Product Description

A gay English schoolboy novel following the traditional genre

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #345587 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 189 pages

Review
"The Boys of Swithins Hall" is a lovely romp set in an English boarding school. It is the story of narrator Tim Dunn's awakening to the joys of male sex. Although Tim's natural British inhibitions provide just enough tension to make things interesting, his revved-up libido manages to shift into overdrive at least once per chapter. He manages to give several lads at the Hall an education which is definitely not in the official curriculum. American readers will probably find the Anglicisms delightfully quirky. There are gobs of expressions like "stiffies," "arses," and "bum holes" sprinkled throughout the book, and most sentences have a "sir" in them somewhere. For instance, there's my favorite, "A little harder, please, sir, just a little harder." But make no mistake, this is not some sort of kinky Oliver Twisted; there's just a lot of good, healthy, guilt-free sex. All the same, if one of Chris Kent's characters begs, "Please, sir, I'd like some more," you can be certain that he isn't after a second helping of gruel. This is an ample soupcon of voyeurism and straight sex to add just the right amount of spice to a diet of pure beef. Tim Dunn is as randy as Tom Jones, as adventurous as James Bond, and as gay as Oscar Wilde. It's a nice combination. -- David Chapman

If you remember with nostalgia the gay English school boy tales of the mid-20th century, you will be rejuvenated by Chris Kent's The Boys of Swithins Hall. "Boys will be boys" has never been so sexy a promise, and a "stiffie" does not refer to fancied English inhibitions which don't appear here. -- Bill Lee

About the Author
The author prefers to remain pseudonymous but it will be apparent that Chris Kent is no stranger to English schools and school boys.

Customer Reviews

Memories are made of this!
The Boys of Swithins Hall is close to being a great read, but I would warn folks who don't like their sex young and graphic to steer well away from it. Having survived/enjoyed 13 years of English boarding school life myself, I can testify to the accuracy of Kent's account - minus the sex! which was never quite as hot at my school. If you can get past the sex, presuming you want to, there's a brilliant read in there - but, my goodness, it is graphic. I'd like to see Chris Kent attempt something on the same lines, minus the sex. He would then get the wider public he deserves. When is his next novel due?

A Beautiful Country
This is a beautiful book. The only pity might be that the sex scenes are so graphic that they detract from the quality of the writing and the soundness of the plotting and the characters. It is also a page-turner, even if you have to turn the pages one-handed! I found myself identifying with the lead-character despite his infuriating ambivalence, and there were times when I found myself whispering if not shouting: "Oh, just get on with it and do it!" The novel is intensely funny though the mixture of the comic and the sadness sometimes made my gasp as the tone switched as quickly as life itself does. A great read - though it's time we had a new Chris Kent novel. The pages of my copy are already too well-thumbed and sticky!

Bawdy goings on at a boys' school
Tim Dunn is eighteen years old, he has finished his A levels and has just started his gap year as assistant housemaster at Swithins Hall public school for boys where he proves to be very popular with the pupils. Tim relates his experiences at Swithins Hall as well as reminiscing on his own past school days.
At Swithins Hall one the boys, the unabashed, very appealing and bright Sam Sebestyen, endeavours to seduce the morally reluctant but physically more than willing Tim; his constant pleas "please sir, it's what I want", are hard to resist. Tim is confronted by other willing and pleading students, and witnesses various illicit goings on between the boys. But despite the attractions of Swithins Hall, Tim cannot get out of his mind his boyhood friend Guy; they meet when new boy Guy arrived at Tim's boarding school and became best friends. However Tim realises he is really in love with Guy, but isn't Guy straight; and will they ever see each other again now that Guy has moved to Australia?
This is more than just a series of sexual romps; with a steamy experience on holiday in Spain and through his short time at Swithins Hall the rather starchy and naive Tim loosens up and comes to acknowledge and enjoy his inclinations; he also learns that sex, friendship and love are not necessarily the same thing.
Through Chris Kent's lucid writing, Tim Dunn narrates his outrageous past and present experiences with humour and passion, and his many sexual escapades in explicit detail, a great fun read.