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The Children's Crusade
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From the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of The Dive From Clausen's Pier, a sweeping, masterful new novel that explores the secrets and desires, the remnant wounds and saving graces of one California family, over the course of five decades.
Bill Blair finds the land by accident, three wooded acres in a rustic community south of San Francisco. The year is 19 ...more
Bill Blair finds the land by accident, three wooded acres in a rustic community south of San Francisco. The year is 19 ...more
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Hardcover, 448 pages
Published
April 7th 2015
by Scribner
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This is a beautifully written novel, (to be savored), which will linger in your mind and heart.
While deeply engaged with the intimate storytelling of parents Bill and Penny, and their children: Robert, Rebecca, Ryan, and James, (characters so rich and nuanced), I began to question, "what does it mean to be a good sibling? , a good father? , a good mother"?
There are several themes throughout "The Children's Crusade" which are worthy to examine in discussion. Its an excellent book-club pick!
If ...more
While deeply engaged with the intimate storytelling of parents Bill and Penny, and their children: Robert, Rebecca, Ryan, and James, (characters so rich and nuanced), I began to question, "what does it mean to be a good sibling? , a good father? , a good mother"?
There are several themes throughout "The Children's Crusade" which are worthy to examine in discussion. Its an excellent book-club pick!
If ...more

Dysfunctional family.
A mother who wants to be a recognized artist and is self involved.
A father who is a pediatrician, and thoroughly involved with the children, but no so much with their mother.
Four children of various ages trying to figure out a way to get their mother involved in their lives.
This is the Children's Crusade.
I think you have to be in the mood for these generational type novels. Plus Ann Packer can really write and tell a story. It is a very slow paced novels but we do get a thor ...more
A mother who wants to be a recognized artist and is self involved.
A father who is a pediatrician, and thoroughly involved with the children, but no so much with their mother.
Four children of various ages trying to figure out a way to get their mother involved in their lives.
This is the Children's Crusade.
I think you have to be in the mood for these generational type novels. Plus Ann Packer can really write and tell a story. It is a very slow paced novels but we do get a thor ...more

Family drama that starts out very slowly and has an old-fashioned, almost stodgy feel to it at first but then morphs into something rich and compelling. If you had told me during the first third of this book that I was going to give it 4 stars, I would have laughed at you.
The book alternates between chapters that set the “family stage” – snapshots of the Blair family dynamics over the years, starting in the 50’s – with chapters that focus on the individual players, primarily the four Blair child ...more
The book alternates between chapters that set the “family stage” – snapshots of the Blair family dynamics over the years, starting in the 50’s – with chapters that focus on the individual players, primarily the four Blair child ...more

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
― Leo Tolstoy , Anna Karenina
A well-written family drama about a cold, distant mother and a nurturing father, making every effort to compensate for his wife's withdrawal from the family and into her "art". It explores the interrelationships between the four children of the family and between each of the children and their parents. I was reminded (somewhat) of the wonderful novel, "Ordinary People", although that story ...more
― Leo Tolstoy , Anna Karenina
A well-written family drama about a cold, distant mother and a nurturing father, making every effort to compensate for his wife's withdrawal from the family and into her "art". It explores the interrelationships between the four children of the family and between each of the children and their parents. I was reminded (somewhat) of the wonderful novel, "Ordinary People", although that story ...more

3.5 stars if I could .
We all have our family history and maybe secrets or resentments or loving moments that shape who we are as adults . Ann Packer's family saga introduces us to the Blair family - Bill and Penny and their four children . The book is structured with narratives in third person telling of their childhood days and these are interspersed with narratives from the points of view of all of the children as adults . This alternating between past and present gives us an idea of the thing ...more
We all have our family history and maybe secrets or resentments or loving moments that shape who we are as adults . Ann Packer's family saga introduces us to the Blair family - Bill and Penny and their four children . The book is structured with narratives in third person telling of their childhood days and these are interspersed with narratives from the points of view of all of the children as adults . This alternating between past and present gives us an idea of the thing ...more

Jul 19, 2015
reading is my hustle
rated it
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fiction-marriage-domestic
this novel, about this family, made me anxious. the kids were loved well by their father and all but ignored by their mother. it is a complicated story about ordinary lives and explores the degree to which we are influenced by our childhoods. the troubled kids grew into uneasy adults. it was disquieting. i read the last sentence and felt i might burst into tears. the characters are flawed and their experiences and observations are heartbreaking. i found myself thinking about my role as a mom and
...more

I'd rate this 4.5 stars.
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
"Children deserve care."
So is the motto of Bay Area pediatrician Bill Blair. When he finished serving in the Korean War, he left his Michigan home and decided to pursue a degree in pediatric medicine in San Francisco. While on a leisurely drive into the Portola Valley one day, he came upon three acres of wooded land which he was so taken by, he purchased it on a whim ...more
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
"Children deserve care."
So is the motto of Bay Area pediatrician Bill Blair. When he finished serving in the Korean War, he left his Michigan home and decided to pursue a degree in pediatric medicine in San Francisco. While on a leisurely drive into the Portola Valley one day, he came upon three acres of wooded land which he was so taken by, he purchased it on a whim ...more

Thank you the the publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy of The Children's Crusade. This book is set in Palo Alto from the 1960s to the 2000s, and tells the story of Bill and Penny and their four children over a period of four decades. The story is told primarily from the perspective of the four siblings, recounting their childhood and reflecting on how their childhood, relationships with their parents and each other affected them. It took me a while to get into The C
...more

The Children's Crusade is the story of Bill and Penny Blair and their four children. They'd agreed to have three kids, the 3 R's -- Robert, Rebecca, and Ryan -- but the fourth one came along to Penny's chagrin, and somehow was named James. James was as different from them all as his name implies, and they all know it. He's the elephant in the room no one wants to discuss.
This spans several years from when Bill and Penny are first married to when the children are in their thirties and forties. Ro ...more
This spans several years from when Bill and Penny are first married to when the children are in their thirties and forties. Ro ...more

The Children’s Crusade is a rather murky saga about a rather ordinary family living in pre-and post-Silicon Valley, the “hook” being that the mom, Penny, wasn’t especially “maternal,” and the fourth child, James, wasn’t particularly wanted and hence became the straw that figuratively broke Penny’s parental back. At least that’s my take on it.
Though I enjoyed the familiar California setting, as some reviewers aptly pointed out, nothing of particular note happens in this story. The goings-on are a ...more
Though I enjoyed the familiar California setting, as some reviewers aptly pointed out, nothing of particular note happens in this story. The goings-on are a ...more

I loved The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer. It's a book that is satisfying on so many levels. The writing is first rate and the characters and their interactions interesting. Themes are picked up and explored and resolved (if I had any criticism of the book, it would be how neatly things are resolved but it makes for a very happy reading). The crusade of the title has two, complementary, meanings (which I won't reveal since it makes for some very nice moments in context).
The book tells the sto ...more
The book tells the sto ...more

Ann Packer's latest novel is one of those excellent, nuanced character studies that allows readers multiple points of entry when it comes to understanding and relating to the complex people she's created. Your reaction to the novel hinges upon which characters you identify with and which ones you're frustrated by—and I have a feeling those opinions are going to vary widely from reader to reader.
The Children's Crusade is about one family: Bill and Penny Blair and their four children, Robert, Reb ...more
The Children's Crusade is about one family: Bill and Penny Blair and their four children, Robert, Reb ...more

Ann Packer has always been a favorite author so I was thrilled to get an ARC of her new book. It sealed her favorite author status with me.
This is a story about the Blair family and the relationships between Bill and Penny, the husband and wife, their relationships with their four children, and the children's relationships with one another. I have read my share of family stories, but this one is unique because of the unique characters.
For most of the book, I found myself disliking Penny, the wif ...more
This is a story about the Blair family and the relationships between Bill and Penny, the husband and wife, their relationships with their four children, and the children's relationships with one another. I have read my share of family stories, but this one is unique because of the unique characters.
For most of the book, I found myself disliking Penny, the wif ...more

Just in case the horrible weather hasn't depressed you enough, here comes another novel to finish you off. Packer has written a novel of a dysfunctional family...every last one of them is self-involved and there's way to much psychotherapy babble that slows down the flow of the plot line. I know happy family stories don't win awards or make the rounds of book clubs, but I've just about had my fill of unhappy family stories for a while-I picked up a new novel today which was blurbed on the back a
...more

