The Children of Men
by P.D. James
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Book Reviews of The Children of Men
Book Review: Good but certainly no "1984"
Summary: 3 Stars
I recommended this novel for our book club based on the recommendation of a colleague who had read it and then seen the film. Mind you, I have had mixed reactions to other books by PD James, but I undertook this novel with a somewhat open mind and positive expectations. First of all, PD James writes beautifully. It is almost a pleasure to read this book from the standpoint of its structure and power of description. The book is what I would call a "dystopic" novel--like Orwell's more famous "1984" or Wells' "Brave New World,"--as it attempts to describe a future that is not very pleasant and a "dictatorial" government (personified here as the all-powerful "Xan))interferes with even the most personal aspects of human life. The novel's premise, that mankind is on the way to oblivion because human reproduction inexplicably and suddenly has grinded to a halt--is very disturbing and thought-provoking. (One wonders why there has been no further attempts at human cloning?) There are some very disturbing scenes in the first half ("Omega") of the book,including a scene where one middle-aged woman "assaults" the surrogate doll-baby of a "mother." The "Quietus"--an alleged volunteer group suidide of the elderly--is equally shocking. However, this is also a story about a 50 year-old university professor who learns how to love under the most difficult of circumstances. It is at this level, however, and at the level of the characters in the book, that I felt most disappointed. They never seem to be fully fleshed out. As a result, the second half ("Alpha") doesn't seem to deliver the goods. And though well written, the book falls a bit hollow and flat with none of the resonance of "1984."Book Review: It was with a thumb wet with his own tears and stained with her blood...
Summary: 4 Stars
I just finished P.D. James' The Children of Men. Like many, I came to this book after seeing the excellent film by Alfonso Cuarón based on P.D.'s book. Let me state unequivocally: if you are expecting to read the book version of the movie, you will be sorely disappointed.
The book shares very little with the film. In fact, I can share the similarities with you. The premise is the same - humans can't breed, there have been no births for over twenty-five years. The main character's name is Theo. He has an elderly friend named Jasper. There is a character named Julian. There is a pregnant girl. There is a scene where a log is blocking a road. That about covers it.
Now, one might think that this means the book was not good, however one would be wrong. The book is excellent, absolutely entertaining, shocking, and melancholy. The first quarter of the book reads like a beautiful eulogy for the human race. The characters are flawed, and so like real people. trapped in their unconscious programming and only change when the universe, or in this case, P.D. James, whacks them upside the head with the consequences of their actions. Actually, like the film, it's dark, yet ultimately hopeful. And somehow it makes you wonder if perhaps it had been best if we'd died off anyway.
I think it best, that if you're coming to this book after having seen the film, you must erase your mind of the movie, and think of this as a completely different entity with only a few coincidental similarities. Otherwise, the memory of the phenomenal film could taint one's experience and ruin a perfectly good novel.
Book Review: Sleeping with the fishes
Summary: 3 Stars
This story starts on Friday, January 1, 2021, with news of a death, that of, "the last human being to be born on earth." There is also a bit about a birth, that of the main character, Theodore "Theo" Faron, PhD, a (p 4) "divorced, childless, solitary" historian, and, more importantly, "cousin to Xan Lyppiatt, the dictator and Warden of England, who shares in a journal entry that he was born 50 years prior. In the future, humans are no longer able to procreate; however, prospective breeders, both male and female (with few exceptions), are forced into being regularly checked for fertility. Most are resigned to the fact that the race is nearing extinction. Fortunately, a few hold on to hope. Choosing to take action against the establishment, members of a dissident group approach Theo, share their concerns, and try to enlist his help in convincing his cousin to make the world a better place. Theo's love-interested involvement with the Five Fishes yields lots of action and leads to a dramatic climax.
Although The Children of Men has an intriguing plot and thought-provoking societal parallels to current day issues (e.g. immigration, incarceration, treatment of the elderly), the tale is slow and sometimes tedious, little happens until Chapter 21 (over halfway through), and the ending, though climactic and surprising, is also a bit silly, especially as to ramifications for the continuation of the race. Better: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Book Review: Coulda Been Less Ho Hum
Summary: 2 Stars
This is essentially a tepid version of Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale."
Both books take place in the near future, when for some reason humanity has lost its ability to reproduce. Nobody is producing babies any more and society as we know it collapses. New, repressive governments take over, civil liberties are squashed, and social miscreants are packed off to some remote place where they run lawless and kill each other. The governments are doing everything in their power to get someone, anyone, to reproduce, but it's all in vain.
Margaret Atwood's book is vivid. It provides sensation after sensation, so you feel you're living the experience. You witness public hangings, torture and rape, and you live through severe repression. In fact, the book gave me nightmares.
PD James's book is more removed, at least the first 90%. Her characters mention enforced sperm tests for males and government-run porn businesses, but you never see them in the book. It's very genteel, no-sex-please-we're-British-and-we-cling-to-our-pointless-useless-lifeless-and-absurd-religion.
The main character in Atwood's book is a fighter. The main character in James' book is a wet fish.
I found "Children of Men" a great way to put me to sleep; I couldn't read more than a page or two before my eyelids grew heavy.
Note: the last 10% gets down to the nitty-gritty and really perked my interest, but I doubt I'll read another PD James novel again.
Book Review: Thought-provoking and masterfully-written novel of a possible dystopian future.
Summary: 4 Stars
I will freely admit that I originally picked this up because I saw that Alfonso Cuaron was making a movie of it. I love nitpicking book-to-movie adaptions, it was about a dystopian near-future, and I actually really liked the Harry potter film that Cuaron directed (insert horrified gasping followed by the sound of dozens of Potterfen defriending Marie here) so I figured it might make a worthwhile read. It was definitely worthwhile, if not exactly enjoyable (I mean, it's dystopian spec fic, after all). James, who is more famous for her detective novels, obviously knows what she's doing. The writing was first rate, the story both chilling and intriguing.
Like most dystopias, this one is centered around one big "what if" question: What if the human race just lost the ability to reproduce over night? James paints a deft portrait of a world slowly crumbling under the weight of it's own hopelessness and ennui, and the vision is compelling.
I found it easy to become engrossed in this book, despite the fact that I felt at best lukewarm toward the main character, Theo. It's a credit to James' skill that she is able to present a character that is neither likable nor particularly offensive in anyway (who is, really, very average in his small, selfish way) and still makes the reader care enough to read on.
Anyway, definitely a rewarding read. Judging from the trailer, the movie will bear only a passing resemblance to the source material, but it certainly looks interesting, if nothing else.