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A review by frazzle
Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes
3.0
I'm a bit of a sucker for this type of book. Both its sentimental Victorian style, and its boys'-own subject matter.
Yes, it's over-wrought, a bit preachy at times, twee, and seems to turn all of a sudden (two thirds of the way through) from a rollicking Just William tale of mischief and miscreants to make the case for piety and Christian sincerity. I'm sure this could've been a bit less disjointed.
BUT: it has some quite lovely character sketches, playful changes of register (from the biblical epic to the pundit), and believable protagonists (at least for the 19th century).
Must be read lightly and with a pinch of salt. But also repays being open to its touching moments.
Yes, it's over-wrought, a bit preachy at times, twee, and seems to turn all of a sudden (two thirds of the way through) from a rollicking Just William tale of mischief and miscreants to make the case for piety and Christian sincerity. I'm sure this could've been a bit less disjointed.
BUT: it has some quite lovely character sketches, playful changes of register (from the biblical epic to the pundit), and believable protagonists (at least for the 19th century).
Must be read lightly and with a pinch of salt. But also repays being open to its touching moments.