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School Ties
Downthorpe Hall. A posh public school in the Home Counties. Will Hughes has been installed as the new headmaster – fresh from working in an inner-city Comprehensive.
Will knows there will be challenges ahead. Difficult parents, rebellious teenagers, and jealous teachers who will fight his attempts to reform the school. What he didn’t expect was a battle for his heart.
But when he meets the fiercely ambitious deputy head Grace Foley, and the brilliantly smart science teacher Henry Mead, Will realises that the ties at Downthorpe are not just the kind you wear around your neck. What follows is a tangle of competing ambitions and desires that will leave Will bemused – and may force him to choose between the job he has always wanted and the woman of his dreams.
Will knows there will be challenges ahead. Difficult parents, rebellious teenagers, and jealous teachers who will fight his attempts to reform the school. What he didn’t expect was a battle for his heart.
But when he meets the fiercely ambitious deputy head Grace Foley, and the brilliantly smart science teacher Henry Mead, Will realises that the ties at Downthorpe are not just the kind you wear around your neck. What follows is a tangle of competing ambitions and desires that will leave Will bemused – and may force him to choose between the job he has always wanted and the woman of his dreams.
63 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 17, 2012
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147 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 16, 2024
Will Hughes es un nuevo director en un prestigioso internado, él está lleno de ideas para mejorar el instituto.
Cuando un día por casualidad escucha de unos alumnos que el profesor de Química está haciendo explosiones en clase, este se alarma preocupado por sus estudiantes y las instalaciones, va dispuesto a enfrentarse a el y reclamarle por su modo de enseñanza, pero no estaba preparado para lo que se iba a encontrar.
Fue una historia cortita pero entretenida.
Henry me pareció una profesora que me hubiera agradado tener por su pasión por enseñar y hacer entretenidas las clases.
Hubo momentos de la pareja principal que me parecieron lindos después de perder los prejuicios que tenían entre ellos cuando se conocieron.
Cuando un día por casualidad escucha de unos alumnos que el profesor de Química está haciendo explosiones en clase, este se alarma preocupado por sus estudiantes y las instalaciones, va dispuesto a enfrentarse a el y reclamarle por su modo de enseñanza, pero no estaba preparado para lo que se iba a encontrar.
Fue una historia cortita pero entretenida.
Henry me pareció una profesora que me hubiera agradado tener por su pasión por enseñar y hacer entretenidas las clases.
Hubo momentos de la pareja principal que me parecieron lindos después de perder los prejuicios que tenían entre ellos cuando se conocieron.
October 29, 2020
an ok read but I felt it missed out so many threads it started.
May 26, 2013
When you're in the mood for something light, quick and easy. Say for instance when you're on a short journey or not in the mood for something hard and which needs thought. Well Novellas are obviously the way to go aren't they? In this instance my friends, my answer is no!
Lessons in love follows Alice Jackson a newly qualified French teacher in her first teaching job at a boarding school, here she tries to help a troubled pupil and also falls in love with a supposedly rogue colleague who teaches history.
I found this to be a very challenging read, it doesn't really have much structure to it if I'm being brutally honest. It sort of starts off OK and you stick with it, but it changes direction here, there and everywhere with no indication of why. This makes you think 'I must have missed something' and back track to see. It just made no sense to me. I don't know how else to describe it. I got the story don't get me wrong, but I just didn't think it worked well as a novella. There was a lot that needed to be said that wasn't to help the story and make the flow better. Such a shame really, it could have been a really good book otherwise.
Lessons in love follows Alice Jackson a newly qualified French teacher in her first teaching job at a boarding school, here she tries to help a troubled pupil and also falls in love with a supposedly rogue colleague who teaches history.
I found this to be a very challenging read, it doesn't really have much structure to it if I'm being brutally honest. It sort of starts off OK and you stick with it, but it changes direction here, there and everywhere with no indication of why. This makes you think 'I must have missed something' and back track to see. It just made no sense to me. I don't know how else to describe it. I got the story don't get me wrong, but I just didn't think it worked well as a novella. There was a lot that needed to be said that wasn't to help the story and make the flow better. Such a shame really, it could have been a really good book otherwise.
October 12, 2012
I downloaded School Ties on a whim earlier this week as I was browsing the Kindle download charts on Amazon. It’s a short book (around 63 pages) and I thought it would help break up a much darker and grittier book that I am reading at the moment and bring some light relief – it’s not unusual for me to have three or four books on the go at anyone time.
School Ties isn’t bad. It’s reasonably well written, and, whilst ever so slightly predictable, it’s done well. The story follow the new Headteacher at Downthorpe Independent School who is getting to grips with his new job, whilst also staving off the advances of one teacher and slowly falling for another.
I’m not quite sure that this worked brilliantly as a short story; there was much much more that Lee-Potter could have explore with this story, and there’s probably a series of books that she could write about the adventures at Downthrope, but, it did the trick and was a nice pleasant, easy read.
I’ll look out for more of Emma Lee-Potter’s work, and hope that she expands this story into a full length novel in the future.
