Grab My Blog Button
#158 ~ The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Miss Jean Brodie isn’t just another teacher at Marcia Blaine School for Girls. She is unconventional and subversive in her teaching methods and in what she teaches. Most importantly, Miss Jean Brodie is in her prime. It is because she is in her prime that her Brodie set, consisting of 10-year-olds Sandy, Rose, Mary, Jenny, Monica, and Eunice, have the opportunity of their lives. Of all the girls in the school, they have the opportunity to become the crème de la crème. All the while the Brodie set was directly under her influence and as they moved on in their education at the school, the headmistress, Miss Mackay, is looking for a reason to remove Miss Brodie from her teaching position. In the end, it is because one of her own set betrays her that Jean Brodie is removed from her position before she was ready.
Muriel Spark
The story of Miss Jean Brodie, her life, her lovers, her politics, and her set is not told in chronological order. From the beginning of the story, the narrator discusses Miss Brodie’s ultimate betrayal and the outcome of each of the Brodie set. These facts, such as Mary’s death in a fire while running back and forth down the halllway, are also repeated throughout the novel. There were times While the reader isn’t told exactly how Miss Brodie is betrayed, the betrayer is identified well before the end. This structure kept me at arm’s length from the characters. Discovering exactly how Miss Brodie was betrayed was not enough to keep me interested in the story.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie didn’t work for me. I was expecting for something much darker. I found the repetiton in the narrative irritating. Every time it was mentioned that Miss Brodie was in her prime or that one or more of the Brodie set had the potential to be the crème de la crème, I was frustrated because I could not figure out what was so special about Miss Brodie’s prime or any one of the chosen girls in her set. My experience with this book is similar to that of my viewing of “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” Just as Roger Ebert highly recommended that movie, The Guardian’s James Wood, who writes an essay that is included in HarperCollins‘ edition, chose The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie as one of the best books since 1945. In both cases, I couldn’t understand the appeal. Unlike with “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” I didn’t regret the time I spent with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. I simply came away from the novel wondering what it was that I had missed.
++++++
Related articles:
- JAMES WOOD’S BEST BOOKS SINCE 1945 (Circa 1994) (marksarvas.blogs.com)
- James Wood on Muriel Spark (The Guardian)
- 100 novels everyone should read (telegraph.co.uk)
- The Movie: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Care’s Online Book Club)
- Wherever the fates lead us let us follow (Bibiolatry)
********
To buy this novel, click here
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=fd96866b-a15a-410c-ab17-b2b530229e4e)
May 1, 2009 | Filed Under book review, female author, fiction
Comments
7 Responses to “#158 ~ The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”
-
sheri
Posted: May 2nd, 2009 at 2:01 am1Reply to this comment.well, at least the cover was super groovy.
sheri’s last blog post..Book Review: Mating Rituals of the North American WASP
-
S
Posted: May 2nd, 2009 at 7:03 am2Reply to this comment.I almost hate it when I read an article where a respected person says something like that. How in the world can it live up to “the best book since 1945″?
S’s last blog post..Brideshead Revisted – Evelyn Waugh (audio)
-
Care
Posted: May 2nd, 2009 at 8:24 am3Reply to this comment.Well, I’m glad I read it even tho it wasn’t as good as I expected or hoped. and the movie was a treat. I only wish I could undo the experience and see how it would play if I say the movie first, then read the book. We will never know….
Care’s last blog post..Happy May Day’s Eve
-
Kathy
Posted: May 2nd, 2009 at 9:54 am4Reply to this comment.I was excited to see your review; hoping you’d discovered a hidden gem from the past we’d all missed. At least you’ve saved me the trouble of reading it. Sorry it didn’t work for you.
-
Oh
Posted: May 2nd, 2009 at 6:46 pm5Reply to this comment.I enjoyed the movie thanks to the venerable Maggie Smith but haven’t read the book! And I have to tell you that I so enjoy stopping here. And the design of your blog is so cool, it’s an immediate “lift!”
Oh’s last blog post..Meet the Canards …
-
Jen - Devourer of Books
Posted: May 7th, 2009 at 10:35 am6Reply to this comment.I’m sorry you didn’t dig this book, but thanks for taking one for the team so we didn’t all read it!
Jen – Devourer of Books’s last blog post..The Brightest Moon of the Century – Book Review
-
Susan's Literary Cafe
Posted: May 26th, 2009 at 1:36 pm7Reply to this comment.Too bad you did not like the book. Just found your post about this book. Love your blog. I wanted to join your book club a few months ago. But unfortunately I was in school. Is there still room for your book club?
Got something to say?
Book Blogger Con
Have you heard about the 1st Annual Book Blogger Convention that will be held in NYC during the BEA? You should check it out. I know it will be a fantastic experience. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend due to family obligations, but I'll be trolling blogs for up to the minute news.
WE Magazine’s A Woman Blogger to Watch
Literate Challenges
What's in a Name? 3
Random Reading Challenge
