***Group Read of The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt

Hi everyone! Just wanted to get a thread started to discuss The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt. I've been meaning to read this book for a while but haven't made time for it, so this group read is the push I need.

Curious how you all like to handle discussion for a group read. Do you prefer to discuss as we go, adding info at the top of each post about spoilers? Would you rather we set a date towards the end of the month to all discuss the entire book at the same time? Or should we just let things unfold as they come?

I'll probably be starting this in a week or so. Hope there are many who'd like to join in!

I completely failed in my earlier attempt to read The Children's Book so this group read is probably what I need to help me get through it. I don't have a preference for the discussion format. I will leave that for others to weigh in with their preferences.

I'm planning on reading this book in January - I hope! I'm fine with any organisation of group discussion - my main concern is that I actually read it. This is my fourth group read I've signed up for in January, sixth if I count the CAT's...

This book has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years, so I'm happy to join this group read.

I'm planning to get started as soon as I get the book from the library. It's ready for pick-up. I just need to get there.

Hmmm. . . it looks interesting. But do I want to commit to a book that is almost 900 pages? Need to think on this one.

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

>6 bruce_krafft: - You had to mention the 900 odd pages..... *starts to panic* ;-)

my version is 617 pages but it is really small print! Haven't started yet!

*shutters* - did not look into how big the book was when I signed up for this group read - but it looked like an interesting read... guess I better get on checking it out from the library - how ever you decided for discussion is fine with me - I have never done a group read before so I'm not sure how I would prefer things to be :)

Yay - it fits in another challenge - it's a 2fer :)

I've just started and it's made a good first impression. Because no one had a strong opinion on how to do the discussion, let's just leave it open to comments/questions as we go.

Please add an indication of where in the book you are in bold or caps or something similar at the top of your post if you want to comment or question to avoid giving spoilers. Sometimes in a longer book it's nice to get to chat while reading. After it seems like most people have finished, we can open up the thread to any discussion without worrying about spoilers.

Happy reading - I think this is going to be a good one!

ALMOST HALF WAY

Lovely coincidence to find this thread. This book has been on my bedside table for a couple of years. I decided it will be my first read of 2015 to get it out of the way. I started yesterday and am almost half way through (I love holidays). Really enjoying the story so far - particularly the setting and the historical bits like the exhibition in Paris. There is quite the cast of characters to keep track of though.

Never in my life done a group read, but co-incidentally am just starting this book, so will be interested to read the thoughts of others.

The size of this book is indeed daunting, but I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm about a quarter of the way through.

I'm about half way through and definitely enjoying it. I have to say it is a bit draining to read, though. There's something about the ornateness of both her writing and her ideas that takes a lot of attention. I really like it, but it's different than I'm used to. I keep thinking of the Rococo movement with all it's ornate features and florid curves.

Byatt is an interesting writer.

I'm on page 350 after a mammoth reading session. Yes, I agree with last comment, the author certainly envelops you in the Arts and Crafts world, with her lengthy descriptions of pieces of pottery and every single costume that is worn to a dance. But I am enjoying it as I get into it.

I've just finished the book and I absolutely loved it. I definitely found it worth the investment of time. Hoping others are enjoying it and will be up for some discussion towards the end of the month. I suspect I'll be thinking about this book for a long time to come.

I'm 65 pages before the end and am also really enjoying it.

I have decided that I am not going to make this read this time around. I will add it to my read sometime in the future list.

I just haven't got enough reading time this month. Life is interfering!!

I'm about halfway through and still enjoying the book immensely. However, it's a slow read, and it's not the kind of book I want to rush through either. I love visiting museums and the reading experience is like a leisurely stroll through an art museum ... lots to look at and examine in detail.

I've only just started it. So far, so good!

I started this book and got about 100 pages in before giving up... not so much my thing... I was probably an interesting and good story but it was to slow for me at this time.... maybe another time in the future!

I'm not quite halfway through this one, I've been trying to squeeze it in between other reads but finally decided I'm going to just dedicate a few days to finishing it up! I definitely agree with >15 japaul22: that it takes quite a bit of attention. Still, I'm enjoying the style, very visual.

Glad to see there are people still reading this! Would everyone agree with opening the thread up to discussion in the next few days? People who are reading still could join in whenever they are done, but everyone would know that we wouldn't have to worry about spoilers anymore. Anyone not done who doesn't want spoilers should just not read the thread til finished.

Is Wednesday, Jan 28 ok?

I'm sorry to say I've put it off. Got the first 100 or so pages done but need something lighter.

>24 japaul22: That would be OK with me. I'm about 3/4 of the way through. I don't know if I'll be done by Wednesday, but I should be done soon after that, and I'll resume reading the thread at that point.

Anyone out there care to discuss the book? General or specific comments or questions are welcome.

I found myself thinking a lot about the differences between the Victorian and Edwardian eras in terms of perception vs. actuality. For instance, Victorians are perceived as being prudish. The Wellwoods obviously always saw themselves as progressive within this social constraint, but their open marriage went farther than I expected. And many of the Edwardian children seemed (known for their more free-wheeling attitudes) seemed more conservative, probably as a reaction to their parents.

I also loved all the history that Byatt works in. I was particularly struck by the women's suffrage movement. I'm American and didn't know much about the British movement. I will never forget the mental image of the woman throwing herself in front of the horse. I was jolted out of that movement, though, by the WWI story, which I expect happened in "real life" as well.

