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Home > Books > Plays > A Plays > An Inspector Calls - J. B. Priestley

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for An Inspector Calls - J. B. Priestley

Rating Summary based on 23 reviews

  • 5 Stars
    		11
  • 4 Stars
    		9
  • 3 Stars
    		2
  • 2 Stars
    		0
  • 1 Star
    		1

Detailed rating

  • Characters
  • How does it compare to similar works?
  • How does it compare to works by the same author?
  • Readability
  • Story
  		• 4.2
  		• 3.8
  		• 3.7
  		• 4.1
  		• 4.1

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Previous page Next page Page 1 of 3 | 1 to 10 out of 23 Review(s)
  • 34 of 34 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of 1st2thebar

    Level 7 1st2thebar

    Member since 11/05/2005

    Reviews written: 468

    5 Stars Our frayed Humanity 18/11/2012
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Deals with modern political matters from the last century - clever narrative.

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Not quite a Wilde, then again not a bad thing.

    (This Review Contains No Spoilers!) Characters: Arthur Birling, owner of a successful mill, and politician – head of the house. Sybil Birling, elderly pompous lady, who spends her time meddling about with a Women’s Charity – Mother to Sheila and Eric Birling. Eric Birling, the black sheep of the family – his best friend is the bottle, which in-turn makes him squiffy and so he seeks out services of hard-up prostitutes, who’re eager to grab his wad. Sheila Birling, graced with feminine charm and an elfin feature – she uses both attributes simultaneously. A notable intelligence and goes for what ... more
  • 2 of 2 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of ahotomega1

    ahotomega1

    5 Stars surprising 24/09/2010
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages easy to read; interesting themes

    Disadvantages Disadvantages short

    Despite the fact that the play is so short, many themes are incorporated and interweaved into it. An example of the many themes present in the play is love, and love is viewed differently by each character in the play. For example Mr Birling links love to financial success, and I believe that the engagement he is celebrating is based on love linked to financial and social success. The Inspector on the other hand, represents love throughout the play, yet this becomes more evident at the end when he gives a sermon about how we should love one another. This theme is extended effectively by the ... more
  • 7 of 10 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of janinbow

    janinbow

    4 Stars An Inspector Calls - nineteenth century immorality 17/10/2009
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages well written, good on social history, nice twist at the end, atmospheric

    Disadvantages Disadvantages could be seen as a bit old fashioned, not relevant to modern life

    This is not a play to read if you are looking for a laugh although the title sounds like it could be a who dunnit or a British film comedy. This is a sad little cautionary tale about class and morality and the way in which peoples' lives are often unknowingly linked. It is cleverly and beautifully written and the author was obviously very aware of what was happening around him. The Inspector calls on upper class family because a young girl has commited suicide and died in the hospital. Each member of the family has been instrumental in the girl's downfall either through selfishness, careless ... more
  • 3 of 3 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of timetostand

    timetostand

    4 Stars An Inspector Calls 12/10/2009
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages A play which holds the reader's interest throughout

    Disadvantages Disadvantages The more asture reader may guess the final outcome

    Priestley's 'time' plays are all fascinating pieces of theatre. An Inspector Calls with its seemingly innocuous dinner-party setting is perhaps the best example of a plot which promises the audience a fairly normal mystery story which then, quite unexpectedly, spirals out of control. The Birling family all have secrets which bubble to the surface as the play progresses. This ordinary middle class group of people are soon revealed as a disparate group of individuals all of whom have reason to bear the guilt of the death of a lowly factory worker. The arrival of a Police Inspector investigating ... more
  • 1 of 5 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Raging-Semi

    Raging-Semi

    3 Stars An Inspector Calls; then tells you your a bad boy. 23/07/2009
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Exciting and interesting read, with detail language and witty dialogue.

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Breaks the veneer as a story and becomes a preaching ground for Priestly's socialist views.

