Rate this book

The Children's Book (2009)

by A.S. Byatt(Favorite Author)

3.64 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0307272095 (ISBN13: 9780307272096)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Knopf

review 1: This novel is both intriguing and frustrating. There are a beautiful set of stories hidden within that are unfortunately too often masked by extraneous detail and pedantic list-making. You can tell that the research was amazingly thorough and complete however it too often spills over into exhaustive description which seems like a repeated attempt to prove erudition that merely breaks the flow. I loved some of the characters like Elsie and Philip, however others were two-dimensional and the tensions were never fully worked out between them and important questions left hanging. Fascinating and well-worth persisting with through 600 odd pages but could have been a masterpiece.
review 2: Interesting fictional take on the transition between Victorian and aesthetic l... moreife to WWI coming home. The taboos of family life and sexuality pale in comparison to the maths and aftermaths of war, nevermind the sheer numbers or tradeoffs. The end leaves us wanting to flee to the Romance and idylls which we question or find insular in the beginning of the book, but we are unable to do so. The best we have is an explanation of what happened for the children who no longer are children. less

Download links for: The Children's Book

Advertising