An Inspector Calls

by J. B. Priestley and J.B. Priestley

Book Overview

"Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary...she'd swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out..." Arthur Birling, a prosperous manufacturer, is holding a family dinner party... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822205726
• ISBN13: 9780822205722
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Dramatists Play Service
• Length: 72 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.4" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

A Priceless Allegory

J.B. Priestley's classic drama "An Inspector Calls" has a sturdy allegorical ring that reminds me of another great British author's work, "A Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan. The Birling family, prominent society figures of Brunley, a North Midlands town, are celebrating the engagement of their daughter Sheila to the son of a prominent local family when a man calling himself Inspector Goole arrives unannounced.Whatever triumphal joy they earlier felt is soon washed away as the Inspector informs them that a young woman by the name of Eva Smith has just died in the local infirmary, a painful suicide victim prompted by taking disinfectant. Gradually he draws everyone in the household into the picture. All are implicated in the tragic downfall leading to Eva's suicide. Mr. Birling fired her after she was a leader in a strike at his factory, resulting from her asking for a fair weekly wage. His daugher Sheila caused a dismissal from Eva's next job at a department store in a jealous rage over the young woman's good looks. Sheila's husband to be Gerald found a room for her temporarily, had an affair with her, then let her go. Eric Birling, Sheila's brother, impregnated her, after which she sought help from the charity committee headed by Mrs. Birling, who coldly spurned her.The only two members of the Birling household who feel appropriately contrite are Eric and Sheila. When it appears that the incident might be a hoax the others are relieved, ignoring their abominable behavior toward the girl.Just when it appears that they might all be in the clear, and it is learned that the mysterious Inspector Goole was no more than an apparition or hoax of some kind, a call is received that a girl has indeed died in the infirmary from ingesting disinfectant and that an Inspector is on his way to question the Birling family! And at a time when Mr. Birling expects to be offered a knighthood, no less!The dialogue is crisp and the mysterious Inspector Goole forces the family to look for once beyond their own selfish interests and contemplate the tragic consequences of conduct stemming from their ruthless mindset. "An Inspector Calls" reads brilliantly and plays mesmerizingly until the final curtain. It has been playing for better than a decade at London's West End, where I have seen it 3 times and intend to see it more times in the future. Its timeless message remains as vital now as when it premiered starring Alec Guinness and Ralph Richardson in 1946.

If you didn't study this play for G.C.S.E'S you missed out

An Inspector Calls is a play for the thinkers in our world.Who love to ponder on the actions and consquences of every person. This book is clever, mysterious and thought provoking. Anyone who reads it will be captured by the Inspector and his inquiry into the death of the character Eva Smith! This makes you think (if only for the few hours after reading it) of your own actions and there possible consquences in life and perhaps of the better world we could live in IF we only went through life constantly thinking of others!

A profound book with an important social message

This book was a dramatic masterpiece. Its profound message forces all of us to re-examine how we act towards people and the consequences of our actions. I read an Inspector Calls for school and have also seen the play. In class we read the book aloud and the content of the story certainly led to some interesting debates about society. The message behind the book is very powerful, and yet concealed behind a tense mystery with no real conclusion. We do not know the identity of the Inspector, just as we do not know if all the events happened to one girl, or to various girls. The reactions of the characters are very interesting, and serve to make this book a dramatic masterpiece containing a profound analysis of human nature and a strong moral message.

A literary and dramatic masterpiece

I read the text previous to studying it for my GCSE examinations and had always thought it profound, but through careful analytical study, one really can empathise with 'Eva Smith.' It is also easy to see that the Birlings, although rich and perhaps sophisticated, also have no iota of common sense of intelligence as their realisation of the Inspector as a fake certainly made me laugh! An absolute must for any budding capitalist.

Sick mate! Brilliantly written

I've read this play before we do it in school and I have to say that it is an EXCELLENT book. It was well written, suspenseful and makes you want to read on all the way. READ IT NOW!