Flanders Point

by Jacquie Gordon

A gawky teen trying to survive her parent's divorce and her young, restless English teacher find themselves drawn to each other and under increasing emotional pressure as they struggle not to cross any lines until graduation day

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Forbidden Love, Contemporary, Fiction, Teachers

336 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 1997

About the author

Jacquie Gordon is the author of Give Me One Wish, the story of her daughter's struggle with cystic fibrosis.

Flanders Point, the winner of the Yale University Willet Prize, is her first novel. Currently completing her bachelor's degree in literature at Yale University, Jacquie Gordon lives in Connecticut.

Reviews

[Naksed · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If you think in terms of teaching as a shared journey of discovery, instead of just a job, look what's involved: sharing of knowledge, hunger for understanding, desire for approval, opening of another spirit, penetration of one mind into another, the mystery of the unknown, the pleasure of success, mental intimacy in shared moments of revelation, maybe even climactic moments... Internal changes, growth, expansion, opening, tapping into unconscious longings-well, most of those words describe an erotic relationship. If you hung them all on a clothesline and picked only three, you'd have enough to produce a spark, a thin column of smoke, maybe even a small flame."

And so it is for eighteen-year old Charlotte Delafield and her English teacher Brian Parton, who meet at a strict Connecticut girls boarding school in the 1950s. The ten years that separate them is an uncrossable gulf yet they cannot prevent themselves from teetering on its edge. Beautiful, lyrical prose and a quasi gothic atmosphere, with all those windswept ocean landscapes and starry skies filled with birds of prey made Flanders Point a gem of a read.

[Colleen Rue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book written by my late friend,Jacquie Gordon,wich I admit I could identify with,as during my senior year at a coed private school,I had a crush on one of my teachers.His first name also happend to be Brian.I never owned a copy of the book,rather borrowing it from my library.I read it in one night.My friend wrote a beautiful and moving book,detailing the ups and downs of the life of a high school senior.Mr. Johnson was funny,smart,and adorable,or so I thought back then.Charlotte's graduation day brings an important event into their lives,as they consumate their growing relationship.Just so y'all know,I never slept with Mr. Brian Johnson.Read Flanders Point and be prepared for a well written love story of an at first innocent teen girl who twards the books end,loses her virginity to her first love.The love scenes sent chills down my spine and put a flutter in my heart!!!

[Piepie | The Napping Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written beautifully - slow in parts - but I still read this in just a couple of days.

One of my favorite things to read is professor/student romances. I know it's a totally taboo subject in the news, but there's just something about reading about forbidden love that I really like!

The ending is very open-ended - I don't feel that all the ends were tied up, but it's the sort of ending that leaves you still thinking about the characters... I like when I'm so invested in the story that I still think about it after I'm done reading.

I felt like Brian and Charlotte's love scenes could have been a lot sexier... Compared to the scene between Charlotte and her brother Max in the bathtub (toward the beginning of the book, I think), that bathtub scene - to me! - is a lot steamier.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did a lot of pre-Goodreads research in an attempt to find a student/teacher novel that wouldn't be all about the morality police, sexual manipulation or a lusty schoolgirl crush, but rather about a connection between individuals. It led me here. Despite some horrifically graphic scenes that have nothing to do with the (delayed until after graduation) student/teacher relationship, that was extremely well written and close to everything I've ever wanted out of this particular scenario, with bonus 1950s setting and beautiful descriptions of wild areas. The vulgar parts prevented it from being a 5-star rating, but it remains the best story in this particular subject I have read.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because it was on a list of books that dealt with the student/teacher romantic relationship. I have a penchent for these, because no one could have been more in love than I with a high school teacher. But now as a teacher myself I am super critical of these types of tales and the perspective they take. This is perhaps why I feels so strange commenting on this tale.

First off, this story was really well written. Characters were developed, and the third person omniscient narration worked for the kind of story she wanted to tell, slowly revealing feelings and perspectives before they were known to the other characters involved.

Second of all, the tension built up in this story in such an appealing way. It really was so much more than a story about a "taboo" love, it was a story about the nature of love itself, and our capacity to accept it.

