Well, I feel slightly nervous about mentioning them, but I do think that the Harry Potter books have clearly demonstrated the ongoing appeal of the school story, to both children and adults. I don't think they're the greatest books ever written, but they're not bad. And the school genre does give them that clear sense of progression.
But for me, as I think you've explained, Forest's genius is in her characterisations. Even Nicola is shown quite clearly with faults and all, and every character is more or less grey. And you can feel sympathetic at moments for even the least likeable characters and contemptuous towards the most likeable. People change. People have good and bad points. People respond differently in different situations. AF's characters do all these things in a way that makes them completely, immediately real. And that's a rare thing. Especially in a school story.
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Date: 2007-05-13 08:13 pm (UTC)But for me, as I think you've explained, Forest's genius is in her characterisations. Even Nicola is shown quite clearly with faults and all, and every character is more or less grey. And you can feel sympathetic at moments for even the least likeable characters and contemptuous towards the most likeable. People change. People have good and bad points. People respond differently in different situations. AF's characters do all these things in a way that makes them completely, immediately real. And that's a rare thing. Especially in a school story.