The Children's Bach is now my second book by Helen Garner. I am glad that her work is being published in the United States and she is getting exposure internationally long after this book was published. The book follows a married couple in Melbourne in the 1980s. Athena, the wife, is pulled to experience an affair and counterculture living despite her loving husband and child. This is a short novel and a slice of life about a particular point in time. It feels a bit dated now, but I appreciated how it could be revolutionary and novel when published.

I was initially drawn in by the synopsis. However, I was ultimately disappointed with the execution of the story. Throughout the book, I found myself struggling to understand what was happening and was left feeling unsure of the purpose behind the events. I believe that this particular story may not have been suited to my personal taste but it may still be enjoyed by others.

Voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, the Publisher, and the author, Helen Garner

I love fiction set in the 1980's and this title fits the bill. This will leave you grappling with questions such as is it better to be free or content? This is a great example of general fiction that makes you ask hard questions about your own life. I would recommend this to readers of literary fiction who enjoy a moving and emotional story.

THis book had a lot going on in it. I read it but it was a little hard to follow.. I didn't enjoy it as it kept going back and forth from charachter to charachter and there was a lot of people in this boook. It was also set in the eighties, but some of the things written felt it was before the eighties.

A brief glimpse into the daily life of one family in the 1980s. Athena and Dexter Fox seem to have a fairly nice life, though they occasionally struggle with their disabled son. Soon the reappearance of Dexter's old friend, Elizabeth, and her younger sister will throw their life into disarray. And we are left wondering if things can ever go back to how they were before.

I enjoyed the meandering, thoughtful writing style and how it was packed into such a short novel. At the beginning, I was connecting with the characters, but as the story continued, I found it harder to like them. I am always turned off by infidelity in the books I read, and also struggled with some of the scenes around Billy. Not to say that the way the parents acted with him is unrealistic, because I don't think that it is, but it was just so depressing to read. This one didn't fully gel with me, but I enjoyed the writing style enough that I am curious to pick up the author's other works.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

unlikeable characters but liked the way it was written unfortunateky just wasnt for me and i struggled to read

I honestly had so much trouble trying to follow what might have been a plot in this book. It didn't keep my attention well, and if there was ever a book to DNF for me, this would have been it. I know this book was enjoyed by many people, and it came recommended, but it was not for me.

A capitvating and interesting book--well worth reading. The writing, the unusual plot, the relationships, all make The Children's Bach a rich and engrossing novel.

A short read that takes place during the 1970's in Melbourne. No main characters just bits and pieces from all the people mentiones as their lives are intertwined. Colorful writing, using many descriptive adjectives. Various parts reminded me of reading someone's journal.

Thanks go to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Pantheon and NetGalley for this advanced e-book for me to read and review.
I could not get invested in this book, I DNF and will not share this review.

Well-written, yet undeniably bleak, this is an 80’s era (both written and set) tale of domestic breakdown, existential nothingness, and bodies in motion, - unlikable characters bumping into each other randomly and in the process, spinning out trails invariably murky and mostly unpleasant.

Set in Melbourne, Australia, the story features Dexter, who once “wanted to live gloriously”, and his wife Athena, who is trapped in a stifled and passionless marriage. When Dexter encounters an old university friend, the glamorous Elizabeth, and her teenage sister Vicki, the stage is set for upheaval. Particularly with the introduction of Phillip, Elizabeth’s sometimes lover, a successful musician with a penchant for girls, - young, vapid, starstruck, and always available.

This is not an easy read. Written in a chaotically disorganized stream of scenes, contiguous and fluid, POVs begin and end and it’s up to the reader to contextualize who is speaking and where the heck we are now in the tangled multi-story stream unfolding.

For some this may be only jarring, - for this reader the writing style also felt deliberately jumbled - the authors trick to juxtapose worlds in as disarming a disarray as the characters, and their narrative world, themselves embody. (Although noting this did not make this writing style any more readable).

For those are indeed characters in total disarray: meandering, unhappy, brutal, amoral, flippant and narcissistic. Some, admittedly (that is, Dexter), with just a hint of vulnerability amidst his bravado. Yet each is universally hideous in their treatment of a young, most likely (although not spelled out) autistic boy, Billy, including (perhaps even centering from) the hands of his “perfect” mother, Athena.

Worth a read for the experimental and therefore interesting approach, this was not, however a read I particularly enjoyed.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

**",Three and a half shiny stars

Oh Helen Garner! Where have you been all my reading life? A book that sizzles with life and VERVE. Love love.

I enjoyed reading this book. The writing style is excellent and the characters raw. The did not love the plot of the book, which may be due to not understanding Australian culture.

I had never heard of Helen Garner (an Australian writer whose works are being re-released), but I am glad I had a chance to read this book. Her characters are interesting and flawed. It is about family, it is about finding your place in the world, and feels dreamlike in its unfolding. The forward of the book rightfully explains that unlike most forwards, they would not be outlining the plot. This was a good choice, because it is important to let the stories, the characters and the writing wash over you as you read. I found it to be compelling and well-written. I look forward to reading more of Garner's work.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

I could not get into this book so will not be writing a public review. I am sure it is a good story for someone else who is interested in Australia in the 80s and I may give it a try at a later date. Thank you for the opportunity to read the eARC - Much appreciated.

I was delighted to receive an ARC of this - thanks to NetGalley and the publisher - and the novel’s brevity appealed, too. Unfortunately, though, I didn’t love it - and having finished it, it left me feeling a little indifferent.

The writing is beautiful. About midway through, Garner writes ‘… it would smell clean, not op-shoppy and doggy and wet-jumpery like all the uniforms in this gloomy building with the swinging light bulbs and the canteen price lists…’ For one thing, she has a perfect way of evoking a place - an atmosphere - in long, quite unwieldy sentences, but they work. Garner is particularly adept at listing and having long sentences, like a stream of consciousness, and I would say these are a mark of her writing. Towards the end, there is a sense of Athena’s repetitive behaviour through the persistent use of ‘she’: ‘She opened the front door… she noticed…she thought… she got up… she stood…’ Here, we see the arduous nature of this particular character’s work and what needs to be done. Starting multiple sentences with the pronoun ‘she’ definitely works for this writer.

For me, this is a character-heavy book without too much of a discernible plot. Although not a weakness, as such, it didn’t really work that well for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of The Children’s Bach in exchange for my review.

This is a short read that somehow feels like a slog. I had read halfway and was unable to keep the characters straight, so I started again, but never got to where I cared what any of them were experiencing.

This story tumbles out all jumbled up, without chapters or divisions of any kind and apparently without any particular objective in mind. I enjoy reading stories with strong character development, and for me that aspect was missing from The Children’s Bach.

When former friends Dexter and Elizabeth run into each other after many years, little do they know how their reunion will impact their lives and families. One chance encounter causes them both to change their established routines and try something new, for better or worse.

Not my cup of tea, but I do think there was something interesting about the pacing of this book.

This was so short, I'm not sure it really counts as a novel? I do appreciate a "slice of life" story and one that was written in 1980s Australia intrigued me.

I did feel like her writing is a little too spare and ricky-ticky at times. Sometimes the dialogue read like someone reciting a grocery list.

A slow and sometimes disjointed read. The premise sounded interesting and I love that it is set in Australia in the 80s but overall it took me a while to get through as I was just not invested in any of the characters.

Rating: 2.75

A fascinating novel with vivid characters and sharp writing. I really loved this book and can imagine teaching in a graduate class at my university.