In this American classic, a young man comes of age and struggles with a loss of innocence and friendship at a northern boarding school amidst the backdrop of World War II. The full-length essays in this volume provide a comprehensive critical overview of John Knowles s best-known novel. This latest edition in the Bloom s Modern Critical Interpretations series features a chronology, bibliography, and an index, as well as notes on the contributors and an introductory essay from noted literary scholar Harold Bloom.