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A review by lewreviews
The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead
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.