I related to the main characters. I felt like I understood my own feelings, she gave words to things I haven't been able to describe before. Though mine was never realized, and hers was satiated, I still felt that the abrupt, ambiguous ending was a nod to the sense that this kind of love can never make sense, never be truly tested or realized. But in the end its what you learn about yourself and how to create a space for someone else (even just the idea of them) within yourself.

It sounds endlessly cheesy. And it is. But it was also a great, introspective story (her family, side characters, and discussions of literature also provided intrigue). Nice little tale, if somehow unsatisfying to the curious minds out there who need a tighter wrap up.

[Cesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

***THERE'S FINALLY A KINDLE EBOOK VERSION***

I am going to sound cliché, but I don't care: There are no proper words to describe how truly beautiful and magical and wonderful this book is. I can go on and on about how perfect her writing was from character development to structure to setting like I do with other books, but this book is like NO OTHER. It deserves more so I won't. It was elegant and poetic without sounding like pretentious purple prose.

Those who have rated it low were probably looking for a cheap thrill romance. This is not one of those. I can see this book becoming a classic 200 years from now, or something we'd study in English class, funnily enough.

PlEASE PLEASE PLEASE read this book. Don't just add it to your "To Read" list. Go on Amazon, Google—whatever—and get your hands on a copy now. The search and money is WELL worth it. In fact, I am going to selfishly buy myself a second copy—signed by the author.

This is definitely a "rare gem" novel. I feel so lucky to have found and read it.


Canadian amazon:
http://www.amazon.ca/Flanders-Point-J...

US amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Flanders-Point-...

[sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps one of my favourite books of all time. I was lucky to have gotten a signed copy when I bought it online. Flanders Point is a compelling story that will hook you from the very first page. Jacquie Gordon has an exceptional talent in world-building and character creation. Charlotte Delafield, the gawky teenager, is a relatable character who unfortunately has a rough time in her youth, yet she is incredibly resilient and wistful. Brian Parton is someone that most writers see themselves in. His icy exterior slowly melts as he learns more about his eighteen-year-old student, Charlotte. The two form a beautiful, complex relationship that readers will undoubtedly root for. I've re-read Flanders Point numerous times, and with each one, I fall more in love with Jacquie Gordon's wonderful writing.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very beautiful book. It is slow-paced, but I never found it boring; I was completely immersed in the world. I like the fact that there was no overt sensationalism of the relationship, which I imagine is easily done with these kind of situations in books. It's never sleazy. I also loved the way literature was incorporated in the story.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a love hate relationship with this book. It was really slow for most of the beginning and at some points it was hard to keep picking it up. However the ending was pretty good and made up for the boringness in the beginning. But I still feeling like the book was missing something.

[Stacey O'driscoll]

over a year ive hunted for this book. a year!! and now i finally have it. it came yesterday. i sqealed when my mam told me i had a parcel.SQUEALED!!

[Ambyr · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a love/hate relationship with this book. It was written decently, but I guess I have high standards, especially when it comes to teacher/student-affair novels. It just kinda...sucked. Blah.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes it's good to read bad books so that you appreciate the good ones. This fit the bill. It's not bad bad, but I'm not sure how it won a prize at Yale or how it went on to actually get published, and I see why the library was getting rid of it. It's at its best when it's describing Charlotte's relationship with nature; it's at its worst when its describing her relationship with her teacher. The thoughts of the main characters as they contemplate their forbidden love can best be described as wooden. Am I alone in finding this particular teacher-student relationship totally unsexy? There are no sexy intellectual discussions or passionate pursuits of knowledge. The deepest they dive into scholastic ecstasy is trading bits of (not very sexy) poetry. At least trashy romances fulfill what they set out to do. This is just a bundle of broken promises.

[Bamboozlepig · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing was clunky and awkward. The characters were dull and uninspired. How this won a literary prize at Yale is beyond me. DNF'd at the fourth chapter because life is too short to waste on boring books.

