Old School [Paperback]

Parts of the book read as if essays had been patched together. There is an interesting portion of the book devoted to a dean of the school that did not move the plot forward nor give any greater understanding of the narrator. It was probably the best part of the book and the only character delved into with any depth. However, it seemed unrelated to the story line - such as it was - and did not lead to any greater understanding of the narrator.

Another portion of the book related to plagiarism. It suddenly happened, was explored very little and seemed to be passed over as a minor incident in the narrator's life. Again, it seemed like an essay patched into the book.

As can be seen by the book descriptions, much of the book centers around authors who would visit the school. Students competed to write the winning story or poem. Much of the descriptions and excerpts from these young authors were cleverly done and amusing - not in a comedic sense but in how they related to the celebrity author's works.

One aspect of the book I found to be extremely presumptuous. Three authors were came, or were to come to the school: Frost, Rand and Hemingway. Mr. Wolff gives them pages of monologue (especially Frost and Rand) in which they espouse their personal philosophies - some of which were not flattering. I find there is a slippery slope when using real figures in fiction and I thought Mr. Wolff had slid down that slope at his peril. What experience does he have with these people to paint such pictures of them and put those words in their mouths? Especially such unflattering words and pictures?

What did not disappoint, however, as noted, was the writing. Mr. Wolff writes a fine clear, concise prose that is enjoyable to read. Although I can not strongly recommend this book, I will read his other works based upon the promise of that writing.

First and foremost this is a book for book-lovers, for readers who treasure literature and writing as essential elements of our humanity. It is a book about writers, about famous ones like Ayn Rand and Ernest Hemingway and Robert Frost and about young, aspiring ones at an east coast boarding school in the early 1960s. At this school, students compete for an individual audience with a visiting writer - the student who submits the best short story or poem, judged by the famous writer, wins the prize.

But this book is more than just an ode to great writers and great writing. It is a novel about morals and ethics, and about the gray areas that cloud our judgment. It is a novel about the development of human character, about the differences that separate us and the ties that bond us together. It is at times humorous, at other times tragic, and still at other times triumphant. But throughout, it is undeniably honest and human.

So go ahead - open this book and smell the September leaves as they fall on this school campus. Feel the excitement in the air - the excitement of being young, the excitement of learning, the excitement of growing up and being on the verge of adulthood.

A 2003 National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, Old School is without question one of the best books of the past year.

It takes place at an elite prep school in the 1960s, when the world was shifting under people's feet. A working-class boy secures a scholarship, and manages to pass himself off as one of the carelessly moneyed types who populate the school, hiding his middle-class Catholic/Jewish background. He and his classmates adore the (then-modern) classics, and are thrilled when major writers are called on to judge writing competitions at their school.

But the boy doesn't make an impression on Robert Frost. And because of a nasty cold, he can't even get into a competition judged by Ayn Rand. But when he learns that Ernest Hemingway -- his literary hero -- is the next judge, he's determined to catch the great man's attention. But to create a true-to-life story, he delves into a real-life story from his own school -- with disastrous results.

Don't read "Old School" if you need a lot of thrills. Like the school itself, "Old School" is a quiet, restrained book. And without preaching or being arrogant, Wolff manages to show us how important honesty of all kinds is to good literature. And at the same time, he can give his straightforward story twists and new dimensions.

Wolff shows exceptional insight into literature -- and how a teenage boy sees it. For example, the narrator becomes enamored of Ayn Rand's books at one point. Then he meets the author herself, and her arrogance and disdain strip away his appreciation for her works -- he sees how writers like Hemingway focus on people who may be ordinary, but are magnificent in their ordinariness.

Wolff's writing is spare and quiet, and his characters are sort of the same. There's the narrator, a naive young teen boy who grows up a lot over the course of the book -- even if he is the least alive of the characters -- the quirky classmates and the imposing Dean. And he does a wonderful job of translating Frost, Rand and Hemingway into his own words: Frost is faux-humble, Rand is unabashedly hypocritical and self-absorbed, and Hemingway is endearingly rambly.

"Old School" is an ode to good literature, and the "old schools" of the mid-20th century. A quiet, nostalgia-laden and surprisingly poignant book, this is a solid and satisfying read.