THE FIFTH CHILD

Doris Lessing

ISBN 10: 0586089039 / ISBN 13: 9780586089033

Published by HarperCollins Publishers, United Kingdom, London, 1993

About this Item

A classic tale from Doris Lessing, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, of a family torn apart by the arrival of Ben, their feral fifth child. Listening to the laughter, the sounds of children playing, Harriet and David would reach for each others hand, and smile, and breathe happiness. Four children, a beautiful old house, the love of relatives and friends Harriet and David Lovatts life is a glorious hymn to domestic bliss and old-fashioned family values. But when their fifth child is born, a sickly and implacable shadow is cast over this tender idyll. Large and ugly, violent and uncontrollable, the infant Ben, full of cold dislike, tears at Harriets breast. Struggling to care for her new-born child, faced with a darkness and a strange defiance she has never known before, Harriet is deeply afraid of what, exactly, she has brought into the world. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Seller Inventory # GOR000740413

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE FIFTH CHILD
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, United Kingdom, London
• Publication Date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0586089039
• ISBN 13: 9780586089033
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 91 grams

About this title

Synopsis

A classic tale from Doris Lessing, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, of a family torn apart by the arrival of Ben, their feral fifth child.

‘Listening to the laughter, the sounds of children playing, Harriet and David would reach for each other’s hand, and smile, and breathe happiness.’

Four children, a beautiful old house, the love of relatives and friends – Harriet and David Lovatt’s life is a glorious hymn to domestic bliss and old-fashioned family values. But when their fifth child is born, a sickly and implacable shadow is cast over this tender idyll. Large and ugly, violent and uncontrollable, the infant Ben, ‘full of cold dislike’, tears at Harriet’s breast. Struggling to care for her new-born child, faced with a darkness and a strange defiance she has never known before, Harriet is deeply afraid of what, exactly, she has brought into the world …

About the Author

Doris Lessing was one of the most important writers of the second half of the 20th-century and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature 2007. Her novels include The Grass is Singing, The Golden Notebook and The Good Terrorist. In 2001, Lessing was awarded the David Cohen Prize for a lifetime's achievement in British literature. In 2008, The Times ranked her fifth on a list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". She died in 2013.