I have been so dissatisfied with what I have read, of late that I am happy to report that Ann Packer's book, while chartering familiar territory, is extremely satisfying.
Now, I know her breakthrough book was "The Dive From Clausen's Pier," and I know I should have read it. In fact, I thought I had, but when I checked through years of book lists, and it did not appear, I had to conclude I hadn't because I avoided the depressing nature of the subject matter--a woman whose husband is paralyzed in a terrible diving accident feels she cannot care for him, and leaves. Why should I bother with that?
"The Children's Crusade" is more familiar territory; so much so, at times I felt I was reading something by Jane Smiley, though this is not as wrenching as, say, "A Thousand Acres." Like 'Pier,' its central female figure, Penny Greenway , who marries Dr. William Blair, is cold and unsympathetic. Feminists will attack me, so go ahead; this woman had no business having children, who ultimately raised themselves--I found myself drawn to Ryan and Rebecca,--and was not surprised James turned out to be a problem. And all the boys are pigs, when it comes to sex, and their exploits are graphically detailed.
It was the nature of the children, watching them grow into the failures they become--except for Rebecca--that kept me glued to the pages. Packer tells a compelling story, but many of her characters are not likable. Even Ryan, whom I was drawn to, has his flaws. Rebecca seems to have turned out the best of all of them.
Nevertheless, this is a neatly written, tightly structured novel, with everything wrapped up at the end. When I closed the book, all questions had been answered, all matters satisfied.
It is a very near miss, perhaps because the book seems so clinical, and lacking in warmth.
But it is a literary work deserving of reader attention.
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