June 15, 2013
chool Ties begins with Will Hughes, new Acting Head of Downthorpe, marking bottom set Hamlet papers. We’re introduced to Deputy Grace and science teacher Henry.
We have intrigue why Will left teaching and worked in advertising before being appointed at Downthorpe; gossip from a chance sighting that was interpreted incorrectly which causes conflict and an accident that brings two members of staff closer together with a sprinkling of romance.
The observations of staff and students is very accurate! Even though we’re at a private school, anyone will be able to identify with the relationships and the conflict.
I enjoyed this novella which sets the scene for a series. Lessons in Love (March 2013) which follows on, sees new teacher Alice Jackson getting to grips with the staffroom politics, students and a new love.
I would like to thank the publishers for providing a word doc in exchange for an honest review.
We have intrigue why Will left teaching and worked in advertising before being appointed at Downthorpe; gossip from a chance sighting that was interpreted incorrectly which causes conflict and an accident that brings two members of staff closer together with a sprinkling of romance.
The observations of staff and students is very accurate! Even though we’re at a private school, anyone will be able to identify with the relationships and the conflict.
I enjoyed this novella which sets the scene for a series. Lessons in Love (March 2013) which follows on, sees new teacher Alice Jackson getting to grips with the staffroom politics, students and a new love.
I would like to thank the publishers for providing a word doc in exchange for an honest review.
September 12, 2015
School Ties is a lovely short set in a boarding school. It centres on Will, a new head teacher and his relationships with his colleagues and the students.
I’m not really going to go into the plot that much because it will reveal far too much. However, I will say that this book was the tonic that I needed. I had just finished reading two really heavy books and I needed something light and uncomplicated and I received that from School Ties.
That is not to say that it is devoid of drama because it really isn’t. It is actually a very accurate representation of the dynamics of a school (believe me, I work in one) and is really engaging. Emma Lee-Potter has packed a really great story into just 67 pages.
If you a looking for a little comic relief from a really dark read then School Ties is the perfect pick me up.
School Ties by Emma Lee-Potter is available now.
I’m not really going to go into the plot that much because it will reveal far too much. However, I will say that this book was the tonic that I needed. I had just finished reading two really heavy books and I needed something light and uncomplicated and I received that from School Ties.
That is not to say that it is devoid of drama because it really isn’t. It is actually a very accurate representation of the dynamics of a school (believe me, I work in one) and is really engaging. Emma Lee-Potter has packed a really great story into just 67 pages.
If you a looking for a little comic relief from a really dark read then School Ties is the perfect pick me up.
School Ties by Emma Lee-Potter is available now.
May 9, 2017
It's short, it's relatively sweet, and it contains practically no depth. This might simply be because the entire plot is shoved into less than 100 pages, but mostly it's because the characters start and end as 2-dimensional and, frankly, boring.
There's an awkward relationship between a new headmaster and a subordinate teacher. There's silly high school gossip about the aforementioned headmaster. There are ridiculous miscommunications between two people that are meant to be intelligent adults. Mostly I rolled my eyes and told myself there was no reason to not finish a book that was only about 65 pages long.
There's an awkward relationship between a new headmaster and a subordinate teacher. There's silly high school gossip about the aforementioned headmaster. There are ridiculous miscommunications between two people that are meant to be intelligent adults. Mostly I rolled my eyes and told myself there was no reason to not finish a book that was only about 65 pages long.
November 16, 2012
This was the first book I borrowed from Amazon's Kindle Lending Library. Too short to be of any substance for me, some of my 5yo daughter's books have more depth. That said, as a teacher I normally cringe at completely unrealistic school stories but this didn't try and get too technical on the ins and outs of the education system!
December 31, 2012
This was a free kindle download, and at 63 pages more of a short story than a novel. It was vaguely entertaining, but there was little or no plot and the characters were very one dimensional. It could've been fleshed out a lot more and made a much better story.
September 13, 2013
I liked the story line of this book, however there were some parts that were pretty drawn out. I am an avid reader and like stories that keep the reader engaged in all areas. There were some slow spots in the book but I am glad that I finished it because it is a cute story with a happy ending!
October 21, 2012
I got this because it was free on Kindle, but it wasn't even worth what I paid for it.
October 29, 2012
V short kindle book, read in about half an hour! First book I borrowed from Amazon's kindle lbrary.
November 27, 2012
It was ok, even though it is a very short book it took me ages to finish it.
The characers were not engaging, the plot was predictable....I give it 2 stars because I think 1 is too harsh
The characers were not engaging, the plot was predictable....I give it 2 stars because I think 1 is too harsh
December 13, 2012
Meh...a kindle freebie, thank goodness.
January 16, 2013
quick commute read ...
February 17, 2013
The synopsis was far better than the book.
April 17, 2013
This reads more like a rough draft of a novel. It's very short at only 1200 locations on Kindle.
July 9, 2013
It was ok,very predictable. I felt the story ended very abruptly.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews