Just finished reading . . .

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt.

Wow. I have been thoroughly disturbed by this book, on lots of levels. It is about Arty-Crafty people at the turn of the 20th century, about fabians, anarchists and liberal-minded types. Mostly it is about their children. The book is long, though it only covers a period of 20 years: it starts in 1895 and ends in 1919. As I read nearer to the end I knew that I was being led into the First World War and I didn't want to go there. But I went, and it can never be an easy journey, rightly so.
I think it a book about families, about hypocrisy, about love, and fear and betrayal of the deepest kind. It is also about society changing, reluctantly at first, then forced to change fast.
I thought I knew about WWI, and about art, and pottery and the Suffragettes, but there is always more one can learn. Layers of new learning about old subjects enrich us, over time.
I'll give this book 8.5 out of 10. The only reason that I'm not giving it more is because I suspect that I am not well-read anough to have fully appreciated all the contextual referencing that she did throughout the book.

Now I'm thinking of re-reading 'The Road to Wigan Pier' by George Orwell. The copy that I've got is very dog-eared, and inside it says that I bought it on Oldham Market for 25p. I suspect I have had it since about 1980. I don't often re-read books, but I have got to know Wigan better over the last year, and I need to think about socialism again. Also, there was a play on Radio 4 the other day which was about Orwell's visit to Wigan, when he was researching for the book. It was on my pile of 'books to read', so I thought I was receiving a direct message through the airwaves, to pick George up.