Reviews

The Children Act by Ian McEwan

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lynnski723's review against another edition

4.0

It’s been a while since I’ve read an Ian McEwan book – I had forgotten how well he writes. The topics within this book will truly make you think and self-reflect as to how you would handle a situation and/or how you would want it handled. And not just a singular situation, there are multiple of them. As a judge in England, the main character has to decide the future of some children, but she also has issues in her personal life that she must deal with as well. Honestly, I wish it had ended differently but overall, it was a really good read and I highly recommend it.

catriona176's review against another edition

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challenging sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

matildamundy's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

daphnesayshi's review against another edition

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4.0

Two main observations:

1.The book started off slow, and it took me a while to get into it. That being said, things picked up considerably after Adam's appearance and well, I never should have doubted McEwan. Everything happens for a reason as they say, and the speed (or lack thereof) of prose and detachment were deliberate.

2. And this being McEwan, I was waiting the entire time, with bated breath, for the other shoe to drop. or for a shoe to drop. but it never quite did, and I'm inclined to believe it's also deliberate.

all in all, a good read, and one that I found myself surprisingly unable to put down during its final act.

hadeanstars's review against another edition

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3.0

I'd not read any McEwan before this, although I've seen a couple of film adaptations of his work and The Children Act seems consistent. In my view, McEwan is a Uranian, he likes to take interesting moral and intellectual conundrums and spin them out into a drama. So, on balance, I can say with confidence, that this novel is interesting. The story follows a judge who has to make a life and death decision, and as she works through this challenging case, her usually settled personal life begins to unravel.

The real interest here, for me at least, lies in the sense of self-deception that can plague even the most considered and Saturnine of individuals, if the pressure is exactly intense enough. A single thoughtless act that gets away in a moment has a dreadful consequence.

As an idea then, very intriguing, but not for me. It seems like a novel of the mind rather than of the heart.