Call number
FIC LIV
Collection
Genres
Publication
Harper Perennial (2021), 272 pages
Description
"One September afternoon in 1999, teenagers Matthew, Zoe, and Duncan Lang are walking home from school when they discover a boy lying in a field, bloody and unconscious. Thanks to their intervention, the boy's life is saved. In the aftermath, all three siblings are irrevocably changed. Matthew, the oldest, becomes obsessed with tracking down the assailant, secretly searching the local town with the victim's brother. Zoe wanders the streets of Oxford, looking at men, and one of them, a visiting American graduate student, returns her gaze. Duncan, the youngest, who has seldom thought about being adopted, suddenly decides he wants to find his birth mother. Overshadowing all three is the awareness that something is amiss in their parents' marriage. Over the course of the autumn, as each of the siblings confronts the complications and contradictions of their approaching adulthood, they find themselves at once drawn together and driven apart"--… (more)
Media reviews
In This Novel, a Grisly Discovery Leads to Self-Discovery....In the broadest sense, Margot Livesey’s exquisite novel “The Boy in the Field” is a whodunit...But the real mysteries lie elsewhere, specifically and most compellingly with the characters who are witnesses to the
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crime....Livesey’s writing is quiet, observant and beautifully efficient — there’s not an extra word or scene in the entire book — and yet simultaneously so cinematic, you can hear the orchestral soundtrack as you tear through the pages ... Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
Three teen siblings, Matthew, Zoe and Duncan, find and rescue an unconscious and severely injured boy in a field. Afterwards, their lives change in ways good and bad, expected and unexpected.
Written simply, in alternating points of view of each of the 3 teens, this is a quiet family story. Given
Recommended.
3 1/2 stars
Written simply, in alternating points of view of each of the 3 teens, this is a quiet family story. Given
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the premise, you might expect a bit of a thriller, a bit of grimness, but I found this to be a very feel-good book. The characters are all decent good people, not perfect, making mistakes, but trying hard to do their best by one another. It was good visiting them for a while. I enjoyed Duncan's parts the most. He is the youngest, but already is recognized as an extremely talented artist. I was enthralled by how he views the world through an artist's lens.Recommended.
3 1/2 stars
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LibraryThing member Beamis12
3.5 Love the vibrancy of this verdant green cover. Covers do attract.
Three children are walking home from school when they discover a boy lying in the field. He is very badly injured and there is a great deal of blood. It looked as if he had been stabbed and help is quickly attained.
Although there
Character driven, slowly paced. We get to know these three, two boys, one girl, family members and see into their lives, their thought processes. How they each thought they had heard the boy say one word, but the word was heard differently by each. The way they change will also change their family in response to their actions. There is also a wonderful dog called Lily who is very perceptive.
When I first started reading this I wasn't sure if I would continue. It definitely needs patience in the beginning, but the writing is terrific, and by books end I realized how tightly the author had plotted her story, and what she was trying to achieve. As you can see I ended up liking it quite a bit.
ARC from Edelweiss
Three children are walking home from school when they discover a boy lying in the field. He is very badly injured and there is a great deal of blood. It looked as if he had been stabbed and help is quickly attained.
Although there
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is the mystery of who was responsible for the boys stabbing, this is not a mystery per se. It is more a study of how those that found the boy changed their lives because of this incident. How just being close to violence altered them in different ways.Character driven, slowly paced. We get to know these three, two boys, one girl, family members and see into their lives, their thought processes. How they each thought they had heard the boy say one word, but the word was heard differently by each. The way they change will also change their family in response to their actions. There is also a wonderful dog called Lily who is very perceptive.
When I first started reading this I wasn't sure if I would continue. It definitely needs patience in the beginning, but the writing is terrific, and by books end I realized how tightly the author had plotted her story, and what she was trying to achieve. As you can see I ended up liking it quite a bit.
ARC from Edelweiss
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LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
The Boy In The Field, Margaret Livesey, author; Imogen Church, narrator
This is a very tenderly told story that is narrated superbly by Imogen Church. Rather than get in the way of the narrative, as some do, she enhances it with a spot-on interpretation of each character’s personality and
When their dad is late picking them up, three young siblings, Duncan, Zoe and Matthew, decide to begin walking home. They are confident that he will soon arrive. When Zoe thinks she sees something odd in a field, they run to investigate. They are shocked to discover a very bloody, injured young male. Their intervention saves the young boy’s life, but this act also alters theirs. The effect of this discovery on their lives is the focus of this novel.
