Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780449204696
ISBN number: 0449204693
Label: Fawcett
Manufacturer: Fawcett
Quantity: 1
Printing Date: May 12, 1983
Publishing house: Fawcett
Release Date: May 12, 1983
Sale Popularity Level: 292280
Studio: Fawcett
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Rated by buyers -
Eighteen year old Peter Kilburn has been arrested for the murder of his head teacher, Mr Hoyt, and he now starts to recount the events that led up to this predicament in a statement addressed to his defending attorney, which is Good Times Bad Times.
Peter, son of a one time moderately successful Hollywood actor living in California, finds himself courtesy of the benevolence of one of his father's cronies enrolled at Gilford Academy, once a respectable minor New England school but now on the decline. He is looking forward to making new friends, and particularly to finding that one special friend; he likes to be able to relate to one close individual. Things do not look too good until a new boy arrives, the twenty year Jordan. Immediately they connect and soon develop a remarkable close and trusting friendship. Jordan is the youngest son of a wealthy New Orleans family, but if ill health has held him back in several ways it has also made him strongly individual.
Peter's relationship with his headmaster is rather different. After a bad start he eventually wins favour as Hoyt selects him for a reading from Hamlet in a school production. But Hoyt is unpredictable and unbalanced, and his moods swings from friendly to aggressive. He becomes infatuated with Peter, and jealous of his friendship with Jordan, both of which lead to a number of problems, and the tragic outcome mentioned above.
James Kirkwood masterfully conveys the spirit of youth. Both Peter and Jordan come across as likeable and honest characters while their fellow students are an odd assortment of misfits, Hoyt is clearly deranged, and there are plenty more larger than life characters. It all adds up to a funny, at times hilarious, often shocking, but above all very moving story; beautifully written it is to be highly recommended.
Rated by buyers -
This book like for many others, changed my life. I felt like an outsider and for some reason the book resonated with me so much I've probably read it at least 12 times. The themes are numerous, the writing intense but NEVER pretentious. Like reading a book by a good friend that make you feel like you wish you couldn't have talked over at least one problem with this person. I came here to buy a new copy but decided to review it while I was at it. I keep buying them and giving them away!
Rated by buyers -
It's really the best book I've ever read. Characters in this book are interesting, boarding school in this book is full of secrets, schoolboys are all different types, the action is surprising and the connections between three main caracters of the book are strange and not simple.I especially loved Jordan, who was the most interesting young man I've read about, ha was speacial. And to all readers: don't believe your headmasters:-)
Rated by buyers -
Good Times Bad Times by James Kirkwood was a wonderful discovery for a teenage boy living in northern British Columbia (that would be me). It was about being different and about surviving. Like the title suggests, the main character will go through both the good times and the bad times and survive (maybe, just barely) and both types of times were, in the end, okay because it was all a part of life. This book takes up many of the themes of A Separate Peace and mixes them with a lot more humour and comes a little closer to the truth at times and builds an unforgettable relationship between two boys in a private school and their reaching out to each other to find the things they think they have missing in themselves. This book states that life will have many suprises. This is one of the good ones.
Rated by buyers -
Kirkwood didn't realize he'd written a classic story at the time. This is beautiful storytelling with identifiable people who whistle past our heads, and draw us into their universe. Too bad the movie, which was to star Dorothy Louden, Cliff Robertson, and Keith McDermott, shut down during production. What a thing it would have been. An all time favorite, and by the way, it also turned me on to " Turandot"
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