An Inspector Calls
- Downloads：2653
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-21 00:52:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：J.B. Priestley
- ISBN：0435232827
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Summary
The Heinemann Plays series offers contemporary drama and classic plays in durable classroom editions。 In this play an inspector interrupts a party to investigate a girl's suicide， and implicates each of the party-makers in her death。
Reviews
Dan Blackley
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This is an amazing play！ I saw a version of this on BBC through Prime Video on Amazon。 It was great！ I've heard of this play， but had never read it。 It is a great period piece that starts off as a typical pre WWI English play of manners then the Inspector comes and all bets are off！ What a wonderful play and a warning of things to come。 This is an amazing play！ I saw a version of this on BBC through Prime Video on Amazon。 It was great！ I've heard of this play， but had never read it。 It is a great period piece that starts off as a typical pre WWI English play of manners then the Inspector comes and all bets are off！ What a wonderful play and a warning of things to come。 。。。more
Isa
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An Inspector Calls As part of my English GCSE， this was one of the plays that was given to my school year。 I absolutely loved it。 The themes of this rememberable play took me by surprise because I hadn't tackled a book quite like it。 Social class， gender， social responsibility and age was intensely interesting to read about。 And being able to discuss and listen to others opinions in my class made the experience all the more absorbing。 The ending was definitely the best part！ My whole class was m An Inspector Calls As part of my English GCSE， this was one of the plays that was given to my school year。 I absolutely loved it。 The themes of this rememberable play took me by surprise because I hadn't tackled a book quite like it。 Social class， gender， social responsibility and age was intensely interesting to read about。 And being able to discuss and listen to others opinions in my class made the experience all the more absorbing。 The ending was definitely the best part！ My whole class was mind blown。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Zee
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My fifth time rereading this and I still love it as much as I when I first read it at 14。 The play deals with humanity， and how one deals with guilt and accusations。 It also highlights how the prejudices and actions of some people can affect the lives of others。 There are definite undertones of socialism （Goole） v capitalism （Mr Birling） and that's encapsulated in my favourite quote: "We don't live alone。 We are members of one body。 We are responsible for each other。 And I tell you that the time My fifth time rereading this and I still love it as much as I when I first read it at 14。 The play deals with humanity， and how one deals with guilt and accusations。 It also highlights how the prejudices and actions of some people can affect the lives of others。 There are definite undertones of socialism （Goole） v capitalism （Mr Birling） and that's encapsulated in my favourite quote: "We don't live alone。 We are members of one body。 We are responsible for each other。 And I tell you that the time will soon come when if men will not learn that lesson， then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish。" 。。。more
Olivia D
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There are so many main characters that they all lack in being given depth which makes the book less enjoyable : it lacks an understanding of all the characters - there is a certain need to read， to a large extent， inbetween the lines and multiple times for further knowledge
Nick Jones
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I’m not sure when I first heard of J。B Priestley， although it was almost certainly when I was in my teens。 He was a historical figure， a writer from the past who no one read anymore。 My parents didn’t have any of his books on their bookshelves， but they were part of the generation that would have known Priestley as a ‘public intellectual’， they would have heard his broadcasts on the radio or read his articles in newspapers。 But I presumed he was a museum piece。 It was Stephen Daldry’s production I’m not sure when I first heard of J。B Priestley， although it was almost certainly when I was in my teens。 He was a historical figure， a writer from the past who no one read anymore。 My parents didn’t have any of his books on their bookshelves， but they were part of the generation that would have known Priestley as a ‘public intellectual’， they would have heard his broadcasts on the radio or read his articles in newspapers。 But I presumed he was a museum piece。 It was Stephen Daldry’s production of An Inspector Calls at the National Theatre in the early 1990s that revived a general interest。 I’m not sure if the interest reached beyond this play， but An Inspector Calls became part of the British school curriculum。 One of my children did it at school and it is his copy that I read （in fact， an unreturned school copy）。 It is a play with a very obvious symbolic structure， which is probably why it is on the school curriculum: it asks clear questions and gives clear answers and gives sixteen year olds something clear to write about in exams。 