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The Children Home A Novel edition by Charles Lambert Literature Fiction eBooks

Download As PDF : The Children Home A Novel edition by Charles Lambert Literature Fiction eBooks

The Children Home A Novel edition by Charles Lambert Literature Fiction eBooks

Charles Lambert's debut novel, The Children's Home, defies easy description. I found it to be unsettling throughout, gripping in the first half, and unsatisfying toward the end. I appreciated Lambert's crafting of the novel, the characterizations, the dialogue. He sets a timeless, gothic tone, at once in a conceivable past and in a foreseeable future.

When a wealthy recluse takes in children who appear mysteriously at his estate, he takes their arrivals in stride. Their presence begins as an interesting diversion that makes little difference to his lifestyle. Ultimately, however, his life is forever changed because of them. Morgan is wealthy, because of the business his grandfather built, and reclusive, because of a disfiguring incident that causes him to shut himself off from the prying eyes of the world.

In spite of his face, at which most people are appalled, the children accept him unconditionally. When he asks the local doctor to come examine the children, the doctor accepts Morgan's appearance and the two men become fast friends.

Shortly the children begin directing Morgan's life, rather than the other way around, and things become more muddled. Lambert hints at the devastation of war and a breakdown of society, about which Morgan remains ignorant due to his seclusion on his walled estate. When Morgan, under the direction of the children, ventures to his family's factory, the odd state of things there boggles his mind (as well as mine).

The mystery of the children's origin, their strange behavior, and the discoveries they make in the secret part of Morgan's house all drive the story in unexpected directions. The story's brooding development gives it more weight than it seems to deserve. The activity at the factory seems to hold part of the key to the mystery of the children, but Lambert's description of the factory is so bizarre and elusive that I couldn't be sure what point he was making.

The Children's Home is certainly an enjoyable read, yet as the story builds it becomes more and more shaky. As Lambert demonstrates, introducing a strange and mysterious events is much easier than providing a purposeful and meaningful direction for those events.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!


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The Children Home A Novel edition by Charles Lambert Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews

WTF? The writing was pretty good but I have no idea what the hell happened. I kept thinking all would be made clear and instead it kept getting more obscure. Growing kids like turnips? They time travel to.....give people chances? make things better? I just didn't get it.
The Children's Home by Charles Lambert 4/5

A terribly scarred and disfigured man, a grand secluded estate, furniture and carvings from all over the world are well described by Lambert, creating the centerpiece of our story. How was he so maimed? Where is this place? When is this place? And most of all, where are all the children coming from? All ages, both genders they simply arrive/appear on the estate. He and his housekeeper are the only inhabitants of the house and they care for the children unquestioningly. Mysterious wax figures are discovered, and a mission seems to be forming around the man. He is only told that he will know what to do when the time comes.

The reviews on GoodReads are quite mixed, and tend to be lesser rather than more. I can understand why, but was compelled to rate it as highly as I have because of the ambiance of the story, the mixture of tragedy, love given and received, and total weirdness truly swept me along. There is an air of magical realism about the story, not a genre I enjoy. But, somehow, this works for me. I would have appreciated a little more.....body to the ending, but it is what it is, and that's ok.

Interestingly, there is a small comparison for me to the book The Adventurers by Harold Robbin in that there is a past revolution apparently fueled by an Army that is now in disarray. That is part of my sympathy for the story, I believe.

Recommended, if you can enjoy open endings that don't explain everything.
I popped this book open this morning and finished it this afternoon. I knew from the first paragraph that I would finish it.

It could be classified literary fiction, fantasy-realism, a fairytale, or allegory. You'll have to decide.

Morgan is in his twenties, living the life of a recluse on his family estate. He was horribly disfigured as an older teenager and bears the scars on his face and more importantly, in his mind.

His only companion is a housekeeper sent to care for him by his sister. And then the children start showing up, strays. Some are left on the doorstep, suddenly appear in the yard, or show up with no explanation. it's quickly very clear that these aren't normal children. They have the run of the household, but often disappear, seemingly when Morgan wants solitude, or when there is danger.

There are clues that conditions in the world outside the estate are bad, with the building of a fortress-like wall, fires and gunshots happening, guards, men in uniform, and the danger almost invisible, but very palpable. Because of his shame about how he looks, Morgan has not gone off the estate for years.

A local doctor comes to treat one of the little girls and becomes friends with the recluse, finally even moving in. The male friendship that the two men develop is poignant and satisfying.

Everything is happy in the house, with some very odd occurrences, culminating when officials from the ministry of welfare show up to take the children. By that time, Morgan, Dr. Crane, and the housekeeper have made the decision to raise the children and protect them.

I couldn't put the book down. The prose was sparse, details vague, but the play of magic and menace was very addictive. The writing was compelling and made for compulsive reading. The story and images will stay with me, and the underlying themes of power, evil, and human bonds.

Some readers may not like the complete lack of specifics. We know some history of the family, there's a factory that the sister runs, maybe trading spice, arms, or power. The location is also unclear, though there are clues. The reader will need to suspend disbelief that these children show up out of nowhere and are accepted without question.

Highly recommended, especially for a rainy day.
Charles Lambert's debut novel, The Children's Home, defies easy description. I found it to be unsettling throughout, gripping in the first half, and unsatisfying toward the end. I appreciated Lambert's crafting of the novel, the characterizations, the dialogue. He sets a timeless, gothic tone, at once in a conceivable past and in a foreseeable future.

When a wealthy recluse takes in children who appear mysteriously at his estate, he takes their arrivals in stride. Their presence begins as an interesting diversion that makes little difference to his lifestyle. Ultimately, however, his life is forever changed because of them. Morgan is wealthy, because of the business his grandfather built, and reclusive, because of a disfiguring incident that causes him to shut himself off from the prying eyes of the world.

In spite of his face, at which most people are appalled, the children accept him unconditionally. When he asks the local doctor to come examine the children, the doctor accepts Morgan's appearance and the two men become fast friends.

Shortly the children begin directing Morgan's life, rather than the other way around, and things become more muddled. Lambert hints at the devastation of war and a breakdown of society, about which Morgan remains ignorant due to his seclusion on his walled estate. When Morgan, under the direction of the children, ventures to his family's factory, the odd state of things there boggles his mind (as well as mine).

The mystery of the children's origin, their strange behavior, and the discoveries they make in the secret part of Morgan's house all drive the story in unexpected directions. The story's brooding development gives it more weight than it seems to deserve. The activity at the factory seems to hold part of the key to the mystery of the children, but Lambert's description of the factory is so bizarre and elusive that I couldn't be sure what point he was making.

The Children's Home is certainly an enjoyable read, yet as the story builds it becomes more and more shaky. As Lambert demonstrates, introducing a strange and mysterious events is much easier than providing a purposeful and meaningful direction for those events.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!