From School Library Journal Grade 9 & Up--The volatile world of male adolescence provides the backdrop for John Knowles' engrossing tale of love， hate， war， and peace. Sharing a room at Devon， an exclusive New England prep school， in the summer prior to World War II， Gene and Phineas form a complex bond of friendship that draws out both the best and worst characteristics of each boy and leads ultimately to violence， a confession， and the betrayal of trust. Narrator Scott Snively's ability to switch seamlessly from the perspective of a teenager tormented by feelings he doesn't want to understand to the reflective musing of a man looking back at the formative experience of his youth provide both the story and the setting with an immediacy that quickly engages listeners. Not only does Snively give a distinctive voice to each of the main characters， he also delineates the mannerisms and personalities of the other boys and the teachers surrounding them. Intense， mesmerizing， and compelling， this rendition of a classic coming-of-age tale belongs in all public library collections， and will be especially helpful to high school students as an accompaniment to the written text.Cindy Lombardo， Orrville Public Library， OHCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition. From AudioFile Scott Snively tackles Knowles's famous novel about rivalries and relationships at the fictional Devon School， a prep school for boys， during WWII. The story is told from the point of view of Gene， a man looking back on his last year at Devon. Like Gene himself， Snively's narration is sometimes wistful， sometimes regretful， sometimes hesitant. Most of the performance is subdued， with subtle distinctions in the voices of the major characters. Snively does an excellent job conveying emotions in scenes of conflict. He ably conveys anger and sadness with changes in pitch and a few well-placed shouts in a way that sounds genuine， never forced. This is an excellent treatment of a modern classic. A.F. © AudioFile 2002， Portland， Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile， Portland， Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition. See all Editorial Reviews

关于成长，关于友谊，关于战争与和平，讲述战争阴影下青春男孩成长之痛的“私密日记” 美国20世纪经典校园小说 小说以第二次世界大战为背景，讲述发生在一所学校中的故事：吉恩和菲尼亚斯是非常要好的朋友，由于一次小小的猜疑，吉恩开始对菲尼亚斯怀有敌意，并由此造成了对菲尼亚斯无法弥补的伤害——两人一起在一颗树上跳水时，吉恩有意踩动树枝，菲尼亚斯失去平衡跌落水中造成终身残疾。菲尼亚斯受伤后，也曾隐约怀疑事故的起因，但他却竭力回避事实真相，为了维护两人的友谊不肯把窗户纸捅破，而吉恩也始终在内疚中煎熬。后来在一个意想不到的情况下，那次事故的起因终于浮出水面，从而又引发另外一起事故，菲尼亚斯再次受伤，并最终死在手术台上。去世之前，菲尼亚斯真心原谅了他的朋友吉恩。吉恩满怀懊悔走上了战场。 十五年后，吉恩重返校园，一个人回首往事，体会战争的残酷和友谊的珍贵，聆听他的，只有他自己和那所物是人非的学校。 小说以倒序手法，抽丝剥茧，层层展开，心理描写细腻深刻，震撼人心， 为公认的美国校园文学的经典之作。

《独自和解》主要内容：故事以第二次世界大战为背景，主人公吉恩回忆十五年前在德文学校求学时期他和同学特别是和菲尼亚斯相处在一起时发生的事情。吉恩渴望能在毕业典礼上当学生代表致告别词，但他担心菲尼亚斯会取代他。而且他又认误认为菲尼亚斯妒忌他。但菲尼亚斯一直信任他，并把他视为自己最好的朋友。在吉恩的陷害下，运动健将菲尼亚斯摔成了跛子，最后死在手术台上。