An Inspector Calls and Other Plays
- Downloads：5313
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-02 05:52:18
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：J.B. Priestley
- ISBN：014118535X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
An Inspector Calls， first produced in 1946 when society was undergoing sweeping transformations， has recently enjoyed an enormously successful revival。 While holding its audience with the gripping tension of a detective thriller， it is also a philosophical play about social conscience and the crumbling of middle class values。 Time and the Conways and I Have Been Here Before belong to Priestley's 'time'plays， in which he explores the idea of precognition and pits fate against free will。 The Linden Tree also challenges preconceived ideas of history when Professor Linden comes into conflict with his family about how life should be lived after the war。
Reviews
Beth
，
Time and the Conways - 4/5， the characters were kind of hard to follow but I loved it， the theme of time and family was really interesting and I really enjoyed being in their chaotic worldI Have Been Here Before - 3/5， I found the whole play kind of confusing and hated all the characters and how monologue heavy it was yet I really like it， very meta， very cool， fresh， and funAn Inspector Calls - 5/5。 this was a revisit because I read and studied it in school so my high rating is for sure reliant Time and the Conways - 4/5， the characters were kind of hard to follow but I loved it， the theme of time and family was really interesting and I really enjoyed being in their chaotic worldI Have Been Here Before - 3/5， I found the whole play kind of confusing and hated all the characters and how monologue heavy it was yet I really like it， very meta， very cool， fresh， and funAn Inspector Calls - 5/5。 this was a revisit because I read and studied it in school so my high rating is for sure reliant upon nostalgia but the play is also a gosh darn banger。 The suspense！ The mystery！ The themes of class， family， responsibility， and justice！ Go off Priestley my guy！The Linden Tree - 2/5， Idk why but this play hit different in a bad way， did not care about the characters or what was happening， maybe I was in a bad headspace and couldn't read between the lines enough to understand。 I liked Dinah and her fathers' relationship and honestly stan Mrs。 Linden's decision but like ？？？ what was the point。 Also， Rex is an ass。 Kind of a disappointing end to the collection。Overall， I've rated the collection a 3/5 because liking 3/4 plays ain't bad but I just found myself disinterested in the character's lives too much to rate it any higher。 Personally， I'm still really glad that I read it though。 I originally brought it just for The Inspector Calls in school and promised myself I'd read the other plays and finally did 5 years later lmao。 。。。more
Amelia
，
Such a good book 。 Only read inspector calls not the other random ones 。 Read it for school but still really enjoyed it 。 So gripping so much to uncover ， I love how there is a story for each character 。
Trishna
，
Forced to look withinBe horrified to realise the consequences of powerIt has increasingly heard these days that one feels powerless in the face of a pandemic。 Our lives seem to be out of our control as we work from home juggling our family and work life or desperately looking for a job snatched away by a pandemic or drastically realising that we can’t actually get along with the people we thought we could get along with before the pandemic came crashing in。 Is it really so？ Are we really as Forced to look withinBe horrified to realise the consequences of powerIt has increasingly heard these days that one feels powerless in the face of a pandemic。 Our lives seem to be out of our control as we work from home juggling our family and work life or desperately looking for a job snatched away by a pandemic or drastically realising that we can’t actually get along with the people we thought we could get along with before the pandemic came crashing in。 Is it really so？ Are we really as powerless as we claim to be？ Is power a weapon only to be wielded by the rich， famous， governments and thugs？ Does the common man have any power？An Inspector Calls， a play by J。B Priestley’s is thrilling to watch and thrilling and disconcerting by degrees to read。 The play is packed with suspense and as layer after layer of propriety is peeled off the upper class North Midland Birling family and a young well-bred upper class man Gerald Croft， the thrill and disgust experienced by the audience and the reader keeps increasing exponentially。 Though the play is set in 1912， I feel the central theme of the play， is extremely relevant to us today。 The hard and exacting working conditions of labours in early 20th century Britain had been normalised and accepted by society。 The ruthlessness with which Arthur Birling suppresses a strike in which Eva Smith， a character from the play， participates is akin to the way in which our rights to express ourself are being suppressed and normalised by governments all over the world today。 The casualness with which an upset Sheila， Arthur’s daughter， gets Eva dismissed from a job， forced me to look within and question the actions I carry out in moments of passion without stopping to look at the consequences of those actions。 Whether it is Gerald who leaves Eva after a brief casual relationship or it is Eric who sees Eva as a means of having fun， both made me question the sincerity that I show towards various relationships in my life。 The most astonishing character is Sybil， Arthur’s wife， a high society charitable woman， who refuses to help Eva on the assumption that she wished to pretend to be an equal to the Birlings and thus feeling slighted by her attempt。 What happens？ A suicide。The plot of the play picks up pace from the news of Eva’s suicide。 All the characters seemed to be leading perfect lives， unobserved and unbeknownst to themselves， wielding power and affecting other lives till the time Inspector Goole arrives on the scene and fixes them in turn with a hard unflinching gaze。 As described by Michael Foucault， people can be brought under control through observation。 As each of these characters become aware that they are being observed they come under the control， and thereby under the power， of Inspector Goole， and their act of propriety starts falling apart。How close are we to each of these characters？ This is a question that the play has forced me to ask myself。 I guess I will have to be my own Inspector to become aware of the power I wield in my day to day life。Well， if not for the sake of introspection， this play is a must watch and a must read for those hungry for entertainment， thrill and suspense。 。。。more
