century by a master of story telling, Tobias Wolff.

For anyone who loves literature

Old School reawakens one's love of literature. Wolffs narrative of an aspiring author captures the power of stories and evokes gratitude for those wonderful artists who have the gift of breathing life onto the page. Read this to remember why you began reading in the first place.

A real intellectual grabber

What a marvelous idea! The notion of a group of prep school boys competing for a chance to meet a famous author is tantalizing, and Wolff pulls of his story masterfully. There's just the right amount of literary allusion, teenage tension, and youthful idealism. This book is a winner!

Careful, intelligent prose

There were a number of pages in this book that were dog-eared by the time I finished this novel. I felt like every sentence was carefully crafted with distinctive language and structure. Unlike some other authors I have read recently who readily end the book without a clear conclusion or seem to relish their ability to just kill off their characters to add drama, Wolff portrayed the main character clearly yet this unnamed protagonist maintained some mystery. Like any interesting real-life person, he was complex yet not transparent. I always appreciate reading a book that has obviously been carefully considered by the author, one where it seems, even if it is not actually the case, that he is trying to communicate clearly to the readers. The addition of historical figures like Robert Frost and Ayn Rand were wonderful and added to the sense of being at this all boys school. The latter part of the book is surprising which is also part of its charm. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a careful, thoughtful writer who knows his stuff.

What's with the ending?

This book had so much potential. The prose is engaging (although I found the vocabulary to be a bit pretentious) and the initial story line is captivating. However, sometimes I felt like Mr. Wolff was trying to give a book report on all of the books he has ever read. Moreover, the book ends strangely after spending so much time on the narrator it switches to Arch with no other conclusions (either literal or inferred).

Literary snack food

Entertainingly written, but like most modern and post-modern literature from genre of Archilocus, ¿Old School¿ wallows in the subjective, the base, and the cynical while it meticulously attempts to deconstruct some of those truly creative values that western culture and civilization took millennia to acquire. It exalts in the reality and truth of the here and now and whispers in the readers ear, ¿Live for today, for the cards are stacked against you¿. In so doing, it inspires yet another generation to embrace failure and not even try and achieve excellence, for it's not only okay to be mediocre, it's better. It performs the same function for literature as ¿reality television¿ does for its¿ respective medium. It may make for a tremendous variety of entertaining stories, but teaches no lesson or truth, as it is celery for the mind to chew on and devoid of nutritional content. This is truly literature for the last man.

Wolff lures and captures the reader with his lyrical tale

While reading, I always use my highlighter to mark a well turned phrase. My highlighter went dry by the end of Old School. I succumbed to Mr. Wolff's trap. After the first few pages, I adopted the personna of the the anonymous narrator. There was no turning back. The story line is satifying but it it the attention to detail and the underlying philosophical themes that elevate this novel to the status of literature.

Destined to be a School Classic

Move over A Separate Peace and Catcher in the Rye!! Teachers will be replacing those classics with this outstanding piece of fiction by one of today's best contemporary writers. It is an impressive piece of literature, which interweaves famous authors and their works against the backdrop of a prep school. Follow the main character as he encounters Robert Frost, Ayn Rand, and Ernest Hemingway, all of whom visit the school; each granting a private audience with the student who writes the best story, of which each author will be the judge. A surprise twist makes this book outstanding, thus raising interesting questions of right and wrong. This is one teacher who will be exposing her students to Old School rather than the old, dusty, and dated musings of Knowles and Salinger.

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