The Man Who Loved Children

De: Christina Stead

Narrado por: C. M. Hebert

Sam and Henny Pollit have too many children, too little money, and too much loathing for one another. As Sam uses the children's adoration to feed his own voracious ego, Henny watches in bleak despair, knowing the bitter reality that lies just below his mad visions. A chilling novel of family life, this work is acknowledged as a contemporary classic.

©1996 Christina Stead (P)1997 Blackstone Audiobooks

Reseñas de la Crítica

"This crazy, gorgeous family novel is one of the great literary achievements of the twentieth century. I carry it in my head the way I carry childhood memories; the scenes are of such precise horror and comedy that I feel I didn't read the book so much as live it." (Jonathan Franzen)

"One of the best novels of this [the 20th] century." (Walter Clemons, Newsweek)

"This minute examination of the life of a lethally dysfunctional family is told in a gush of extravagant language such is not heard in the age of television. All but the youngest characters hold forth like orators in an Irish pub. It's the sort of thing one either loves or hates. Those who love it will find this recording by C.M. Herbert completely satisfactory. She takes the sprawling twenty-one-hour text in stride, giving every word its proper attention and showing great sensitivity to the emotional content (usually high) of every line of dialogue. She doesn't vary the sound of her voice greatly but, nonetheless, gives each character a distinctive tone." ( AudioFile)

Excruciating

No. 1, I recognize the skill with which Stead realized this novel.
No. 2, I've never enjoyed a book I respected less.

The husband and wife are absolutely unbearable, particularly him. Sam, the husband/father, is the most annoying character I've ever encountered in a book. I would literally say, "Shut up!" out loud as I listened to him prattle on. Not only is he ridiculous and not only is he a know-it-all, but he expresses himself in a private language of unceasing sing-song and baby talk. If I met this guy, I'd probably punch him, and when the cops came I'd say, "Just talk to him for a few minutes"; Then they'd let me go. His wife, meanwhile, just repeats the same shrill, angry eruptions over and over again. She isn't really a character.

I know many literary sorts tout this novel, including Jonathan Franzen, who certainly takes his own shots at so-called domestic bliss. But the literary experience here is an absolute slog. I didn't enjoy any portion of the book. If the ending had been, "And then suddenly everyone spontaneously combusted," I would have cheered.

A challenging read

If you could sum up The Man Who Loved Children in three words, what would they be?

Manipulative, misguided and misplaced were words that kept recurring to me through this read. Manipulative describes the adult chatacters, barely an ounce of humanity between them. Misguided again applies to the adult characters who were flawed in just about every way possible. I also thought the author was misguided in setting the book in the USA. As an Australian reading this, and knowing that the Author was also Australian, though had lived long periods out of Australia, this book would have worked so much better if it had had an Australian setting.

What three words best describe C. M. Hebert’s performance?

Trying narration. The flat, almost monotone narration did nothing to enhance a read I found to be trying at the best of times.

psychological torture in the best way

I'd listen to this book when my lover wasn't home because I didn't want him to get depressed. I like the book because I'm interested in the conflicts that happen when people pretend to be optimistic. It's really dark and claustrophobic. The father is a horrible, twisted monster of a man who prides himself on being good. It's hard to listen to the derisive nicknames and insults cloaked as baby-talk that he spews. It's a book about denial and shame. I thought it was amazing, but I like this kind of book.

Brutal and Funny

This book deserves to be much better known. An insufferably egotistical and immature husband. An overwhelmed and self-martyrizing wife. A desperate, fantasizing daughter. Christina Stead creates the worst possible family. No physical abuse, just relentless psychological domination and destruction. Darkly funny and brilliantly written.

Hyper real, and extraordinary.

The shear insanity of the characters in The Man Who Loved Children, is amplified by the fact that Stead published this novel in 1940. It speaks to the festering rage that sits in the bellies of those who find themselves underwhelmed by the promises and/or indignities of domestic life. Hang on until the (bitter) end; you won't be disappointed.