The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark | Book Review [CC]

My review for Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, the story of an eccentric school teacher and her pupils.
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[@nedmerrill5705]

This is a fine analysis of the novel. I read this about 10 years ago, after I saw the film (of the same name) starring Maggie Smith, who won the Academy Award Best Actress Oscar for her role as Miss Jean Brodie. I strongly recommend the film. The character is in some ways the other side of the coin of John Keating in _The Dead Poets Society._

[@LanaCelebic]

I was thinking the same thing - how she is the exact opposite of John Keating! I read the book a few years ago, and I've just watched a movie recently. Young Maggie Smith was great in it.

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Thank you! I've not seen the film yet, though I'm sure I will at some point.

[@prettypennyschannel]

Np. Jean Brodie was a narcissistic groomer and trauma dumper who got Mary killed. Keating made a couple of mistakes, but remained professional.

[@nedmerrill5705]

@@prettypennyschannel mmmmmm ... I don't think I would characterize Keating as "professional" ...

[@prettypennyschannel]

@@nedmerrill5705 Keating, unlike Brodie, was professional in the most important way: he didn't associate with his students outside of the classroom. 👇 Furthermore, Kesting didnt play martyr like Brodie did. He just enjoyed teaching, literature, and people. It's true that he added live interactions to his lesson plans, and blew off some of those lesson plans. But he didn't actively badmouth his superiors, or use his students as pawns against his superiors. And, his students became better writers and critical thinkers. Brodie trauma dumped, and spent too much time on culture that while fun, wouldn't really help the girl in the real world. The girls were actually doing poorly at arithmetic. a necessity. Brodie got Mary killed, and groomed Jenny to be Teddy's lover. This and other disparaging remarks Brodie made about Sandy drove her to be Teddy's lover. Keating made the mistake of trying to encourage Neil, not knowing the toxic family dynamic. But, he didn't directly kill Neil. He walked away calm, and professional. Brodie took no responsibility, threw tantrums after over a decade of this drama, and left Marcia Blane as a laughing stock. Keating made mistakes that were normal, and took accountability. Brodie was a borderline/narcissist who never took accountability for anything. Keating taught because he truly loved it. Brodie didn't want to do her job. She just wanted to be known for that to make up for being a spinster.

[@VincoMalus]

🤟🏿breathtakingly beautiful analysis/dissection🖤

[@Gagging4Lit]

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is one of my fave fave fave novels. I also love her novels Loitering with Intent, The Public Image, and A Far Cry from Kensington, which all contain the wit and sass of Brodie without the school setting. Would recommend those! Wonderful review!

[@anna_reads862]

I just read "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" in March and also went into it with the same expectations and quickly realized that this was not an empowering story. I rolled my eyes every time the titular character said that she was in her prime. I actually think Sandy is the main narrator. We see her perspective more than anyone else's and really get inside her head and fantasy world. And with that in mind, I view her as unreliable narrator. So it really makes me feel conflicted about the series of events. Ultimately I have no idea how I felt about this book but I do keep thinking about it.

[@SpinstersLibrary]

You put that into words so well! It's a book that stuck with me because of this complexity. And yes, you're right, Sandy's point of view is the most explored, though certainly not the only one.

[@anna_reads862]

@@SpinstersLibrary thank you! Yes, that's true. We do flip between characters a bit, especially when it comes to present and future

[@williamfurman2042]

Back in 1966 at the age of nine I read "The Blackboard Jungle" a popular film from 1955. The old black & white film with Glenn Ford as Mr. Dadier is catchy, too!

[@cestmarrant1]

They made a film of this book starring Maggie Smith. It was a great film, also very complex and layered.

[@SpinstersLibrary]

I'll definitely watch that at some point, I've only heard good things about it.

[@ObscureBookAdventures]

I loved the film. Someone recently told me there was also a play made of it.

[@py.5831]

@@ObscureBookAdventures The play is made before the film

[@miz_logo_lee]

There is also a Scottish TV miniseries from 1978. That’s how I found this story. It’s on KZbin.

[@patriciakeiller955]

The Scottish TV series is excellent, although it only really deals with the first half of the book.

