35. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Book 35: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Dame Muriel Spark (B+)

This book was not too bad. In the beginning, I had a really difficult time getting used to the style of writing, but I finally worked my way through the first two chapters and began to enjoy the book. And then it got scary...!!!

Maggie Smith as Jean Brodie

Miss Brodie is an unconventional teacher at an all-girls school in Scotland right before the outbreak of World War II. She believes Hitler and Mussolini are heroes, tells her girls repeatedly about her lost love that fell during the Great War, and fights for her job on a regular basis. It begins to get scary when Miss Brodie, a bit silly and pathetic, begins to live her life through those of her "set," the chosen girls from her class that are her special pupils. They play golf with her, they go to her house for tea, and they are involved in nearly every aspect of her life and she in theirs. Boundaries are crossed and the story becomes more than just a school teacher tale when clearly Miss Brodie has some mental instabilities as does the married art teacher who is in love with her. Using two of her set of girls, she lives through them and their dealings with the art teacher, dealings that become shocking and completely illegal. Yet no one seems to have a problem with it....
This book was made into a film back when the amazing Dame Maggie Smith was in her prime! She was fantastic in this role (it wasn't quite as scary in the film) and you see Miss Brodie's side of things whereas in the book you're reading what happened from the memories of the grown-up girls. If you're interested, see the film and weep at Maggie's brilliance. Then, read the book and be frightened by the bizarre Miss Jean Brodie.