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The Children of Men
The Children of Men | P. D. James
The Children of Men begins in England in 2021, in a world where all human males have become sterile and no child will be born again. The final generation has turned twenty-five, and civilization is giving way to strange faiths and cruelties, mass suicides and despair. Theodore Faron, Oxford historian and cousin to the omnipotent Warden of England, a dictator of great subtlety, has resigned himself to apathy. Then he meets Julian, a bright, attractive woman, who wants Theo to join her circle of unlikely revolutionaries, a move that may shatter his shell of passivity. And maybe, just maybe, hold the key to survival for the human race.From the Trade Paperback edition.
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review
readingjedi
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Mehso-so

A weird one, this. Premise is intriguing, but it didn't achieve its full potential. In fact, I'm not too sure what it was doing and why. Something profound is going down, that's for sure, it just seems to be passing me by! Writing is obviously that of an accomplished author, but I found it staid & stilted. The ending went off on a preachy religious tangent. Mildly engaging with moments of both "meh" and "eh?" and a touch of depressing dystopia.

The_Book_Ninja The film is superb 2mo
63 likes1 comment
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readingjedi
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Today's date. It's weird to read a book set in the future when that future is actually in the past!

LiteraryinLawrence Oh, how weird! 2mo
71 likes1 comment
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MissYaremcio
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Mehso-so

Set in 2021, the world has undergone final infertility and the last generation is called the Omegas. The narrator spends the first half of this book, writing diary entries about his connection to the Supreme Leader, his cousin, Xan. If you like books about dystopian futures, you'll like this one. A theme in the story, is the idea of control and secrecy, as our narrator attempts to figure out what is truly going on.

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shortsarahrose
Children of Men | P D James
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My #speculativespringswap package was waiting for me when I got home from work today! Thanks @peanutnine

Avanders 👏🏽👏🏽🦠🔮🧬🧞‍♂️♥️ 2y
18 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Mehso-so

First off: VERY different from the movie (which I seem to remember more than I realized). The narration jumps between diary entries and third person, which is jarring. The ending is ambiguous. It‘s hard to get any real sense of the characters (I think Miriam is the most developed). It‘s interesting, and thought-provoking, but I don‘t think I really liked it. But I‘m glad I read it.

ravenlee Thank you very much @TheLibrarian - it took me forever but I finally read it! 2y
TheLibrarian You‘re welcome! I don‘t even know if I read it before giving it away 🤣 2y
Suet624 I saw this movie when it first came out oh-so-many years ago and I still think about it. 2y
33 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Heading into the Forest of Dean - isn‘t that where Hermione Apparates the trio to, when they almost get caught at Grimauld Place in The Deathly Hallows?

Clare-Dragonfly Yes! I‘ve also heard it was the inspiration for Fangorn. A very literary forest. 2y
25 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Up next. Not sure if Danny approves.

Megabooks I‘ve always meant to read this. 2y
RaeLovesToRead I've seen the film but I never realised it was by PD James! Hai Danny! 🥰😀 2y
ravenlee @Megabooks @RaeLovesToRead my thoughts exactly! I‘m sorry to say I‘ve forgotten the lovely Litten who gave this to me, but it‘s been sitting on my shelf for too long. Interestingly, it‘s set in 2021. 2y
39 likes3 comments
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shortsarahrose
Children of Men | P D James
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“I didn‘t know then and still don‘t know how much he cared for Woolcombe. It‘s still used as a nursing-and-retirement home for the privileged few - relations and friends of the Council, members of the Regional, District and Local Councils, people who are considered to have given some service to the State. Until my mother died Helena and I made our regular duty visits. I can still picture the two sisters sitting together on the terrace...”

shortsarahrose #Adventathon Day 24 - final day! I didn‘t always read a full chapter a day, but I read a little all but one of the days, which is probably better than I would otherwise have this month between school, work, and the holidays. Thanks @ozma.of.oz for the fun readathon! 2y
14 likes1 comment
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shortsarahrose
Children of Men | P D James
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“‘Oh, I don‘t think you can possibly be too pessimistic. I can‘t think why you all seem so surprised at Omega. After all, of the four billion life forms which have existed on this planet, three billion, nine hundred and sixty million are now extinct. We don‘t know why. Some by wanton extinction, some through natural catastrophe, some destroyed by meteorites and asteroids...‘”

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shortsarahrose
Children of Men | P D James
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Went to my first farmers‘ market since 2019 and with it, my first library book sale since 2019. Definitely had to stock up! #bookhaul

BookishMarginalia 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 3y
18 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
ChaoticMissAdventures
Children of Men | P D James
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Mehso-so

I try to judges book by when it was written. Such an interesting concept, that humans would become infertile and how individuals would act.
The book itself is unbalanced and the narration is so unemotional it is a bit odd. All of the action is pushed towards the end. But even this action feels unemotional.
I think this is my first PD James. I might read her for her concepts if not her actual writing.

