13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A bit of a departure, but still a great read, February 23, 2005
This review is from: The Arm of the Starfish (Laurel Leaf Books) (Mass Market Paperback)
The Arm of the Starfish is a bit of a departure from what I think of as usual L'Engle fare (Wrinkle in Time, Meet the Austins, A Ring of Endless Light, etc.) in that while it deals with characters in much the same way as her other novels, it also becomes a spy thriller. Her character development and coming of age story are excellent, as always, and I love the interaction of the families in her books (except for one rather unpleasant father and daughter in this story). The book holds together well and is an easy and is an engrossing read to the end.
It's also important to read this before reading A Ring of Endless Light because of some important, but in some cases very subtle, references to this story. If you're reading A Ring of Endless Light, make sure to notice what swimming trunks Adam wears. It's important and speaks volumes as to the effect of these events on his life.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Amazing Book form Madeleine L'Engle, February 24, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: The Arm of the Starfish (Laurel Leaf Books) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have been a fan of the Time Quartet by Madleleine L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, Many Waters, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet) for a long time, so I was of course very excited to delve into this world again.
It tells the story of Adam, a marine biology student who is offered a summer job on the island of Gaea, which is off the coast of Portugal. There, a scientist named Dr. O'Keefe is conducting revolutionary experminents concerning starfish. On his way to Gaea, Adam encounteres many strange people and events. He is caught between two groups of people, and he doesn't know who to trust.
I loved this book. The plots twists are very interesting, as are the characters. I fell in love with Joshua from the moment I met him. I wondered if Kali really was one of the bad guys. I joined Adam as he tried to figure out what to do, who to trust.
This book is not quite like the Time Quartet, but is wonderful nonetheless. It kept my attention constantly; I couldn't put it down. I recommend it to everyone!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Arm of the Starfish, October 18, 2004
A Kid's Review
I like this book a lot because of its plot and characters. The main hero of the story is Adam, and he is a brilliant student who gets a summer job as an assistant to a great scientist Dr. O'Keefe. He finds himself in a middle of a mystery which will have to fall into pieces in the end. It's all about regeneration, trust and secrecy. This is a brilliant novel which I love. Adam, the main character has a lot of personality and one of my favorite traits about him is that he has trouble making decisions sometimes because I do too. I can only hope to achieve such characters in my next story which I'm thinking of starting in my rough draft folder. This mystery is just too good to miss. All I can say is that I truly enjoyed reading this art of a novel.
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