Name: Dead Poets Society
Rating: 4.203172205438066 (331 reviews)
ISBN: 9783125796904

Nancy H. Kleinbaum

A Novel

Dead Poets Society

N. H. Kleinbaum

Inspired by their new, unconventional teacher, a group of private boys' school students discovers the joys of literature and the rewards--and challenges--of expressing their individuality

"Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." 

I usually favour books over movies, but this one is an exception. This book wasn't bad, but the movie was so much better, with emotional depth and complexity, while, to me, the book felt more like a script than a actual novel. 

But of course, there were things I enjoyed about this book, otherwise I wouldn't have given it 4 stars. For starters, I love that Kleinbaum added all the deleted scenes from the movie to the book - when I saw Todd's "And still we sleep" poem, I genuinely squealed. And the dock scene? Fantastic! Though I was a bit disappointed that it was "God, I love this! - What, the play?" instead of the original "God, I love this! - What, me!" Dammit, Kleinbaum, you had one job🥲

Secondly, I loved that the book wasn't ENTIRELY a copy of the film, it had its own scenes and details, too, like the five-ninety-eight scene (which genuinely broke me, Todd's father is awful, how on earth can you call your son the monetary value of all the raw chemicals in the human body? that is SICK. but I still hate Neil's father more, he literally led his son to the grave).

Speaking of Neil's parents, I also want to mention his mother, because I hardly see anyone talk about her, and it's wrong. It's wrong because she shows no support for her son. And before you say it's because she is scared of her husband, or because of the patriarchal issues, she could have still talked to Neil one-on-one. Showed him that he's not alone. But she didn't. She just stood in the corner and watched her dear husband mentally kill their son until the death became physical.

Phew, that was a long one. Thank you for reading my yawping. (look at that, a reference) 

clementine ⤜♡→

"Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." 

I usually favour books over movies, but this one is an exception. This book wasn't bad, but the movie was so much better, with emotional depth and complexity, while, to me, the book felt more like a script than a actual novel. 

But of course, there were things I enjoyed about this book, otherwise I wouldn't have given it 4 stars. For starters, I love that Kleinbaum added all the deleted scenes from the movie to the book - when I saw Todd's "And still we sleep" poem, I genuinely squealed. And the dock scene? Fantastic! Though I was a bit disappointed that it was "God, I love this! - What, the play?" instead of the original "God, I love this! - What, me!" Dammit, Kleinbaum, you had one job🥲

Secondly, I loved that the book wasn't ENTIRELY a copy of the film, it had its own scenes and details, too, like the five-ninety-eight scene (which genuinely broke me, Todd's father is awful, how on earth can you call your son the monetary value of all the raw chemicals in the human body? that is SICK. but I still hate Neil's father more, he literally led his son to the grave).

Speaking of Neil's parents, I also want to mention his mother, because I hardly see anyone talk about her, and it's wrong. It's wrong because she shows no support for her son. And before you say it's because she is scared of her husband, or because of the patriarchal issues, she could have still talked to Neil one-on-one. Showed him that he's not alone. But she didn't. She just stood in the corner and watched her dear husband mentally kill their son until the death became physical.

Phew, that was a long one. Thank you for reading my yawping. (look at that, a reference) 



Lorena Meyer

What I really enjoyed about the book was its emotional depth. I‘ve read this book two times and it has not once failed to amaze me. And that‘s coming from someone who rarely ever reads a book more than once. The characters Neil, Todd and Mr. Keating in paticular were the ones I could identify with the most, especially the way they were written. Neil is my favorite character because of his inner conflict that ultimately leads to his death but it is exactly this tragedy that makes me genuinely like the book so much that I kind of hate it for killing Neil. As for Todd, I found him to be quite relatable, he‘s shy, anxious and expected to be performing well because of his brother‘s success. I liked that his character was developed to the point where he finally found his voice as well as his emotional bond to Neil which I found both endearing and well written. Finally, Mr. Keating. What I liked most about him was his way of being so subtle and yet so obvious. The way he would rebel against conformity so quietly yet also so loudly was very interesting to me. What I personally found quite annoying was Knox‘ obsession with Chris (?), at some point it was just unnecessary for him to ramble on further because I found it quite sexist how his fragile masculinity just had to equal to Chris not wanting him. Honestly, if I were Chris, I would‘ve broken up with both Knox and Chet but that‘s a personal preference. In summary, I really loved the style it was written in and the general „vibe“ it gave off. What did bother me was the patriarchal structures (e.g. Knox) and how their fragile masculinities seemed to dominate and make fun of the beauty of poetry. But again, that‘s a personal preference.

