An Adult's Book

The Children's Book, A. S. Byatt
At 896 pages, this may be titled The Children's Book but not many children could read it. The title refers to books that Olive Wellwood, an author of children's fairy tales, wrote for each of her children. The story as a whole refers around the Wellwoods (both adults and children), their extended family, and the many people in their orbit. I found the novel strongest when it focused on the characters and their interactions, but it stumbled when Byatt dove too deeply in explaining the political movements of the time. Often chapters felt like excerpts from a history book rather than a novel. However, as long as the action focused on the characters themselves, I was intrigued. I'd recommend this, with the caution to push through the tedious background sections.

Note: This book is one that counts toward my efforts in the Chunkster Challenge. My goal was the "Mor-book-ly Obese" level, which requires 8 books of at least 450 pages, of which at least three are over 750 pages. So far I have read four over 450 (and reviewed two of them here and here) and this one is my second 750+ (review of the first one here). If you're interested in a long read, check out some of the other reviews!