Holly olivia
，
I went into this thinking that ‘An inspector calls’ would be an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery so was disappointed to learn that it was just wealthy people dealing with their own consciences。 Despite this the ending still spooked me and I got chills reading the last line。 I’ll never forgive my school for making us do Macbeth instead。
Katie Anne Stark
，
Update: re-read this！I thoroughly enjoyed this- I’ll likely re-read soon！ J。B priestly effectively conveys the impact our actions have on others， through believable， yet interesting characters。 He also touches on other important topics throughout， such as class and gender。 This particular quote said by the inspector really makes you think about the consequences of our actions: “One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with Update: re-read this！I thoroughly enjoyed this- I’ll likely re-read soon！ J。B priestly effectively conveys the impact our actions have on others， through believable， yet interesting characters。 He also touches on other important topics throughout， such as class and gender。 This particular quote said by the inspector really makes you think about the consequences of our actions: “One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us， with their lives， their hopes and fears， their suffering and chance of happiness， all intertwined with our lives， with what we think and say and do。” Honestly， read this。 Irrespective of it being a play （and short in length）， this has been influential and has changed my thought process。 。。。more
Jade Vedder-Ditchett
，
I read An Inspector Calls in high school so when I saw it in a charity shop I had to re-read it。 Honestly not worth it。 The plays were dragged out and so confusing that I didn’t understand what was going on half the time
Kaz
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I enjoyed the other plays but in my opinion I found the inspector calls enjoyable but found it quite bland 。
Anya Desai
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I don’t really know how I evaded reading this throughout my whole school career but I’m glad I’ve finally had to read it。I hate that they called him goole， whole star docked for that， rest of it was calm
Sid_rw
，
Love "An Inspector Calls" （！） Love "An Inspector Calls" （！） 。。。more
Shaz
，
Time and the Conways ☆☆☆☆/5I Have Been Here Before - An Inspector Calls ☆☆☆☆☆/5The Linden Tree ☆☆☆/5
Hristo Dimitrov
，
Extraordinarily well written， everyone that does not understand the plot or setting of the book just isn’t an active reader and clearly inexperienced。
Amanda Farley
，
Excellent as always。I bought this particular version to read another of Priestley's "time" plays。 I wasn't disapppinted。 Excellent as always。I bought this particular version to read another of Priestley's "time" plays。 I wasn't disapppinted。 。。。more
Poocy Mills
，
Really great plays。 I read it for An Inspector Calls which was my favourite of the four but really enjoyed Time and The Conways and I Have Been Here Before too
Marnie
，
Even tho I read it for school， actually really liked it great plot and kinda Poirot vibes
BookBairn
，
Re-read the play An Inspector Calls which I read at school and really enjoyed it again。 So cleverly put together and the way that characters impact on the 'dead girl's life' comes to unfold is spectacular reading。 Exploring themes of sexism， women's historical place， class， and personal values there's a lot in this play！ Now I must track down a version to watch！ Re-read the play An Inspector Calls which I read at school and really enjoyed it again。 So cleverly put together and the way that characters impact on the 'dead girl's life' comes to unfold is spectacular reading。 Exploring themes of sexism， women's historical place， class， and personal values there's a lot in this play！ Now I must track down a version to watch！ 。。。more
Nick McLaren
，
1， Time and the Conways: 3 stars。 Solid but would have liked to see it explored more thoroughly。2， I have been here before: 3 stars， a little unexpected scifi， again it could have been expanded on more3， An Inspector Call: 4 star， a rightful classic， though the ending is a little to ‘spooo00ky’ for me4， The Linden Tree，: 2 stars， something I can’t imagine ever being on stage。
bea。
，
white privilege 101。 one of those books that make you hate reading because WHY
Fran
，
it's just 1912 eastenders innit it's just 1912 eastenders innit 。。。more
OddCrocs
，
