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olliejudd00's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Traditionally written but emotive and sad.
jgraydee's review against another edition
4.0
This would make an excellent book club selection. Set in London, this novel has
multiple layers -- the complexity of a long marriage provides the background story, with moral questions from the main character's family law practice (she is a judge).
multiple layers -- the complexity of a long marriage provides the background story, with moral questions from the main character's family law practice (she is a judge).
punkinmuffin's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is only the second [a:Ian McEwan|2408|Ian McEwan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1404240951p2/2408.jpg] that I've read, the other being [b:Atonement|1083352|Atonement|Ian McEwan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1419704786l/1083352._SX50_.jpg|2307233]. That must have been more than a decade ago I think. I suspect these are his two best, based on what others have said. [b:The Children Act|21965107|The Children Act|Ian McEwan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405290619l/21965107._SX50_.jpg|40842571] is brilliant. The writing is understated but McEwan has a forensic eye for human frailty. I found it really difficult to put the book down, not because it was pacy, but because the writing was just so good. I read it in two days. Still haven't done the vacuuming. Meh.
mariaandrades97's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
I found this fascinating for the legal aspects it details - how a High Court judge reaches that post, her daily working life, how decisions are reached. Intensely interesting.
It's got a novella feel to it, quite short at 200 pages, it's brief and feels quite taut, I didn't feel it waffles or wasted words. I quite sped through it, enjoying visiting with Fiona.
She is our protagonist. A childless, middle-aged judge undergoing marital difficulties with a husband eager to reignite passion (if not with his wife then with someone else), all the while continuing her work. A case crops up that unexpectedly infiltrates into her life. That of Adam, a 17-year-old Jehovah's Witness with terminal leukaemia, refusing life-saving blood products. Her ruling will determine whether doctors can go against his wishes in his best interest.
We see Fiona meet Adam, her ruling. The aftermath. And the surprises that ensue.
It covers a lot of ground in its short span - not only religion. Adam quickly becomes a fleshed-out character, he and Fiona a two-piece theatre production, going head to head. Some intense scenes and it's easy to get drawn into the soul searching and ask yourself the same kinds of questions that the judge must.
I didn't really become interested in Fiona's home life and husband. Didn't feel it added anything to the story beyond character development. For me, the judges working life was the book.
Really readable look at a legal life and a horrific family situation.
I found this fascinating for the legal aspects it details - how a High Court judge reaches that post, her daily working life, how decisions are reached. Intensely interesting.
It's got a novella feel to it, quite short at 200 pages, it's brief and feels quite taut, I didn't feel it waffles or wasted words. I quite sped through it, enjoying visiting with Fiona.
She is our protagonist. A childless, middle-aged judge undergoing marital difficulties with a husband eager to reignite passion (if not with his wife then with someone else), all the while continuing her work. A case crops up that unexpectedly infiltrates into her life. That of Adam, a 17-year-old Jehovah's Witness with terminal leukaemia, refusing life-saving blood products. Her ruling will determine whether doctors can go against his wishes in his best interest.
We see Fiona meet Adam, her ruling. The aftermath. And the surprises that ensue.
It covers a lot of ground in its short span - not only religion. Adam quickly becomes a fleshed-out character, he and Fiona a two-piece theatre production, going head to head. Some intense scenes and it's easy to get drawn into the soul searching and ask yourself the same kinds of questions that the judge must.
I didn't really become interested in Fiona's home life and husband. Didn't feel it added anything to the story beyond character development. For me, the judges working life was the book.
Really readable look at a legal life and a horrific family situation.
clody's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
awwcripes's review against another edition
3.0
not his best work but I thought Fiona was interesting and some parts of her life made me wish I had made different choices in my own.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Book on CD narrated by Lindsay Duncan
Fiona Maye is a High Court judge who presides over cases in family court. She is highly regarded for her intelligence, sensitivity, and knowledge of the law. She is called upon to try an urgent case. A child and his parents are refusing life-saving treatment due to religious beliefs, and the hospital wants the Court to mandate that the treatment be given. His condition has deteriorated, and time is of the essence. But while Fiona is dealing with this heart-breaking legal case, her personal life also demands attention. The decisions she makes will have consequences for all.
I like the way that McEwan explores hidden emotions and the effects of those feelings on the characters’ decisions and actions. Fiona is trained to consider both sides, and to make decisions based on the evidence and the constraints of law. But she is human, after all, and humans frequently let emotion cloud their decisions. Try as she might to restrain her feelings, Fiona cannot entirely escape them. In the course of the novel Fiona faces several moral and ethical dilemmas; the decisions she faces in court are influenced by her personal life, and vice versa.
I was interested in the situation from the outset, partly because I recently retired from working at a major medical center in a pediatric hospital. Healthcare professionals are faced with these kinds of decisions more often than you might think. But McEwan lost me as the novel progressed, and when it ended I felt like I was missing something. This is the fourth novel by McEwan that I’ve read, but the first that isn’t also a selection for my F2F book group. I really enjoyed the discussions on those other novels; they helped cement the works in my memory. As I write this, it’s been a few days since I finished the book, and I have already lost details of it.
Lindsay Duncan does a fine job narrating the audio book. She has good pacing and great skill as a voice artist. I believed her when she was voicing Fiona, and I believe her when she was voicing Adam. 5***** for her audio performance.
Fiona Maye is a High Court judge who presides over cases in family court. She is highly regarded for her intelligence, sensitivity, and knowledge of the law. She is called upon to try an urgent case. A child and his parents are refusing life-saving treatment due to religious beliefs, and the hospital wants the Court to mandate that the treatment be given. His condition has deteriorated, and time is of the essence. But while Fiona is dealing with this heart-breaking legal case, her personal life also demands attention. The decisions she makes will have consequences for all.
I like the way that McEwan explores hidden emotions and the effects of those feelings on the characters’ decisions and actions. Fiona is trained to consider both sides, and to make decisions based on the evidence and the constraints of law. But she is human, after all, and humans frequently let emotion cloud their decisions. Try as she might to restrain her feelings, Fiona cannot entirely escape them. In the course of the novel Fiona faces several moral and ethical dilemmas; the decisions she faces in court are influenced by her personal life, and vice versa.
I was interested in the situation from the outset, partly because I recently retired from working at a major medical center in a pediatric hospital. Healthcare professionals are faced with these kinds of decisions more often than you might think. But McEwan lost me as the novel progressed, and when it ended I felt like I was missing something. This is the fourth novel by McEwan that I’ve read, but the first that isn’t also a selection for my F2F book group. I really enjoyed the discussions on those other novels; they helped cement the works in my memory. As I write this, it’s been a few days since I finished the book, and I have already lost details of it.
Lindsay Duncan does a fine job narrating the audio book. She has good pacing and great skill as a voice artist. I believed her when she was voicing Fiona, and I believe her when she was voicing Adam. 5***** for her audio performance.