247:, however, Anne Tyler praised McEwan as a skillful writer but stated that "these children are not--we trust--real people at all. They are so consistently unpleasant, unlikable and bitter that we can't believe in them (even hardened criminals, after all, have some good points) and we certainly can't identify with them. Jack's eyes, through which we're viewing this story, have an uncanny ability to settle upon the one distasteful detail in every scene, and to dwell on it, and to allow only that detail to pierce the cotton wool that insulates him. It seems weak-stomached to criticize a novel on these grounds, but if what we read makes us avert our gaze entirely, isn't the purpose defeated?"
198:
Tom sleeps, and Julie takes off her clothes. While talking, Jack and his older sister become more and more intimate with each other. Right at this point, Derek enters. He remarks that he has seen it all and calls them "sick." When he leaves, Jack and Julie begin to have sex. A thudding noise is heard below, and their sister Sue comes and informs them that Derek is smashing up the concrete coffin. The three begin to talk, remembering their mother. After a while, police lights illuminate the room through the bedroom window.
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praised the author's extensive discussion of the minutiae of the environment, writing, "McEwan's evocative detail and perfect
British prose lend a genteel decorum to the death and decay that surround the family. McEwan's lovers are loathsome, a far cry from the romanticized versions in the 1993 film
262:
argued in a 2012 article, "McEwan's calm, exquisite sentences lead you into the secret and strange world of the post-war middle-class family, with its unique clash of make-do-and-mend and sexual revolution. Devastating information is relayed in short, cool-headed paragraphs, increasing the charged
197:
Jack enters naked into Julie's bedroom, apparently absent-mindedly. Only Tom is present. Jack climbs into Tom's cot and begins to talk to him about their parents. Julie enters and, seemingly unsurprised by her younger brother's nakedness, jokes that "it is big." Jack and Julie sit on the bed while
189:
with their younger sister, although he is aware that their version of the game occasionally broke boundaries. Jack then mentions how he longs to do the same to his older sister but it is not allowed. Sexual tension between Jack and his older sister, Julie, becomes increasingly obvious as they take
193:
When Julie begins to date a young man called Derek, aged 23, and invites him to their house, Jack feels jealous and shows hostility towards him. Derek gets a hint that something is hidden in their cellar, and becomes more and more interested while the children attempt to hide it from him. When a
215:
argued that although one important event in the novel seemed staged for effect, the grim book "is somehow suffused with light and warmth. Having worked such wonders with such intrinsically stunted material, McEwan calls attention to his undeniable talent. If he and his characters can stretch to
194:
smell begins to emanate from the cellar, the children tell him their dead dog, Cosmo, is encased in the cement. Derek then helps to re-seal the cement which their mother is hidden in. Eventually, Tom tells Jack that Derek has told him he believes their mother is in the cellar.
36:
174:, the father of four children dies. About a year later, the children's mother also dies. In order to avoid being taken into foster care, the children hide their mother's death from the outside world by encasing her
363:. In March 2008, it was adapted for the first time for the stage by FallOut Theatre in Cambridge. A developed version of this adaption opened in London at The Vaults, Waterloo, starring
185:
The narrator is Jack (13 at the start of the book) and his siblings are Julie (17), Sue (13), and Tom (6). Jack describes how, when they were younger, he and Julie would
263:
atmosphere of disorder and horror. The novel is a masterclass in clarity and precision." In a lukewarm review for a stage adaptation of the novel, Charles
Spencer of
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303:(1981) in her list of recommended books by the author. It was also ranked one of the author's five essential books by
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said that the book remains "powerful and disconcerting" despite a narrative that is clearly heavily influenced by
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that the novel "should consolidate Ian McEwan's reputation as one of the best young writers in
Britain today".
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Aaronovitch, David; Treneman, Ann; Sylvester, Rachel; Brookes, Peter; Sanghera, Sathnam (12 April 2019).
