Beyond the Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
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Book Reviews of Beyond the Chocolate War
Book Review: Mmmmmm, chocolate!
Summary: 4 Stars
I read The Chocolate War about 25 years ago. I liked that book, so I figured why not read the sequel? I had forgotten a few of the plot points of the first book, but there was enough exposition here for me to get caught up quickly. The book takes place a few months after the Chocolate War, with most of the same characters. I don't want to spoil the plot, so I won't get into that. But I will say it's a very good book that will appeal to people who enjoyed The Chocolate War. Does Archie finally get his comeuppance? My lips are sealed.Book Review: Not as good as the original but defintely worth reading
Summary: 4 Stars
I have just recently read "The Chocolate War" in my 8th grade English class. I decided to purchase this book on my own and read it. This book is excellent but not as good as the original. Cormier will keep your interest throughout the entire novel. You really get into the heads of the characters in this sequel and see how the Vigils and Brother Leon have affected the student body at Trintity. I recommend this book as well as "The Chocolate War" if you have not already read it. This book kept my interest and made me feel as if I was a part fo the book. It should do the same for you.Book Review: Not recommended
Summary: 3 Stars
This book brings to life a common adolescent fantasy; the idea of a secret high school organization that pulls fantastic pranks, and which is universally feared by the student body is a powerful one.
There are several strong characters; a misfit new kid who practices magic, the thuggish enforcer, the diabolical mastermind, the athletic betrayer, and Obie, the closest thing the book has to a protagonist (although he is less central than a protagonist usually is).
Cormier examines the ethical issues that members of the student body face from inside and outside of the Vigils. How much is enough when it comes to stunts and mean-spirited practical jokes? Where does the power of an organization lie, and why? What constitutes the balance between friendship, loyalty, and betrayal?
While I like the idea behind a grim and gritty look at the secret life of high school students, I can't say I enjoyed the execution at all. The book takes itself too seriously, as do the characters involved. The heavy tone would be more understandable if it was presented in the spirit of realism, but the proceedings never have that touch of believability that is needed to make fiction compelling. It comes off as a second-rate soap opera presented to the tastes of an adolescent male audience.
We live in a world where many high schools have gangs, and those gangs maintain their status by perpetrating violence against those who cross some threshold of behavior. But in this world, there is a gang that rarely if ever resorts to violence, and yet which is so feared and respected that not a single student in the school will deny their fear of them. Even students from other schools know about the terrible Vigils. This is just too unbelievable a setup to be presented in such a serious manner.
The interactions between the characters are rarely believable, mostly because of the extreme (and extremely simple) reactions that the characters experience. For example, Carter, a strong, athletic individual, decides to tip off the administration about an impending prank. When Archie, the cold-blooded leader of the Vigils, suspects Carter, he begins making a series of harassing phone calls. Carter finds this to be so terrifyingly traumatic that he becomes a twisting bundle of agonized nerves, and his fear ruins his life.
Another problem I had is that there were just too many competing storylines, some of which failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
I came into this book cold, and that might have been part of my problem. The Chocolate War might have established this world and these characters in such a way that the book's weaknesses could be overlooked. But this is one sequel that definitely doesn't stand alone.
Book Review: Well written, though ultimately unsatisfying sequel
Summary: 3 Stars
Anyone familiar with Cormier's books knows of his pitch-black view of human nature, so the outcome of this follow-up to TCW will not surprise in that regard.
However, this predictability does not go far in making this book a compelling read, especially when you figure out the themes are pretty much identical to the first installment.
I had very high hopes for this book. Cormier's writing is top notch, as is his character development, and even by the first 3/4 of the book, you are primed for greatness. Even the back of the book leads you to believe that some monumental (no pun intended) retribution lies in wait for Archie and his evil minions. But, instead, we get the same old denouements in a different wrapper.
Now, I like dark books and don't particularly enjoy happy endings if they're not believable, but this book's unhappy endings are no more plausible. At the time and place of the original book --- before the horrific "showdown" on the athletic field --- it was somewhat imaginable that things would remain status quo at Trinity. But after those events, and the subsequent seismic rumblings that follow (which the sequel expends great effort at communicating to the reader), it is unimaginable that here be no real repercussions (aside from the suicide of one character that, while masterfully drawn, doesn't address the vileness of the school and it's roots of evil --- or where that evil comes from).
I would have preferred some interaction from the many mute parents (including David Caroni's parents or Jerry Renault's dad) that could have really ignited a powderkeg under the whole affair.
Good fiction contain lots of conflict, and there just isn't enough to warrent the amount of text here. It's a lot of energy to expend only to see the same scapegoats hauled out and abused again and again. Real people --- at least not all --- are seldom so cowed by tyranny, unless it's executed by a more omnicient force, such as goverment. And the Vigils aren't on that caliber, not even close.
Book Review: It goes Beyond Chocolate
Summary: 3 Stars
When I first read The Chocolate War, I felt very interested to read Beyond The Chocollate War. I chose this book because I read The Chocolate War, and I thought it was very interesting. Therefore I was eager to finish and start the sequel. Yet I was disappointed in it. This book is about how Jerry Renault gets into a fight with Emile Janza, and how he goes to the hospital to heal. His friend the "Goober" gets involved with this "Vigil" thing, and starts to hate them even more for what they did to Jerry. The "Vigil's" yet are on another goal to do something to Obie, Archie's used to be right hand man. Also, the "Goober" goes and visits Jerry and feels bad that he didn't do anything to stop it. What else happend in this book is that Obie stands up to Archie and Archie gets a new person to keep track of the assignments and other things.
What I didn't like about this book is that they didn't talk about Jerry Renault much. A little bit of this book was given to him. Yet last time Jerry was the main character. In that case, it does not make any sense to me because the "Vigils" go unpunished and Jerry is still hurting. Also, the "Vigils" are still giving "assignments" out to other people. Therefore nothing is really solved in this book. If I had to give a better mark to The Chocolate War, or Beyond The Chocolate War, I'd definitely choose The Chocolate War. Not only does it express what happens and gives everything in detail, Beyond The Chocolate War doesn't even explain what happend to Jerry much.