Reviews

The Children's Bach by Helen Garner

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ishan_m's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

3.75

Very fun afternoon read! Reminded me of Mrs Dalloway in the soap-like nature of storytelling. The writing is slightly economic, but it really works here, as you get to know exactly who these characters are the second they grace the page.

hein's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

4.0

Interesting prose style

Content Warnings

tashabye's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.75

A slow and sometimes disjointed read. The premise sounded interesting and I love that it is set in Australia in the 80s but overall it took me a while to get through as I was just not invested in any of the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for a chance to review the eARC edition in exchange for a fair and honest review.

tellthebeees's review against another edition

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reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Short, simple sentences create a short, devastating novel about the effects of marriage in a strangely prescient novel from the 1980s. Slightly too sparse- Normal People for Gen X, if you will- but weirdly devoid of any human sentiment. Maybe I'm too American and eager for drama and explosive conversations in a novel about a marriage-in-crisis, but the muted crescendo will definitely work for some.