Like most folks, I read this in high school...one of the few school books I enjoyed reading. A coming of age story focusing on two friends and memories sifting from imagined to realized. The TV show MASH "borrowed" an event from this book for one of their episodes. ( )

I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. I read it last year for english class and thought it was very well written. The relationship between Gene and Finny is a meaningful one. The feeling of friendship is mutual, but the aching feeling of jealousy is always present. I found this very true because there always seems to be a line between friends. It's the line that separates laughing and joking from jealously and skepticism. Is he/she really my friend? Are there underlying meanings to what he/she is doing? I found myself able to relate to both Gene and Finny. At the end of the book, I couldn't help but experience this feeling of peace. Even though Finny was gone, there was calmness that Gene possessed. I would recommend this book to any one of my friends. ( )

One of the first novels I ever read. It still brings pleasant memories. ( )

I bought this book years back, after discovering that it was Jack Bangerter's favorite book. I never got around to reading it though, until just after I graduated, right before we went to Europe. My copy had water spilled all over it, and never really dried in the humidity, so as I read it, each page disintegrated and came unattached as I turned it. It's a really nice story of two school friends around WWII, Gene and Phineas, and while my recollection is slightly fuzzy about each, I would probably characterize this book as a less Jewish The Chosen. Monumental (and highly surprising) ending, also. ( )

An interesting book. I might have liked it better if the prof in Adolescent Lit hadn't beat me over the head with all the symbolism. ( )