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The Children's Book

A tale of childhood innocence and hidden family secrets

A S Byatt author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Vintage Publishing

Published:7th Jan '10

Should be back in stock very soon

The Children's Book cover

This novel explores the lives of children growing up in a world filled with secrets, love, and unintentional betrayals, as seen in The Children's Book.

In The Children's Book, renowned author Olive Wellwood creates a unique literary legacy for each of her children, crafting special private books bound in vibrant colors. Set in a sprawling house near Romney Marsh, the children immerse themselves in a whimsical, storybook world. However, beneath the surface of their idyllic lives, secrets and mysteries abound, entwining their fates with those of their affluent cousins and the children of a curator from the newly established Victoria and Albert Museum.

As the golden summers of Edwardian times unfold, the children navigate the complexities of growing up. The sons begin to rebel against the expectations placed upon them, while the daughters dream of forging independent paths. Unbeknownst to them, the love and guidance of their parents and guardians harbor unintended betrayals that will shape their futures in unforeseen ways. The narrative weaves together the innocence of childhood with the looming shadows of adult complexities, revealing how the ties that bind can also ensnare.

The Children's Book is a captivating exploration of family dynamics, societal expectations, and the delicate balance between innocence and experience. Through a rich tapestry of characters and their intertwined lives, the author delves into themes of art, war, and the intricate web of human relationships, crafting a story that resonates with depth and emotional resonance.

Intricately worked and sumptuously inlaid novel...seethes and pulses with an entangled life, of the mind and the senses alike. Colour and sensation flood Byatt's writing...she is a master-potter, or magic-working puppeteer -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *
Superlatively displays both enormous reach and tremendous grip...sizzling with ideas and alive with imaginative energy, too...this is the most stirring novel AS Byatt has written since Possession * Sunday Times *
It's success is as a novel of ideas, forcefully and often memorably expressed, while the story follows darkening fortunes into a chastened postwar world -- Helen Dunmore * The Times *
Compelling...strenuously inclusive and also tremendously enriching - an intricate tale, energetically fashioned from sturdy strands of material, by "a spinning fairy in the attic", an indefatigable storyteller * Irish Times *
Astonishing power and resonance -- Jane Shilling * Sunday Telegraph *
More than a novel, this is a historical primer, discursive, shimmering with colour and texture, containing stories within stories and giving walk-on parts to luminaries of the age... For fans of Byatt this is better than Possession. A truly great novel * Daily Express *
Light and lustrous, commanding and transporting, The Children's Book is superb * Daily Mail *

  • Winner of James Tait Black Memorial Book Prize: Fiction 2009
  • Short-listed for Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2009

ISBN: 9780099535454

Dimensions: 196mm x 128mm x 36mm

Weight: 460g

624 pages