The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt

This book is very like The Forsyte Saga in some ways: a sprawling Victorian novel, committed to following numerous sub-plots (and here, several different families) over a long time span. In telling about these particular families (here, people with artistic inclinations), the novel attempts to tell something about the United Kingdom during its transition from the Victorian era to the Edwardian era. Overall, the book is enjoyable, although I think in some cases it might be too ambitious: there are so many characters, and some of them fade away into nothingness. The novel's interested in giving representative moments rather than working through a big picture, so some ends remain forever loose. Overall, I'm pleased to have read it. For those who found the fake-Victorian poetry in Possession annoying, there's less of it here, although there is a fair amount of storytelling. Booker shortlisted, 2009