This tale examines relationships, self-discovery, friendship and love, infidelity and loyalty, secrets and lies, confrontation and reconciliation. How do we deal with the mistakes that we make as we make our choices? How do we correct or erase flawed decisions? We all come of age in different ways and at different times. The author very deftly handles these issues so that the reader sees the moments that clarity comes to each of the characters and discovers with them, the confusion that life brings to them. The reader witnesses their emotions and their efforts to deal with and solve the problems they must face, some ordinary and mundane, some very unusual and traumatic. Do they overreact or calmly react? Is it a combination of both? Which actions and behaviors produce the most positive results? Is it always necessary to tell the truth, or are secrets sometimes beneficial?
The author even manages to breathe humanity into the dog, infusing her with anthropomorphic qualities, as Lily sometimes seems to sense, react and speak to the siblings as they seek comfort from her. Livesey gets right into the heads of each character, major and minor, using them to exhibit all of life’s little and large moments. The characters accept their frailties and deal with them in different ways. From the confusion of adoption to the betrayal of infidelity, she deftly handles each subject so that it is not fraught with anxiety and judgment, but rather it is filled with compassion and forgiveness.
Each of the children is developed as a unique individual. Zoe has gifts of insight along with growing pains, Matthew questions things he doesn’t understand and explores to find the answers he seeks, Duncan wonders why he doesn’t look like his siblings and wants to find his roots. Zoe writes poetry, Duncan paints pictures and Matthew investigates. All of them are willing to listen to each other and sibling rivalry seems to be at a minimum. The parents give the children the power to make their own decisions and are always there for them, always open to having discussions about anything that bothers them. Their family relationship seems open, honest and ideal. They, parents and children, relate to each other without tantrums. However, there are underlying secrets that could erupt and destroy their happy home. As they learn to navigate through love, friendship and loyalty in all its forms, they each grow in different ways. It is not a fairy tale, but a tale that is uplifting because of the character’s ultimate understanding and handling of situations, great and small through their interaction with each other. Most times, the higher road is taken.
This is a very tenderly told story that is narrated superbly by Imogen Church. Rather than get in the way of the narrative, as some do, she enhances it with a spot-on interpretation of each character’s personality and
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emotional response to events. Never heavy handed or overdone, she perfectly presents each moment each character experiences in tone and accent.When their dad is late picking them up, three young siblings, Duncan, Zoe and Matthew, decide to begin walking home. They are confident that he will soon arrive. When Zoe thinks she sees something odd in a field, they run to investigate. They are shocked to discover a very bloody, injured young male. Their intervention saves the young boy’s life, but this act also alters theirs. The effect of this discovery on their lives is the focus of this novel.
This tale examines relationships, self-discovery, friendship and love, infidelity and loyalty, secrets and lies, confrontation and reconciliation. How do we deal with the mistakes that we make as we make our choices? How do we correct or erase flawed decisions? We all come of age in different ways and at different times. The author very deftly handles these issues so that the reader sees the moments that clarity comes to each of the characters and discovers with them, the confusion that life brings to them. The reader witnesses their emotions and their efforts to deal with and solve the problems they must face, some ordinary and mundane, some very unusual and traumatic. Do they overreact or calmly react? Is it a combination of both? Which actions and behaviors produce the most positive results? Is it always necessary to tell the truth, or are secrets sometimes beneficial?
The author even manages to breathe humanity into the dog, infusing her with anthropomorphic qualities, as Lily sometimes seems to sense, react and speak to the siblings as they seek comfort from her. Livesey gets right into the heads of each character, major and minor, using them to exhibit all of life’s little and large moments. The characters accept their frailties and deal with them in different ways. From the confusion of adoption to the betrayal of infidelity, she deftly handles each subject so that it is not fraught with anxiety and judgment, but rather it is filled with compassion and forgiveness.
