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Old School
Old School | Tobias Wolff
15 posts | 28 read | 34 to read
The protagonist of Tobias Wolffs shrewdlyand at times devastatinglyobserved first novel is a boy at an elite prep school in 1960. He is an outsider who has learned to mimic the negligent manner of his more privileged classmates. Like many of them, he wants more than anything on earth to become a writer. But to do that he must first learn to tell the truth about himself. The agency of revelation is the school literary contest, whose winner will be awarded an audience with the most legendary writer of his time. As the fever of competition infects the boy and his classmates, fraying alliances, exposing weaknesses, Old School explores the ensuing deceptions and betrayals with an unblinking eye and a bottomless store of empathy. The result is further evidence that Wolff is an authentic American master. From the Trade Paperback edition.
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jdiehr
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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Pickpick

A great book about a boys prep school in which writing and writers are greatly revered.

Every year, there is a writing contest, and the winner gets to meet a very famous author like Ayn Rand or Ernest Hemingway, for example.

The main character wins the contest and a chance to meet Hemingway, but things don't go as planned.

Cuilin Fabulous writing, loved it too. 2mo
26 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Ladygodiva7
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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A wonderful novella I own and don‘t remember acquiring. Thanks to my BookBuddy+ app for making it known it‘s in my Library, I finally read it and enjoyed it.

Soubhiville Your iris are beautiful! 6mo
Ladygodiva7 @Soubhiville thank you!!! 6mo
54 likes2 comments
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Cuilin
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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#TemptingTitles #old

Wonderful novel

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Perfect 🤩 2y
Eggs Sounds like a great read 👌🏼👏🏻👍🏼 2y
43 likes2 comments
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sisilia
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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Pickpick

5⭐️ I love this book. I almost wanted to become a writer after reading this 😆 This is really a book for booklovers. Things get exciting in the school with visits from Robert Frost, Ayn Rand, and Papa Hemingway. The part with Ayn Rand made me ROFL and I‘m tempted to read her two major works to find out how absurd they are 🤪

CarolynM I really enjoyed this one 🙂 2y
sisilia @CarolynM Have you read his other works? I want to read 2y
CarolynM No, this one was a gift from a Litsy friend. I‘m not familiar with him at all. 2y
58 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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lynneamch
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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Loved this coming-of-age-plus story, much of which focuses on writing competions at a boys prep school in the 1960s. Imagine the excitement & anticipation of meeting Robert Frost, Ayn Rand, or Hemmingway if your poem or story is deemed worthy. Similar themes of teenage challenges and ethical choices in this Broadway musical we get to see this afternoon! #BoardingSchool #SavvySettings @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Eggs Love this❤️👏🏻❤️ 3y
33 likes1 comment
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KCofKaysville
Old School | Tobias Wolff
Pickpick

Well written and absorbing novel of being in a prep school surrounded by wannabe writers. Helps to know something about Ayn Rand, Frost, and Hemingway. It is short but has a lot of impact. About truth and pretending.

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KCofKaysville
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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Starting this one now. I liked his memoir, This Boy's Life, a few years ago. It's one of many in my TBR list.

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CarolynM
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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Pickpick

A beautifully written short novel with some big themes - honesty, honour, self-knowledge. The tone is nostalgic and almost melancholy, but lightened with a little humour along the way. The literary satires are priceless. Thank you so much for gifting me this book @Rissreads I enjoyed it very much.
#BookspinBingo

LeahBergen This is one of those books I‘ve thought I‘d like for years. Good to know you enjoyed it! 👍🏻 4y
Rissreads I‘m so glad you enjoyed it my friend! ❤️ 4y
Tanisha_A Love that cover, and the photo 4y
Cathythoughts I read this one this year .... I really enjoyed it too 👍🏻❤️ 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
77 likes1 stack add5 comments
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CarolynM
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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Nerissa, you have made my day. I can't tell you how touched I am by your thoughtfulness. You made a great choice of book, too. I've had it on my TBR for a couple of years, but it came up again recently when @Cathythoughts reviewed it and reminded me how much I wanted to read it. Thank you so much. I feel very blessed to have such a kind friend.

