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A review by rhaines46
The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead
it makes an impression, alright
an unpleasant aspect of this book which I don't see mentioned much in the reviews here is that the parents make racist and anti-Semitic comments at various points throughout the story. The characters in question are also objectionable in all sorts of other ways, of course, it's kind of the main driving force of the whole novel
The Man Who Loved Children accomplishes some very impressive feats which are described far, far better in the introduction by Randall Jarrell than I could achieve in my own words. The gist of it, though, is that the characters in this story have failings of both morals and manners that are both continually mortifying and utterly believable, and that these characters make up a family which is more believable still, with their in-jokes and their special language and their laughing cruelty. Louie, the oldest daughter, sees the grotesque side of her family more clearly than anyone else (except perhaps the mother, Henny) and she is the pinnacle of misunderstood adolescence... this kid would have made the absolute nastiest zines if she had just lived 80 years later
an unpleasant aspect of this book which I don't see mentioned much in the reviews here is that the parents make racist and anti-Semitic comments at various points throughout the story. The characters in question are also objectionable in all sorts of other ways, of course, it's kind of the main driving force of the whole novel
The Man Who Loved Children accomplishes some very impressive feats which are described far, far better in the introduction by Randall Jarrell than I could achieve in my own words. The gist of it, though, is that the characters in this story have failings of both morals and manners that are both continually mortifying and utterly believable, and that these characters make up a family which is more believable still, with their in-jokes and their special language and their laughing cruelty. Louie, the oldest daughter, sees the grotesque side of her family more clearly than anyone else (except perhaps the mother, Henny) and she is the pinnacle of misunderstood adolescence... this kid would have made the absolute nastiest zines if she had just lived 80 years later