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A Way of Life
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Plot Summary of A Way of Life
"Story of a boy growing up in a small town/suburb in 1945. The world is at war. Whilst the adults give lip service to the ideals of truth and justice, they are flawed by hypocrisy and self-promotion. The boy is savagely beaten by his father for telling the truth. The father refuses to believe the boy and thinks he is lying. This false belief is fanned by the local priest, who has taken a set against the boy and believes the lad is an inveterate liar. Yet later, the father turns on the boy again, this time for not lying! The father wants the boy to lie to protect him. When the boy refuses, the father deserts his wife and family as he cannot live with the shame. "
John Reid, Resident Scholar




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Review Analysis of A Way of Life
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's
Kids growing up/acting up? Yes
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - Father (or standin)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Outside culture (society) - Australian (mate!)
Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes
Something wrong upstairs/downstairs? - searching for identity/meaning
Parents/lack of parents problem? - rebelling against parent's expectations

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - student
Age: - a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - British
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - religious figure
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 ()
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - Australia
City? Yes
Small town? Yes

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Is this an e-book? Yes
Amount of dialog - mostly dialog
Most similar books to A Way of Life
The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry
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The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Web of Dreams by V.C. Andrews


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