Synopsis
Doris Lessing's contemporary gothic horror story—centered on the birth of a baby who seems less than human—probes society's unwillingness to recognize its own brutality.
Harriet and David Lovatt, parents of four children, have created an idyll of domestic bliss in defiance of the social trends of late 1960s England. While around them crime and unrest surge, the Lovatts are certain that their old-fashioned contentment can protect them from the world outside—until the birth of their fifth baby.
Gruesomely goblin-like in appearance, insatiably hungry, abnormally strong and violent, Ben has nothing innocent or infant-like about him. As he grows older and more terrifying, Harriet finds she cannot love him, David cannot bring himself to touch him, and their four older children are afraid of him.
Understanding that he will never be accepted anywhere, Harriet and David are torn between their instincts as parents and their shocked reaction to this fierce and unlovable child whose existence shatters their belief in a benign 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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The Fifth Child
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 45101915-6
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The Fifth Child
Seller: The Oregon Room - Well described books!, Phoenix, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
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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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: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
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Hardback. Condition: Fair. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration. Seller Inventory # GOR002876588
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Fifth Child
Seller: medimops, Berlin, Germany
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Condition: good. Befriedigend/Good: Durchschnittlich erhaltenes Buch bzw. Schutzumschlag mit Gebrauchsspuren, aber vollständigen Seiten. / Describes the average WORN book or dust jacket that has all the pages present. Seller Inventory # M00224025538-G
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The Fifth Child
Published by
Jonathan Cape, 1988
ISBN 10: 0224025538
ISBN 13: 9780224025539
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Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: BooksByLisa, Highland Park, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: New. First Edition. PHOTO AND VIDEO OF PAGES TAKEN TO SHOW CONDITION PRIOR TO SHIPPING; PHOTOS EMAILED FOR MORE SPECIFICS WHEN REQUESTED; Book. Book. Seller Inventory # 4398
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THE FIFTH CHILD
Published by
Jonathan Cape, London, 1988
ISBN 10: 0224025538
ISBN 13: 9780224025539
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Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: WF Sandercombe, Burlington, ON, Canada
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good+. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+. First Edition. Black boards lettered in gilt on the spine. Light rubbing at the corners of the dustjacket; price intact; no interior markings. Size: 8vo. Book. Seller Inventory # 236347
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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
Published by
Jonathan Cape, London, United Kingdom, 1988
ISBN 10: 0224025538
ISBN 13: 9780224025539
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Eric James, Lewisporte, NL, Canada
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hard Cover. Condition: Very Good ++. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good -. First Edition. Hardcover with unclipped dust jacket, 133 pages; bumps to spine ends and both top corners, tiny faded remainder mark to bottom edge, very clean and unmarked throughout; DJ has short tear to back flap hinge bottom. Seller Inventory # 040873
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The Fifth Child
Seller: Ammareal, Morangis, France
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Bon. Ammareal reverse jusqu'à 15% du prix net de cet article à des organisations caritatives. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION Book Condition: Used, Good. Ammareal gives back up to 15% of this item's net price to charity organizations. Seller Inventory # F-850-740
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