Helpful Score: 1
Fiona Barton's The Child is a story that rapidly draws you in and won't let you go until everyone's secrets have been revealed. The style of this book is reminiscent of Kate Atkinson in the manner in which the story unfolds. Told in alternating chapters by Kate and the three women involved-- Angela, Emma, and Jude-- the voices may not be particularly distinctive, but their stories kept me guessing clear through to the end.
Barton definitely has a knack for creating memorable characters and strong storylines. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
Barton definitely has a knack for creating memorable characters and strong storylines. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
As a worker tears apart an old house under construction in London, he makes an unsettling discovery: tiny bones. The police believe they belong to a baby who was buried years earlier. The story catches the eye of journalist Kate Waters, who immediately wants to determine the child's identity. Her research leads her to a missing child from several decades in the past: a stolen baby, who was never found. Kate finds herself drawn into the missing baby's case and the lives of several women: Angela, a mother who had her baby stolen many years ago; Emma, who once lived on the block where the baby's bones were found; and Jude, Emma's mother.
I really enjoyed Barton's previous novel, The Widow, and I have to say that THE CHILD did not disappoint. It's hard exactly to describe her books, but they have some sort of power over you, drawing you into their narrative and making it difficult to come back to reality until you've reached the end. Much like THE WIDOW, we're presented with a cast of disparate characters-not all of whom are particularly likeable. I hadn't realized, for some reason, that THE CHILD would feature Kate again--a journalist we previously met in Barton's earlier book. I found Kate a much more engaging protagonist this time around: she came across as more human and flawed.
Otherwise, the novel focuses on timid, depressed Emma and her difficult relationship with her mother, Jude, who kicked Emma out of the house at the sixteen. Each woman has a turn at the narration, as does Angela, who is still reeling from having her baby stolen from the hospital (and never found). Barton does a skillful job weaving their stories together. Everything unfolds in bits and pieces as the tale progresses in the eyes of each of our narrators. For me, it was extremely riveting: just as one shocking piece came out, another one would fall into place.
Barton also gives us an excellent look into the journalism business, with a focus on how Kate writes her stories, with a strong emphasis on real (face-to-face, non-Internet-based) research. We see firsthand how the current social media craze is affecting the newspaper world. It's refreshing, as we get to basically see a crime/story solved, yet not necessarily through the lens of a typical police drama.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I figured out parts of it as it went along, but found it to be a very compelling read. Definitely worth picking up.
More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/
I really enjoyed Barton's previous novel, The Widow, and I have to say that THE CHILD did not disappoint. It's hard exactly to describe her books, but they have some sort of power over you, drawing you into their narrative and making it difficult to come back to reality until you've reached the end. Much like THE WIDOW, we're presented with a cast of disparate characters-not all of whom are particularly likeable. I hadn't realized, for some reason, that THE CHILD would feature Kate again--a journalist we previously met in Barton's earlier book. I found Kate a much more engaging protagonist this time around: she came across as more human and flawed.
Otherwise, the novel focuses on timid, depressed Emma and her difficult relationship with her mother, Jude, who kicked Emma out of the house at the sixteen. Each woman has a turn at the narration, as does Angela, who is still reeling from having her baby stolen from the hospital (and never found). Barton does a skillful job weaving their stories together. Everything unfolds in bits and pieces as the tale progresses in the eyes of each of our narrators. For me, it was extremely riveting: just as one shocking piece came out, another one would fall into place.
Barton also gives us an excellent look into the journalism business, with a focus on how Kate writes her stories, with a strong emphasis on real (face-to-face, non-Internet-based) research. We see firsthand how the current social media craze is affecting the newspaper world. It's refreshing, as we get to basically see a crime/story solved, yet not necessarily through the lens of a typical police drama.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I figured out parts of it as it went along, but found it to be a very compelling read. Definitely worth picking up.
More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/
A weak 3 stars, I was looking forward to a very good thrilling mystery but failed to get it
This is told from the perspective of each character, I didn't care for any of them
The story is very slow and draggy and it was a chore to stick with it for very long without putting it down to go do something else, that's not my kind of reading
I didn't care for the format of the writing and I didn't care for any of the characters so this was a bum book for me.
This is told from the perspective of each character, I didn't care for any of them
The story is very slow and draggy and it was a chore to stick with it for very long without putting it down to go do something else, that's not my kind of reading
I didn't care for the format of the writing and I didn't care for any of the characters so this was a bum book for me.
Like many books I've read lately, this started out really good. But unlike many books I've read lately, it stayed good. The ending was a total surprise, the characters were interesting, the story line too. Good book.
A baby has been found buried after renovations to land. There are numerous people who have interest in finding out who the baby was. Kate Waters is a reporter and the story strikes her. Angela had a baby taken from the hospital. Emma gave birth to a stillborn and buried her.
These women all have an avid desire to find out what the story is about this child.
We interplay between many characters involved in the story. Good story.
These women all have an avid desire to find out what the story is about this child.
We interplay between many characters involved in the story. Good story.
A workman demolishing an old house discovers human remains of a baby. Kate Waters, a reporter, unearths connections to a newborn stolen from a maternity ward decades earlier. Long buried secrets of three woman will finally come to light. This fast-paced thought provoking story kept me guessing to the very surprising ending. Some characters are likable but some not so likable. Recommended to those who like psychological suspense.
The Child by Fiona Barton is the story of two infants â one who disappeared from a hospital room years ago and one found buried at a building site. Alternating chapters depict perspectives of the women whose stories surround these children. Their feelings permeate the book and make it a psychological mystery much more so than a thriller. Given the number of characters and the relationships, the ending is not really a surprise, but getting there is an entertaining reading journey.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017/05/the-child.html
Reviewed for Penguin First to Read program
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017/05/the-child.html
Reviewed for Penguin First to Read program
The discovery of a newborn infant's remains at a construction site set off a search for the story behind the remains. Barton takes this base -- which, admittedly has been used before -- and leads the reader down a twisting trail before the final surprise is revealed.
Didn get it. Had to quite 80 pages in. Another NY times best seller by a chick. Too much going on around the main plot of a reporter trying to find out about a child skeleton that was found from year ago.