Each of the children is developed as a unique individual. Zoe has gifts of insight along with growing pains, Matthew questions things he doesn’t understand and explores to find the answers he seeks, Duncan wonders why he doesn’t look like his siblings and wants to find his roots. Zoe writes poetry, Duncan paints pictures and Matthew investigates. All of them are willing to listen to each other and sibling rivalry seems to be at a minimum. The parents give the children the power to make their own decisions and are always there for them, always open to having discussions about anything that bothers them. Their family relationship seems open, honest and ideal. They, parents and children, relate to each other without tantrums. However, there are underlying secrets that could erupt and destroy their happy home. As they learn to navigate through love, friendship and loyalty in all its forms, they each grow in different ways. It is not a fairy tale, but a tale that is uplifting because of the character’s ultimate understanding and handling of situations, great and small through their interaction with each other. Most times, the higher road is taken.
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LibraryThing member brangwinn
I love how a quiet story can engage the reader. Focusing on three teenage siblings, Livesey has created a coming of age story set in a small English village close to Oxford. When Matthew, Zoe and Duncan find a boy, bloody and unconscious, lying in a field as they return home from school, while
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there is a mystery about what happened, the story is more about how it impacted their lives. What I appreciated most about this book, is the ability of Livesey to get inside the head of all three of the teens. Yes, they are siblings, but they are all different. And I am so glad she didn’t leave me hanging. In the end I got to celebrate the adults these three, along with Karel, the boy in the field, grew into. Show Less
LibraryThing member auntmarge64
A lovingly-drawn character study of three teenage siblings who spot an injured boy lying in a field near their home. The discovery moves each of them and their parents in unexpected directions. The whole family is described so well it's easy to imagine knowing all of them. This is especially true
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of the youngest, a 13-year old (very talented) artist who decides he wants to contact his birth mother. His powers of observation are delightful and encouraged by his parents, who also support his mother-search, as scared as they are of what he'll find and what it will mean for their relationship with him. An epilogue showing their lives 8 years later is a perfect ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member viviennestrauss
This book (like many other things) makes me wish I lived in a small country like the UK. I really loved the writing and the characters, my only complaint is the "too neat" ending.
LibraryThing member deborahk
Livesey takes you deeply into the lives of three young siblings after a pivotal moment sends each family member into their distinct pathways to adulthood. Great storytelling shows us how these 3 individuals react to an event they all participate in together and how different we all are from each
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other, even siblings. Show Less
LibraryThing member mjspear
Beautifully written, heart-felt account of a family impacted by the discovery of a boy --near death-- in a field. The three siblings are impacted in different ways by the accident. Ultimately, a story of family, loving siblings, and the inevitability of change. Would make a good YA choice.
LibraryThing member ibkennedy
Pretty interesting story
LibraryThing member japaul22
One day, walking home from school, three siblings find a boy injured and bleeding in a field. This experience seems to result in individual growth, change, and secrets revealed within the siblings' family. I say "seems to" because sometimes I questioned whether this dramatic opening event truly
The three siblings are teenagers who are finding love, discovering that their parents are real people who make real mistakes, and the youngest, who is adopted, begins searching for his birth mother. While I didn't particularly connect to the individual characters, I did think the book worked well as a whole.
Though this wasn't a stand-out book, I did enjoy it and would recommend.
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impacted the family's subsequent decisions and changes. I felt that most of it was probably coming anyway. But, the boy does keep the story focused and also draws together the larger community, in a way. The three siblings are teenagers who are finding love, discovering that their parents are real people who make real mistakes, and the youngest, who is adopted, begins searching for his birth mother. While I didn't particularly connect to the individual characters, I did think the book worked well as a whole.
Though this wasn't a stand-out book, I did enjoy it and would recommend.
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LibraryThing member write-review
An Assault Alters Young Lives
In Margot Livesey’s ambling and quiet novel, three secondary students, Matthew, Zoe, and Duncan 13, discover a badly injured boy, Karel, in a field as they are walking home from school. They provide him comfort and aid and summon emergency help. The experience sets
Finding Karel gives each character’s life a jolt. Matthew, who has in interest in helping people, takes the most intense interest in discovering who hurt Karel and why. He teams up Karel’s brother, a youth burdened by problems, in canvassing for the possible assailant. He also spends time with the police inspector assigned the case. Zoe goes in search of something more personal and stumbles upon an American graduate student in England for research, and a romance begins to form, and she contemplates her young womanhood. Duncan, the youngest, artistic, and an adopted child, develops an intense interest in finding his birth mother, a task he sets off on with the help of his adopted mother, who is a lawyer. He and Zoe also become aware that Hal, their father, is having an affair with another woman, and that it might be why he wasn’t at school to pick them up that day, as he had promised. In the end, all works out, with each of these youths finding a place in the world, though only one seems particularly solid and fulfilled. However, tragedy strikes at least one of the characters.
