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Bully Austin
A story of Roker School where Frank 'Bully' Austin lives up to his nickname at the start y bullying juniors and others. This made him most unpopular and initially he makes no effort to change.
However, circumstances change and with them, so does Bully and, after many adventures, he becomes a popular member of the school.
However, circumstances change and with them, so does Bully and, after many adventures, he becomes a popular member of the school.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1930
3 people want to read
About the author
Tom Holland
99 books3,813 followersTom Holland is an English historian and author. He has written many books, both fiction and non-fiction, on many subjects from vampires to history.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Holland was born near Oxford and brought up in the village of Broadchalke near Salisbury, England. He obtained a double first in English and Latin at Queens' College, Cambridge, and afterwards studied shortly for a PhD at Oxford, taking Lord Byron as his subject, before interrupting the post graduate studies and moving to London.
He has adapted Herodotus, Homer, Thucydides and Virgil for BBC Radio 4. His novels, including Attis and Deliver Us From Evil, mostly have a supernatural and horror element as well as being set in the past. He is also the author of three highly praised works of history, Rubicon, Persian Fire and Millennium.
He is on the committee of the Society of Authors and the Classical Association.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Holland was born near Oxford and brought up in the village of Broadchalke near Salisbury, England. He obtained a double first in English and Latin at Queens' College, Cambridge, and afterwards studied shortly for a PhD at Oxford, taking Lord Byron as his subject, before interrupting the post graduate studies and moving to London.
He has adapted Herodotus, Homer, Thucydides and Virgil for BBC Radio 4. His novels, including Attis and Deliver Us From Evil, mostly have a supernatural and horror element as well as being set in the past. He is also the author of three highly praised works of history, Rubicon, Persian Fire and Millennium.
He is on the committee of the Society of Authors and the Classical Association.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 26, 2025
The beginning of this novel of Roker School shows the eponymous hero living up to his nickname. None of the other students call him by his name of Frank because he has developed a reputation, justified, as a bully, especially treating the juniors badly. As a consequence he is a most unpopular member of the school and has had plenty of warning as to his future behaviour by the masters.
The early stages of the book contain scenes that would be unacceptable in today's climate as Austin beats, very forcibly, Stanley Baker, 'a small boy from a lower form, about ten years of age'. The incident is discovered by headmaster Dr. Dufton who severely reprimands Austin but takes a little pity on him, gives him the benefit of any doubt, and decides not to expel him from school. Austin does, however, suffer extreme physical punishment for his actions.
He finishes up in the hospital ward of the school where matron Mrs Lee looks after him and nurses him back to fitness and tries to persuade him to alter his ways. At the time Austin swears he will extract revenge on the headmaster. However, events take place that enable Austin to redeem himself but his peers still continue to ostracise him and one in particular, Blakemore, is particularly keen to do him down.
Various attempts by Blakemore and his pals fail as Austin tries to maintain his temper and not react to any jibes or actions that endanger him. He even enters into the activities of the school and because of his capabilities in such as swimming and cricket and this begins to change the perception of Austin of many of the other students.
And things improved immensely until Austin was involved in an unfortunate incident, made more of by Blackmore, and it seemed as though his changed personality would suffer. Fortunately Blackmore evidence was spurious and after some more drama Austin' good-boy reputation was restored, so much so that an unexpected outcome ends a most enjoyable storyline.
The early stages of the book contain scenes that would be unacceptable in today's climate as Austin beats, very forcibly, Stanley Baker, 'a small boy from a lower form, about ten years of age'. The incident is discovered by headmaster Dr. Dufton who severely reprimands Austin but takes a little pity on him, gives him the benefit of any doubt, and decides not to expel him from school. Austin does, however, suffer extreme physical punishment for his actions.
He finishes up in the hospital ward of the school where matron Mrs Lee looks after him and nurses him back to fitness and tries to persuade him to alter his ways. At the time Austin swears he will extract revenge on the headmaster. However, events take place that enable Austin to redeem himself but his peers still continue to ostracise him and one in particular, Blakemore, is particularly keen to do him down.
Various attempts by Blakemore and his pals fail as Austin tries to maintain his temper and not react to any jibes or actions that endanger him. He even enters into the activities of the school and because of his capabilities in such as swimming and cricket and this begins to change the perception of Austin of many of the other students.
And things improved immensely until Austin was involved in an unfortunate incident, made more of by Blackmore, and it seemed as though his changed personality would suffer. Fortunately Blackmore evidence was spurious and after some more drama Austin' good-boy reputation was restored, so much so that an unexpected outcome ends a most enjoyable storyline.
Displaying 1 of 1 review