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heathercottledillon's review against another edition
3.0
Elderly London schoolteacher Barbara Covett leaves a solitary life. She goes to work, goes home to her cat, and that's about it. That all changes when Sheba Hart takes a job at Barbara's school. She's different from Barbara in nearly every way: she's married with two children, she's only thirty-five, and she's outgoing. Despite all this, Barbara and Sheba become close friends. Eventually, Sheba shares her biggest secret: she's having an affair with a fifteen-year-old student named Stephen. Barbara decides to keep the news to herself, despite her legal and moral obligation to turn Sheba in. But then, when Sheba's actions finally do come to light, some of Barbara's do as well.
This is certainly a disturbing but interesting story. I picked it up because I have heard of the teachers who've had affairs with students, and I couldn't imagine what was going on in their heads when they did so. I knew this was fiction, but I thought it would be interesting nonetheless. It turns out that, in many ways, this is more Barbara's story. Her bizarre obsession with Sheba and her reaction to Sheba's confessions say as much about Barbara as they do about Sheba. I don't think the book ever really answers the question from the title--What was she thinking?--and it's very predictable, but I enjoyed it for the most part. There's a lot more humor than I expected from such troublesome subject matter, too.
This is certainly a disturbing but interesting story. I picked it up because I have heard of the teachers who've had affairs with students, and I couldn't imagine what was going on in their heads when they did so. I knew this was fiction, but I thought it would be interesting nonetheless. It turns out that, in many ways, this is more Barbara's story. Her bizarre obsession with Sheba and her reaction to Sheba's confessions say as much about Barbara as they do about Sheba. I don't think the book ever really answers the question from the title--What was she thinking?--and it's very predictable, but I enjoyed it for the most part. There's a lot more humor than I expected from such troublesome subject matter, too.
cinder_rain's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kate_303's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
crissyh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
jeansbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
Sexual abuse of a minorhellohellomaria's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
From the back cover: School teacher Barbara Covett has led a solitary life until Sheba Hart, the new art teacher at St George’s befriends her. But even as their relationship develops, so too does another: Sheba has begun an affair with an underage male student. When the scandal turns into a media circus, Barbara decides to write an account in her friend’s defense – and ends up revealing not only Sheba’s secrets but also her own.
My reactions
Wow. Told from Barbara’s perspective the story unfolds slowly as Barbara observes and records her impressions of the new art teacher. It is clear that Sheba is obsessed with the affair, emotionally stressed and not thinking straight. But the reader slowly becomes aware that Barbara is also emotionally damaged- equally obsessed with her friendship with Sheba and jealous of Sheba’s relationships with other teachers and even with her husband and children.
In the end, the more interesting psychological study is the portrayal of Barbara. What she reveals about herself in recording Sheba’s story is more subtle and interesting than the story she is trying to tell. She is dangerous woman to have as a “friend.”
I did think that Heller was a bit heavy-handed with the symbolism in these central character’s names. “Bathsheba” is bad enough, with all the implications of sexual misconduct, but “Covett”? Really? Still this is a minor irritation.
My reactions
Wow. Told from Barbara’s perspective the story unfolds slowly as Barbara observes and records her impressions of the new art teacher. It is clear that Sheba is obsessed with the affair, emotionally stressed and not thinking straight. But the reader slowly becomes aware that Barbara is also emotionally damaged- equally obsessed with her friendship with Sheba and jealous of Sheba’s relationships with other teachers and even with her husband and children.
In the end, the more interesting psychological study is the portrayal of Barbara. What she reveals about herself in recording Sheba’s story is more subtle and interesting than the story she is trying to tell. She is dangerous woman to have as a “friend.”
I did think that Heller was a bit heavy-handed with the symbolism in these central character’s names. “Bathsheba” is bad enough, with all the implications of sexual misconduct, but “Covett”? Really? Still this is a minor irritation.
meglondon22's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5