Now, as to whether you will enjoy this novel. You will if you like family stories and coming of age tales, and if have patience for storytelling that moves at a leisurely pace and that tones down even dramatic events. Oh, and if you have a spot in your heart for dogs, you’ll appreciate the other family adoptee, Lily, who seems capable of taking everyone’s and every situation’s measure. A skillfully rendered work, though many who try it may find it a bit on the somnolent side.
In Margot Livesey’s ambling and quiet novel, three secondary students, Matthew, Zoe, and Duncan 13, discover a badly injured boy, Karel, in a field as they are walking home from school. They provide him comfort and aid and summon emergency help. The experience sets
Show More
them off thinking about where they might be headed in their own lives. The novel follows them for a few months after their discovery, devoting alternating chapters to each. Then the novel changes narrative direction by consolidating the characters into successive chapters that deal with a fundraiser, a masquerade where people come dressed as people they admire or wish to have been, and a college art show eight years after the incident in which one, Duncan, exhibits his thesis work, and the narrator relates where they landed in life. Did finding and helping Karel have an effect on their lives? It seems to have in nuanced ways, with each influenced differently and to different degrees.Finding Karel gives each character’s life a jolt. Matthew, who has in interest in helping people, takes the most intense interest in discovering who hurt Karel and why. He teams up Karel’s brother, a youth burdened by problems, in canvassing for the possible assailant. He also spends time with the police inspector assigned the case. Zoe goes in search of something more personal and stumbles upon an American graduate student in England for research, and a romance begins to form, and she contemplates her young womanhood. Duncan, the youngest, artistic, and an adopted child, develops an intense interest in finding his birth mother, a task he sets off on with the help of his adopted mother, who is a lawyer. He and Zoe also become aware that Hal, their father, is having an affair with another woman, and that it might be why he wasn’t at school to pick them up that day, as he had promised. In the end, all works out, with each of these youths finding a place in the world, though only one seems particularly solid and fulfilled. However, tragedy strikes at least one of the characters.
Now, as to whether you will enjoy this novel. You will if you like family stories and coming of age tales, and if have patience for storytelling that moves at a leisurely pace and that tones down even dramatic events. Oh, and if you have a spot in your heart for dogs, you’ll appreciate the other family adoptee, Lily, who seems capable of taking everyone’s and every situation’s measure. A skillfully rendered work, though many who try it may find it a bit on the somnolent side.
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LibraryThing member write-review
An Assault Alters Young Lives
In Margot Livesey’s ambling and quiet novel, three secondary students, Matthew, Zoe, and Duncan 13, discover a badly injured boy, Karel, in a field as they are walking home from school. They provide him comfort and aid and summon emergency help. The experience sets
Finding Karel gives each character’s life a jolt. Matthew, who has in interest in helping people, takes the most intense interest in discovering who hurt Karel and why. He teams up Karel’s brother, a youth burdened by problems, in canvassing for the possible assailant. He also spends time with the police inspector assigned the case. Zoe goes in search of something more personal and stumbles upon an American graduate student in England for research, and a romance begins to form, and she contemplates her young womanhood. Duncan, the youngest, artistic, and an adopted child, develops an intense interest in finding his birth mother, a task he sets off on with the help of his adopted mother, who is a lawyer. He and Zoe also become aware that Hal, their father, is having an affair with another woman, and that it might be why he wasn’t at school to pick them up that day, as he had promised. In the end, all works out, with each of these youths finding a place in the world, though only one seems particularly solid and fulfilled. However, tragedy strikes at least one of the characters.
Now, as to whether you will enjoy this novel. You will if you like family stories and coming of age tales, and if have patience for storytelling that moves at a leisurely pace and that tones down even dramatic events. Oh, and if you have a spot in your heart for dogs, you’ll appreciate the other family adoptee, Lily, who seems capable of taking everyone’s and every situation’s measure. A skillfully rendered work, though many who try it may find it a bit on the somnolent side.
