So pleased to be able to participate in this read-through. I missed most of the previous discussions in real time, though I've caught up reading all the extremely interesting comments.
End of Term is one of my favorite AF novels. It's certainly the one I've reread most frequently over the years. I only read the school stories initially, in the Puffin reprints that appeared in the 80s. I still remember my bewilderment at Nicola's thought "On the one hand, lucky Patrick." My response was "Lucky who?" But on the whole I would say Forest does a good job of making the novels independent of each other, so I was able to read and adore the school stories for years before finally reading the others as an adult.
One theme that is brilliantly explored in this novel (and is a general theme that runs through the whole series) has to do with shifting perspectives about oneself and others, and how one's private self is often at odds with the public self (or selves) that others encounter. We see it in the way that Nicola now views Miranda quite differently than she did the previous year, Ginty's dropping of Unity, Lois suddenly viewing herself through Janice's eyes, etc. Absolutely brilliant and subtle.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2014-08-31 04:38 pm (UTC)End of Term is one of my favorite AF novels. It's certainly the one I've reread most frequently over the years. I only read the school stories initially, in the Puffin reprints that appeared in the 80s. I still remember my bewilderment at Nicola's thought "On the one hand, lucky Patrick." My response was "Lucky who?" But on the whole I would say Forest does a good job of making the novels independent of each other, so I was able to read and adore the school stories for years before finally reading the others as an adult.
One theme that is brilliantly explored in this novel (and is a general theme that runs through the whole series) has to do with shifting perspectives about oneself and others, and how one's private self is often at odds with the public self (or selves) that others encounter. We see it in the way that Nicola now views Miranda quite differently than she did the previous year, Ginty's dropping of Unity, Lois suddenly viewing herself through Janice's eyes, etc. Absolutely brilliant and subtle.