[Haritha · Rating 4 out of 5]

To my surprise, this book was far from what I expected. When I picked up Flanders Point I expected it to be a cheap thrill like all the other romance novels that I skim through once in a while. What I instead found was a book, which is clearly written by someone who has a great love for literature. The best part that I liked about the book were the constant references to poetry and classic literature, along with quotes to set the mood. I made a compilation of those I need to look up later. While the novel is an unapologetic story based on sexual chemistry and romance, it is filled with very vivid imagery of nature, quietness and beautiful, lyrical poetry. I just took a few hours to race through it after a rusty start and the ending might have been an overkill, but definitely not your typical light, romance reading. Yes, I liked this book... really liked it.

[Phaelexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this when I was 15, and have read it 7 times since then. I remember being able to relate to it because I had the most ridiculous, long-term (and rather pathetic) crush on my science teacher. Now to be honest, I don't exactly remember how I stumbled on this book, but I'm glad I did. It's a slow, quiet story set in the 1950's and it's of a young girl attending an all-girls school and falls in love with her new English teacher.

But there is so much more to this tale because time does pass and you watch as she grows, matures and learns to live. It's a story that tells about life, love, family and the intricate passion of literature, of words and the people that use them.

[Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed Flanders Point.

Teacher/student romances have always been a guilty pleasure of mine, but I'd always found that any movies or literature that delved into the subject were heavily sensationalized with cop outs that excuse the characters.

This story handled the taboo with care, letting Brian and Charlotte's relationship relationship develop slowly and realistically. Nothing was over the top or sensationalized.

Although I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and unsatisfying, it didn't betray any of the characters and the book, overall, was the best teacher/student relationship book I've ever read!

[DoctorM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the usual teacher-student love story. It's set in the mid-1950s, for one thing, and the two central figures do wait to discover that they do in fact want one another. Nonetheless, a lovely heroine who's out of place in the world of the 1950s--- too smart, too tall, too fiercely intent on solitude. Well-written, even though Jacquie Gordon does have a habit of sometimes telling where she should be showing. A thoughtful novel, and one where the other adult characters are far less horrified at the attraction growing between the main figures than they would be in a tale set in 2013. Worth reading, and worth thinking about.

[Katherine Philbrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really into reading the whole taboo relationship kind of deal and when I saw this book was about a teacher and a student, I knew I had to read it. But by the end I discovered this book is so much more than a taboo relationship. It is about a girl growing up and finding her own way to navigate the world.

I loved this book! I thought the characters were will developed and the pacing was perfect. I pretty much liked everything about it. I would tell you more but I think you should just go out and read it for yourself!

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I liked the book but the ending didn't do it for me. The book was kind of magical to me. Char was such an awesome MC and what I really liked about her is that she was so in touch with nature but I liked so much about her in general. The ending, though. It was good but I feel so unresolved as far as her parents go. A little ambiguity at the end isn't bad but I felt as though the epilogue was too vague and I was left pretty unsatisfied. But, great book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

My lack of knowledge of great authors of poems and literature and philosophy inhibited me to give this book five stars, but overall it was a solid read. This book also reminded me how much I dislike reading about love relationships and how I probably shouldn't read these types of books again.....ha.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I always wanted to read when I'd scour Amazing for books under "student/teacher relationships" or "Juvenile Fiction > Social Issues" and all of that -- before Amazon was quite as big as it is now.

Since that time, I've read a handful of really enticing and interesting takes on the student/teacher trope, and unfortunately, this was not one of the better ones.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning. I couldn't stop reading this novel, and I don't think I've ever read a book so slowly. Every sentence is so beautiful that I want to go back and re-read it. I filled up 7 pages in my pillow book of quotes from this novel.

Read this book and shudder.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has the same feel as I Capture the Castle, where the setting plays such an important role, but they are completely different stories of girls growing up.
I still have to give I Capture the Castle preference, but this wasn't bad.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok nothing special.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something very different than the other teacher / student books. Good book.

[Dini Annav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story, I felt like watching literary movies like Little Women or Pride and Prejudice. I wish the ending could tell more

[Sol · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,5 stars.
I dreaded this read like anything before. Yikes.