The Boy in the Field

A Novel

By: Margot Livesey

Narrated by: Imogen Church

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

The New York Times best-selling author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy delivers another “luminous, unforgettable, and perfectly rendered” (Dennis Lehane) novel - a poignant and probing psychological drama that follows the lives of three siblings in the wake of a violent crime.

One September afternoon in 1999, teenagers Matthew, Zoe, and Duncan Lang are walking home from school when they discover a boy lying in a field, bloody and unconscious. Thanks to their intervention, the boy’s life is saved. In the aftermath, all three siblings are irrevocably changed. 

Matthew, the oldest, becomes obsessed with tracking down the assailant, secretly searching the local town with the victim’s brother. Zoe wanders the streets of Oxford, looking at men, and one of them, a visiting American graduate student, looks back. Duncan, the youngest, who has seldom thought about being adopted, suddenly decides he wants to find his birth mother. Overshadowing all three is the awareness that something is amiss in their parents’ marriage. Over the course of the autumn, as each of the siblings confronts the complications and contradictions of their approaching adulthood, they find themselves at once drawn together and driven apart.

Written with the deceptive simplicity and power of a fable, The Boy in the Field showcases Margot Livesey’s unmatched ability to “tell her tale masterfully, with intelligence, tenderness, and a shrewd understanding of all our mercurial human impulses” (Lily King, author of Euphoria).

©2020 Margot Livesey (P)2020 HarperAudio

Disappointed

Spoilers ahead. Consider yourself warned.
Not as good as I expected. The writing style is easy and pleasant to listen to, but the story itself bothered me. Overall, it had very little to do with the boy they find in the field, but I guess the event leads to everything else in the book. Then, there's the victim's brother who is on a borderline psychotic quest to find his brother's attacker not to bring this person to just but because he thinks doing so will win the heart of his ex-girlfriend. And then there's the sixteen year old girl having sex (no, not just implied but actually having sex) with a twenty-something man (like...what??? 😳). The redeemable bits were the one kid's search for his biological mother. As an adoptee myself, I was able to identify with his motivations more than anyone else. He and the family dog (who is insightful and adorable) are really the only characters who got me through the book. It's one of those books where nothing really happens. If done correctly, these books can be splendid. This one was simply not splendid at all.

a break

really enjoyed this novel. The structure (each chapter told by one of the three Lang kids) provided variety and bite‐size chapters. The fact the kids were all under the same roof propelled a really enjoyable narrative forward, as if told by one person. Finally, it was just great to spend time in 1999, a much appreciated break from 2020.

Meh

I really didn't enjoy this book. There wasn't anything wrong with it. It was just a little boring to me. I wouldn't want to discourage someone from trying it based on other reviews, but my opinion is that it was just ok.

For All Ages

I recommend this book to others of all ages. It speaks of the inner confusion of youth, the coming to terms with reality, the joys and sorrows of friendships, the importance of encouraging others, and the primary place of family.

A Small Gem

This is a story of a discovery that prompts two brothers and their sister to take risks, reach out and challenge themselves from the secure place of love that is their family. Beautifully written and read, it’s a reassuring tonic for difficult times.

Sad

I bought the book, having heard it was a feel good story, it was not. The ending broke my heart.

Beautiful story about 3 siblings

Absolutely loved this. English siblings Matthew, Zoe and Duncan find an injured boy (young man, really). The three teens each tell the story of how this incident stays with them.

Imogen Church does a wonderful job at capturing each of the characters personalities.

My only quibble was that all the characters seemed very out of place in a modern world. The artists, authors snd actors referenced were timeless and I believe the adults would. I just didn’t buy the kids not being tied into modern cultural literacy. The story takes place right before Y2K, but still the teens seemed from a much older time. That said, it was refreshing that they were so educated and aware of classical culture.

Totally worth the listen!

Disappointing.

Maudlin, sentimental, over-the-top. If you survive the treacle, you'll wish you had the hours back you spent on it.

Lovely story

Lovely story about the depth of human feeling and the dynamics of complex family life.

Simple AND Complex!

4.5 stars. Don't let the simplicity of the writing or the story deceive you. Buried beneath the seemingly typical teenage dramas lie deep and serious themes about growing up and understanding the meaning of life, the dangers and beauty of love, and the importance of family.

Three siblings (Matthew, 18; Zoe, 16; and Duncan, 14) are walking home from school one day when their father doesn't show up. Along the way, they spot a boy laying in a field. On closer inspection, the young man (Karel, early 20s) has been attacked and left alone by the culprit. The children act quickly, call an ambulance and get him to the hospital.

This event affects each sibling and both of their parents in significant but different ways and this is where the deeper meaning of Margot Livesey's novel begins to take shape.

The narration is slow and steady but effective and easy to listen to.

It's a simple but memorable novel and one that is likely to stay with you for a while.