The Fifth Child - Hardcover
Synopsis
Classic horror 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 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...
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Review
The married couple in this novel pull off a remarkable achievement: They purchase a three-story house with oodles of bedrooms, and, on a middle-class income, in the '70s, fill it to the brim with happy children and visiting relatives. Their holiday gatherings are sumptuous celebrations of life and togetherness. And then the fifth child arrives. He's just a child--he's not supernatural. But is he really human? This is an elegantly written tale that the New York Times called "a horror story of maternity and the nightmare of social collapse . . . a moral fable of the genre that includes Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and George Orwell's 1984."
From the Inside Flap
A self-satisfied couple intent on raising a happy family is shocked by the birth of an abnormal and brutal fifth child.
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- PublisherJonathan Cape
- Publication date1988
- ISBN 10 0224025538
- ISBN 13 9780224025539
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages133
- Rating
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Fifth Child
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.7. Seller Inventory # G0224025538I4N00
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Fifth Child
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.7. Seller Inventory # G0224025538I4N00
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Fifth Child
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.7. Seller Inventory # G0224025538I5N00
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The Fifth Child
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
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Condition: Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP62985376
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The Fifth Child
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
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Hardback. Condition: Good. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR001034126
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The Fifth Child
Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. The Fifth Child This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780224025539
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The Fifth Child
Published by
Vintage Publishing, United Kingdom, London, 1988
ISBN 10: 0224025538
ISBN 13: 9780224025539
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Paperback
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This novel tells the story of two people who want the same things - fidelity, love, family life and a stable home. They are out of line with the fashions of the 60s, but life seems to smile on them until Harriet's fifth pregnancy, when everything starts to go wrong.Doris Lessing is author of "The Grass is Singing", "The Golden Notebook", "Briefing for a Descent into Hell", "The Good Terrorist" and "The Sirian Experiment". 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 # GOR003028692
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The Fifth Child
Seller: Reuseabook, Gloucester, GLOS, United Kingdom
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Hardcover. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Ripped/damaged jacket. The dust jacket of this book is slightly damaged/ripped, however, this does not affect the internal condition. Aged book. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading. Seller Inventory # CHL9841026
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The Fifth Child
Seller: Reuseabook, Gloucester, GLOS, United Kingdom
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Hardcover. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages. Inscription on the first page, typically just a name but may include a dedication or a brief personal message. Seller Inventory # CHL9950387
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The Fifth Child
Seller: The Oregon Room - Well described books!, Phoenix, OR, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1988 Jonathan Cape 1st U.K. Edition, Near fine/Very Good+ DJ in Mylar, dustjacket has very small blemish at head of spine, in Mylar with price intact, no markings found, thin remainder mark top edge. Seller Inventory # c00621
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