Todd Anderson and his friends at Welton Academy can hardly believe how different life is since their new English professor, the flamboyant John Keating, has challenged them to "make your lives extraordinary! Inspired by Keating, the boys resurrect the Dead Poets Society--a secret club where, free from the constraints and expectations of school and parents, they let their passions run wild. As Keating turns the boys on to the great words of Byron, Shelley, and Keats, they discover not only the beauty of language, but the importance of making each moment count. But the Dead Poets pledges soon realize that their newfound freedom can have tragic consequences. Can the club and the individuality it inspires survive the pressure from authorities determined to destroy their dreams?

I just think for a book that’s adapting a movie about poetry, the romantics and sucking the bone marrow out of life the writing style would be more… poetic. Still good and they expanded certain scenes but it doesn’t carry the same energy as the film because the description outside of dialogue is just bland. 

Florence

A beautifully written novella, on the topics of young boys in a boarding school community, learning about the importance of free will, literature and women. 

Such a well written and fast paced text to get me back into reading once more. I hope to watch the movie soon, and be well involved back into the world of Niel and his friends ☹

surtified™

A beautifully written novella, on the topics of young boys in a boarding school community, learning about the importance of free will, literature and women. 

Such a well written and fast paced text to get me back into reading once more. I hope to watch the movie soon, and be well involved back into the world of Niel and his friends ☹

I'm probably biased since this has always been one of my favourite movies, but now that I've finally come around to reading the book I can confidently say that this is a phenomenal story.

Milo

I didn’t realise it was a tie in with the movie but, to be honest, it was worth the read. The ending! Oof! Gets me every time!

Samantha Cummings

N.H. Kleinbaum

Todd Anderson and his friends at Welton Academy can hardly believe how different life is since their new English professor, the flamboyant John Keating, has challenged them to "make your lives extraordinary! Inspired by Keating, the boys resurrect the Dead Poets Society--a secret club where, free from the constraints and expectations of school and parents, they let their passions run wild. As Keating turns the boys on to the great words of Byron, Shelley, and Keats, they discover not only the beauty of language, but the importance of making each moment count. Can the club and the individuality it inspires survive the pressure from authorities determined to destroy their dreams? But the Dead Poets pledges soon realize that their newfound freedom can have tragic consequences. Can the club and the individuality it inspires survive the pressure from authorities determined to destroy their dreams?

Girl I’m dying (just like Neil) I go wish to live deliberately but now I fell like laying in bed for a week 🥰🥰

Indi

Dani

Definitely forever a favourite, filled my heart with joy. Devoured it in a couple hours.

The main characters in the book are very ambiguous to me. I experienced the whole spectrum of emotions, from cringing at some scenes to feeling compassion. I watched the movie first, and it left a strong impression on me. Unfortunately, the book had the opposite effect. 

Mr. Kitting is not a hero but a narcissistic, self-admiring guy seeking attention from young, susceptible teenagers through his eccentric behavior. I believe he chose the wrong place and time, leading to many unfortunate outcomes as students took his words too literally, and the teacher was too obsessed with their worshipping to give it up.

Robin Williams made his character in the movie much more inspiring, charismatic, deep, and appealing compared to what I just read. It's the first time I can say that the movie is better than the book.

P.s: writing a book based on the film is a bad idea

PaulinaLanko

The main characters in the book are very ambiguous to me. I experienced the whole spectrum of emotions, from cringing at some scenes to feeling compassion. I watched the movie first, and it left a strong impression on me. Unfortunately, the book had the opposite effect. 

Mr. Kitting is not a hero but a narcissistic, self-admiring guy seeking attention from young, susceptible teenagers through his eccentric behavior. I believe he chose the wrong place and time, leading to many unfortunate outcomes as students took his words too literally, and the teacher was too obsessed with their worshipping to give it up.

Robin Williams made his character in the movie much more inspiring, charismatic, deep, and appealing compared to what I just read. It's the first time I can say that the movie is better than the book.

P.s: writing a book based on the film is a bad idea

Dead Poets Society A Novel

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