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The Children Act

Ian McEwan

Start date: February 15, 2015

Finish date: March 1, 2015

Discussion: Reading List

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What Members Thought

Feb 12, 2015 Katy rated it really liked it

Shelves: philosophy-religion, fiction, contemporary-issues, health-medicine

This is a brilliant short novel dealing with a moral question: when does the interest of the state outweigh the right of an individual to refuse treatment for a disease when that individual is a minor just three months short of his eighteenth birthday? In this case, the child and his parents belong to a Jehovah's Witness congregation. Should the parents make the decision; does the child have any standing; or should the state intervene? The legal arguments are so carefully and thoroughly presente ...more

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Sep 10, 2014 Jane rated it really liked it

I love Ian McEwan's writing. He takes characters who are as inscrutable as most of the people we know and opens them up so that we see what is heartbroken in them. He's also incredibly smart and reading his novels, I often learn about worlds...careers, places, events...that I know little about. In this case, the British court system, especially that part that deals with children. I so admire the way this book moved. I think he's a master of character very subtle and gradual revelation of what ma ...more

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Dec 26, 2017 Sheila rated it liked it

I listened to the audio version beautifully read by actress Lindsey Duncan. She dulcet tones were what kept me going throught this turgid tome. I thought it poor by McEwan standards (but then his other novels set the bar so high) until ***SPOILER ALERT *** his masterful ending brings shame to well-respected High Court Judge Fiona Maye as she realises that she has completely failed her responsibility for the welfare and wellbeing of a young man whose case she handled in court because she failed t ...more

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Jul 08, 2016 Joe Mossa rated it liked it

this is a good book, well written. i enjoyed thinking of legal affairs and arguments. i was surprised when it ended so quickly. was i being set up for a sequel ?

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Feb 11, 2016 Clifford rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, novels

The details of legal cases very nearly overwhelm the plot of this novel; on the other hand, they are critical to the breakdown of the main character's marriage.

Full review here: The Children Act by Ian McEwan ...more

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