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ChaoticMissAdventures
Children of Men | P D James
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2021. I didn't realize the book was set for this year. I guess I am glad I waited 5+ years with it on my shelf to pick it up!

It is always interesting to see what people envision for a year decades away, and to compare it to the actual time.

Librariana Confession: I'm a little distracted by your beautiful space! 😍 Love the floral runner on your table (GORGE!) and the sunny yellow pots on your windowsill and your cozy little (reading?) chair by the corner 🥰 But also Yay! for books about visions of a future currently taking place! 3y
Librariana Oh! Oh! And your yellow 💛 roses🌹 3y
ChaoticMissAdventures @Librariana thank you so much!! I bought and moved in about 2 weeks ago and while I had bunch of stuff it has been work finding all the right pieces to make this a color filled happy space. 3y
18 likes3 comments
review
KarenUK
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Pickpick

Definitely a chilling dystopia, but as good as the writing is, I found it difficult to connect with the MC. Released in 91, it was a shock for the first chapter to be dated “January-March 2021”!
It‘s an interesting(though not original) premise of a fertility challenged world, executed well, but dare I say, I preferred the Alfonso Cuaron movie (that made some story changes). A film I watched a very long time ago, but has stayed with me. 🌟🌟🌟1/2

Megabooks Nice choice! 3y
Cinfhen Wow!!! Crazzzy about dystopian date 😱 3y
Kalalalatja It is so weird when dates line up like that 🤯 3y
41 likes4 comments
review
nosferatu
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Mehso-so

I might be a little biased here because I absolutely love Cuarón‘s adaptation, but this wasn‘t quite as exciting as I wanted it to be (except for parts of the second half, which moves along at a faster pace). In fact, it made me appreciate the movie even more, for picking exactly the right plot beats to tell a more engaging story.

review
Moray_Reads
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Pickpick

It starts slow and the idea of an extinction event sparked by mass infertility can be found elsewhere but this is still a chilling, fascinating story. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Maya.McClan This movie was so good. I had no idea it was a book. I have to put this on my TBR list. 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
bnp I liked the book a lot better than the movie. @Maya.McClan The ending in the book is quite different than the movie. 3y
Maya.McClan @bnp Sounds great. Now I‘m excited to read it! 3y
21 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Moray_Reads
Children of Men | P D James
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I suppose 2020 would have been even more appropriate, but still...

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STORYBOOK-CAFE
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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? Blessed Sunday ?

"We can experience nothing but the present moment, live in no other second of time, and to understand this is as close as we can get to eternal life.” The Children of Men. P.D. James.

rjsthumbelina Beautiful - the picture AND the quote 3y
STORYBOOK-CAFE @rjsthumbelina Thank you and please have a lovely day ☕ 3y
55 likes2 comments
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KarenUK
Children of Men | P D James
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Inspired by @jenniferw88 I‘m planning already! As we all say... it‘s almost as fun as the reading! 😂

Here‘s #Winter... picked from my shelves....
#booked2021

@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

Cinfhen I love that we all are finding books on our shelves!! Good to read from the TBR 3y
BarbaraBB Love these posts! 3y
48 likes2 comments
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La_Cori
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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RamsFan1963
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description or reason for wanting to read the book. Some are old, some will be new. Don't judge me - I have a lot of books.

Day 5 #tbrpile

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katlyn447
Children of Men | P D James
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Here's hoping that #BookSpin keeps me accountable for reading something from my TBR! Most are books on my shelves at home but I added a couple that I want from my library too :)
@TheAromaofBooks

rachelk Rebecca is one of my favorites! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Thank you for joining!! I'll be sure to tag you with the lucky number on Sunday!! 😁 4y
11 likes2 comments
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ravenlee
Children of Men | P D James
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#bookmail today made my day! Thank you @TheLibrarian so much for the books! And the bubble wrap and box made my kiddo ecstatic as well (I think she might actually be a cat).

mcipher 😆 5y
TheLibrarian Hooray!! Glad it arrived safely. 5y
34 likes2 comments
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BrittaBohler
Children of Men. P.D. James | P. D. James, James

Currently reading. #weekendreads

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bnp
Children of Men | P D James
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Anyone else following the Clarke Shadow jury hosted by the Anglia Ruskin Centre for Science Fiction & Fantasy?

