This may be the most realistic novel I have read in years, with not a note out of place. ![]() ![]() With five long chapters resembling dramatic acts, this novel is structured like a Shakespeare play, except that it is neither comedy nor tragedy nor history but fundamentally a work of painstaking, intricate realism. Fiona is highly respected by her colleagues and has served as a judge for many years it is clear from the beginning of the novel that she is deeply committed to her job for all of the right reasons. ![]() The title refers to a 1989 British law known as the Children Act (which sounds awkward and wrong to my American ear, which wants to hear ‘ Children’s Act,’ but I digress), which states that the child’s welfare (which British law defines as encompassing interests and well-being) must always be the judge’s first priority in any case impacting the lives of children. Fiona Maye’s job requires her to make shrewd, compassionate, and ethically sound judgments involving the welfare of children. This novel is a slow, tidy, and compelling third-person-limited study of an aging family court judge.
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