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andreacpowers's review against another edition
4.0
I had a hard time putting this down when I needed to. The writing was just lovely. I knew before going in that the movie was only loosely based on the book.
beccaboyes's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this.
PD James’ prose is incredible. The way things are described and characterised is perhaps some of the best I’ve read in recent memory. But good prose cannot save a boring book.
The premise intrigued me - I’d heard of the film but had never gotten round to watching it, so thought I’d try reading the original version first. Let’s just say, it’s a slog, and I’ve been forced to leave it for now (I refuse to DNF books but it may take me a while to return to this), because of one simple reason.
I am over halfway into the book, and the conflict has not started.
The world building is immaculate, realistic, gripping - but when the first 140 pages of the book are taken up by Theo Farron recounting his past and current life, and seemingly attempting to delve into the problems of the Quietus only to put brakes on fit for an airplane, the pace of the book becomes excruciatingly slow and tedious. This is not helped by the sheer unlikeable nature of our POV character, and while I know where the story leads because of the trailer for the film, the middle of the book seems lost in a sea of world building and descriptions of Theo thinking himself better than everyone else, rather than... you know... introducing the major plot?
I like to push through books I’m not fond of, but if you don’t introduce your main plot before the halfway mark, you have not written a good book. The Children of Men is a book with an excellent and gripping premise, but this seems to be all PD James had up her sleeve.
PD James’ prose is incredible. The way things are described and characterised is perhaps some of the best I’ve read in recent memory. But good prose cannot save a boring book.
The premise intrigued me - I’d heard of the film but had never gotten round to watching it, so thought I’d try reading the original version first. Let’s just say, it’s a slog, and I’ve been forced to leave it for now (I refuse to DNF books but it may take me a while to return to this), because of one simple reason.
I am over halfway into the book, and the conflict has not started.
The world building is immaculate, realistic, gripping - but when the first 140 pages of the book are taken up by Theo Farron recounting his past and current life, and seemingly attempting to delve into the problems of the Quietus only to put brakes on fit for an airplane, the pace of the book becomes excruciatingly slow and tedious. This is not helped by the sheer unlikeable nature of our POV character, and while I know where the story leads because of the trailer for the film, the middle of the book seems lost in a sea of world building and descriptions of Theo thinking himself better than everyone else, rather than... you know... introducing the major plot?
I like to push through books I’m not fond of, but if you don’t introduce your main plot before the halfway mark, you have not written a good book. The Children of Men is a book with an excellent and gripping premise, but this seems to be all PD James had up her sleeve.
marlisenicole's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lauren_h's review against another edition
2.0
I almost gave this book 3 stars because it started to get interesting right at the end but then I remembered all I had to wade through to get there and I could only give it 2.
For me this was a cool idea with a poor execution. I found most of the characters unlikeable and so I really didn’t care if they survived. Plus, the diary entries that make up the first 5 chapters were painfully slow. I almost gave up then but I really hate to give up on a book.
Overall I found the whole book rather lackluster.
For me this was a cool idea with a poor execution. I found most of the characters unlikeable and so I really didn’t care if they survived. Plus, the diary entries that make up the first 5 chapters were painfully slow. I almost gave up then but I really hate to give up on a book.
Overall I found the whole book rather lackluster.
ella_kate's review against another edition
3.5
It was a thought-provoking book that had an initial great set up, I just wasn’t a fan of how the concept played out at times. I also think because of its similarities to other books of the genre, I naturally kept comparing it and noticing what it lacked compared to them.
dlmalm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rapini's review against another edition
3.0
I saw the movie first and did not particularly enjoy it, mostly because the violence and extreme action are not to my taste in entertainment. Therefore I was reluctant to read this book, but I did anyway because my book group chose it. I enjoyed this book much more than expected -- and the book is quite different in plot and tone from the movie -- but the dystopic setting is still not my favorite.
chloe_row's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
erinbirnel's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25