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The Children's Book
a novel
688 pages
A lush, encyclopedic descent from a golden bohemian summer into the shattering realities of adulthood and war.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like wandering through a densely curated museum where every beautiful object hides a devastating secret. It is a deeply immersive, leisurely experience, demanding patience as it weaves a rich tapestry of Edwardian art, Fabian politics, and dark fairy tales. The atmosphere is intoxicating but increasingly suffocating, capturing the golden, sun-drenched illusion of a bohemian utopia before the brutal reality of the twentieth century tears it apart. The prose is encyclopedic and tactile, lingering on the glaze of a pot or the stitching of a dress while quietly laying the groundwork for profound tragedy. It is a magnificent, melancholic feast for readers who love sprawling, intellectually rigorous historical fiction that explores the destructive, selfish nature of artistic creation and the tragic loss of innocence.
- Mood
- lush
- foreboding
- elegiac
- golden-hued
- Tone
- erudite
- observant
- melancholic
- sweeping
- Pace
- leisurely
- Themes
- destructive nature of art · loss of innocence · generational trauma · illusion of childhood · bohemian hypocrisy
- The writing
- Dense, richly textured, and encyclopedic, filled with sensory details of art, nature, and material culture.
- The arc
- Begins in a sunlit, magical bohemian utopia and slowly descends into the devastating, inescapable tragedy of war and betrayal.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love immersive, intellectually demanding historical fiction that prioritizes atmosphere, art history, and complex family dynamics over rapid plot.
Content notes
- war trauma
- child neglect
- suicide
- infidelity
- sexual assault
About the book
When Olive Wellwood's oldest son discovers a runaway named Philip sketching in the basement of the new Victoria and Albert Museum--a talented working-class boy who could be a character out of one of Olive's magical tales--she takes him into the storybook world of her family and friends.But the joyful bacchanals Olive hosts at her rambling country house--and the separate, private books she writes for each of her seven children--conceal more treachery and darkness than Philip has ever imagined. As these lives--of adults and children alike--unfold, lies are revealed, hearts are broken, and the damaging truth about the Wellwoods slowly emerges. But their personal struggles, their hidden desires, will soon be eclipsed by far greater forces, as the tides turn across Europe and a golden era comes to an end.Taking us from the cliff-lined shores of England to Paris, Munich, and the trenches of the Somme, The Children's Book is a deeply affecting story of a singular family, played out against the great, rippling tides of the day. It is a masterly literary achievement by one of our most essential writers.From the Hardcover edition.
Description from Open Library.
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