One of Anne Berry's favourite books.

So different from her lyrical, female-based French novels for this one is set in an English Grammar School and is very much a thriller.  Fast-paced and suspenseful, with an unexpected twist, it flows easily between two narratives with both humour and dark undertones.  It is a most rewarding read.

Comparison: Kate Atkinson, Sebastian Barry, Marina Lewycka.

Fellow novelist ANNE BERRY on JOANNE HARRIS

I have thoroughly enjoyed all Joanne Harris’s books but Gentlemen and Players I quite simply adored. I loved the character Roy Straightley, an aging Classic’s teacher with a dicky heart, clinging tenaciously to honest old values, his delightfully ironic sense of humour, his warmth, his dedication. In his secure hands we are led into such a gripping story with so many twist and turns that my only sadness was that it had to end.

Synopsis

At St Oswald’s, an old and long-established boys’ grammar school in the north of England, a new year has just begun. For the staff and boys of the school, a wind of unwelcome change is blowing. Suits, paperwork and Information Technology rule the world; and Roy Straitley, Latin master, eccentric, and veteran of St Oswald’s, is finally – reluctantly – contemplating retirement. But beneath the little rivalries, petty disputes and everyday crises of the school, a darker undercurrent stirs. And a bitter grudge, hidden and carefully nurtured for thirteen years, is about to erupt.

Reviews

[A] literary gobstopper with an aniseed heart... wildly entertaining' THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

'[A] clever story of obsession and revenge... Ms Harris has scored another success' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

'Book groups of the world, watch out' GUARDIAN

'With a lightness of touch, Harris illuminates just how resentment of privilege and exclusion can lead to violent resolutions... Marvellously mischievous' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

'A classic whodunnit with the characters carefully crafted and the tension at a knife edge' SUNDAY EXPRESS TOP TEN FICTION 2005

About the Author

Joanne Harris is the author of the Whitbread-shortlisted Chocolat (made into a major film starring Juliette Binoche), Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange, Coastliners, Holy Fools, Jigs & Reels, and, with Fran Warde, The French Kitchen: A Cookbook. She lives in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, with her husband and daughter.   Fellow novelist ANNE BERRY on JOANNE HARRIS I have thoroughly enjoyed all Joanne Harris’s books but Gentlemen and Players I quite simply adored. I loved the character Roy Straightley, an aging Classic’s teacher with a dicky heart, clinging tenaciously to honest old values, his delightfully ironic sense of humour, his warmth, his dedication. In his secure hands we are led into such a gripping story with so many twist and turns that my only sadness was that it had to end. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation