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The Children of Men
- Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
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The Children of Men
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Summary
The year is 2021. No child has been born for 25 years. The human race faces extinction.
Under the despotic rule of Xan Lyppiat, the warden of England, the old are despairing and the young cruel. Theo Faren, a cousin of the warden, lives a solitary life in this ominous atmosphere. That is until a chance encounter with a young woman leads him into contact with a group of dissenters. Suddenly his life is changed irrevocably as he faces agonising choices which could affect the future of mankind.
P. D. James is the world's preeminent crime writer, most famous for her Adam Dalgliesh mysteries and for her best-selling titles Death Comes to Pemberley and The Murder Room. The Children of Men was adapted into a hit film in 2006; directed by Alfonso Cuarón, the film starred Clive Owen, Michael Caine and Julianne Moore.
P. D. James (1920-2014) was a best-selling and internationally acclaimed crime writer. She was the creator of Adam Dalgliesh and Cordelia Gray and their long and successful series of mysteries. Her works include Cover Her Face (1962), An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1972), Innocent Blood (1980), The Children of Men (1992), and the Jane Austen-inspired Death Comes to Pemberley (2011).
James was born in Oxford in 1920. She won awards for crime writing in Britain, America, Italy and Scandinavia, including the Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award. She received honorary degrees from seven British universities, was awarded an OBE in 1983 and created a life peer in 1991. In 1997 she was elected president of the Society of Authors and stood down from this role in 2013.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Henry’s Glam-ma
- 23-12-23
Beautifully written. Long winded.
Compelling listen as it is written so artistically. The sentences and descriptions are lovely. However, is very long winded. I found myself wanting to hurry it along!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Neil
- 01-07-21
Thought provoking unforgettable concept
A book that I will never forget.
The concept is excellent and plausibly addressed. The story revolves around the social impact and characters responding to a changed world. It is zero ‘sci-fi’ despite the underlying premise.
An additional intriguing aspect is the the book was written in the early 1990s but happens to be set in 2021. Just by coincidence this is when I read it and it’s interesting how much of today’s society is missing (eg smartphones and a pandemic!).
Another welcome aspect is how normal the characters are. They’re not superheroes but well portrayed as regular people who I could empathise with.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 24-04-24
interesting concept, let down by the characters
Personally I need to like the main character so I couldn't really enjoy this because the main character is just pretty unlikeable! Some of his self exploration felt real and meaningful, most of it felt pretentious - I didn't buy into his character arc at all, which is a shame. But the concept is interesting and a good exploration of power, where it comes from and what it does. As with all dystopian fiction, many parallels with society now. Oh and too many clunky references to the 1990's that feel dated now!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- linds
- 25-02-23
Brilliant!
Brilliantly narrated, great story, wish there was a second book.
Unfortunately kept me awake all night listening.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- dan Bassett
- 21-09-23
different from the movie but not worse
this is a good audiobook and story, and yes it's different from the movie...but that's not a bad thing. you can really see the world that has been built on in the motion picture in this. the book however is more nuanced as books often are. I would recommend this to people that like sci fi and kind of nostalgia, which I often feel comes from older books looking into the future. beautifully performed by the reader - made me connect with the themes. life death companionship time love hope greed fear and despair.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Caroline
- 25-07-23
Just wonderful.
I loved this so much. What a wonderful exploration of faith, gender and power. Brilliant.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Scott
- 25-06-21
brilliantly misrable..
great narrator, bleak but entertaining narrative, satisfying in its execution. dont let the film put you off.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Granny Banny
- 18-06-22
enjoyed
Didn't grip me but I did enjoy listening. Well narrated and interesting. Ending leaves room for a sequel.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Rosielil
- 27-08-22
weird book
I would not listen to this book again not my cup of tea but ok as a 1 off.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Philippa D.
- 03-08-23
Ok read
Felt like the story never really got going, and when at last it seemed to be picking up the book ended. Overall a bit of a disappointment.
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