The Children of Men
by P.D. James
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of The Children of Men.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
Where's the love? Add this book to your favorite list.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1889)
Often the appeal of science fiction lies in the genre's ability to extrapolate from the trends of the present and project them into the future. One novel exemplifying this tendency is "The Children Of Men" by P.D. James.
In "The Children Of Men", the reader finds a world where the population has become inexplicably infertile and must deal with the stresses of a dwindling population and the psychological angst that results when many realize what's the point of life if it will...more
In "The Children Of Men", the reader finds a world where the population has become inexplicably infertile and must deal with the stresses of a dwindling population and the psychological angst that results when many realize what's the point of life if it will...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
I don't know what I think about this book. It's undeniably VERY well-done, but aside form that I'm unsure. I felt like at times she was patching a bit purple, but it was all right. The character of Theo is well-done, but there's little explanation for why he's become the way he is: he waxes all morose about himself for being unable to feel the emotion of love, but I seriously doubt that anyone would just so casually become that way. Albert Camus' Mersault didn't feel love, but we find that more ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
This is one of those very rare cases where the film is much better than the book. I absolutely adore the movie, with its dark themes, breakneck pace, and stunning cinematography. Its only drawback is that because of how quickly the plot moves, there isn't much in the way of character development. I hoped the book would provide that.
And it does. Too much. The book is so wrapped up in character that it slows the story down to a crawl; even when the protagonists are running for their lives...more
And it does. Too much. The book is so wrapped up in character that it slows the story down to a crawl; even when the protagonists are running for their lives...more
Like this review?
yes
(3 people liked it)
2 comments
Read in June, 2008
I wanted to read this book for 2 reasons:
1) I saw the movie, and though I didn't love it, I did love the premise. It's set in London in the future (the book is 2021; I'm not sure if the movie is the same). The human race is dying off: men and women have been infertile for some unknown reason, and no baby has been born for over 20 years. The hopelessness of a world with no children and no future - and ever dwindling natural resources - has resulted in widespread violence and chaos. Enter Cliv...more
1) I saw the movie, and though I didn't love it, I did love the premise. It's set in London in the future (the book is 2021; I'm not sure if the movie is the same). The human race is dying off: men and women have been infertile for some unknown reason, and no baby has been born for over 20 years. The hopelessness of a world with no children and no future - and ever dwindling natural resources - has resulted in widespread violence and chaos. Enter Cliv...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
if you really liked the movie, or if you like source material
I think I was ten or eleven when my inner-skeptic matured and I realized that the words "based on a true story" or "based on the novel" more closely meant "has a vague relationship to...". This is definitely the case with P.D. James' The Children of Men, the source material for Alfonso Cuaron's 2006 film of the same (though article-less) title. The movie was my all time fav-film of 2006, followed by the less well-received The Prestige (by the director ...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in December, 2007
I was disappointed by the film, finding myself unable to muster sympathy for the characters, but I was intrigued by the basic plot and so ventured out to explore the novel. PD James' original creation follows a plot significantly different compared to that of the movie, but I found it to be no less disappointing. The main character, Theo, was perhaps even less likable, due mostly to his lack of conviction about anything during the first half of the book. I was never able to develop an intense fe...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in August, 2007
I ordered this book from Half.com in the wee hours of the morning, fresh from watching its 2007 movie adaption with my pal, Charlie. He'd already seen the thing, but kindly allowed me to experience and be moved by its intensity and moments of profound holiness without any running commentary or interruptions. Charlie's good for that. He gets excited about things you experience for the first time with him, even if he's experienced them several times before. I thought I'd return the favor of hi...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in December, 2007
How would you feel if you were part of the last humans on earth - if the human race was no longer able to have children but one generation was the last and man had to continue life while our numbers dwindled?
This is the question, P.D. James tries to answer in this novel. Our main character is an older academic, Theo Faron who is cousin to the (somewhat self-elected) Warden of England, who rules the country as he sees fit - providing freedom from fear, want and boredom for the people. Theo unwi...more
This is the question, P.D. James tries to answer in this novel. Our main character is an older academic, Theo Faron who is cousin to the (somewhat self-elected) Warden of England, who rules the country as he sees fit - providing freedom from fear, want and boredom for the people. Theo unwi...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2007
This novel puts me in mind of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The near future is dystopic and humanity is facing extinction, having suddenly become infertile in 1995, the year that became known as the Omega. Britain, one of the few countries where civilization still seems to survive, although it is certainly crumbling into chaos, is now run by a dictator known as the Warden of England. People have resorted to watching old movies and television shows about the young, keeping dolls ...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
The Children of Men, by P.D. James, the book on which the recent film was based, is a dire what-if tale of a world without a future, caused by sudden, inexplicable universal sterility. The story unfolds twenty-five years after the last baby was born, around a middle-aged university professor in London, who had become detached from life and humanity far before this crisis. Through his journal entries the reader learns how society is dying: the emergent pathologies, the devolutions, the ...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comments
Read in September, 2007
P.D. James creates a world in 2021 which has no hope for future. By the mid-1990s the sperm count became nonexistant and the world was unable to procreate. This England of the future is run by the Warden who created a nightmarish backdrop of encouraged mass suicides by the elderly and the infirm, an island solely for criminals, etc.