It is a drawing room play， an old fashioned thing， but British theatre in the 1940s tended to be old fashioned。 Set just before the First World War it is centred on the wealthy Birling family: it opens with them celebrating the engagement of their daughter。 It quickly becomes apparent that they are complacent， self-satisfied， part of a social elite。 Then a police inspector calls to ask about the death of a young woman: she has killed herself and as the inspector questions the family it becomes apparent that they have all known her and all have done her wrong。 The narratives that the inspector unearth undermine the family’s complacency and sense of superiority: it reveals the self-satisfaction maintained by their privilege。 It reveals guilt。 This is a strong situation， but the treatment is all a little obvious。 And， while the privileged are guilty， we， the audience or reader， are the judges， we side with the inspector， the danger being that we end up in our own position of moralistic complacency。 I imagine in performance the play can often feel crass and crude and a little self-righteous。 Apparently Daldry’s production threw out the realist setting and drew parallels with post-Second World War England （i。e。， the time when the play was written） – I imagine this created a new set of meanings， but I have no idea whether the play’s central smugness was questioned。 。。。more
Tijana
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Inspektor。。。 je klasičan moralitet u savremenom （tada） ruhu: pojava stranca obične pojave ali očigledno natprirodnog karaktera unosi nemir u malo porodično okupljanje i primorava sve njegove učesnike da se suoče sa svojim gresima i svojom pravom prirodom。 Inspektor Gul （dobro， pre sedamdesetak godina ovo ime nije bilo toliko prozirno ni， da se ne lažemo， smešno） primorava okupljene bogataše da se suoče sa vlastitim udelom krivice u samoubistvu nesrećne devojke。 Pristli je bio toliko popularan a Inspektor。。。 je klasičan moralitet u savremenom （tada） ruhu: pojava stranca obične pojave ali očigledno natprirodnog karaktera unosi nemir u malo porodično okupljanje i primorava sve njegove učesnike da se suoče sa svojim gresima i svojom pravom prirodom。 Inspektor Gul （dobro， pre sedamdesetak godina ovo ime nije bilo toliko prozirno ni， da se ne lažemo， smešno） primorava okupljene bogataše da se suoče sa vlastitim udelom krivice u samoubistvu nesrećne devojke。 Pristli je bio toliko popularan a njegov uticaj na savremeno pozorište （a tek televizijsku dramaturgiju） tako snažan da danas， paradoksalno， njegovi komadi deluju sasvim prevaziđeno jer smo svaki koncept i preokret već videli po sto puta。 。。。more
Alanah。J。S
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was actually a book I had to read for school。 I absolutely love mysteries; so this was great for me！ The plot line could quite easily have been boring to follow but Priestly’s style of writing created a tense tone throughout the piece making me unable to put it down！Each character had their own problems and reasons for their actions。 The most interesting character for me was Eric Birling as he seemed to hide many secrets yet was constantly disregarded and belittled by most members of his fa This was actually a book I had to read for school。 I absolutely love mysteries; so this was great for me！ The plot line could quite easily have been boring to follow but Priestly’s style of writing created a tense tone throughout the piece making me unable to put it down！Each character had their own problems and reasons for their actions。 The most interesting character for me was Eric Birling as he seemed to hide many secrets yet was constantly disregarded and belittled by most members of his family。 The ending for me was fantastic！ I loved how there was a minor cyclical structure present and the thread of a phone ringing throughout the whole piece emphasised the dramatic ending！ I most definitely would recommend reading this short play。。。 enjoy！ 。。。more
Susan Kosel
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A BBC dramatization of the book。 Very fun to listen to。
Sofia :）
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It was a lot more interesting than I thought。 I don’t regret buying it nor reading it。 If you love mystery and drama， this book is for you。 I’m still questioning the ending though; it’s a shame it had to end so abruptly。
Iqra
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No but this book was actually really fun to read in class especially during depressed gcse years but it’s moral was nice “there are 100s and 1000s of ema smiths and John smiths out there “ which was powerful for its time cause the patriarchal society sucked？！Also Gerald was actually quite nice but cheating is never okay 😑 and eric is assumed to be good looking but what he did was fucked up？！ Not the girls romanticising what he did。。。 get help
Bethany Bailey
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Bro where do I even begin。 So basically the story starts with all the Birlings give Gerald a big pat on the back for asking shelia to marry him。 They are all having a wild time。 Soon after Sheila and her mum decided they are going away while the lads have a cheeky pint。 But they get interrupted when Edna （the best character in the play） turns up and says a police inspector is at the door。 DUN DUN DUNNNNNthe inspector who is going to be referred to as Google comes in thinking he is the big man te Bro where do I even begin。 So basically the story starts with all the Birlings give Gerald a big pat on the back for asking shelia to marry him。 They are all having a wild time。 Soon after Sheila and her mum decided they are going away while the lads have a cheeky pint。 But they get interrupted when Edna （the best character in the play） turns up and says a police inspector is at the door。 DUN DUN DUNNNNNthe inspector who is going to be referred to as Google comes in thinking he is the big man tells the Birlings that a girl called Eva Smith is dead。 She suicided。 Right so google starts off by talking to mr birling and basically we come to the conclusion that he fired her from her job Becuase she spoke to much。 I mean how stupid。 I’ll never get a job if that’s the attitude everyone has。 Anyway Eva gets a new job at some clothes shop in town。 While shopping one day Shelia finds a really nice clothes she’s wants to buy。 However Eva holds it up and Sheila is instantly jealous like she should be， that’s for later。 So taking her jealousy out on Eva she goes to the Manager and gets her sacked。 So Eva changes her name to Daisy。 Now as soon as google says the name Daisy Renton。 Gerald immediately gets embarrassed because he has the biggest crush on her。 Jokes。 Anyway basically Daisy became a prostitute and Gerald wanted to save her。 So while he told Sheila he was ‘at the works’ he was basically just sleeping with Daisy。 But then Gerald got bored and said ‘ Yano what I don’t want you any more’ so then he breaks up with her and throws her away。 Then mrs birling comes and has her part。 At first she’s all like ‘no no go away’ but then gives in and says Daisy asked for money from her charity and that she made sure that Daisy didn’t get it。 Google reveals Daisy was pregnant and having a baby soon。 All of a sudden Eric comes back and looks like he’s just been in a fight。 Google shows Eric Daisy and then his face drops。 Eric says he was ‘ in a mood where a chap easily turns nasty’ basically in English he saying he took advantage of her and raped her。 This is how Daisy got pregnant。 Eric also owns up to stealing £50 from his dad which is a big no no。 Google then leaves the family arguing but not before reminding him there are ‘millions of Eva smiths and John smiths out there’The family is mess。 Mr birling is worried about a scandal。 Mrs birling is still snoby and Eric and Shelia are in hysterics。 The Gerald comes back with the help of Edna。 He tells the Birlings it was all a prank and not to worry。 Mr birling test Gerald and we find out it was all fake and google isn’t real。 Then he try’s to re engage himslef to shelia but she says no。 Then all of a sudden the phone rings and a young girl has died of bleach drinking and a police inspector is on his way。。。 。。。more
Ro
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silly ending。 Frustrating that there are still questions but that keeps it interesting I guess
Emily Ross
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2021 52 Book Challenge 11） Book with discussion questions insideI remember adoring this book when I read it in school， and reading it again now， ten years later， I can feel it pulling me back in again to the mystery of one girl and how her life was entwined with every member of one family。 It draws on the themes of societal standing， social strata， class responsibility and the differences between generations in the growth of empathy and the wish for justice。 I think my favourite little tidbit fr 2021 52 Book Challenge 11） Book with discussion questions insideI remember adoring this book when I read it in school， and reading it again now， ten years later， I can feel it pulling me back in again to the mystery of one girl and how her life was entwined with every member of one family。 It draws on the themes of societal standing， social strata， class responsibility and the differences between generations in the growth of empathy and the wish for justice。 I think my favourite little tidbit from this play is that it is set in early 1912， at the apex of capitalistic momentum， and Arthur Birling firmly believes that talk of war is poppycock， the Titanic shows that the world is improving and moving forward and labour movements will be all knocked out by the government so that businesses can continue to grow。 Obviously， this doesn't happen， and the plot of the play reflects real life crashing Arthur Birling's world view， as real history would have crashed his capitalist viewpoint。 The discussion questions at the end of the book are absolutely brilliant because they really make you think in depth about what Priestley was trying to say。 。。。more
valen
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ese final >>>
Emily
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stan sheila
inah
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absolutely loved the way the story unfolded and the morals it taught and also havent read such a great book in a long time。I want to speak more about this book and looking forward to more of Priestly's as well！ absolutely loved the way the story unfolded and the morals it taught and also havent read such a great book in a long time。I want to speak more about this book and looking forward to more of Priestly's as well！ 。。。more
