The Children of Men

By: P. D. James

Narrated by: David Case

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

The year is 2021. No child has been born for twenty-five years. The human race faces extinction. Under the despotic rule of Xan Lyppiat, the Warden of England, the old are despairing and the young cruel. Theo Faren, a cousin of the Warden, lives a solitary life in this ominous atmosphere. That is, until a chance encounter with a young woman leads him into contact with a group of dissenters. Suddenly his life is changed irrevocably as he faces agonising choices which could affect the future of mankind.

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

©1993 P.D. James (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

“Extraordinary … daring … frightening in its implications.” (The New York Times)

“She writes like an angel. Every character is closely drawn. Her atmosphere is unerringly, chillingly convincing. And she manages all this without for a moment slowing down the drive and tension of an exciting mystery.” (The Times (UK))

Interesting

This novel is written well with strong, evocative imagery throughout. It is slow-moving for the first half, only very gradually picking up speed and intensity in the latter half. It's conclusion is rather anticlimactic in some ways leaving a little too much to the imagination. An epilogue could have eased that problem. However, it raises numerous questions of an excellent and deep quality. It asks questions of the meaning of life and of mankind as a whole. It also levels some appropriately scathing critiques of contemporary society. In all, while I would not say my life was necessarily very deeply impacted by reading this book, it was definitely worth the time and effort, for the uniquely introspective and meditative opportunities it affords the reader.

hits the spot for my distopia cravings

well, for someone who is just a pleasure reader and doesn't know much about writing I enjoyed this book a lot. probably doesn't mean a lot to such a famous author, but she's famous for a reason. Also, I know books are generally better then movies, but the movie changed the end. does that make it the same story?

Don’t watch the movie!

I loved the story line with all the twists and turns. Theo, a 50 year old bore, transforms into a courageous and carting man.
The movie sucked. A complete hack of a wonderful story

All I hoped for

Would you listen to The Children of Men again? Why?

Yes. There are many subtleties that I feel I mat have missed on the first go.

What other book might you compare The Children of Men to and why?

The Children of Men is in the strain of 1984 and even Fahrenheit 451. Its a classic apocalypse tale of an over reaching government

Which scene was your favorite?

The ridiculousness of the surrogates (kittens, dolls, etc.) for the lost human children. Either this or Theo's response to viewing the Quietus.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. It really draws you in and pushes you forward.

Any additional comments?

PD James is brilliant. The characters she creates are beyond many.

Many fewer explosions than the movie

I enjoyed the movie twice over a decade, and now I plan to watch it a third time. The plot of the book is rather different, though it shares some premises, elements, characters and episodes. Overall well written and very enjoyable. Some of the decisions made by the characters are inexplicable but move the story along quickly. The plot is much more believable than Girl with All the Gifts, and it is more relevant to the pandemic and emerging fascism themes of 2022-23. More character development and less violence. Very British.

A must read

If you could sum up The Children of Men in three words, what would they be?

I was originally asked to read this for my college English class. I found that thoroughly enjoyed it and have recommended it to friends and family. One of those books that make you wonder if it could really happen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Julian is my favorite. She's strong, intelligent, knows what she wants and is not afraid to go for it.

Which scene was your favorite?

The final scene with Julian and Theo in the cabin in the woods.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It definitely made me cry.

If I Had Been God...I Could Have Done a Better Job!

It was a fair if shallow piece though I related to the narrator. When you've been through trauma that litcherally steals your face right off your head it can dull your senses to the point where there's nothing left to do but smile. Which is why I'm no longer allowed to sit next to my brother at funerals. Once Dust in the Wind played from a raggedy ghetto blaster so he leaned over his wife to whisper, "You're My Boy Blue." It was the 3rd funeral in a row I inappropriately laughed loud and long. And when Hallelujah comes on do not look at my ex wife/fiancée because she'll be giggling too.

Not as good as the movie

Children of Men is a movie that I greatly enjoy. Though it is pretty depressing it is also beautiful and thought provoking. However, I was a little disappointed upon listening to the book. The narration is great but the story is rather slow. It picks up quite a bit in the last three hours but the overall story was somewhat dull. If you were looking for this book to be a nice compliment to the film, well, you might not get what you were looking for.

Children of Men

The book was way better than the movie. It was well written, I just wish it had an epilogue, some kind of glance in the future, instead of making me use my own imagination.... narrator didn't do many voices well and too many pauses and empty air time.

Needs another narrator

I must agree with other reviewers that the narration could be better. I was too aware of his breathing, pauses and well, him. It's like going to see a play and you're seated where you can see the backstage so well it distracts from time to time from the play.
I saw the movie before listening to the book, so another distraction was the mental comparisons between the movie and the book. The ex-wife plays less of a role than she did in the movie, the government structure becomes more prominent, and the environment gets more rural than urban. Yet, as always the book is far better than the movie.
Another, and this could be annoying, distraction was how the author wrote the book with two voices. One is in the first person of Theo as he fills his diary. The other is written in the third person. At times I had to ask myself and wonder if the book was in diary mode or not.
Though the main character is pretty much an atheist/agnostic the story is dripping with Christian themes and references. There are no perfect Christians in this story, everyone is broken in one way or another.
Overall it is an engaging book, despite the narration.