The Cement Garden - Ian McEwan

I found this particular book to be a strange but funny story about what kids can get up to when they are not kept entertained. It really is a brilliant book and you should have no problem reading it. The book is filled with loads of terrible things such as rubbish which converts an otherwise pleasant backyard into an horrific landfill. The story describes the kind of relationships that children would develop among themselves if left entirely on their own. I would say that this book is worth a read. ...  Read the complete review

I had to read this book for a book review at school. I actually read the whole thing in a day! It was that good that I just couldn’t put it down! The characters were excellent and it was so detailed that you actually followed the emotional changes in the novel. Especially when the mother dies. What happens in the novel is that the father dies, and then the mother cannot cope by herself, she gets really ill and ends up dying as well. Then it is just the four children. They don’t tell anyone about their parents because they were afraid of being separated. You hear the terrible tormenting story that the children went through, and it breaks your heart ...  Read the complete review

beautifily written novel following four children as they cope with the loss of their parents. however no details on how they grieve for their lost mother and father are given, instead we slowly see the degrading pscological effects it has on them. the novel is fragmented to match the fragmenting distortion of the childrens mind and the collapse of time in which they will face impending doom at the end. excellently written, i would have loved to discover what happened to the children when they became adults. ...  Read the complete review

When you look at the title The cement Garden it may not be a typically inspiring title that makes you want to pick up the book. But i warn you first impressions are not everything. The Cement Garden is book that discusess certain issues that at the time would have been quite shocking for an audience but if you read it in todays times most people would be happy to read and maybe identify with the protagonist Jack. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good, read, it may be a first novel for McEwan but it doesnt mean its not worth reading. ...  Read the complete review