I read this play in 2020。 Most people are going to be studying An Inspector Calls for their IGCSE’s， or maybe already have， so you may be sick of it。 For those who haven’t read or studied this play， read on。 Just quickly， it is set in 1912 England/Uk in a wealthy home。 It’s about a upper class rich family called The Birling’s who are celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft。 They are pleased with themselves and so on until Inspector Goole arrives。 A girl has died。 Suicide by I read this play in 2020。 Most people are going to be studying An Inspector Calls for their IGCSE’s， or maybe already have， so you may be sick of it。 For those who haven’t read or studied this play， read on。 Just quickly， it is set in 1912 England/Uk in a wealthy home。 It’s about a upper class rich family called The Birling’s who are celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft。 They are pleased with themselves and so on until Inspector Goole arrives。 A girl has died。 Suicide by disinfectant。 He wants to question the family and get some answers。Characters -Sheila。 Young， excitable， and pretty。Arthur Birling。 Man of the house。 Loud and selfish。 Has a big ego。 Thinks he knows what he’s on about。Sybil Birling。 Women of the house。 Aware of her upper class。 Snobbish and cold。Eric Birling。 Half shy half assertive。 Sort of hangs around in the background for a lot of the play。 Mocking sense of humour？ A bit doom-and-gloom？Gerald Croft。 Respectful， friendly and passionate it seems at the start of the play。 Gets on with Mr Birling。Eva Smith。 The girl who ended herself。 Pretty， young， of the lower class and just unlucky it appears as you read the play。Edna the maid。 The servant of the house。 A small character， doesn’t say much。 Inspector Goole himself。 Blunt， straight talking and possibly a bit emotionless。 If he was a colour he’d be a gray。 Gets his job done and is effective， no doubt。 Themes- Age。 Gender。 Class。 Socialism vs Capitalism。 Responsibility。The plot further explained。 As I mention : a family are having a nice evening。 Wham-bam-thank-you-mam the Inspector arrives。 He interviews each character on : if and when they met Eva Smith， and what they did for， or to her。 Secrets and true personalities are revealed， tension is risen， characters disagree and agree， things come to light。 Will some characters accept responsibility， and others avoid it？ The play has strong political messages : Gerald and Birling are capitalist business owners， and The Inspector is a socialist。 Socialism vs Capitalism？ Remember the play was first performed on stage in 1945 or 46。 The audience will be a post-war audience who have experienced equality with rationing， class merging and women working whilst the men fight。 The play is full of class conflict， and Inspector Goole represents J。B Priestly’s views of everyone should look after each other。 Or again socialism。 If you are not studying the play for IGCSE’s and just want to read it， go for it。 It’s good， and I don’t read plays often。 8 out of 10 for me， as it has an easy-ish plot， interesting characters and some twists and turns。 。。。more
Yasmin
，
This play feels like it was made to write essays about！ I did enjoy studying it， and Shelia came up in the exam which was good。
Kaye
，
Do they still produce plays like this？ An Inspector Calls is a classic， the others maybe not so good， but still worth seeing/reading no doubt。
Sarah
，
Time and the Conways -2。5 good themes but kinda boringI Have Been Here Before - 3 good themes and made me think a lot An Inspector Calls - 4。 Thematically strong and very cleverThe Linden Tree - 2 boring
Jackie
，
I bought this collection four years ago because I was intrigued by An Inspector Calls but unfortunately， I was never really interested in the other plays， and thus it stayed on my shelves for years。 After all these years I’ve decided to just read An Inspector Calls and acknowledge that I might never read the other plays but in case I change my mind I’m glad that I own this collection。 An Inspector Calls is an amazing play and I’m glad I’ve finally read it。
Lauren
，
I've wanted to read An Inspector Calls for a long time， as it wasn't on our school syllabus， so it was really nice to get to read this and other JB Priestley plays in the same book。 The plays are all broadly set in the pre and post war era and are a lovely insight into livelihoods， attitudes and morals of the day。 Of all the plays An inspector Calls was one of my favourite， the mystery and the characters worked perfectly and I loved the ending！！ I've wanted to read An Inspector Calls for a long time， as it wasn't on our school syllabus， so it was really nice to get to read this and other JB Priestley plays in the same book。 The plays are all broadly set in the pre and post war era and are a lovely insight into livelihoods， attitudes and morals of the day。 Of all the plays An inspector Calls was one of my favourite， the mystery and the characters worked perfectly and I loved the ending！！ 。。。more
Dancingfromtheshadows
，
An Inspector Calls ⭐10 （THIS。 WAS。 SO。 GOOD。）The Linden Tree ⭐8。5Time and the Conways ⭐7I Have Been Here Before ⭐9
Simon
，
Really enjoyable
Mila
，
a classic。
Diana
，
An Inspector Calls [1945] by J。 B。 Priestley – ★★★★This well-known play by Priestley is an interesting read。 A dinner in one middle-class family in London is interrupted by an inspector who calls to report a suicide of a girl that may have links with the family。 Can members of this family recover from the shock when secrets of each of them become exposed one by one？ The play is satirical and tries to show the hypocrisy and the well-hidden sins of the middle class as the inspector threatens to un An Inspector Calls [1945] by J。 B。 Priestley – ★★★★This well-known play by Priestley is an interesting read。 A dinner in one middle-class family in London is interrupted by an inspector who calls to report a suicide of a girl that may have links with the family。 Can members of this family recover from the shock when secrets of each of them become exposed one by one？ The play is satirical and tries to show the hypocrisy and the well-hidden sins of the middle class as the inspector threatens to unearth the unimaginable。 The play does rely on preposterous turns of events， and I imagine it would have been a fresher and cleverer story when it was first written in 1945。 Today’s audience is no longer surprised by the absurd and even expects to confront the unexplained， the clever and the different to be entertained。 。。。more
Charles Walton
，
Had to read it in school
Lorraine
，