The Class

With my own class reunion approaching, just for amusement, I am reading several books of the “class reunion” theme, hoping to get myself psyched about seeing old friends and acquaintances. The Class is a novel about Harvard’s class of 1958, revolving around five young men from various backgrounds and diverse walks of life. The first half of the book begins in 1954 and covers the 4 years of college. The second half covers 25 years beyond, when they are all preparing to return for the 25 year reunion.

Just getting admitted to Harvard is no small accomplishment. So, each of the students enter this elite institute of higher learning with high expectations and intense pressure to succeed. None of that: drinking until dawn, keg parties, show more skipping classes, and opting for the easy courses. This is a “suicide if I don’t succeed” mentality. Fierce competition….sacrifice…..determination….

The five young men:
Daniel Rossi – A music major. All he ever wanted was his father’s approval, but Dad is a macho, right wing, conservative saying “Why music?”
Jason Gilbert- An “all American” guy, but Jewish, and Yale turned him down because of it. Harvard is his second choice.
Theodore Lambros – A Greek who has the grades, but not enough money so can’t afford to live on campus. He has to commute and work in his Dad’s restaurant in-between classes.
Andrew Eliot – Born with a silver spoon in his mouth; a long history of Harvard men in the family. He’s a great guy, but he is not ambitious.
George Keller – a foreign student who arrives in the United States barely able to speak English determined to pursue a political life.

There are several reasons I really like The Class:
Besides revealing the inner workings of Harvard; the rituals, the culture, and the mentality of the students who attend, it also takes the reader into the arena of life after graduation in the fields of politics, the arts, and academia. The span of time includes many historical events: The conflict in Israel, JFK’s assassination, The Vietnam War, and Nixon’s impeachment. And touches on many cultural issues: segregation, communism, women’s roles/duties, marriage/divorce. Plus, there are some strong female characters. Also, Erich Segal, the son of a rabbi, was a graduate of the Harvard class of 1958, and also got his Masters and Doctorate at Harvard, and later taught Latin and Greek at Harvard, so even though this is fiction, his own personal experience makes The Class both credible and realistic. show less

The Class’ by Erich Segal follows the life of five young graduates of ’58 batch of Harvard University culminating in their 25th college reunion. The five men hail from extremely diverse backgrounds and cultures, each united in the single purpose of becoming people of high social standing. The story follows their lives through the years and across the continents to a captivating climax.

The first half of the story discusses Harvard life in detail right from the time; the five people join the university to the day of their graduation. Erich Segal explains in detail the happenings in every term of the elite academy-the struggles, the challenges, the laughter and the heartbreaks. The student life is discussed so well that you will be show more amazed at each and every incident that the students go through.

The book has five central characters and this is their story.

Danny Rossi: A shy, introverted young man who has an amazing talent in music. His music wins him fame, success and many women, but he craves for fulfillment which avoids him. His past included yearning for his father’s praise as he could never match up to his elder brother’s athletic exploits. The dizzying heights of fame only make him work harder and harder till he faces his toughest challenge.

Ted Lambros: The Greek outsider who makes it through Harvard only on the basis of his hard work. In his career as a literary professor, he has to face a lot of petty politics in the pursuit of Harvard’s highest academic position.

Jason Gilbert: Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, the handsome, athletic Jewish man has no problems till he reaches Harvard and struggles with his religious identity. The spiritual transformation he faces makes him discard his pretences and listen to his true calling.

George Keller: A refugee from Hungary who makes his way to the highest echelons of power in America. He knows that there is no stopping a man who has a personal mission to succeed, no matter where he comes from.

Andrew Elliot: He is the only person to have a rich, untainted past albeit one which was so illustrious that people’s expectations from him, make him feel smaller as the days go by. At Harvard, he feels as if he is the least accomplished amongst all his peers. As the central character of the narrative, he tells the story of all their lives interspersed with excerpts from his diary.

It is only when all of them catch up at their 25th reunion that Andrew Elliot realizes that he is a lot better off than some of his erstwhile accomplished friends. The present troubled situation of his friend’s lives makes him realize that appearances are a lot deceptive.

Each character has been developed very carefully and in depth. This is an important part of the story because as the plot progresses, the readers identify easily with the character’s dilemmas and reactions as they are in sync with his past.

As the reader, you cannot help but prod on Danny as he struggles with his grueling fitness test, or pause for a sorrowful moment when Jason has to leave his sweetheart for his military assignment and you quickly realize why Andrew has an I-don’t-belong-here behavior.

In the second half of the book, the plot races from the hallowed portals of Harvard University to the troubled lands of Vietnam & the Middle East. The characters grow here on not just in stature but also in their display of their hidden greed, lust and desire for absolute power. As is Segal’s forte, he peppers the story with lots of historical data and incidents along with amazing bifurcations of the main plot.

The Class is not just about the lives of 5 illustrious men; instead it’s about living and breathing every moment of their chequered fortunes. To put it simply, it is a novel of epic proportions and a story that will leave you richer in many ways than one. show less

A powerful and moving saga of five extraordinary members of the Harvard class of 1958 and the women with whom their lives are intertwined. Their explosive story begins in a time of innocence and spans a turbulent quarter century, culminating in their dramatic twenty-five reunion at which they confront their classmates--and the balance sheet of their own lives. Always at the center; amid the passion, laughter, and glory, stands Harvard--the symbol of who they are and who they will be. They were a generation who made the rules--then broke them--whose glittering successes, heartfelt tragedies, and unbridled ambitions would stun the world.

Abt 6 Harvard's students' high aspiration and crashed dreams. Poignant. one of my all-time favorite.

Not bad for beach reading on a hot
summer day.

Another one of my eric segal favourites!

From world-renowned author Erich Segal comes a powerful and moving saga of five extraordinary members of the Harvard class of 1958 and the women with whom their lives are intertwined. Their explosive story begins in a time of innocence and spans a turbulent quarter century, culminating in their dramatic twenty-fifth reunion at which they confront their classmates -- and the balance sheet of their own lives. Always at the center, amid the passion, laughter, and glory, stands Harvard -- the symbol of who they are and who they will be. They were a generation who made the rules -- then broke them -- whose glittering successes, heartfelt tragedies, and unbridled ambitions would stun the world.