The Children's Crusade, by Ann Packer
Imagine, if you will, that Jonathan Franzen's excellent novel, The Corrections, had like able characters. Packer's novel is the story of a family: Bill, a pediatrician, Penny, a distracted, unhappy housewife, and their four children Robert, Rebecca, Ryan, and James. All slightly flawed and realistically rendered, the Blairs children struggle to keep their artistic mother tethered to the family unit.
Highly recommended. ...more
Imagine, if you will, that Jonathan Franzen's excellent novel, The Corrections, had like able characters. Packer's novel is the story of a family: Bill, a pediatrician, Penny, a distracted, unhappy housewife, and their four children Robert, Rebecca, Ryan, and James. All slightly flawed and realistically rendered, the Blairs children struggle to keep their artistic mother tethered to the family unit.
Highly recommended. ...more

3 stars - It was good.
A well written family drama that alternates between present day (children are adults) and the 1950's (when the children were still wee little things). Many elements of family dynamics were explored, but what could have perhaps been the most fascinating was completely left out - that of the mother. I would have found the book more interesting if some of the chapters had been written from her point of view.
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Favorite Quote: For every c ...more
A well written family drama that alternates between present day (children are adults) and the 1950's (when the children were still wee little things). Many elements of family dynamics were explored, but what could have perhaps been the most fascinating was completely left out - that of the mother. I would have found the book more interesting if some of the chapters had been written from her point of view.
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Favorite Quote: For every c ...more

The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer is a very highly recommended novel that delves into the complex dynamics of a dysfunctional family.
Pediatrician Bill Blair bought the land for his Portola Valley, California home in 1954, before he was even married, before it was Silicon Valley. When he met Penny, he thought he had found the perfect wife to start his family with and build a home on his land. Four children later, however, Penny is overwhelmed and tired of being a mother. While Bill is devoted ...more
Pediatrician Bill Blair bought the land for his Portola Valley, California home in 1954, before he was even married, before it was Silicon Valley. When he met Penny, he thought he had found the perfect wife to start his family with and build a home on his land. Four children later, however, Penny is overwhelmed and tired of being a mother. While Bill is devoted ...more

Phew! You know all those jokes about having to get drunk or behave in some other such activity after spending too much time with your family? Well, that is how I felt after spending time with the Blair family. This is not to say that this is a bad book--there is actually much to recommend it--but I, personally, did not enjoy it. Admittedly, I'm not a reader who needs to enjoy a book in order to appreciate a book and, for the most part, I did appreciate this one.
The best way I can think of to des ...more
The best way I can think of to des ...more

Nope, it didn't work for me. I thought this would be a cool read: a story about a family told over the course of decades in California. Sounds great! It can work really well for me (We Are Not Ourselves) or maybe it won't (Everything I Never Told You), although the second one is really focused on a specific event than many years.
Not so much. I don't like non-linear stories, but it can work for me if an author is skillful in making the characters come alive. While I thought the book started off ...more
Not so much. I don't like non-linear stories, but it can work for me if an author is skillful in making the characters come alive. While I thought the book started off ...more

Ann Packer tends to write about very sad people, or at least people who see happiness as outside their own existence. The Blair's of this novel are no exception. Both generations, to varying degrees, are on a crusade to be better people than their parents, or their siblings, or their idealized versions of themselves. It's all kind of pathetic to describe, but Packer handles these characters beautifully.
I connected the the four children as both youngsters and adults, especially Robert and Rebecca ...more
I connected the the four children as both youngsters and adults, especially Robert and Rebecca ...more

The writing was all telling and no showing. I didn't like any of the characters. The mother, especially, is a vacuum of non-love and selfishness. I didn't find any of the four kids (grown) interesting, either, as they never came alive on the page, and didn't feel real. It's all somewhat petty -- the writing, the characters.
I did love the cover -- such a great cover.
I didn't finish it, so I'm not counting it toward my overall book reading goal. Also, now I feel mean. Blah...
WHERE ARE THE GOOD BOO ...more
I did love the cover -- such a great cover.
I didn't finish it, so I'm not counting it toward my overall book reading goal. Also, now I feel mean. Blah...
WHERE ARE THE GOOD BOO ...more