Rachael
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the ending was disappointing but it was good for priestleys allegories
Symon Vegro
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An excellent play。 Very well written， a superb plot， and a great moral
Anya
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This is the second time I've read this book for school。 Of everything we study， it is by far by favourite piece of literature， but I would much prefer to watch it live， rather than have to read and analyse it。 As far as reading plays goes， it isn't too bad。 It has some good messages and some great morals within it。 Is it just me， or does anyone else find the Inspector really sarcastic and funny？ This is the second time I've read this book for school。 Of everything we study， it is by far by favourite piece of literature， but I would much prefer to watch it live， rather than have to read and analyse it。 As far as reading plays goes， it isn't too bad。 It has some good messages and some great morals within it。 Is it just me， or does anyone else find the Inspector really sarcastic and funny？ 。。。more
Kimberley Pecino
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Hadn't read this since my GCSE's - still loved it just as much。 Highly recommend on audiobook！ Hadn't read this since my GCSE's - still loved it just as much。 Highly recommend on audiobook！ 。。。more
Dark-Draco
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I've seen a couple of TV and movie adaptations of this play， so I knew the story， but this is the first time I have read the original script。 It's fab！ You're left wondering who Inspector Goole actually is and whether the Birlings have to suffer the consequences of their actions。 It's quite chilling in its way - five characters act in what they consider small ways， yet their callous and thoughtless selfishness has far reaching consequences。A fantastic read。 I've seen a couple of TV and movie adaptations of this play， so I knew the story， but this is the first time I have read the original script。 It's fab！ You're left wondering who Inspector Goole actually is and whether the Birlings have to suffer the consequences of their actions。 It's quite chilling in its way - five characters act in what they consider small ways， yet their callous and thoughtless selfishness has far reaching consequences。A fantastic read。 。。。more
mai
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read this for school surprisingly goodi would like to see the play or the film though
Jas👑❤
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Absolutely adored this play！
Natasha Horton
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Loved is start to finish。 The socialist messages are still relevant， very educational！
Antonio
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Perfecto engranaje
Readinghorse
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Altough it was a lecture in school， I enjoyed reading it and it made me really think of "right and wrong" and chain of effects。。。。 Altough it was a lecture in school， I enjoyed reading it and it made me really think of "right and wrong" and chain of effects。。。。 。。。more
Kathrin
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Although I had never heard of this play before， I really enjoyed reading it for school。 Due to the suspense created by various storylines it is obvious that Birley has put a lot of effort and thought into writing “An Inspector Calls”。 The ending left me confused， but in a good way。 Worth the （short） read！
Chlo
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One of my favourite plays， with such a strong moral message。 A young woman dies - but who is to blame？ Does responsibility lie with just one person， or did everyone play a part in her tragic death？ A mysterious inspector comes to find out， but who is he with his peculiar way of handling the investigation？ Are they all even talking about the same girl？With so many questions left to answer， the play goes to highlight how Capitalist ideas have no real place in society any more， and how we should al One of my favourite plays， with such a strong moral message。 A young woman dies - but who is to blame？ Does responsibility lie with just one person， or did everyone play a part in her tragic death？ A mysterious inspector comes to find out， but who is he with his peculiar way of handling the investigation？ Are they all even talking about the same girl？With so many questions left to answer， the play goes to highlight how Capitalist ideas have no real place in society any more， and how we should all realise the impact out actions have on those around us。 。。。more
K
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That was quite exceptional。 I loved the drama， the intrigue。 Sheila was my favourite she just outs everyone。 & poor Eric。 Wish I could feel sorry for him， but I don’t。
Amy Bharucha
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AYO🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣 GET A LOAD OF THIS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=An Inspector Calls
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=An Inspector Calls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,An Inspector Calls&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0