[@Sherlika_Gregori]

I loved this book. Yes, I remember Mary very well. Interesting characters .

[@SpinstersLibrary]

The characters really make it.

[@zoobee]

I read an article by the book critic James Woods once. He said there are two wholly original characters in the post war British novel -- characters we had never seen before, wholly new and of a kind. Mr Biswas from VS Naipaul's 'A House for Mr Biswas' (a masterpiece tragi-comedy in my opinion) and the other character he cited was Miss Jean Brodie. Its an endlessly compelling novel because of Miss Jean Brodie

[@jbt6007]

I adored this novel and love Muriel Sparks -- might I suggest So Far From Kensington? I put her novels along the likes of writers Barbara Pym and Elizabeth Taylor -- all different writers but from the same era. I look forward to reading many more of Sparks novels.

[@patriciakeiller955]

I think I read somewhere that the character of Miss Jean Brodie was based on one of Muriel Spark’s teachers. If this is the case it explains why the character is so complex and multi layered as she isn’t just a stereotypical teacher, but based on a real person, and as we know real people are often full of paradoxes and are usually multi faceted.

[@tracy9000]

Haven't read that one yet, but my library had Goodbye Mr. Chips and To Sir with Love available at the same time, so I read them back to back. Both are short and very much of their time. Mr. Chips had much better writing IMO, but the class and time periods depicted were interesting to compare.

[@SpinstersLibrary]

I'm not familiar with either of them!

[@kabardinka1]

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie has a much more complex view of student/teacher relationships than those other two books which are basically "the teacher changed my life for the better" somewhat cliched works. Both of those were made into successful films, but both are quite dated, IMO... although To Sir With Love stars Sidney Poitier at his "prime."

[@katewilson592]

I read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie so long ago that I should probably reread it. However, I think your review was quite good. One thing I remember is how that 13-year-old girl died. I have also read Memento Mori also by Muriel Spark, and think you might enjoy it. During the period I was reading Muriel Spark I also read some Kingsley Amis. Lucky Jim by Amis is one of the funniest books I have ever read. Not everyone thinks that everything I think is funny is funny.

[@comette4u]

I have read this one. I read it along side another school book set in Edinburgh at the turn of the century, but the vibe was very different. (I don't recall the title now.)

[@SpinstersLibrary]

That must have been an interesting comparison!

[@ObscureBookAdventures]

I loved this book. It was the best 1960s book I’ve read. It made me smile a lot. The way the girls are talking about the love life of Miss Jean Brodie. I didn’t mind her being not so sympathetic. I could really imagine the girls being in awe of her. Teenagers love someone who challenges authority. I have also a review of the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie on my channel.

[@La_Dame_aux_chats]

Ciao Claudia. I am curious to know if you have read any books by Colette or Émile Zola and any thoughts on them if you have. Grazie 😊

[@SpinstersLibrary]

I've not yet read any Zola, but I do have Colette's Claudine series on my TBR, so they will be read at some point. I think I started reading the first one a while ago and quite liked it, but didn't continue for some reason or another.

[@zoobee]

a wonderful novel. Jean Brodie is a unique character

[@7arboreal]

The Girls of Slender Means is a terrific story too.

[@MadmanGoneMad2012]

Marguerite Duras is another author that is in the same vein as Spark.

[@westsidebilling]

Very good review - PLEASE>>>See the movie!! It's the only film ever where Maggie Smith is completely outclassed. Pamela Franklin is breathtaking as the steely and sensuous Sandy Stranger. 🙂

[@MadmanGoneMad2012]

Liked this much more than 'The Driver's Seat'. Muriel Spark seems to have a panache for disturbing characters and revolves her story around their waywardness. But Jean Brodie is to me a much more interesting and fascinating character (than the one, i forgot the name of, in the other book).

[@aiswaryamohapatra.6710]

Hello mam ,i am from India ,now i am in MAEG second sem,this novel is very interesting.

[@johnmulvey5121]

Good review as far as it goes,but the novel is about Catholicism which you barley mention. Also you could have said much more about fascism.

[@boogieboxmusic4331]

I recommend the bachelors by Muriel.. complex characters..

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Thank you, I will check it out!