The Children of Men by P.D. James Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Children of Men
Book Review: Gret concept, great plot, poor execution
Summary: 3 Stars
Children of Men has a very intriguing concept and a solid plotline. And yet enjoyment of a book stems as well from the execution. The style of writing and the treatment of the main character bog down this book. I knew where the story was headed, I wanted to see the plot unfold, but I was constantly frustrated having to wade through paragraph after paragraph of drivel. Drivel that can only spout from history professors. While the author has done a great job of showing the inner mindset and trips down memory lane of a middle aged history professor, the inner working of this particular history professor are not very interesting, and detract from the book reading experience.Book Review: If you haven't seen the movie...
Summary: 3 Stars
This book does well as a stand-alone. I saw the movie and liked it so I thought I should read the book. My daughter read it first and was angry that the movie and the book were so different.
Knowing that before I began reading helped me to separate the two and by doing that I was able to appreciate the book as much as I did the movie. The story and characters were able to keep my interest and sympathies going, though the beginning takes off slowly.
Book Review: Interesting, but sometimes dull
Summary: 2 Stars
I thought the movie Children of Men was interesting so I picked up the book which, like the movie, describes a world moving into apocalypse due to 25 years of the inability to procreate. Many descriptions of events in the book are vivid and full of detail, yet many of them do not relate to the overall theme or later events in the book which left me wondering why they were included at all? The beginning and ending of the book are very interesting but the middle did bore me. The book and movie both have good qualities but I think the movie would have been better if it had stayed true to the book. They had an opportunity to fix the books pacing issue but, instead, they omitted scenes from the book that I thought were critical and introduced additional social issue story lines that had little or no purpose.Book Review: It was with a thumb wet with his own tears and stained with her blood...
Summary: 4 Stars
I just finished P.D. James' The Children of Men. Like many, I came to this book after seeing the excellent film by Alfonso Cuarón based on P.D.'s book. Let me state unequivocally: if you are expecting to read the book version of the movie, you will be sorely disappointed.
The book shares very little with the film. In fact, I can share the similarities with you. The premise is the same - humans can't breed, there have been no births for over twenty-five years. The main character's name is Theo. He has an elderly friend named Jasper. There is a character named Julian. There is a pregnant girl. There is a scene where a log is blocking a road. That about covers it.
Now, one might think that this means the book was not good, however one would be wrong. The book is excellent, absolutely entertaining, shocking, and melancholy. The first quarter of the book reads like a beautiful eulogy for the human race. The characters are flawed, and so like real people. trapped in their unconscious programming and only change when the universe, or in this case, P.D. James, whacks them upside the head with the consequences of their actions. Actually, like the film, it's dark, yet ultimately hopeful. And somehow it makes you wonder if perhaps it had been best if we'd died off anyway.
I think it best, that if you're coming to this book after having seen the film, you must erase your mind of the movie, and think of this as a completely different entity with only a few coincidental similarities. Otherwise, the memory of the phenomenal film could taint one's experience and ruin a perfectly good novel.
Book Review: It's a book, not a film, please
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll admit that I am in the middle of reading this book, and thus base my five stars on only a portion; in the unlikely event I feel differently after I've read the whole book, I'll amend my review.
So far, I'm completely enthralled. This is a deeply disturbing story, very vividly told.
I've also seen the movie, which I thought engrossing and very well-made. But the reason I'm writing this now, before having finished the book, is to express my dismay at those reviewers who insist on comparing the book to the film. The book came first. It stands on its own merits, independent of any adaptation, faithful or loose (as is the movie), derived from it. It's really meaningless to say "the book isn't as good as the movie" because the book came first. It's also rather meaningless to express the opposite opinion, to the effect that the movie "ruined the book," because, to paraphrase Stephen King, the movie and the book are separate entities, and the book is unchanged by the existence of a movie derived from it.
I would suggest that if you want to review the book, this is the place to do it, but if you want to review the movie, go to the DVD section.
And so far, this is an amazing book.