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The Child's Child cover art

The Child's Child

By: Barbara Vine
Narrated by: Finty Williams
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Summary

What sort of betrayal would drive a brother and sister apart? When Grace and her brother Andrew inherit their grandmother's house, they surprise few people by deciding to move in together. But they've always got on well and the London house is large enough to split down the middle. There's just one thing they've not taken into account though: what if one of them wants to bring a lover to the house?

When Andrew's partner, James, moves in, and immediately picks a fight about the treatment of gay men, the balance is altered - with almost fatal consequences.

The Child's Child is both an intriguing examination of betrayal in families, and a taut, thrilling listen.

©2013 Barbara Vine (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Child's Child

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Disjointed and disappointing

I've read a lot of Barbara Vine, and listened to quite a few. One or two have been disappointing but Asta's Book and The Dark-Adapted Eye are superb, so I was really looking forward to this listen. However, it was very disappointing. About half the book is taken up with a 'book within a book' which was OK. There were parallels between the modern day situation and that in the 'book within', but nothing startling - no 'Aha' moment. There were also hints at the beginning of the story that there was going to be more to it. There is reference to a 'ghost'; and one of the characters has a disproportionate reaction to a situation that made one think 'Oooh what is he hiding?' The answer appears to be nothing. I was left checking my library for part 3 in which the strands which have been developed are pulled together - but there is no part 3. A very disappointing listen.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Not at the top of her game

Although I enjoyed this, there is nothing like the quality, in terms of a cohesive and satisfying story, as the previous works under the Barbara Vine name, such as in the brilliant Asta's book, No Night is too Long, the Blood Doctor and so many others. I kept hoping for the threads of the story to decisively pull together, but they didn't seem to do this for me. The themes were there, the book had characters and things to say but it didn't have those moments of realisation and resolution.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Very disappointed

I was very disappointed by this book. I've read or listened to all the Barbara Vine books and loved them. The story within a story of this book really didn't work for me and I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters. They were all so unsympathetic.
The narrator did a good job, but I struggled to get to the end of this one.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • S
  • 07-04-13

A thought provoking book

Read well, made it a joy to listen to. The book makes one think a lot about family relationships and how people do and do not care for each other and/or how some people can let 'appearances' whether for religious or other reasons, override and destroy their love for those who should be most important to them.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Engrossing parallel stories

I see that some listeners were disappointed by this book which just goes to show that we all have different tastes in books. I thought it an excellent novel with both the contemporary story and the recounting of the fictitious mid 20th century book held my attention and kept me listening. The book within a book structure illustrates the contrasts and similarities in social attitudes that have occurred in the last 80 or so years. The characters make a big impression illustrating a range of human behaviours and prejudices.
The narrator is very good.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

extremely engaging

Loved the story lines and the different eras that were written about. Flinty's reading voice was very pleasant and added to my enjoyment of the book enormously.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

The Child's Child

Considering that in her prime, Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine was probably the best psychological thriller writer of her time, this is a very poor offering. The story, set in both contemporary London concerning a female Hampstead-based academic, who inherits a large house and moves in with her brother, whose new relationship causes a rift between the siblings.

The majority of the book is taken up with a 'story-within-a-story' unpublished manuscript about a gay brother and his unmarried sister who scandalised 1920s Bristol with their lifestyle choices. Very few of the characters are pleasant and it was often difficult to remain focused.

Finty Williams' narration was very good throughout.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great storyline

Very well written and very well read. The story was certainly addictive and I liked the two stories in one idea it worked very well.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An interesting listen with well developed plot

I enjoyed the story which was historically accurate and kept md interested. I've always enjoyed Barbara Vine.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

Another great story. Full of glimpses of our human frailties. Well worth a read. And a perfect ending.

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