I just found this thread. I've been working on the book for a couple of weeks now, but it is slow going. About 1/4 into it. Will be leaving on a 2-week vacation soon and won't be taking this one along, so it will likely be the end of February before I finish, or maybe even later. I'll leave the thread to all the spoiler discussions and come back when I'm done. Looking forward to a lively discussion when I come back!

January has been a month of starting books and not finishing them. But today I finished The Children's Book!

My initial rating of this book is 3.5/5 stars. I did enjoy reading it, it packed a lot in about the late Victorian/Edwardian era (which I love) and was clever but I felt like there were too many characters and none of them were central they all faded in and out as this or that historical moment played out. I felt like I was skimming the surface of these characters and they were just a way to showcase the era. Hedda for example... I don't want to spoil it as her main story comes near the end but why she became what she was and what she did was unexplained and could have been switched over to any other female character that was spare. It's a bit frustrating as I want to love this book as it ticked so many boxes for me but it left me cold.

Forgot to say... the Women's Suffrage Movement and WW1 stuff reminded me of the TV miniseries Parade's End - I really must read the book!

>29 kiwiflowa: I can see your point about the characters being secondary to the history. I liked that, though. I thought it was clever to have different characters take prominence in the era they would have taken prominence. For example, Olive fading out of the story as the children come into their own struck me as how society perceives older women. (not that I agree!)

I did wish that Hedda had been more developed, but mainly because I would have liked to know more about the women's suffrage movement.

Despite the history taking preference, I'd say that of the eight fiction books I read this month, the characters in The CHildren's Book are the ones I remember best.

Parade's End was not on my radar, but now it is. Thanks!

I tried to join in on this group read. Got to Part 5/Chapter 9, but I just wasn't enjoying it. Abandoned this one.

I finally finished this book. It was very long and crammed with details, but I absolutely loved it! I'm certain I'll be doing a reread of it at a future time, as there was an awful lot to absorb on first reading.

I've been thinking about which characters I liked best. They were all interesting in their own ways, and some developed in unpredictable ways. Dorothy, Philip and Elsie really appealed to me; I tend to gravitate toward characters who are resourceful and practical. I also liked the fact that Basil and Katerina, who seemed materialistic and snobbish at the beginning of the book, turned out to be the most kind and warmhearted of the older generation in the end.

Thank you, japaul22, for setting up this group read. I really do appreciate it, as it motivated me to finally take this book off my shelf and give it the attention and time it deserves!

It's funny how sometimes leaving a book to sit in your head for a month changes your opinions about it.

I really enjoyed the book whilst reading it - great writing, rich setting, interesting historical backdrop (or foreground) but several weeks later, I can't really remember the characters or the plot even. Instead my impression is like a collage of tableaus.

The comments in the threads above are bringing back bits of the story but I don't feel I have anything useful to contribute to a discussion now.

>32 mathgirl40: I agree about Basil and Katerina. It was interesting that they ended up being so accepting, but I suppose the War changed many people - some in that direction and some in the opposite.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I also needed a push to get to such a large book, especially when I knew enough about Byatt's writing to know it would not only be long but also dense. I was happy there was interest in a group read!

>33 JenMDB: I have that issue a lot with books, even books I enjoy, where my memories fade so quickly. For me though, The Children's Book was my most memorable book from January, even though I read some other excellent books. For some reason, the intertwining of the characters and the history is making it stick for me.

Anyone else still reading? I have the thread starred, so no matter when you finish, I'll be around to read and respond to any comments.

I decided to sit this one out and participate in some of the other group reads in later months. But reading through this thread makes me want to read The Children's Book.

I'm still reading, and getting very close to the end. Mostly enjoying it, but it's been such a long one that I'm ready to be done so I can move on to something else!

Finished last night. Quite a lot happening in the last 100 pages, isn't there? The book is so big - so many characters - so much time passes and so much history happens. It's hard to take it all in and condense it down into a single statement of "what the book is about".

>38 sjmccreary: I agree. I will certainly need to do a reread in the future to fully appreciate all the details.

>38 sjmccreary: It does have a lot of ideas and information in it, doesn't it? I thought as I was reading that the characters would end up taking a back seat to the history when I had some distance from the book, but after a couple of months I still remember both equally.

I thought it was amazing how well Byatt integrates the history into the novel. The historical era seems to influence not just the events, but the pacing and tone of the novel in each section.

I quite liked the history. It helped to put the story into context. I like books that have a lot of characters, like this one. When they're well written, that is. This large cast of characters was mostly well developed. None of them jumped out at me as being a cardboard character. I enjoyed the focus on Basil and Katerina at the end. Makes me wonder what happened to some of the others - Olive and Humphrey, for instance. And Dorothy.

Yes, I also wished to know what happened to some of the characters that disappeared from the plot. But, then again, the book was probably long enough!

(Just found this thread.)

I'm a huge A S Byatt fan. I've read almost all her fiction, most of her non-fiction and had to get this in hardback when it first came out. I LOVED it. Loved the historical setting, the vast cast of characters and the smoothly-flowing writing. Parts of it made me think of Middlemarch at the time and I wish I could now remember why. And, mostly, I thoroughly enjoyed the story-within-a-story bits.

What I've always loved about Byatt's work is how she is both a storyteller and a writer. What I mean is that some authors can spin a good yarn and some are technically terrific at writing. Some can do both so well that, no matter what they write, they reel us in. Byatt also has such deep scholarly knowledge of ancient myths and fairytales that it manages to get into most of her work, if not always so explicitly.

I wonder if there will be more new fiction from her. There was Ragnarok: The End of the Gods a couple of years ago. I haven't read it yet. But, I do hope she hasn't stopped writing.