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A review by mepresley
The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Spanning from 1895 to 1919, the novel is set against the backdrop of late Victorian and Edwardian England and, of course, World War I (near the end of the narrative). Divided into 4 parts, "Beginnings," "The Silver Age," "The Golden Age," and "The Lead Age," The Children's Book delves deep into the socio-cultural issues of the time period, particularly regarding class and gender. Byatt clearly spent time doing her research and some of the historical names and events, the different groups of socialists and anarchists and feminists, the political players, can get a bit overwhelming. However, it's also fascinating and I had a good background for the novel, as someone with a PhD focused in Victorian literature. In addition to England, we spend time in France and Germany.
It is, as well, the story of stories, with a focus on both mythology and narratives written for children. Also taking center stage at various points are puppetry and ceramics. Our main family is the Wellwoods. The matriarch, Olive, writes fairy stories for kids. Olive and her husband, Humphrey, have 7 children. When the novel begins, Tom is 13, Dorothy is 11, Phyllis is 9, Hedda is 5, Florian is 3, Robin is a baby, and Harry is not yet born. The patriarch, Humphrey, is a banker turned journalist. Olive's sister, Violet, lives with them and helps to care for the children.
Other characters include Humphrey's brother, Basil, his wife Katharina, and--more centrally--their children, Charles/ Karl and Griselda; Prosper Cain, curator at the museum where our tale begins, and his children, Julian and Florence; Philip Warren and his sister, Elsie; the famous potter Benedict Fludd, his wife Sarah-Jane, and their daughters, Imogen and Pomona; theater director/ playwright August Steyning; puppet-master Anselm Stern and his sons, Wolfgang and Leon; author Herbert Methley and his wife, Phoebe; and school-mistress Marian Oakeshott and her son, Robin.
As is usual for Byatt, the novel plays with form. Within its pages, for instance, we see various pieces of Olive's fiction writing as well as poetry by Julian Cain. We also see many, many theater performances, including A Midsummer Night's Dream, a puppet version of Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Olive's own Tom Underground.
While things do, of course, happen plot-wise, this is very much a novel of atmosphere and character. I enjoyed reading this, and was especially fond of Dorothy, Griselda, Florence, and Hedda.
It is, as well, the story of stories, with a focus on both mythology and narratives written for children. Also taking center stage at various points are puppetry and ceramics. Our main family is the Wellwoods. The matriarch, Olive, writes fairy stories for kids. Olive and her husband, Humphrey, have 7 children. When the novel begins, Tom is 13, Dorothy is 11, Phyllis is 9, Hedda is 5, Florian is 3, Robin is a baby, and Harry is not yet born. The patriarch, Humphrey, is a banker turned journalist. Olive's sister, Violet, lives with them and helps to care for the children.
Other characters include Humphrey's brother, Basil, his wife Katharina, and--more centrally--their children, Charles/ Karl and Griselda; Prosper Cain, curator at the museum where our tale begins, and his children, Julian and Florence; Philip Warren and his sister, Elsie; the famous potter Benedict Fludd, his wife Sarah-Jane, and their daughters, Imogen and Pomona; theater director/ playwright August Steyning; puppet-master Anselm Stern and his sons, Wolfgang and Leon; author Herbert Methley and his wife, Phoebe; and school-mistress Marian Oakeshott and her son, Robin.
As is usual for Byatt, the novel plays with form. Within its pages, for instance, we see various pieces of Olive's fiction writing as well as poetry by Julian Cain. We also see many, many theater performances, including A Midsummer Night's Dream, a puppet version of Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Olive's own Tom Underground.
While things do, of course, happen plot-wise, this is very much a novel of atmosphere and character. I enjoyed reading this, and was especially fond of Dorothy, Griselda, Florence, and Hedda.