Journal Entry 1 by AngelChild from Rochester, Kent United Kingdom on Monday, May 31, 2004

A truly captivating book..... I found it quite scary when i read it, which was probably due to the fact that i was pregnant at the time!

'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 

Journal Entry 2 by AngelChild from Rochester, Kent United Kingdom on Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Offering this up as a Book Ray.....

Participants and shipping order.....

bookmanu (Portugal)
Lorelei03 (US)
tnelson99 (US)
Amaranta20 (US)
Ada2 (AUS)
aset01 (FR)
FieryFairy (WALES)
platypussj (UK)
PurpleRose73


I'm offering up the sequel to hopefully travel on to everyone in this ray in the same order (will be a couple of months behind)
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1709005/caffcaff/book_Ben,-In-the-World-:-The-Sequel-to-the-Fifth-Child-Doris-Lessing

RULES:

Please send the book to the next person on the list (PM'ing them for their addy) within 1 month. If you are unable to finish the book in that time please let me know so i can keep everyone updated.

Journal the book when you receive it and again when you send it on so we can all see where it is :o)

 

Journal Entry 3 by AngelChild at Bookray in Bookray, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases on Monday, August 30, 2004

Released 7 yrs ago (8/31/2004 UTC) at Bookray in Bookray, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to bookmanu as first participant in Book Ray

Hope you enjoy it :o) Please pass to the next person on the list.... 

Journal Entry 4 by bookmanu from Cascais, Lisboa (distrito) Portugal on Friday, September 17, 2004

It was waiting for me when I got home.Thanks Caffcaff!

Looks like a quick read...I just need to finish another bookring book I'm busy with at the moment...promise to send it on within the 1 month time limit.

Thanks also for the beautiful post card! 

Journal Entry 5 by bookmanu from Cascais, Lisboa (distrito) Portugal on Thursday, October 07, 2004

I drove around with this book since last week, finally mailed off to Lorelei03 this afternoon.

It was my first Doris Lessing book. An enjoyable read although not what I was quite expecting. I assumed that all of DL's books were set in Africa :o)

I found it quite 'scary' to read about Ben and the effect he had on people around him. Raising children isn't easy, I shudder to think what life would be like if my children weren't 'normal'like Harriet and David's other children (If normality exists and I'm not being too *(Can't think of the word I want!:o/)*

I'm going to try to get the sequel - 'Ben in the world' and also intend to read other Doris Lessing books if I come across them.

Thanks for starting the bookring caffcaff...I hope that other participants in the bookring enjoy it as much as I did. 

Journal Entry 6 by Lorelei03 from Flushing, New York USA on Thursday, October 21, 2004

I ADORED this book and like bookmanu, plan on looking for the sequel.

Doris Lessing's talent is truly enchanting. 

Journal Entry 7 by tnelson99 from Festus, Missouri USA on Tuesday, November 02, 2004

This kept my attention, but kind of creepy book. Definitely a quick read -- only took me 3 days to read it. I'm getting the next person's address and sending it out as soon as I receive it. 

Journal Entry 8 by tnelson99 from Festus, Missouri USA on Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Mailing to Amaranta20 today! 

Journal Entry 9 by Amaranta20 from Seattle, Washington USA on Saturday, November 06, 2004

Just received this in the mail yesterday. I've already started it and it's pretty interesting so far. 

Journal Entry 10 by Amaranta20 from Seattle, Washington USA on Tuesday, November 09, 2004

This was an interesting book. I found myself annoyed by the mother's constant sense of persecution, and I think some of it was all in her head. Still, it had a very interesting premise. If the next book was told from the mother's point of view I would not be interested in it, as I am no longer interested in her view of affairs, but it seems as though it may be told from Ben's point of view, which I would be interested in reading. I shall send this off to the next on the list tomorrow. 

Journal Entry 11 by Ada2 from North Avoca, New South Wales Australia on Monday, December 27, 2004

This book arrived in Australia about 4 weeks ago...my sincerest apologies not to have registered it immediately! I have 3 bookrings to complete before this one, but have some holidays now and I'm hoping to get them read without more delay....

Hope everyone is having a very festive season!

 

Journal Entry 12 by Ada2 from North Avoca, New South Wales Australia on Monday, January 03, 2005

Well I read this book in one sitting - it gripped me, disturbed me, haunted me, moved me - a great read!!

Doris Lessing gives us an incredible moral dilemma to grapple with - how could you live in such a situation and not want to change it...was it right to remove Ben (and sentence him to certain death), and was it right for Harriet to bring him back, thereby 'destroying' all her other children and the very fabric of her family and everything she and David believed was right and good - not to mention the damage done to their extended families. This is a no win moral situation - and great drama and tension comes out of it. It also touches on what difficulties people with 'abnormal' children face in ordinary society.

Ben was truly frightening, but believable...and seemed to be the very face of evil in our society - the face of the murderer, rapist, bully, primitive, with no sense of morality or conscience or any insight or humanity. Scary stuff indeed! I'll be very interested to read the sequel...

Thanks for sharing - lucky book, it gets to go to France next! 

Journal Entry 13 by Ada2 from North Avoca, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, January 05, 2005

On its way to aset01 in France.... 

Journal Entry 14 by aset01 from Carpentras, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur France on Sunday, April 10, 2005

book arrived a month ago but i wasn't there... Sorry for the delay, will read it right away 

Journal Entry 15 by aset01 from Carpentras, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur France on Thursday, April 21, 2005

It was my first Doris Lessing book and probably my last one. I personnaly found the story "disgusting". It is very well written though