http://csff-anglia.co.uk/category/clarke-shadow-jury/

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Scott_BookInvasion
Children of Men | P D James
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Wow!!! Amazing goodwill find today!! 🎉🎉👍👍🏆🤓👑💥🔥🔥🔥 hahahahah

$3 for this bad boy! The original price tag of $70 is still on the back! Hahahahah

hlgreenfield Daaamn! That is awesome. Love that story! 6y
Scott_BookInvasion @hlgreenfield I‘ve never actually read it but I have seen the movie. Love that Clive Owen! 6y
10 likes2 comments
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Dwayne_Shugert
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Currently reading....

review
youngreadrshelf
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Pickpick

It is the future and humans haven't been able to reproduce for about 25 years. Government (England) is being run by a council of 5. The cousin of the lead is a professor who has been just existing. Then a group contacts him to bring their demands to his cousin. He is unimpressed by the demands but does find a connection with one of the group. This connection wakes him up. Loved the set up but felt the end was off.

GoldenGirl I've had this on my bookshelf for years and still haven't picked it up. 6y
youngreadrshelf @GoldenGirl It‘s still worth it despite the ending. 6y
45 likes2 comments
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lauren.lerner
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Day #25 Of #NovemberbytheNumbers. Two very different books, which I love for very different reasons, that were both published in 1992. 📚

#YA #fantasy #dystopian

MarriedtoMrT Daine! ❤️ 6y
32 likes1 comment
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TheSolitudeOfReading
Children of Men | P D James
Pickpick

If you like the movie you'll enjoy the book. The plot lines are similar until the end. The movie is very Hollywood and the book is not, but the character transformation in the book is beautiful.

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Lcsmcat
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Pickpick

Wow. This is not like any P.D. James I'd read before. Not a mystery, but a dystopian novel. While some things are dated it still carries a punch. Written with James' clear skillful prose.

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Lcsmcat
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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There was some dignity and much safety in the self-selected role of spectator, but, faced with some abominations, a man had no option but to step on the stage. #resist

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Lcsmcat
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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When two of your library holds arrive on the same day, right after you started a new book from your shelf. #2017reads

Jaimelire Must read this...saw movie. Children of Men. (edited) 7y
Jaimelire The Road is forever scarred into my memory. 7y
6 likes2 comments
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M-D
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Library book haul tonight. Biography on one of my favorite artists, the great George Harrison. True crime book on one of my favorite film noir movies, Double Indemnity. (Film has Barbara Stanwick, Edward G. Robinson, and Fred McMurray) The Children of Men is one of the 12 distopian society books that I am trying to read this year.

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TelevisionNeighbor
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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I love this movie so much. I'm wondering if the book can be better. It doesn't seem possible.

BookHermit It's aged well. A timely choice 😢 7y
3 likes1 comment
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BarbaraTheBibliophage
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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This novel is dystopian but the quote is quite Zen-like.

Libby1 I really liked this book. I thought it felt so English and autumnal. 7y
LisaJo I had been watching Dalgliesh detective shows on PBS – Mystery. So I thought I would go read one of PD James's books. And this is the one that I picked up at the library. So not an Inspector Dalgliesh book, but enjoyed it just the same. 7y
87 likes6 stack adds2 comments
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TheBookkeepersApprentice
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Just started this today 😊

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GoneFishing
The Children of Men | P. D. James

Early this morning, 1 January 2021, three minutes after midnight, the last human being to be born on earth was killed in a pub brawl in a suburb of Buenos Aires, aged twenty-five years, two months and twelve days.

Libby1 This book. So vivid. So cold. So truthful. 7y
Kluckleesie I love her work. 7y
36 likes14 stack adds2 comments
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KatarinaK
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Reading this for my Afterlife of Things class as well. So far I like it, but the movie version of Jasper is better!

3 likes1 stack add
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William_Hill
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Pickpick

Beautiful prose and a realistic depiction of a hopeless society fill every page of this superb novel. Those coming from the film adaptation as I did have a story that's only similar to that of the film. Both are brilliant, though, and I'm thrilled that I finally took the journey through the book.

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HiddenGemBooks
The Children of Men | P. D. James

We can experience nothing but the present moment, live in no other second of time, and to understand this is as close as we can get to eternal life.

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Ellen_C
The Children of Men | P. D. James
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Pickpick

Timely dystopian fiction that asks the question, how should we live when the world is dying? Is it worthwhile to pursue justice if we're all gonna die anyway? http://cannonballread.com/2016/07/how-should-we-live-when-the-world-is-dying/

6 likes2 stack adds