[4/5 stars]
Our story begins in the 1950s, with Bill, just back from the war and well on his way to becoming a pediatrician. One day, he goes for a drive and comes across this sprawling and majestic piece of land, just outside of the San Francisco area. He is overcome with images of his future family and home, and impulsively purchases the land for later use. The novel continues with his marriage to Penny, and through the lives of their four children as kids up through adulthood.
So I’m going to p ...more
Our story begins in the 1950s, with Bill, just back from the war and well on his way to becoming a pediatrician. One day, he goes for a drive and comes across this sprawling and majestic piece of land, just outside of the San Francisco area. He is overcome with images of his future family and home, and impulsively purchases the land for later use. The novel continues with his marriage to Penny, and through the lives of their four children as kids up through adulthood.
So I’m going to p ...more

Ahh...this might be one of the few five stars I have stumbled upon yet this year (and it is OCTOBER!). Packer's rendition of the Blair family is top notch. It is not quite up to Franzen's Corrections, but is similar enough in setting and development to get a nod in that direction.
Packer manages to toe the line between showing and telling, her characters are all deep and deeply affecting and all true in so many ways. She develops the aphorism that there is nothing more boring than parenthood in t ...more
Packer manages to toe the line between showing and telling, her characters are all deep and deeply affecting and all true in so many ways. She develops the aphorism that there is nothing more boring than parenthood in t ...more

Read Diane S's wonderful review of this novel
...more

The Short of It:
This novel has normal written all over it and yet it’s the most unsettling story I’ve read in a while.
The Rest of It:
The story opens with the promise of young love. Penny and Bill begin their lives together. He’s a doctor, she’s an artist and the home they buy holds the promise of happiness to come. They have four children, Rebecca, Robert, Ryan and James. All should be golden but that last child is not like the other children and his behavior and presence is a constant reminder ...more
This novel has normal written all over it and yet it’s the most unsettling story I’ve read in a while.
The Rest of It:
The story opens with the promise of young love. Penny and Bill begin their lives together. He’s a doctor, she’s an artist and the home they buy holds the promise of happiness to come. They have four children, Rebecca, Robert, Ryan and James. All should be golden but that last child is not like the other children and his behavior and presence is a constant reminder ...more

I loved this book in so many ways. The novel spans fifty years. A couple marries, they have four children and who they become is a combination of each child's nature and their birth order and the way which their parents and their siblings welcomed them/or didn't. It's an ambitious book, each child gets a chapter in which they are the center of consciousness. Not all of the characters are likable, but they felt three dimensional to me, and understandable in certain ways.
One character's therapist ...more
One character's therapist ...more

This book did not work for me. It's a family story but I didn't care enough about the characters and felt their dramas were neither compelling or convincing. I had been swept up in Packer's earlier book (Dive from Clausen's Pier) but this one left me cold.
...more

With all the hype surrounding this book I truly expected something much more than what it was. First of all, the story moves at a snail's pace. It took quite awhile before the plot went anywhere.
The story opens with the promise of young love. Penny and Bill begin their lives together. He’s a doctor, she’s an artist and the home they buy holds the promise of happiness to come. They have four children, Rebecca, Robert, Ryan and James. All should be golden but that last child is not like the other ...more
The story opens with the promise of young love. Penny and Bill begin their lives together. He’s a doctor, she’s an artist and the home they buy holds the promise of happiness to come. They have four children, Rebecca, Robert, Ryan and James. All should be golden but that last child is not like the other ...more
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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Adult fiction. Mom who leaves family behind and kids raised by father. Different chapters provide different children's perspectives at different points in time. Published in the last ten years, around 2010. [s] | 5 | 732 | Aug 09, 2020 09:33AM | |
The chapter on James (ch 9) was off track and disappointing. | 2 | 20 | Jan 13, 2018 11:05AM | |
what is the meaning of Rebecca's dream stone house? | 1 | 7 | May 22, 2017 12:09AM | |
Willmar Public Li...: The Children's Crusade - January | 1 | 6 | Feb 01, 2016 10:42AM | |
2015 Reading Chal...: The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer | 1 | 26 | May 08, 2015 08:32AM |
Ann Packer is the acclaimed author of two collections of short fiction, Swim Back to Me and Mendocino and Other Stories, and three bestselling novels, The Children's Crusade, Songs Without Words, and The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, which received the Kate Chopin Literary Award, among many other prizes and honors. Her short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker and in the O. Henry Prize Stories anth
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“A broken heart can masquerade as a cold one.”
—
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“Bill supposed that for every child there was a defining age, a fixed reference point in relation to which his parents would always view him; whereas the child’s own truest self would always be the present one.”
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