Because it took Lessing nearly two decades to complete the five novels, critics have not had an easy time with Children of Violence. Was it a Bildungsroman, a roman fleuve, a political manifesto, social criticism, a feminist tract? As it turns out, it is something of each. From the start, Lessing had the direction and theme of the novels clearly in mind, and she herself calls it a “hybrid.” The novels are intensely personal, bordering on the autobiographical, and contain many of Lessing’s political views and psychological leanings. Because her commitment to them and the ideas contained within them are so strong, critics, according to Lessing, have failed either to see them or to take them seriously.

Although early reviewers and critics had trouble with Lessing’s Children of Violence, it has gained prominence as one of her most significant and successful works, second only to The Golden Notebook (1962) in its depiction of the modern experience.