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mrmokek 's review for:
The Man Who Loved Children
by Christina Stead
challenging
dark
sad
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
At long last it's over
What makes this book great is its subject matter and how it's presented - this is a great exploration of domestic abuse and power dynamics within domestic abuse situations (especially gendered ones)
Some of the content is so oddly specific (and to me at least, uncannily accurate) that it's clear it came straight from Stead's personal experiences, which is kinda heartbreaking
I studied this book for a course so I also have lots of appreciation for the language used and whatnot, but at the same time, I can't deny that while I really appreciated the domestic abuse portrayal (representation?), this book was exhausting to read - not because of the content, but the writing and pacing
The writing style of the narration takes a while to get used to and even when you do it's horribly slow, and there are so many cultural references to 1950s washington/Baltimore that leave a modern reader with their eyes glazing over. It can definitely be argued this is purposeful (particularly in Sam's dialogue) but that doesn't make it any less tiresome. Same goes for the pacing
To me, the content of this book makes it a 4.5ish but the writing style/my enjoyment of it makes it a 3, so I'm splitting the difference
Read it to analyse it, not for fun
What makes this book great is its subject matter and how it's presented - this is a great exploration of domestic abuse and power dynamics within domestic abuse situations (especially gendered ones)
Some of the content is so oddly specific (and to me at least, uncannily accurate) that it's clear it came straight from Stead's personal experiences, which is kinda heartbreaking
I studied this book for a course so I also have lots of appreciation for the language used and whatnot, but at the same time, I can't deny that while I really appreciated the domestic abuse portrayal (representation?), this book was exhausting to read - not because of the content, but the writing and pacing
The writing style of the narration takes a while to get used to and even when you do it's horribly slow, and there are so many cultural references to 1950s washington/Baltimore that leave a modern reader with their eyes glazing over. It can definitely be argued this is purposeful (particularly in Sam's dialogue) but that doesn't make it any less tiresome. Same goes for the pacing
To me, the content of this book makes it a 4.5ish but the writing style/my enjoyment of it makes it a 3, so I'm splitting the difference
Read it to analyse it, not for fun