A Very Private School

A Memoir

By: Charles Spencer

Narrated by: Charles Spencer

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

“A tour de force.” —The Washington Post

In this poignant memoir, Charles Spencer recounts the trauma of being sent away from home at age eight to attend boarding school.

A Very Private School offers a clear-eyed, first-hand account of a culture of cruelty at the school Charles Spencer attended in his youth and provides important insights into an antiquated boarding system. Drawing on the memories of many of his schoolboy contemporaries, as well as his own letters and diaries from the time, he reflects on the hopelessness and abandonment he felt at aged eight, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness and the appalling inescapability of it all. Exploring the long-lasting impact of his experiences, Spencer presents a candid reckoning with his past and a reclamation of his childhood.

©2024 Charles Spencer (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Excellent!

Author did such a great job describing his feelings, the physical setting of boarding school, and each one of the characters that were a part of that time in his life. These stories can never be told to often, people need to understand trauma and abuse. Thank you Sir for sharing your story.

Out of the past comes the future

Great narration! I want to say “great story” but that feels like a trivialization. This is a powerful recounting of a time and place hopefully arrested.
I fear events similar still continue all over this world. There is much to think about here.

Straight forward rational analysis of a systematic crime situation in an English boarding school

The nativity of these young boys were so easy to be taken advantage of. They emerged so different in ways the family could not imagine. The secretiveness of the school and the full reign parent gave to those unworthy guardians. At first I didn’t think I could bear the incidents but Lord Spencer has given an adult perspective back to his readers that helped me understand how they remained secretive and the ways to overcome. Although the content is hard to get through- it was a subject well addressed and the strength it took to overcome the feelings that remained.

Brave, compelling, compassionate

This has helped me broaden my perspective about British boarding schools and have more compassion for those who have suffered.

wonderful but sad

my ❤️ went out to charles....I wish he had told someone even Diana.... Those poor children

Enlightening, traumatic and inspiring.

This book opens our eyes to the world of British Boarding school abuse. I was thrilled that this was read by the author, as I’ve read others of Earl Charles Spencer’s books. I was surprised to hear of the abuse and trauma that was experienced. I love how the author explained his experiences and shared his thoughts and feelings in relation to them. I am so impressed by the writing and reading…considering this is such a sensitive subject. Highly recommend. I was thankful for the last line in the book.

The brutality

I’d have seen counterpoint to the unhappy as context. It helps to tell the story

Willingness to share a childhood trauma with a goal of helping others

Charles Spencer’s sincere and heartfelt description of his childhood boarding school experience is compelling and offers lessons for educators and institutions. Those who read or listen to his beautifully written book will be held captive by the power of his revelations. Hopefully his story will make a difference in parents’ choices for their young children’s upbringing and educational paths.

Sad Story

Spencer's account of his boarding school days is a sad tale indeed. The cruel culture of these institutions makes little sense until one realizes that the system was designed to promote the advancement of the nation, not the child. Spencer's revelations also make clear the misery suffered by the present King Charles when he was forced into this barbaric system, a misery that clearly moulded him into the person he is today.
My husband - a Brit - described for me the cruelty so routinely dished out by these thugs when he was a boy, although he did not attend boarding school. It seems that this wretched treatment was inflicted on all children throughout the U.K., regardless of the institution.
The unrelenting misery of Spencer's narrative is difficult to listen to; I probably should have taken more breaks. Narration is fine.

Vulnerable and well-written.

Charles Spencer wrote a beautiful memoir about a dark period in his childhood at boarding school. Well-written and compelling, I finished it within days, unable to stop listening. His narration was excellent, and I would recommend it!