The Children's Book is a 2009 novel by British writer A. S. Byatt. It follows the adventures of several inter-related families, adults and children, from 1895 through World War I. Loosely based upon the life of children's writer E. Nesbit[1] there are secrets slowly revealed that show that the families are much more creatively formed than first guessed. It was shortlisted for the 2009 Booker Prize.[1]
The Wellwood family (Olive, Humphry, Olive's sister Violet, and many children) are Fabians, living in a world of artists, writers, and craftsmen, all moving into new ways to express art, and living an artful life, before the horrors and loss of the Great War. While the central character of Olive is a writer of children's literature, supporting her large family with her writing, the title of the book refers to the children in the book: Tom, Julian, Philip, Elsie, Dorothy, Hedda, Griselda, Florence, Charles/Karl, Phyllis, and others, following each as they approach adulthood and the terrors of war.[2]
I started with the idea that writing children's books isn't good for the writers' own children. There are some dreadful stories. Christopher Robin at least lived. Kenneth Grahame's son put himself across a railway line and waited for the train. Then there's J. M. Barrie. One of the boys that Barrie adopted almost certainly drowned himself. This struck me as something that needed investigating. And the second thing was, I was interested in the structure of E. Nesbit's family—how they all seemed to be Fabians and fairy-story writers.
The book has so many fictional and historical characters that Byatt had to create a spreadsheet in Excel to keep track of them all.[4]
The Kent Wellwoods:
Olive Wellwood, wife of Humphry, mother of Tom, and many other children, a writer of children's books, mostly fairy stories. Born in very humble circumstances, her income supports the family in their large house named Todefright. She is an expert in British fairy lore.
Violet Grimwith, Olive's sister, keeps house for the Wellwood family, and calls herself the children's "real" mother.
Humphry Wellwood, works for the Bank of England, is suspicious of quick-profit schemes, is a philanderer, and is married to Olive. They are both active in the Fabian Society.
Tom Wellwood, eldest son of Olive and Humphry; he loves being in nature.
Dorothy Wellwood, eldest daughter; she decides to be a physician.
Phyllis Wellwood, another daughter; she likes keeping house.
Philip Warren, a runaway from the factories who becomes an apprentice to Benedict Fludd. He is first seen sketching the Gloucester candlestick.
Elsie Warren, who finds Phillip after their mother dies and then keeps house for the Fludds.
Ann, Elsie's daughter.
Neighbours in Kent: "Their guests were socialist, anarchists, Quakers, Fabians, artists, editors, freethinkers, and writers who lived, either all time, or at weekends and on holidays in converted cottages and old farmhouses, Arts and Crafts homes and workingmen's terraces, in the villages, woods and meadows around the Kentish Weald and the North and South Downs."[5]
Vasily Tartarinov, a Russian anarchist and refugee.
Elena, his wife. Andrei and Dmitri, their sons.
Leslie and Etta Skinner, Fabians and scholars.
Arthur Dobbin, not a good apprentice to Benedict Fludd, but perhaps better as a promoter of the arts.
Frank Mallet, local pastor.
Augustus Steyning, a theatre director and sometime playwright.
Patty Dace, on many committees, helpful to women in need.
Herbert Methley, a man who lectures about the "sex problem", seduces women, and writes books that are banned.
Phoebe Methley, not really Herbert's wife.
Marion Oakeshott, a "widow", local school teacher, and close friend of Humphry Wellwood.
Robin Oakeshott, Marion's son, who looks very much like Robin Wellwood.
The Germans:
Anselm Stern, a master of puppetry and marionettes, who once knew Olive Wellwood long ago in Munich.
Angela Stern, his wife.
Wolfgang Stern, their oldest son, expert at stagecraft.
Leon Stern, the quieter younger son.
The Tutors:
Toby Youlgreave, an old friend of both Humphry and Olive, he teaches the older boys, preparing to enter school.
Joachim Susskind, a young German who tutors Tom and Charles/Karl.
Historical characters
J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, compliments Olive's plays, a contemporary.
Rupert Brooke, at college with Julian Cain, he attends all the right plays and parties.
Upon release, The Children's Book was generally well-received. On The Omnivore, in an aggregation of British critic reviews, the book received an "omniscore" of 4 out of 5.[7]Culture Critic assessed critical response as an aggregated score of 78% based on British press reviews.[8] The book received a 79% from The Lit Review based on 39 critic reviews.[9] In Bookmarks Jan/Feb 2010 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (3.5 out of 5) with the summary stating, "Gorgeously stuffed? Or overstuffed? Critics were clearly split on Byatt's latest offering".[10] Globally, it was generally well received with Complete Review saying on the consensus "Generally positive -- but while many are impressed also note that her attention to details and facts can be overwhelming".[11]
↑ Leith, Sam (25 April 2009). "Writing in terms of pleasure". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2015. George Eliot — along with Robert Browning — is one of the fixed stars by which Byatt navigates, and the story told of Eliot could as easily have been told of her disciple.
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