Trashcanman 👋👋 4y
Rissreads Yay! It arrived! Enjoy my friend! You poor people in Melbourne need a bit of a lift every now and then! ❤️ 4y
Tanisha_A ❤️ 4y
See All 6 Comments
Cathythoughts What a great gift 👍🏻 I imagine you‘ll love it ❤️ 4y
CarolynM Hello to you too @Trashcanman 👋👋 4y
TrishB Lovely ❤️ 4y
64 likes6 comments
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Cathythoughts
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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Pickpick

I loved this one , a page turner for me. The excitement in this 1960‘s school as famous writers come to visit. Robert Frost , Ayn Rand ( never read her ) , and Ernest Hemingway
“Make no mistake , he said: a true piece of writing is a dangerous thing. It can change your life. “
Our MC must learn how to become a self-revealing man.

Great recommendation @andrew61

LeahBergen This sounds great! 4y
Cathythoughts @LeahBergen 👍🏻❤️It‘s very good 4y
andrew61 Im really pleased cathy, glad you enjoyed ☺ 4y
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CarolynM Sounds good. I was going to say stacked, but I see it's already on my TBR🙂 (edited) 4y
Cathythoughts @CarolynM I look forward to your thoughts when you get there 👍🏻 4y
Centique I‘m keen on trying this one too after hearing @andrew61 talk about it! Glad you like it too Cathy - even more thumbs up 😊 (edited) 4y
Cathythoughts @Centique Ahh Thanks Paula ! It‘s very good. I‘ll look forward to your thoughts 😘 4y
61 likes3 stack adds7 comments
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andrew61
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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Pickpick

I loved this memoir/novel and if you have ever imagined what being in the company of Robert frost or ayn rand in their pomp would be like this story of an early 1960's Boston private school allows you to bask in the scene. Humour and bittersweet regret punctuate a book which i couldn't put down as a young man has to come to terms with many contradictions in his life. I think if you like a secret history you will enjoy this book.

annahenke Fascinating! 4y
veritysalter This sounds so interesting, I‘ve stacked 📚 4y
Cathythoughts You mentioned Secret History! Stacked 4y
39 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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Tamra
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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I definitely have witnessed the reverse snobbery - anything aside from STEM is merely “fluff”, not to be taken seriously.

CarolynM Sounds like a parallel argument to the one made in The Professor's House🙂 5y
Tamra @CarolynM 👍🏾 5y
GingerAntics I‘m with you on that. It‘s almost like we didn‘t really do anything for our degrees or advanced degrees. STEM is so bloody worshiped. 🙄 It drives me nuts. If you don‘t know STEM, you don‘t know anything. 5y
61 likes4 comments
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TheAnitaAlvarez
Old School | Tobias Wolff
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Pickpick

This very short novel tells the story of a young man who wants to be a writer. His school organizes a writing competition and invites famous writers every time, which the students try to impress. But when the guest is Ernest Hemingway, all bets are of. The book is really fun to read, especially if you know something of US writing at the beginning of the 20th century.

Also, I‘m always game for Ayn Rand bashing, so.

#RoryGilmoresReadingChallenge

ghosthost I read this about ten years ago. I don‘t remember much except that I thought the way his opinion of Ayn Rand‘s work changed after her visit was absolutely hilarious. 7y
RidgewayGirl You‘ve made me want to read this book! 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @ghosthost I can get that her writing seems compelling if you‘re part of a specific context, but she was also a pretty unpleasant person, so it made sense for me. It was still funny, though 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @RidgewayGirl hahaha, hope you do! 7y
83 likes7 stack adds4 comments
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nadine_swartz
Old School | Tobias Wolff
Mehso-so

Finely written, original premise, but I feel like white men writing about the experiences of a boy in a private boys' school, which just *happens* to be all white, is regularly given voice and heard than-idk- everyone one else. #requiredsummerreading