When rich people think they can live "by the pen" : The Chlldren's Book

A.S. Byatt's "The Children's Book" begins to find its own voice about 50 pages in (and move out from the shadow of Atonement) as it becomes clear that the family (Wellwood?) is very politically active - a theme of radical/liberal politics and the family strife it causes (among the very wealthy) will run through the novel - reminiscent of another familiar British theme, which Powell explored in Dance to the Music of Time. Humphrey W. at the Midsummer party squabbles with his brother, who rightly questions how Humphrey can continue to work in banking while writing anonymous satirical pieces about the industry and talking the radical line - he has to "walk the walk," as we'd put it today. Humphrey announces to his (pregnant) wife that he's going to quit banking and live "by his pen" - a preposterous idea and something that only someone with a huge amount of family money would even ponder, unless he anticipates a life of Bohemian poverty with lots of property that they can't maintain (see McPhee's Bright Angel Time). He doesn't, he doesn't even think about it - but what I foresee is that this will put the pressure on his wife, Olive, who will have to support the family and she will do so through her writing, the eponymous children's book, which of course will strain the marriage (will Humphrey be driven to her preeminently competent sister, Violet?). Meanwhile, what of the children, falling a bit to the wayside in this chapter - but it appears that their changing relationships and the future of the Dickensian, talented, unlettered Phillip will be part of the story as well. Many very fine narrative strands here - we'll see how they untangle, or tangle