Tom Browning's Schooldays by Joel

[FreeThinker]

Is anyone else following this story? I love it, though I love Victorian literature. It's so well-written that I could forget it's not Thomas Hughes. Any other comments?

[dude]

This is one of the most popular stories on the site, FT. Just let Joel take a holiday and miss one of his fortnightly postings and I hear about it from all over the globe!

[ricky]

What a fantastic Story. I am flat in love with it. It is so very well written and the language is perfect. Although the cliff hanger he just left us with might get me to send out Guido. I hope it isn't too long before we find out who's hurt.

Love the story. Just finished CH 75.

[The Pecman]

And here's the link:

http://www.awesomedude.com/jovincent/tbsd/index.htm

[Alien Son]

I'm another fan. I've loved all of Joel's stories, and I eagerly await the fortnightly new chapter.

[Alien Son]

I'm another fan. I've loved all of Joel's stories, and I eagerly await the fortnightly new chapter of TBSD.

I think I'm finding the story especially interesting because my father was born into a working-class family in a rural village in England. Dad's village is in Northamptonshire, which is almost next door to Lincolnshire, the setting for Joel's Careby, and the story is set about 50 years before Dad was born. I imagine that the way of life depicted in TBSD is not far removed from that of the people of Dad's time.

Ooops... sorry for the double post. Editing somehow went wrong!

[Rutabaga]

Acknowledging another Pick from the Past.

This is an incredible saga that is full of the interesting characters for which Joel is known. I followed this chapter by chapter as it was being posted, and in order to be able to read it while out and about, I would copy each new installment from the web page and paste it into an empty Word document, then upload it to my Kindle Fire for offline reading. I can't begin to guess how many thousands of words are represented here, but let's just say there are quite a few.

What makes it more fun, for those who have read Joel's other long pieces, is that this story includes tie-ins and foreshadowings of people and things that appear in the later stories -- including the beginnings of the St. Marks Fire liqueur and the famous birthmark that appears throughout the other stories. But I don't see any necessity to have read any of the Mystery and Mayhem at St. Marks series or Aladdin's Awakening in order to fully enjoy Tom Browning's School Days.

Just be sure to set aside enough time.

R

[Rutabaga]

And this epic tome is back as a Pick from the Past.  It's 88 chapters long, and the chapters are not short.  But it's a really charming and engaging tale.  I'm not sure I want to re-read it at this time, although my will-power is weak, but anyone who has not enjoyed this tale should take advantage of the opportunity.

I have never read the original Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes, so I can't really make a comparison, but it does not matter.  This story stands perfectly well on its own.  And young Tom does get involved with quite a series of adventures.  He is a person anyone would be delighted to know.

R

[Rutabaga]

Woe is me. I started reading this again and can’t put it down. 
 

Take heed of my forlorn example. Do not start this story unless you are prepared to be drawn ineluctably into a long journey. 
 

R

[Rutabaga]

Me again.  I finished re-reading all 88 chapters.  Be further warned that you will probably be reaching for the Kleenex during the last two.

This story is really an amazing accomplishment, and is only one of several "epics" on Joel's page.  Don't go there unless you are prepared to be sucked into this world.

R

[Rutabaga]

Yea, verily, this evergreen epic returns here as another new Pick from the Past.

As you will see from my earlier posts on this thread, it is hazardous to start on this story unless you're prepared to go the distance.

And that warning goes double if you dare to venture into the "Mystery and Mayhem" adventures such as this one.  

R