The Children’s Book cover art

The Children’s Book

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The Children’s Book

By: A. S. Byatt
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
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About this listen

Famous author Olive Wellwood writes a special private book, bound in different colours, for each of her children. In their rambling house near Romney Marsh they play in a story-book world - but their lives, and those of their rich cousins and their friends, the son and daughter of a curator at the new Victoria and Albert Museum, are already inscribed with mystery. Each family carries its own secrets.

They grow up in the golden summers of Edwardian times, but as the sons rebel against their parents and the girls dream of independent futures, they are unaware that in the darkness ahead they will be betrayed unintentionally by the adults who love them. This is the children's book.

Cover illustration © Aitch

©2009 A. S. Byatt (P)2019 Audible, Ltd Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction Heartfelt Thought-Provoking

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All stars
Most relevant
I lived in this book for days, among these very human architecture of characters. Juliet Stevenson’s performance is incredible, and heartfelt.

Exceptional

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When I first started listening to this, I did not really know what the story would really be about. It is not the type of book I would normally read and I had not encountered A S Byatt previously. The reason I chose it is because Juliet Stevenson was narrating and I had recently heard her read Mrs Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf, and she was so good. In the early stages of the book, when all the characters were being introduced, I had a slight feeling of having to stick with it, but I quickly became so involved in the characters' lives that that stage soon passed. The setting of the story, both time and place (I was familiar from childhood with some of the locations) was so interesting and the occupations of the characters slightly unusual and very engaging. By the end of the book, I had become so invested in the characters that I felt the force of events very strongly and I think this shows how well written it is. It also gave me a fresh perspective on some of the events of the early twentieth century. Superbly narrated, of course, and I find this so important with audio books.

So well written—and narrated!

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I loved this book, brought to life by a very accomplished narrator. It covers a significant arc of time, so very different at the start and end of the novel. Superb.

Exceptional book & narration

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A long and mesmerising story of a group of families, wound around themes of art, love, secrets, betrayal, class, politics and eventually war. Juliet Stevenson's narration is impeccable and fully immerses you in the character's lives. It is fascinating in its descriptions of art and its processes and deeply moving in the epic events of the families lives. One of the best books I've listened to.

Truly Wonderful

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Juliet Stevenson deserves an oscar. This is a perfect performance of a wonderful book. If you are interested in the 1890s and the arts and crafts movement, it is a very thorough, deeply moving exploration, told through a sort of family saga.

Fabulous and a brilliant performance

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