The Man Who Loved Children: A Novel

By Christina Stead

Book Overview

Every family lives in an evolving story, told by all its members, inside a landscape of portentous events and characters. Their view of themselves is not shared by people looking from outside in--visitors, and particularly not relatives--for they have to see something pretty humdrum, even if, as in this case, the fecklessness them complain of is extreme.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805004998
• ISBN13: 9780805004991
• Release Date: September 1980
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 1.5" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

Couldn't crack the code....

I was reading a book by John Waters of "Hairspray" fame and he listed the 5 best books he has ever read. His list included this book, The Man Who Loved Children. The book is very long, and dense with small print and paragraphs that go on for half the page. I'm afraid I couldn't get past the first 10 pages. I picked it up 4 or 5 times, trying again to see what Mr. Waters found so fascinating. I couldn't do it. And I realized that if I forced myself to read it, with the length of the book I would have wasted several hours of my time when I could have been watching "RuPaul's Drag Race" instead.

Not a fan

I did not finish this book, I tossed this book out. After reading the book reviews and seeing that it was actually a favorite book of a few I thought I would give it a try. Sadly, I found it depressing, repetitive and decided I didn’t care enough about the characters. In its defense I was reading a depressing book during COVID-19.

One of the best novels of the 20th century

This heart-rending novel bleeds. It sweats. It screams. It is so vividly written that you truly feel each character's pain in this most dysfuntional of families. Every character, from the deluded patriarch to his betrayed son, is well drawn and distinct. The plot tightens the screws continually until the climax which is amazing in intensity. I read the last 200 pages of this book in one sitting and was wrung out by the end (the first time a book has ever done that to me!)I note above the criticism that this book has characters offering long baroque speeches. This is probably true. It's also probably too long. Regardless, you will never read a book as vivid, terrifying, painful yet life affirming as this one. It should be read by everyone who loves great literature.

A masterpiece sadly ignored by most literary readers.

"The Man Who Loved Children" is as overwhelming as Tolstoy's "War and Peace" in that it creates the reality in which the reader exists during the time it takes to read it. But it is, in many ways, the obverse of "War and Peace". It is a remarkable depiction of a family, and it moves inward rather than outward. It is a stunning piece of fiction, and is certainly one of the ten best novels of the century. Any real reader should be familiar with this book.

This is a fantastic, rich, gorgeous novel.

The definitive dysfunctional family novel. Unbelievable writing. A great plot, great characters, smart, scathing social commentary. Historical signifance. Kind of a 20th centruy Dickensian novel. If you love Dickens, but want something more modern, this is it.