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over the roles of "mother" and "father" in the house, which is gradually deteriorating into squalor.
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measure up to that prose, we may be watching a major novelist in the making." Robert Towers of
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referred to McEwan's original book as a "beautiful but disturbing novel". Kitty
Aldridge of
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583:"Stephen King Creates a List of 96 Books for Aspiring Writers to Read"
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Several critics suggested that the plot bore a close resemblance to
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is David
Aaronovitch's favorite McEwan novel. Eileen Battersby of
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called it "just about perfect", and Blake
Morrison declared in
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in the cellar. The children then attempt to live on their own.
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has had a positive reception since its original publication.
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placed it 66th on a list of books that had influenced him.
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called the book "shocking" and placed it fifth along with
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adaptation. But they're all the more captivating for it."
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received positive reviews from critics. A reviewer for
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524:"Book of a Lifetime: The Cement Garden, by Ian McEwan"
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A quote from the book can be heard in the opening of
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In a review of the film adaptation, John
Krewson of
670:"Reasons to read Ian McEwan, and the ones to avoid"
19:This article is about the novel. For the film, see
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444:THE CEMENT GARDEN by Ian McEwan | Kirkus Reviews
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550:"The Cement Garden, Waterloo Tunnels, review"
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783:Official Ian McEwan web page on the novel
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722:"McEwan hits back at call for atonement"
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282:In a 2018 article, Elaina Patton of
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1183:British novels adapted into films
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421:James, Caryn (11 February 1994).
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1051:Jack Flea's Birthday Celebration
761:. Univ of South Carolina Press.
470:Tyler, Anne (26 November 1978).
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720:Hoyle, Ben (27 November 2006).
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339:What It Feels Like for a Girl
235:The Times Literary Supplement
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695:"The Essential Ian McEwan"
144:1993 film of the same name
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858:The Comfort of Strangers
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728:. London. Archived from
301:The Comfort of Strangers
142:. It was adapted into a
21:The Cement Garden (film)
16:1978 novel by Ian McEwan
755:Malcolm, David (2002).
999:First Love, Last Rites
1088:The Ploughman's Lunch
1007:In Between the Sheets
793:Literary Encyclopedia
349:film of the same name
1198:Fiction about incest
1188:Novels about orphans
1178:Novels by Ian McEwan
788:Essay by Nick Ambler
357:Charlotte Gainsbourg
152:Charlotte Gainsbourg
1193:Jonathan Cape books
1173:1978 British novels
554:The Daily Telegraph
498:"The Cement Garden"
476:movies2.nytimes.com
347:was adapted into a
266:The Daily Telegraph
138:is a 1978 novel by
40:First edition cover
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1059:The Imitation Game
732:on 2 December 2008
428:The New York Times
355:in 1993, starring
329:In popular culture
323:Our Mother's House
244:The New York Times
29:The Cement Garden
28:
1203:1978 debut novels
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1018:Children's novels
990:Story collections
866:The Child in Time
850:The Cement Garden
768:978-1-57003-436-7
380:The Cement Garden
371:in January 2014.
345:The Cement Garden
291:The Cement Garden
272:Lord of the Flies
224:The Cement Garden
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736:27 November
313:Controversy
187:play doctor
150:, starring
1167:Categories
882:Black Dogs
833:Ian McEwan
699:Book Marks
394:References
386:(2005) by
306:Book Marks
140:Ian McEwan
50:Ian McEwan
1096:Soursweet
906:Atonement
898:Amsterdam
705:5 January
679:5 January
653:5 January
648:0140-0460
640:The Times
619:5 January
593:9 January
567:5 January
562:0307-1235
533:5 January
507:5 January
481:5 January
375:Anthology
335:Madonna's
309:in 2019.
202:Reception
105:Hardcover
72:Publisher
59:Ron Bowen
954:Nutshell
914:Saturday
64:Language
978:Lessons
222:deemed
103:Print (
67:English
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