Ilsa: A Novel

by Madeleine L'Engle

From the first day that Henry Porcher first sees Ilsa Brandes, he worships her… As she grows into a woman, his family college, the first World War separated him from her, but her image never leaves him; when he returns to the sleepy Southern city where they had spent their childhood together, it is to find her married—then widowed, but still Ilsa.—from the jacket matter

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Ebooks, Novels, Historical, American

358 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

Madeleine L'Engle was an American writer of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time. Her works reflect both her Christian faith and her strong interest in modern science.

Reviews

[Bookgasms Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved the books of Madeleine L'Engle since childhood, and even now those old paperbacks have an honorary place on my bookshelf, despite being worse for wear. Tattered covers, dog eared pages, those are the books that I read over and over again. When it came time to read Ilsa, I was as eager as I was nervous. An adult book by a favorite author? So much excitement. Yet, would it hold up to the childish idolization I judged the others by?

I opened the pages and immediately found myself transported. I was no longer a modern woman and mother, I was suddenly Henry, seeing the world through the eyes of a child in a world we've long since passed by. That might be this author's greatest talent. No matter the character, no matter the age, and no matter the era, she pulls you in so that you are the character. One does not merely read a Madeleine L'Engle book. One experiences it, one lives it.

"Everything that is in the world remains in some form or other. Decaying matter turns into mould and gases and is regenerated and becomes living matter again. I had come home from school and realized that that was what must happen to the human body after death. Even if the soul went to heaven, the body would become part of the earth again, of sand and wind and trees and sea."

The story was told through the eyes of Henry, yet it never seemed to stray far from Ilsa. She was the reason for his story, and she played an instrumental role in the way he lived it. I didn't always like Henry, yet I can't help but feel that that was because he didn't always like himself. So immersed was I in his life that I felt as he felt, and wished as he did. I was ever so fascinated by the magnetic personality, the free spirit, the never failing optimism of Ilsa. When others pointed out her all to human characteristics, I felt angry and betrayed. Like a child, learning the truth of some mystery. When she favored others with her attention, I felt the loss as acutely as Henry. She couldn't be the focus of the words if she wasn't interacting with him.

As the ending came near, I felt despondent, lost. How could I possibly return to a real world where there was no Ilsa. How could I be expected to go back to a modern life without the old southern comforts (displeasures?) I had been so engrossed in. Coming to the last page, I wanted to cry. For the ending? Because it ended? I can't really be sure, even now. Yet, there is no ending I would have preferred, no other way to handle it. This will take its rightful place as a beloved classic, and I have a feeling it will be read over and over just as it's youthful predecessors. ~ George, 5 Stars

[rivka · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

While somewhat interesting for its presentation of time and place, I mostly found this tedious and disappointing. It's mostly about things that don't happen, or that happened years before the events of the book.

One of L'Engle's earliest works, and despite the claims of the publishers that have recently re-released it, there are good reasons it was so long out of print.

[Libby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh

Wanders. Characters are weak individuals. I kept waiting for something definitive to happen but it never does. The ending was horrible.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

*****
I often think of books randomly and will then realize I was reading it that time of year the year before. I’ve been thinking about Ilsa for at least a week now, and I realize I started it on 7/1/23. I actually miss this book. I want to go back to it, to Ilsa’s home on the beach, to the fragile characters and relationships, to Henry’s point of view. I realize that I like this book much more than I thought I did at first. I definitely want to reread it and maybe change my star rating!
*****
One of my reading friends asked me who my favorite author was. Of course, I have far too many to pick one, but I thought about if I could only read books from one author ever again, whose books would I choose? I chose Madeleine L'Engle because I've read a bunch of her books from children's fantasy to adult contemporary to nonfiction, and I've loved them all, even the not-so-good ones.
Ilsa is a very interesting book. It's a coming-of-age story but also a portrait of a life. The first-person narrator, Henry Porcher, isn't the main character. He's more of a Nick Carraway, observing "both within and without" the lives of others. From the beginning of the novel when Henry meets Ilsa, Henry falls in love with her. He's only 10, and she's 13, so he calls her his "best friend," but he thinks about her all the time. The novel begins when Henry is 10 and ends when he's 32 or 33, so it spans decades, and a lot happens, but there's rarely any real action. It's a very character-driven book. At first, the characters' relationships are complex and even a little confusing as most of them are family in some way, and I kept forgetting who was whose siblings and everyone's backstories, but it evens out eventually, and things come together and make sense.
The most interesting things about this novel are the portrait of a time in antebellum South, the portraits of a complex, bougie family, the portraits of Henry and Ilsa and their relationship, the writing, as always, and the theme.
Ilsa is constantly being compared to the ocean. She grew up on the ocean while everyone else grew up on the river, and this seems to be the biggest symbolic/metaphorical difference between Ilsa and everyone else. She's wild, and they're domestic. The ocean is vast, unchangeable, unchanging, and indifferent to human affairs, blind to the struggles of people. By the end of the novel, Ilsa is blind, stuck in town while everyone else, even Henry, gets to leave, and the novel ends with a train whistling in the distance, one that Henry is essentially walking towards while Ilsa can only hear it from her house. It's ironic that, out of everyone, she's the one stuck, the one who never chooses what happens to her but accepts it, the one whose only choice in life--whom to marry--led to more grief than happiness. It's an interesting point to reflect on.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's not my favorite of Madeleine's, but it's one of the more memorable ones of her adult fiction novels. I think I'll remember Henry, a favorite, and Ilsa. I don't remember the characters in most of her other adult novels, not like I remember Meg and Vicky, but Henry and Ilsa and Silver and Monty and Eddie and Cousin Anna and Franz and Myra Turnbull came alive for me. I recommend this novel to people who enjoy Modernist fiction and to people who question our purpose, to people who enjoy well-written novels that focus more on character than plot but build steadily to a conclusion of the overarching conflict.

*Trigger warnings: L'Engle was a white author, writing in the 1940s about the South--the only minority characters are members of a chain gang or servants. Miscarriage references. Domestic, physical, and emotional/mental abuse. Suicidal thoughts/references. Violence. Death.*

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything in this compelling and very readable novel centres on Ilsa, a young woman who becomes an obsession for one of her neighbours, Henry, and it his unrequited love for her that powers the narrative. It’s an atmospheric novel, set in the American south in the early part of the 20th century, where lives are often still blighted by prejudice and bigotry, but where it’s impossible to escape the clutches of the extended family. It’s certainly not a cheerful or uplifting book – even the happier characters rarely seem to enjoy their lives – but I found the story an immersive one and it kept my attention throughout.

[Byron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rare life-changing, new favorite read!

This novel came into my life because it was on sale. Pure and simple, the eBook was on sale, and after looking into it, I took the plunge. But it came into my life at the perfect moment. And I can't overstate how much I have loved being within its pages.

I'm shocked by the depth of feeling I have for this novel. I haven't been so transported and in some ways devastated since A Separate Peace. I am learning that I'm fond of melancholic, wary, emotional stories, those that are tempered and compounded by the passage of time. Novels narrated by someone slightly out of sync with themselves, even a bit broken. This novel fits the bill and frankly, forms the trend for me.

The startling revelation for me about this book came when I was three-quarters of the way through, and was still finding myself occasionally surprised by the intrusions of words like "I," and "me." The narrator of this story is so thoroughly self-effacing and invisible in his adoration of Ilsa that one could be forgiven for forgetting the novel is told in first-person, as he is so rarely mentioned or acted upon by others. Most of the prose tells of the emotions, actions, and machinations of his loved ones, such that for a long time it reads as a third-person narrative. But this IS a first-person narration, and while the narrator's subject might be Ilsa, the person we are here to learn about is Henry.

This book.

Beautiful writing. Evocative prose, outrageously erudite in its depiction of setting as an extension of emotion and perception. Blissful characterizations that had me heartbroken and at times laughing outloud. I can truly say that while this is in many ways a simple story, it struck me to the core and changed me; I feel like I have learned some things about myself in the process of living this novel. I experienced all my favorite emotions rather intensely and came away feeling cleansed and improved for it. Is there higher praise for a work of fiction than that?

Not sure what else I can say after all those superlative comments. But whenever a novel is as character-driven, relatively action-free, and essentially grounded in reality as this is, yet STILL manages to keep me enraptured page after page, I know it's a keeper. I'm sure I'll be re-reading this one day and I am so grateful to have discovered it.

"Ilsa" has quickly jumped to my short list of favorite novels. Five FULL stars. :)

[MargaretDH · Rating 4 out of 5]

This southern gothic only has figurative ghosts, but it's gothic all the same. I enjoyed L'Engle's examination of a decaying southern family, set early in the 20th century.

L'Engle explores a family whose cousins habitually marry one another on the Florida coast. Through the eyes of our narrator, Henry, we see how their lives are governed by tradition and elaborate etiquette, and how they are always turning inward. Some family members try and escape, but are never able to, and what happens when an outsider, a vibrant and charismatic young woman, enters the family and tries to maintain her sense of self.

Published in 1946, this treads some of the well-worn themes of literature about the south. We see decaying and overripe masculinity, families weakened by generations of intermarriage, declining fortunes, women warped by social constraints, and the ennui of young men who cannot seem to find their purpose. And, of course, some unrequited love. But L'Engle's writing and thoughtful characterization made me look at these anew, and I enjoyed this a lot. Plus, this book is set on the coast, and L'Engle writes evocatively about the tropics and the sea, and this made me long to swim in the ocean, as I read this in my very land-locked city.

If you're in the mood for something contemplative, and a little tragic, and about how inaction can stifle just as much as humid tropical heat, pick this up.

[Catherine Meijer · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I wasn’t sure I would make it through 300+ pages of the novel, despite my major literary crush on Madeleine L’Engle. Stories set in the South during this time period often feel suffocating to me. However, I found myself drawn in to this novel as a study of human character and place, more so than the actual plot, and I was very invested by the end. Other reviews note that not much happens plot wise, although I beg to differ - but it is less plot-driven than it is by character and relationship.

I think this novel does well exploring the moral decay and dysfunction of families as well as the human frailty that causes it. Henry, our narrator, is the victim of such dysfunction and, through his own impotence, remains stuck in it for most of the book. Even at the end, he is not much changed, but he has made his choice. And it’s that choice that tells me there is hope.

While this story is darker than some of Madeleine’s later and more popular works, it leaves me wrestling with questions about generational sin and my own vice in a way that is not un-hopeful, but rather empowering. For me, Madeleine’s ability to name the darkness is the powerful antidote to despair that I otherwise feel reading novels with these dynamics.

One thing that has surprised me as I read more of Madeleine’s adult novels is her drop dead gorgeous prose when she’s describing the setting. Her descriptions of the sea and weather and southern homes and gardens are intensely vivid and beautiful and capture sensations and sights exactly.

[Misti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost 5 stars, but a few things bugged me: the ending that just ended...wahhh??? And the narrator who was really there just to tell the story, very little character development other than maybe he didn't have a character?

Otherwise, I was very pleased with this being my first L'Engle novel and I loved where it took place. I wanted more and wished it could have been developed a bit further.

[Amie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a bit too boring. It read like a play that goes on for too long, and as a book it’s even longer. There’s no resolution for the main character and the titular character isn’t mesmerising enough to credit his obsession with her.
You can tell that the author was a play write, but not in a good way.

[Tracey · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of A Wrinkle in Time and Madeline L’Engle’s many other amazing books, I would strongly advise you not to read this. The plot is flimsy, the characters are weak and boring. There’s a reason this book was out of print for a long time.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Underrated by the author, and darker than most of her other work, Ilsa is worth seeking out.

[Laurel Bradshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: The American South, near the coast. Location not specified, but I'm guessing South Carolina or Florida rather than Georgia or Alabama.
Time: a roughly 24-year period between 1900 and 1930.

Main characters: Ilsa Brandes, Henry Randolph Porcher and his extended family. Told from the POV of Henry.

Opening lines: "I watched the little girl for a long time. She sat on a rickety wooden fence that had never been painted any color. Now it had the look of the burned, parched-out brown-gray of the August grasses at her feet -- or again of the cracked palm leaves that sounded like paper rattling in the sultry devil's breath of wind -- or the dead hair of Spanish moss smothering the live oaks."

Favorite lines: "The sky was no longer flame red against smoke gray; pale pink clouds on a soft blue sky were like illustrations from one of Silver's books of fairy stories. The sand was silver and gold, and the froth from the waves blowing along it in the wind felt comforting against the fevered palms of our hands. When you walk along the damp sand in your bare feet just as morning breaks, I think, no matter who you are or how old you are, you feel ten years younger. Since I was only ten and a half, I felt practically unborn and deliriously, wildly happy, like a sea gull bursting from its shell. I began to run up and down, back and forth, kicking and digging with my toes in the sand, waving my arms about, tearing, shrieking, toward a troupe of sandpipers that strutted superciliously away, driving the sea gulls scolding aloft, singing and shouting to the sun that was leaping over the water's edge."

This was the second book published by Madeleine L'Engle, and supposedly was never reprinted (until this year) because L'Engle was dissatisfied with it. It doesn't show the maturity of her later work, and is a bit darker perhaps than the uplifting tone and message that would become her trademark. Nevertheless it shows her gift for description and painting with words that draws you into each scene and makes you feel you are there. While some reviews criticize the lack of plot and the fact that the characters seem stuck, I liked it very much as more of a psychological study of a particular time and culture. I agree very much with the Kirkus review which said “this is a study in place and personality, a still life of the south in all its inertia and its persistence for the past. . . . There is considerable charm here, an effectiveness compounded of subtlety and indirection, giving this a very definite appeal for discerning readers.” I have had a great fondness for L'Engle since reading A Wrinkle in Time at about age 9, and have enjoyed much of her non-fiction, but I have not previously read any of her adult fiction. I plan to remedy that over the coming year.

Book description: From the moment Henry Porcher first sees Ilsa Brandes, he worships her. Despite controversy surrounding the young girl, Henry is drawn to her, a fascination that turns into a lifelong infatuation. As the years pass, Ilsa’s memory never leaves him, not until the day he returns to their sleepy Southern hometown and renews their childhood friendship. Henry watches as she becomes a wife, then a mother, then a widow, irrevocably changed by tragedy. Out of print for nearly six decades, this rare and sought-after novel is a portrait of a remarkable woman bound by both the stifling conventions of her time and place, and her own sense of honor and purpose.

[Yaaresse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1946 and out of print for decades, Ilsa is a story of unrequited love, the price of nonconformity, and perhaps the soul-sucking pull one's family and their collective baggage can have (or not) on an individual.

The narrator's obsession with the title character is unreasonable. He knows it, Those around him, at least the ones who can see beyond their own reflections, know it. Ilsa knows it. And it is never resolved.* So what was the point? I can't say for certain, and there is nothing in the book from L' Engle to explain, but I suspect the point may have been to explore the idea of what happens to characters over time when the world around them changes drastically, but they resist the changes and indulge in personal entropy.

The story definitely has flaws, and there were some loose ends I wish L'Engle had addressed. It was only the second of the author's 60+ books published, and it's definitely not as polished in style or as well developed in story arc as her later works. Still, L' Engle's wonderfully descriptive writing is there. I definitely enjoyed the turns of phrase and writing better than I enjoyed the story. It is an average story by a writer still learning her craft and experimenting with form, but there are still parts that foretell what a skillful talent ML would grow into. Is it like A Wrinkle in Time? No, of course not. It's not meant to be.

As for the format, the Kindle version needs a thorough editing. There are numerous typos. I haven't seen this many typos in a book in a long, long time. Open Road Media should be embarrassed to release such sloppy work, and the estates and copyright holders of other authors' legacies should hold Open Road Media's feet to the fire when releasing works to them for publication.

[Elizabeth Roberts-Zibbel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished because I needed an ebook to read in the dark while getting over a days-long migraine. I honestly think ML accomplished exactly what she wanted to achieve with each of the many, many books she wrote. ‘Ilsa’ was not an enjoyable book nor an enjoyable character, because of Henry, the protagonist, and his doomed obsession for her, because of not being loved by his mother. Tied into the Patrick Melrose novels in unexpected ways.

[Petra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry Porscher loves Ilsa Brandes. He has since meeting her when he was 10. He is a member of a Southern family steeped in tradition and "manners".
Ilsa is an independent, strong girl being raised to think and be herself.

This story isn't tightly written and can wander at times. What I understood was that Henry, unloved by a cold mother, grows up feeling unable to believe in a woman's love. Ilsa, although raised to be a strong individual, fell in love with someone who wanted a typical Southern wife. In the end, everyone seems trapped into a life they don't quite fit into.

Throughout, there is a wide variety of interesting characters and lovely descriptions of the South. However, when the main characters are stuck in Life, the story, too, gets stuck . As they flounder, so does the story.

Ilsa is an interesting character. I find that she was strong and dignified and tried her best for her daughter. By doing this, she loses some of herself, her dreams and her independence.
Henry is passive throughout the book. He's inability to commit is frustrating and makes him appear weak.

An interesting read; yet a slow one.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madeleine L'Engle is famous for book A Wrinkle in Time. She wrote approximately sixty books. This novel is the second she published. The themes that concern her in the Time series of books can also be found here. I enjoyed it.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only finished this because it is my beloved Madeleine L’Engle but there is a reason it was out of print for so long.

[Margaret Sholders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I admit I have never read one of Madeleine's books. I didn't have any idea what I was going to be reading. I worried that there were 67 chapters, even if some were short chapters. I made it through but I'm not sure what I read. This is set in the South. Mother ran the house and wow to the person who broke a house rule. This was the day of color too. This was a large family and not really all together. I did d like this story but this is a long book. Be aware that it will go in one way only to find it is going another way. I would recommend you to read this book. It really is a clean story. Watch the ending! I volunteered to read and review this book.

[Ioana Hayman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because of its intriguing title and my childhood love of Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time series. However, I was disappointed that there was no plot and little character development in the book. Kept reading hoping for something interesting to happen but it never came. Wouldn't recommend. Only plus was that it created a lovely little country atmosphere and built up a nice setting, which was pleasant to be immersed into.

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Madeleine L'Engle's young adult novels so I thought I would try this. The descriptive language is magnificent. The storyline, not so much. It was very dark and depressing and the ending left too many characters hanging.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first novel by Madeleine L’Engle and for the most part, I found it an engaging and enjoyable read. I definitely was more interested in the first half of the novel, but found last half a bit disappointing.

The disappointment is mainly due to the character of Henry. We meet Henry as a young boy when he discovers a new friend, Ilsa, who is a few years older. He becomes fascinated by Ilsa. As the years pass, Henry never grows out of this fascination, even though he spends several years away from her. In the novel, we never see Henry in any setting that does not involve Ilsa, so it seems we are only privy to one aspect of his character.

When Henry decides to go home, he naturally gravitates to Ilsa again. I felt like at this point the novel lost it’s steam due to the fact that Henry never seems to grow (or grow up). He has no drive or ambition and seems to follow Ilsa much as a loyal dog follows its master. Henry became quite pathetic to me. As an adult, he had opportunities to try and take his relationship with Ilsa to the next level, but never acted upon them. By the time he did, Ilsa did not see him as a romantic partner and certainly she may never have seen him in that role.

There are several themes running throughout the novel that would make for great discussion. L’Engle presents the subjects of dysfunctional families, marital abuse, alcoholism and bigotry, among other things. She also presents some eccentric Southern characters who are able to demonstrate love and acceptance, a sense of responsibility towards others and the value of close family ties.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Ilsa and look forward to reading more from L’Engle in the future. I think any reader who likes Ann Patchett will enjoy this novel as well. There are a few typos in the kindle edition I read that need correcting, but this did not affect the content in any way. A solid 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media for allowing me to read a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[RuthAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought a re-issued paperback of this Madeleine L'Engle novel because I happened upon it at the Novel bookstore in Memphis, TN. Woo!

This novel felt similar to other novels for adults by Madeleine: lots of introspection, strong sense of place, and a wide cast of characters. I saw the faint line between the narrator and another side character in another novel, but the Southern world felt pretty new to me. I had a hard time orienting myself in time and then latching on to the characters (there are SO many, and they all have similar names). I liked but didn't love this novel. Part of it is that the narrator annoyed me the entire time because he had no momentum or self of self. I just do not empathize with the slacker narrative. But there is a kind of tension throughout the book that kept me moving along, even if it wasn't like, GRIPPING. The writing is lovely, and I was happy to be back in Madeleine's world, but I don't know if I'd recommend this to anyone but diehard Madeleine fans/completionists.

Ilsa is similar to other Madeleine books, especially The Small Rain and The Other Side of the Sun. As for other novels, it reminded me of The Great Gatsby and Giovanni's Room, and I think because of the young male narrator and overall life of leisure. (Do these people work?! Apparently not.)

Also, I'm not sure what the deal was, but this version had very strange typos throughout. It was super distracting and actually made me question the provenance of the edition, but it seems legit. Very weird.

[Janka H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The young Werther who got away.

Firstly,Goethe’s hero young Werther was the one whom I hated with all the might of my teenage soul, having to read the eponymous novel as a school task. I still find the novel being one glorified celebration of unhealthy obsession fueled by narcissism on the other side. (Yet, it is an interesting novel from the literary point). Why writing about it? Because the main theme is similar - one life-long, unrequited, unproductive love.
Henry loves Ilsa from childhood and is unable to stop that quiet admiration of her, even if he (and everybody else, including the subject of his devotion) knows that the love is one-sided. Ilsa is no tyrant, however - just very strong, beautifully written character of one unusual woman, fighting her circumstances with wisdom above her years and with quiet dignity. Henry very well sees those qualities and he is right to see them - but he is also not moving forward. Being a timid soul, he simply admires Ilsa - and he is putting his life on hold in some kind of resignation. And years pass by.

Luckily, there is some sort of satisfying ending (finally, one would say).

The saving grace of otherwise prolonged novel are the descriptions and great stotytelling (while the plot lacks in interestingness, the sceneries and people come alive from the pages). It us one of the earliest works of the authoress, but her remarkable talent shines through.

[Charity Dušíková · Rating 3 out of 5]

The start of this novel was very Willa Cather-esque for me: meeting characters in their youth, the importance of the natural surroundings, a connection with nature, etc. I found myself immediately intrigued by Henry and Ilsa and wanted to know where their futures led. The book is told with a peak into Henry’s mind, yet it is Ilsa that has the more complicated sequence of events around her. I found the ending to be quite abrupt. I wanted more, more resolution, more . . . but maybe it finally all rang true: the behavior of a certain kind of love, the reality that loyalty doesn’t necessarily mean reciprocity or that all desires will be fulfilled. It was such a different voice from Madeleine L’Engle that I really enjoyed seeing how wide she can go with how she writes. In one of L'Engle's memoirs she seems to refer to this novel as one that was published too prematurely, that it was a good first draft, but a better editor would have asked more from L'Engle before publishing. I can't be 100% sure if it was this novel, since she never mentions the title.

[Esther Bos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel was published in the 1940's. L'Engle includes some beautiful descriptions in this story of a Southern family in the early 1900's. I am glad I read the entire book, but I got frustrated with the inability of the main character to change and grow. Henry becomes infatuated at 10 years old with Ilsa, a girl who is 3 years older, and continues to long for her throughout years of separation and nothing but friendship in their relationship. The picture of the traditional Southern extended family, including cousins who intermarry is interesting. The descriptions of the black maids and other minority locals may be accurate depictions of Southern attitudes at the time of the story, but are uncomfortable reading in 2017.

[Martha Alami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Other than some of Madeleine de’Engle’s children’s literature, I had not read her novels. So I decided to try this one. I am not sure I really enjoyed the story very much, but I am giving the stars for the author’s style, her ability to create characters that I felt I knew and a broad cast of characters. I enjoyed reading the descriptions and could picture so many of the settings due to the author’s descriptive style. But the story fell somewhat flat for me. I wanted to shake Henry and tell him to get a life, but that is the point of the story. His obsession with Isla and her capability to draw in everyone she met is what makes the story. The story seemed to drag out somewhat although a lot of events happened. Would try another by this author.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite L'Engle work

I love all of L'engle's work. This book was a little strange though. The entire basis is one man's obsession with a girl from childhood through much of his adult life. While still good, this was my least favorite of Madeleine L'engle's work so far.

The ebook edition also needs some more editing. There were many typos and while most of them I could figure out from context, a couple were quite confusing and in general they were just distracting.

[Joy Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved parts of this book, particularly in the first half. I found myself highlighting passages to go back to later because I loved them so much. I would rate the first part of about four or five stars. The second half of the book was good, but read like an adapted screenplay, it felt like strings of scenes and acts and dialogue without the cohesiveness of the first part of the book. Overall, it was good and I would definitely read it again and recommend to others.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is interesting. It has a feel like F Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night. Unfortunately, it has some dates racial terms that bothered me.
As a person who loves Madeleine L'Engle's work I enjoyed reading this, her second novel. It feels more mature than I'd think possible for someone in her mid twenties. The narrator has a distant/close to the action feel like in Wuthering Heights. I'd give it 3.5 stars.