Synopsis "The Child"

The Child is a story about growing up that is comparable in humor and humanity to Great Expectations, even as its unflinching exposure of violence and hypocrisy foreshadows the nightmare realsim of Louis-Ferdinand Céline. Jules Vallès, an anarchist and a bohemian, dedicated his book "to all those who were bored stiff at school or reduced to tears at home, who in childhood were bullied by their teachers or thrashed by their parents," and it tells the (autobiographical) tale of a young boy constantly scapegoated and abused, emotionally and physically, by his peasant mother and schoolteacher father, whose greatest concern is to improve their social status. But the young hero learns to stand up to his parents, even to love them, in time, and for all the intense pain the book registers it is anything but dreary. To the contrary, Vallès's book is one of the funniest in French literature, a triumph of insubordinate comedy over the forces of order and the self-appointed defenders of decency.

Customers reviews

Have you read this book? Login to add your review.

More customer reviews

0% (0)
0% (0)
0% (0)
0% (0)
0% (0)

Questions and Answers about the Book

Do you have a question about the book? Login to be able to add your own question.

Opinions about Bookdelivery

More customer reviews

The Child - Valles, Jules ; Parmée, Douglas

Synopsis "The Child"

Customers reviews

Frequently Asked Questions about the Book

Is the book original?

In what language is the book written?

What is the format of this book?

Questions and Answers about the Book

Opinions about Bookdelivery