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adaxique's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
glassesgirl79's review
2.0
“Childhood” is a book that is unsure of what it wants to be. On the one hand, the book tells the story Thomas McMillan, a forty year old man coming to grips with the unsteady relationship between him and his deceased mother.
The book is divided into three parts: History, Geography, and Housekeeping. The first part of the book focuses on Thomas being abandoned by his mother and living with his Trinidadian grandmother is a small town in Ottawa Canada. Thomas’ is saddened by his mother’s absence but at the same time, he accepts that life he has been given. The first part of the book ends when his mother, Katarina, returns to claim him after the death of his grandmother.
The second part of the book, Geography, focuses on Thomas’ life after leaving Ottawa and his experience getting to know his mother. While Thomas has an idealized image of us mother in his head from stories told be her former friends, he soon discovers that the woman he is traveling with in a master manipulator and is only out to take care of herself.
As the novel progresses, Katarina (also known as Kata) and Thomas eventually end up at the home on Henry Wing, a friend of Katarina’s who is referred to as a black man with chinese blood. Since the extent of Kata and Henry’s relationship is never made clear, Thomas assumes that they are in love and the biggest portion of the book focuses on Thomas’ and Kata’s time living with Henry. The second part of the book ends with the death of Kata and Henry.
The third and last part of the book, Housekeeping, brings
the reader to Thomas in the present day and we watch as he copes with the death of two pivotal people in his life. The book ends with Thomas in a relationship and trying to not let the mistakes of his mother impact his current life.
Overall, this book was slow read which leaves the reader finishing the book feeling unfulfilled.
The book is divided into three parts: History, Geography, and Housekeeping. The first part of the book focuses on Thomas being abandoned by his mother and living with his Trinidadian grandmother is a small town in Ottawa Canada. Thomas’ is saddened by his mother’s absence but at the same time, he accepts that life he has been given. The first part of the book ends when his mother, Katarina, returns to claim him after the death of his grandmother.
The second part of the book, Geography, focuses on Thomas’ life after leaving Ottawa and his experience getting to know his mother. While Thomas has an idealized image of us mother in his head from stories told be her former friends, he soon discovers that the woman he is traveling with in a master manipulator and is only out to take care of herself.
As the novel progresses, Katarina (also known as Kata) and Thomas eventually end up at the home on Henry Wing, a friend of Katarina’s who is referred to as a black man with chinese blood. Since the extent of Kata and Henry’s relationship is never made clear, Thomas assumes that they are in love and the biggest portion of the book focuses on Thomas’ and Kata’s time living with Henry. The second part of the book ends with the death of Kata and Henry.
The third and last part of the book, Housekeeping, brings
the reader to Thomas in the present day and we watch as he copes with the death of two pivotal people in his life. The book ends with Thomas in a relationship and trying to not let the mistakes of his mother impact his current life.
Overall, this book was slow read which leaves the reader finishing the book feeling unfulfilled.
autumn_melon's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
bitterindigo's review
2.0
To put it as succinctly as possible, I thought the writing in this book was great, the characters were unlikeable, and the story was annoying. Tom is dumped on his cantankerous, volatile grandmother as a baby, experiences a loveless childhood until her death, when his mother Katarina returns to reclaim him. He then experiences a confusing adolescence with his mother and Henry Wing, a gentle and peculiar man who adores his mother and gives Tom free reign in his large library and laboratory. Tom now lives a peculiar adulthood in Henry's house, following a strict regimen of sleeping, waking, eating, reading and writing. He mentions a "you" whom he allegedly loves, to whom he is telling the story of his life.
I find the process of memory interesting. How we remember and mis-remember, different people having conflicting accounts of the same event, this kind of thing is interesting. It seemed to me that for every period of his life, Tom would say "I don't remember much of these years" or "I remember so little of this period it might as well have been lived for me". This is not interesting. This is obvious and unnecessary to say. Perhaps the lack of affection shown to him in his formative years by his strange and demanding grandmother explains his detached, rather cold view of others. Certainly it's not surprising that he would be ambivalent towards his mother, but he doesn't give the reader enough to form an independent opinion. I found his attitude towards Henry, the man who never treated him with anything but tenderness and respect, annoying also. It's not uncommon for children to view permissive adults with a certain contempt, but later when Henry is older and infirm and asks for his help he doesn't show any more affection. The narrator may be troubled, but he comes across largely as a cold fish, and while that may have been the point, it left me cold as well.
I find the process of memory interesting. How we remember and mis-remember, different people having conflicting accounts of the same event, this kind of thing is interesting. It seemed to me that for every period of his life, Tom would say "I don't remember much of these years" or "I remember so little of this period it might as well have been lived for me". This is not interesting. This is obvious and unnecessary to say. Perhaps the lack of affection shown to him in his formative years by his strange and demanding grandmother explains his detached, rather cold view of others. Certainly it's not surprising that he would be ambivalent towards his mother, but he doesn't give the reader enough to form an independent opinion. I found his attitude towards Henry, the man who never treated him with anything but tenderness and respect, annoying also. It's not uncommon for children to view permissive adults with a certain contempt, but later when Henry is older and infirm and asks for his help he doesn't show any more affection. The narrator may be troubled, but he comes across largely as a cold fish, and while that may have been the point, it left me cold as well.
justnerissa's review
5.0
This was a delightfully satisfying short read. I read it months ago but some of the details and scenes have stayed with me ever since.
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