Oxford professor of history, Theo, is confronted by a small group of dissidents who hope that by being cousin to the Warden he might have some say over the Ward...more
Oxford professor of history, Theo, is confronted by a small group of dissidents who hope that by being cousin to the Warden he might have some say over the Ward...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I'm a sucker for apocalypse novels, so maybe I'm not the most objective reviewer, but this one rocked me. It's a beautifully written, very cleverly constructed novel of ideas that also features a well-developed main character. James is writing about alienation and estrangement (personal, political, social), but she also offers a really thoughtful, really interesting exploration of political responsibility in the face of tyranny. One star gets deducted from what would otherwise be a five-star rev...more
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
Loved the movie and can't wait to read the book.
Well, the book and the movie are definitely two separate entities. They even have different endings. P.D. James' book lacks the action and excitement of the film version and P.D. James does go on about things like the decor of Theo's house and the political makeup of her futuristic England. And I would have liked the main character Theo to behave a bit more honorably. But I enjoyed the rendering of a world in which the last baby was born 25 yea...more
Well, the book and the movie are definitely two separate entities. They even have different endings. P.D. James' book lacks the action and excitement of the film version and P.D. James does go on about things like the decor of Theo's house and the political makeup of her futuristic England. And I would have liked the main character Theo to behave a bit more honorably. But I enjoyed the rendering of a world in which the last baby was born 25 yea...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
3 comments
Read in March, 2008
In the first few pages of the book, you are introduced with an extremely interesting premise: for unknown reasons, in the not too distant future, people on earth completely lose the ability to reproduce. It's a bit hard to wrap your head around it, but just imagine that suddenly, every man and woman on earth was sterile. This story takes this one idea and builds the world around it, explaining how society would react.
It's a fascinating concept that allows for a lot of creative discussions. J...more
It's a fascinating concept that allows for a lot of creative discussions. J...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2007
It's hard to read this book without comparing it to the movie, but it would be better not to. I imagine a lot of people see the movie, think it's cool (which it is), and check out the book only to be disappointed by its divergent contents. The movie was an edge-of-your-seat thriller in the best way, innovative, and thought-provoking. The book is more or less all of these things too, but in a decidedly less "cool" fashion. Early in my reading, I was a little afraid that the book would b...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
Briefly, the book is enjoyable on two levels.
1. As a compelling narrative and character study. The etting - a world in which there is universal infertility - and the main character - someone who borders on being sociopathic in his self-centeredness and inability to form deep emotional connections and how he changes - along with a strong authorial "voice" and style make this a book that one wants to keep reading.
2. As an examination of how society functions and how much the co...more
1. As a compelling narrative and character study. The etting - a world in which there is universal infertility - and the main character - someone who borders on being sociopathic in his self-centeredness and inability to form deep emotional connections and how he changes - along with a strong authorial "voice" and style make this a book that one wants to keep reading.
2. As an examination of how society functions and how much the co...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2007
I didn't see the movie because I hear that it did not make sense and the director didn't tie things up very well. The book ties up everything very well, and from what I heard, it is very different from the movie so don't let that stop you from reading it. Although I had some hesitations, this book was actually pretty good. It was well written, and I liked her use of words and her wide vocabulary. It had a great basic plot, which opened the door to a multitude of questions. I wish the journey ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
So far I am having a hard time getting into this book. I have seen the movie already and I think that this is the rare case where I like the movie better. The plot is at a crawl and it seems like the author is continually trying to point out her characters flaws. I get it already, Theo is kind of heartless!
And after I finished the book....
At first the novel runs slow. You get rather bored with it, I think that might be the author's intent. You are experiencing what the last inhabitants of ...more
And after I finished the book....
At first the novel runs slow. You get rather bored with it, I think that might be the author's intent. You are experiencing what the last inhabitants of ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in November, 2007
Um... not really sure what to say about this book. A few things come to mind. 1. This book isn't anything like the movie. Don't read it expecting anything to be the same, because it isn't other than the concept that there is world wide infertility and a woman finds herself pregnant for the first time in 20+ years. 2. The author does a good job exploring the complete hopelessness that a world with out new life and children would have. She shows how this has effects globally, nationally and pers...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2007
Astonishing that Hollywood could make such a great film by butchering such a great book. It's like they took the basic premise (humanity became infertile 20-some years ago, now a man who cares about nothing may be responsible for the future of the human race), the title, the names of some major characters, and little else, then wrote an entirely different story using those elements. So if you are hoping to relive and expand on the world in the film, you will be very surprised.
I really liked...more
I really liked...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment