Reading Order
Children Of Violenceseries.seoTitleShort
Start with Martha Quest and continue through all 5 books in the listed reading order.
Start Here
Start with Martha Quest
Book 1 by Doris Lessing • Published 1952
Fifteen year old Martha lives on a failing farm in colonial Southern Rhodesia, devouring books and despising the narrowness of white society. Her move to town, office work, dances, and first affairs mark the beginning...
Complete List
Children Of Violence reading order
Ends with Landlocked
- 1
Book 1:Martha Quest
Doris Lessing • 1952
Fifteen year old Martha lives on a failing farm in colonial Southern Rhodesia, devouring books and despising the narrowness of white society. Her move to town, office work, dances, and first affairs mark the beginning...
- 2
Book 2:A Proper Marriage
Doris Lessing • 1954
Martha Quest tumbles into marriage and motherhood just as war and politics are reshaping her world. This second Children of Violence novel charts her resentment at domestic confinement, her uneasy role as a "proper" w...
- 3
Book 3:A Ripple from the Storm
Doris Lessing • 1958
Back in the Central African town of her youth, Martha joins a small communist group during the Second World War. Meetings, leaflets, and quarrels consume the members as Lessing dissects the hopes, self deceptions, and...
- 4
Book 4:The Four-Gated City
Doris Lessing • 1969
Martha Quest arrives in postwar London and becomes entangled with the Coldridge family, Cold War politics, and the early peace movement. The final Children of Violence volume slowly shifts into a speculative future, b...
- 5
Book 5:Landlocked
Doris Lessing • 1969
Set in a landlocked Central African colony after the war, this fourth Children of Violence novel finds Martha suspended between political engagement and private disillusion. The changing country, stalled marriage, and...
Quick Answers
Children Of Violence FAQ
What is the best order to read the Children Of Violence series?
The recommended reading order is the numbered order shown on this page, starting with Martha Quest.
How many books are in the Children Of Violence series?
There are 5 books currently listed in the Children Of Violence series on GurusReads.
Where should I start with the Children Of Violence series?
New readers should start with Martha Quest, the first book in the reading order.
Is the Children Of Violence series complete?
Based on the publication years we have, the series appears likely complete and spans releases from 1952 to 1969.