    An Inspector Calls is set in the ominous times before WW1, in a time of economic struggle and class discrimination, which J.B priestly represents truthfully and wittily but with a touch of unnecessary preachy-ness, as suggested by his name. The book itself has much literary value, as dialogue and events are craftily weaved and represented with a good use of language and social awareness as well as Priestly's trademark lengthy stage directions; which sets the perfect atmosphere for the time and the class position of the family the book follows. The book follows a well-off middle class family ... more
  • 5 of 7 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of chiggy321

    chiggy321

    4 Stars A good book worthy of a read 02/04/2009
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Good ambiguity within the book, Good Length, a true page-turner.

    Disadvantages Disadvantages One location means there is little description.

    This book is written very well and features many items of literature that could be seen as ambiguous. The story revolves a rich family whose dinner party is disrupted by an Inspector who grills them all about the death of a young girl to whom they are all in some way connected to. As the story progresses the connections are revealed and the Inspector's persona is also looked at. It's ambiguity allows you to make judgement about the characters yourself which adds to the reading experience. It's length is another bonus. It's not too long but is long enough to keep you thinking and keeps the ... more
  • 8 of 8 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of TomMounsey

    TomMounsey

    5 Stars An Inspector Calls 13/10/2008
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages An incredible insight into social inequality

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Harshly - the play gets predictable

    An Inspector Calls is a play written by J.B. Priestley in 1945, based before World War I, in 1912. The play is about a family, the majority of whom are aristocrats who live in a capitalist atmosphere; full of lies, pride and pure selfishness. Throughout the play a mystery inspector gradually reveals the characters' true identity, looking at how they all contributed to the suicide of Eva Smith. As the play progresses you begin to see that the characters start to understand their personalities, 'wrong-doings' and problems in a clearer light and each of them, despite differing degrees of ... more
  • 51 of 51 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of xdonzx

    Level 8 xdonzx

    Member since 25/05/2007

    Reviews written: 1052

    4 Stars * A Visit From An Inspector....* 29/07/2008
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Entertaining , Enjoyable , Good Characters

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Cliffhanger At End

    When my English teacher told us that we would be studying a play as part of my GCSE English course last year , I prayed that it wouldn't be something too difficult like Shakespeare ; something some of my friends had already begun studying in a different class. So when my teacher passed copies of this book around the class , I was hoping it would be something I would enjoy , as I tend to do really well in things I enjoy , however it is a completely different story if I don't enjoy something. Anyway …back to my story…. So….the teacher was handing round copies of this book. I grabbed my copy ... more
  • 16 of 34 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of xxsupergirlxo

    xxsupergirlxo

    4 Stars An Inspector Calls 20/05/2008
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Good book, gives sense of what early 1900s were like

    Disadvantages Disadvantages A bit boring as was written as a play.

    It is an average book, would be better seen as a play obviously. A bit boring written down on paper but comes to life on the stage. Well written, I suggest you do not read this but watch the video or go and see it in theatre. The play 'An Inspector Calls' was written in 1945 by John Boynton Priestley. It was during World War II that Priestley was inspired to create the play, and this, as well as World War I, greatly influenced "An Inspector Calls". The play is based on the detective thriller genre, and was one of many books of the "whodunnit" kind in the 1900's, along with Agatha Christie. "An ... more
  • 3 of 7 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of babyrazzle

    babyrazzle

    5 Stars one of the best plays ever 20/01/2008
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages seeing the differences in moral issues and life from 100 years ago

    Disadvantages Disadvantages the films made ar not very good

    this is by farr one of the best plays i have ever read in my life. the dramatic irony was exerlantly used with a mix of suspence and fear for all characters and readers alike. the characters were very real and at moments i believed i was them . i studied this book as a part of my gcse and i enjoed this book page by page. the language is not to hard to understand and you can see how moral issues from 1912 vary to the present day . i would recomend this play to anyone who enjoys misterys or books with a deep meanig . this is one of j.b. preistlys finest plays. i found it very hard to putt this ... more
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