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lizawall's review against another edition
4.0
I kept wishing that I could stop reading this book because it was so ugly, but I couldn't because it was too compelling. It almost physically hurt to read it because it is just bursting with too many sights, too many smells, too much STUFF all falling apart and disintegrating, things falling apart, children scrambling for any kind of understanding, and all this roly-poly, hurdy-gurdy dialog tripping along, ugh. And nothing has so much brought back for me the sensation of being a child in a family, but the truth is, I don't really want that sensation. You know how Tolstoy is bursting full of life in a happy way, and even what's sinister is endearing? The Man Who Loved Children reads a little bit like a refutation, where even what might be endearing is sinister, and the only possible respite comes from the ability to stare the ugly truth in the face and see it for what it is. It is bursting full of a kind of life, but it is a life more like decay. Well, in conclusion, I think this was a very good novel and showed a certain angle of truth extraordinarily well, but thank god there are other angles too.
nlgeorge73's review against another edition
5.0
How is the author, Christina Stead, not a household name along with other great authors??
The Man Who Loved Children is no carefree beach read, but neither is To Kill a Mockingbird or the Brothers Karamazov. Written with such intelligence that delves into the depths of human struggles yet displays a ruthless wit into the absurdity of human foibles. Blown away! This 5-star rating is from a reader who rarely denotes many books worthy of this rating.
The Man Who Loved Children is no carefree beach read, but neither is To Kill a Mockingbird or the Brothers Karamazov. Written with such intelligence that delves into the depths of human struggles yet displays a ruthless wit into the absurdity of human foibles. Blown away! This 5-star rating is from a reader who rarely denotes many books worthy of this rating.
lewreviews's review against another edition
4.0
And there you have it... all my uni books for this semester are done! Wow, honestly didn't think I'd be able to do it. Shout out to Corona for giving me plenty of time in front of the heater with my books in hand.
But alas, what about the book, Lewis? Well, let me tell you about this suspect book title and its surprising contents within. The Man Who Loved Children was chosen by my course for the fact that is a 'forgotten classic,' lost to the annals of time but recently resurgent as a merit to Australian literature. Christina Stead is masterful in her writing, so I am glad that this book has surfaced for modern readers, giving them a taste of 1930's Australia, despite the book being set in America.
For a domestic plot, the book is surprisingly thrilling. The family dynamics are downright horrifying, with the relationships so fractured that the husband and wife use their children to relay messages to each other. Sam, the father, is a straight-up loony, so in love with childhood that he speaks in this abhorred tone and lexicon that brings him down to the level of his kids. I may not have hated a character as much as him before. He is downright insufferable and just tortures his wife and eldest kids.
But he's a character you love to hate, and that sentiment resounds strongly throughout the novel. The family is so cringeworthy in its suffering that is comical, as the book turns from horrifying domestic plot to a clear satire of familial relationships. When that realisation is made, the book becomes suddenly brilliant. The walls of Sam's utopia come crashing down when outsiders enter the home, and we instantly see the facade that he lives in, and how pathetic his actions are. Is there justice, though? I don't think so. Without giving away anything, I was satisfied with the ending, but I do wish the coin flipped on its other side.
I am grateful to my course as I highly doubt I would have discovered this book otherwise. A great read! - another reviewer said it best that its a book that you hate, but then love to hate. It's weird. Like, it's painful to read, but it's highly entertaining... very well written... this review is not a great recommendation I can tell... ignore me... just rambling... give it a try?
Side note: how good is English at the University of Sydney. Wow. Best semester yet. And I have another one in a few months! Wow. A whole subject on the Bronte sisters. How good.
But alas, what about the book, Lewis? Well, let me tell you about this suspect book title and its surprising contents within. The Man Who Loved Children was chosen by my course for the fact that is a 'forgotten classic,' lost to the annals of time but recently resurgent as a merit to Australian literature. Christina Stead is masterful in her writing, so I am glad that this book has surfaced for modern readers, giving them a taste of 1930's Australia, despite the book being set in America.
For a domestic plot, the book is surprisingly thrilling. The family dynamics are downright horrifying, with the relationships so fractured that the husband and wife use their children to relay messages to each other. Sam, the father, is a straight-up loony, so in love with childhood that he speaks in this abhorred tone and lexicon that brings him down to the level of his kids. I may not have hated a character as much as him before. He is downright insufferable and just tortures his wife and eldest kids.
But he's a character you love to hate, and that sentiment resounds strongly throughout the novel. The family is so cringeworthy in its suffering that is comical, as the book turns from horrifying domestic plot to a clear satire of familial relationships. When that realisation is made, the book becomes suddenly brilliant. The walls of Sam's utopia come crashing down when outsiders enter the home, and we instantly see the facade that he lives in, and how pathetic his actions are. Is there justice, though? I don't think so. Without giving away anything, I was satisfied with the ending, but I do wish the coin flipped on its other side.
I am grateful to my course as I highly doubt I would have discovered this book otherwise. A great read! - another reviewer said it best that its a book that you hate, but then love to hate. It's weird. Like, it's painful to read, but it's highly entertaining... very well written... this review is not a great recommendation I can tell... ignore me... just rambling... give it a try?
Side note: how good is English at the University of Sydney. Wow. Best semester yet. And I have another one in a few months! Wow. A whole subject on the Bronte sisters. How good.
lisawhelpley's review against another edition
Wow, I just didn't like this one bit. I read 12% but am giving up. Not for me.
katdid's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like I need someone to explain this book to me, basically. It was not a particularly enjoyable read, although there's a lot to admire in terms of style and form and characterisation and observations - particularly in light of when it was written. Stead is savage! and Sam Pollit is relentlessly unsufferable; jesus, he is the worst, maybe second only to Ignatius J. Reilly. Do really appreciate the term "Pollitry" to describe the antics of that side of the family.
rheashami's review against another edition
Real rating: 4.5
On Sam- “Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, I can’t stand your gassing, oh, what a windbag, what will shut you up, shut up, shut up.”
On the setting- especially the first half, felt very much like it was set in Australia and was hastily edited after the fact to change to the US, or maybe that’s just because I went in knowing the author was from aus.
On the ending- big oof.
On Sam- “Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, I can’t stand your gassing, oh, what a windbag, what will shut you up, shut up, shut up.”
On the setting- especially the first half, felt very much like it was set in Australia and was hastily edited after the fact to change to the US, or maybe that’s just because I went in knowing the author was from aus.
On the ending- big oof.
jayden_mccomiskie's review against another edition
5.0
This book grows on you. Please stick at it. You may want to quit after 100 or so pages. Sam Pollit is the evil that looms in half formed ideas and narcissistic kindness. He is a criminal who believes he has committed no crime other than love. But his "love" is toxic. It is malignant. It is childish. He is cruel. Stead has written a beautiful novel that can only be fully grasped by finishing its 500+ pages. I have given it 4 stars. But I feel other the next couple of days it will haunt me to a 5.
chloejoy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
libbymon's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicide