Peace Breaks Out [Mass Market Paperback]

John Knowles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1982

In the uneasy peace after World War II, the senior year at Devan School for Boys in New Hampshire changes from a time of fiendships into a stunning drama of tragic betrayal.

--This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell; 1st edition (October 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553225804
• ISBN-13: 978-0553225808
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,012,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Knowles, who died in 2001, was a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and Yale University, as well as a recipient of the William Faulkner Award and the Rosenthal Award of the National Institute of Arts and Letters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice addition., August 21, 2001

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peace Breaks Out (Mass Market Paperback)

In John Knowles' "A Separate Peace" the reader is taken on a visit to the Devon School, a college preparatory school in New Hampshire. Through marvelously descriptive narration and telling dialogue, Knowles dissects the adolescent mind of the boys who were faced with the horrors of World War II. In his follow-up novel, John Knowles again takes the reader to Devon, and explores the psyche of similar boys at the time just after the War. Though the story is a bit more confined than that in the first book, I think that it has to be. This new batch of characters must look to themselves for a reason for the way they are, rather than to the oppressive state of the world. Knowles gives a brilliant depiction of the aggression that still remains in all of us, even in times of Peace. If you loved "A Separate Peace" as so many others do, myself included, then you owe it to yourself to read this book. It IS different, but it should be.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Peace Breaks Out, December 14, 2003

By 

Lauren Ponder (Napa Valley, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peace Breaks Out (Mass Market Paperback)

Peace Breaks Out begins with Pete, a man coming home
from war, coming to Devon. He wants to become a teacher there
because he was once a student there, and loved the peacefulness
of it. He felt that it was untouched by war. In his first class
he encounters three boys that particularly stand out from the
rest of the class. Their names are Wexford, Nick Blackburn, and
Hochschwender. Each of them with their own characteristics and
opinions. However, all of the boys have a certain image of war
because they were in the year of 1945. In class Wexford and
Hochschwender developed a gut-hatred for each other. This begins
to develop into something very serious as the story progresses.
They begin a newspaper rivalry because Wexford is the editor of
the school newspaper. Hochschwender begins sending in "Letters
to the Editor" challenging many of Wexford's thoughts. Pete,
being in search for peace, doesn't quite find it while he is at
Devon. Because of such disagreements on war the boys became
restless and argumentative. Throughout the story American
history is mentioned, and because of this topic enemies begin to
form. Pete ends up being in for a lot more than he bargained
for, when peace breaks out.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Knowles Style Keeps It Up, But..., December 10, 2000

By 

denise napoli (Eastport, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peace Breaks Out (Mass Market Paperback)

'A Seperate Peace', Knowle's best known novel, is hailed not only for its absolute perception of the adolescent mind but also for its highly memorable and beautifully crafted style. His ability to move from this eloquent language into dialogue is another one of his greatest achievements in the novel. 'Peace Breaks Out', set again at Devon and referring to the characters of his earlier novel only fleetingly, lacks the storyline that appealed to so many young people- mysel included. His characters are far less intruiging- there is the tainted war hero, the bitter genius, the naive brother. ALthough they are all important, they simply do not resonate the way the protagonaists of his earlier novel do. However, whatever the novel lacks in character it more than makes up for in style. His language is so perfectly crafted, and his dialogue so vibrant, that reading it from a writer's point of view is truly inspiring. His language truly builds, and falls, and is absolutely melodic. His perceptions, handed to us so brilliantly, are stunning. John Knowles created a little-known phenomenon with 'peace Breaks Out' that is, unfortunately, better appreciated by lovers of language than by lovers of story itself.