In Margot Livesey’s ambling and quiet novel, three secondary students, Matthew, Zoe, and Duncan 13, discover a badly injured boy, Karel, in a field as they are walking home from school. They provide him comfort and aid and summon emergency help. The experience sets
Show More
them off thinking about where they might be headed in their own lives. The novel follows them for a few months after their discovery, devoting alternating chapters to each. Then the novel changes narrative direction by consolidating the characters into successive chapters that deal with a fundraiser, a masquerade where people come dressed as people they admire or wish to have been, and a college art show eight years after the incident in which one, Duncan, exhibits his thesis work, and the narrator relates where they landed in life. Did finding and helping Karel have an effect on their lives? It seems to have in nuanced ways, with each influenced differently and to different degrees.Finding Karel gives each character’s life a jolt. Matthew, who has in interest in helping people, takes the most intense interest in discovering who hurt Karel and why. He teams up Karel’s brother, a youth burdened by problems, in canvassing for the possible assailant. He also spends time with the police inspector assigned the case. Zoe goes in search of something more personal and stumbles upon an American graduate student in England for research, and a romance begins to form, and she contemplates her young womanhood. Duncan, the youngest, artistic, and an adopted child, develops an intense interest in finding his birth mother, a task he sets off on with the help of his adopted mother, who is a lawyer. He and Zoe also become aware that Hal, their father, is having an affair with another woman, and that it might be why he wasn’t at school to pick them up that day, as he had promised. In the end, all works out, with each of these youths finding a place in the world, though only one seems particularly solid and fulfilled. However, tragedy strikes at least one of the characters.
Now, as to whether you will enjoy this novel. You will if you like family stories and coming of age tales, and if have patience for storytelling that moves at a leisurely pace and that tones down even dramatic events. Oh, and if you have a spot in your heart for dogs, you’ll appreciate the other family adoptee, Lily, who seems capable of taking everyone’s and every situation’s measure. A skillfully rendered work, though many who try it may find it a bit on the somnolent side.
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LibraryThing member Al-G
In this twist on a coming of age story, the Lang children, Matthew, Duncan, and Zoe, find a boy in a field as they are walking home from school. Their father was to pick them up, but when he was late they decided to walk home. They encounter the boy who has been beaten and abused and is near death.
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Have you ever had circumstances and a chance encounter change your life's direction? The encounter with the boy shapes the way the entire family begins to approach the future. The book is a well written exploration of not just coming of age but of the role chance encounters and unexpected circumstances play in our lives. The characters are good and Livesey builds empathy well. The ongoing mystery of the boy keeps the pages turning as well as ties together the vignets of the Lang family as they grow together and the kids prepare to enter adulthood. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jacsun
Two words for this book: family drama. This book took me inside the lives of a mother, father and three siblings. When their father is late to pick them up from school, Matthew, Zoe and Duncan take a five mile walk home across a field together when they find a boy who is unconscious and needs
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immediate help from unknown reason. The plot wraps around the boy, Karel, who is found in the field. The book devotes chapters to each of the three siblings as they try to make sense of this emotional tie with their own lives. It wraps up in the end which is comforting. Show Less
LibraryThing member Daftboy1
This book set in a small Oxfordshire village in 1999 just before the turn of the Millennium starts off with 3 Siblings walking home from School, they find an unconscious boy lying in a field.
They manage to call for help the Boy is taking to Hospital were he slowly recovers.
This incident really
The oldest Mathew is determined to find out who attacked Karel he teams up with Tomas who is Karel's elder brother to try and find the attacker.
Zoe also goes looking for the attacker in Oxford she meets an American called Rufus she has an affair with him.
Duncan the youngest Child is determined to find his Birth Mother.
Their Parents Betsy and Hal are slowly drifting apart, Hal is having an affair.
They get to meet Karel he says Thank you but he isnt the same person he used to be.
Book then jumps 8 years later when the Children are young adults.
They manage to call for help the Boy is taking to Hospital were he slowly recovers.
This incident really
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affected the 3 Children The oldest Mathew is determined to find out who attacked Karel he teams up with Tomas who is Karel's elder brother to try and find the attacker.
Zoe also goes looking for the attacker in Oxford she meets an American called Rufus she has an affair with him.
Duncan the youngest Child is determined to find his Birth Mother.
Their Parents Betsy and Hal are slowly drifting apart, Hal is having an affair.
They get to meet Karel he says Thank you but he isnt the same person he used to be.
Book then jumps 8 years later when the Children are young adults.
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Awards
Massachusetts Book Award (Must-Read (Longlist) — Fiction — 2021)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction — 2020)
ISBN
1529339146 / 9781529339147