The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds [Mass Market Paperback]

Paul Zindel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1984

Beatrice was a mother . . . and the embittered  ringmaster of the circus Hunsdorfer featuring three  generations of crazy ladies living under the  sloppiest big top on earth. Nanny was no problem. She  sat and stared and stayed silent as a venerable  vegetable should. Ruth was half-mad and easily  bought with an occasional cigarette. But how is the  world would Beatrice control Tillie--keeper of  rabbits, dreamer of atoms, true believer in life,  hope, and the effect of gamma rays on man-in-the-moon  marigolds . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Paul Zindel  was written a masterful, pacesetting drama. It  combines moments of pain, poignancy, beauty, and  hope. It is the most compelling work of its kind  since Tennessee Williams' The Glass  Menagerie."--Variety.

"The ultimate accolade must go to Paul Zindel for  creating a psychologically perceptive ambiance.  Shame hangs in the air of this house and palpably as  poison gas. And yet, Zindel reminds us, strong,  strange, beautiful flowers spring from such compost  heaps. It is a troubling thought, one of the  honest and intelligent values of this splendid and  tormented play."--Time

From the Publisher

Beatrice was a mother . . . and the embittered ringmaster of the circus Hunsdorfer featuring three generations of crazy ladies living under the sloppiest big top on earth. Nanny was no problem. She sat and stared and stayed silent as a venerable vegetable should. Ruth was half-mad and easily bought with an occasional cigarette. But how is the world would Beatrice control Tillie--keeper of rabbits, dreamer of atoms, true believer in life, hope, and the effect of gamma rays on man-in-the-moon marigolds . . .

"Paul Zindel was written a masterful, pacesetting drama. It combines moments of pain, poignancy, beauty, and hope. It is the most compelling work of its kind since Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie."--Variety.

"The ultimate accolade must go to Paul Zindel for creating a psychologically perceptive ambiance. Shame hangs in the air of this house and palpably as poison gas. And yet, Zindel reminds us, strong, strange, beautiful flowers spring from such compost heaps. It is a troubling thought, one of the honest and intelligent values of this splendid and tormented play."--Time

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Starfire (July 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553280287
• ISBN-13: 978-0553280289
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,420,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As reviewed by a 17 year old, December 8, 2003

By 

Matt Greer (Duncan, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds (Mass Market Paperback)

Now generally I don't take to books that were written around the time my parents were born. In reality, I really don't take to books much at all. But The Effects of Gamma Rays On Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds seemed to make the boredom that I usually associate with reading cease, as I downed the entire two-act play during a class period.
This book was your not-so-simple story of a little girl's triumph in overcoming the realms of an emotionally abusive household. This little girl was named Tillie, and she was brought up in an old, converted vegetable store with her airhead sister Ruth and sadly entertaining mother Beatrice. They reside there with an elderly mute woman known as Nanny and try to survive in some sort of harmony.
Beatrice is insane. It is clearly stated in the book without the reader knowing how or why she became this way. Her daughter Ruth is desperately in need of attention and almost always selfish. This is a complete opposite of Tillie, the independent main character who finds an outlet from her family in science projects. This is an outlet that in turn becomes her greatest talent and creates the main moral in the story.
The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds is not what I would consider a classic because I don't think it ever really got the acclaim or recognition it deserved. But it is still a story that will always provide entertainment whether you read it or see it. Because of this I would have to suggest that this book be read by intelligent young adults or adults themselves. This way the reader (or audience member) can understand the all of the humor expressed through Beatrice and the symbolism between the marigold and Tillie. I would have to give this book a total of four and a quarter stars. It is a great quick-read and I'm almost certain any theatre group would do it justice on stage. The author, Paul Zindel, is loved throughout the world and was the 2002 recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards award for his book "The Pigman."

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A play of humane, compelling, sincere depth, October 25, 2000

By 

Christian Engler (Woburn, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds (Mass Market Paperback)

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds is a cute, catchy title. But the drama is anything but cute. It is a sensitively written play in a natural uncluttered style; the theme, plot and dialogue are not imbued with self-righteous, long-winded, cliched morality excesses.

The play revolves around three characters: 1) Beatrice Hunsdorfer, a bitter and acerbic woman 2) Ruth, her daughter, selfish and at times fractious and 3) Tille, another daughter, bright, responsible, a young girl with a flair for science.

The scene: a converted vegeatble store with an upper and lower landing. The room has the usual daily living necessities: couch, table, lamps, chairs, etc.

The two daughters have a home environment that would be considered less than homey and family oriented. Being a part of this family would be a real drab, for their is no warmth, compassion, positive human expressiveness, nothing. What replaces these vital family qualities are characteristics on the exact opposite side of the spectrum: bitterness, sarcasm, virulence and regret for past mistakes that have impeded the present condition of living.

The two daughters in this play have that glimmer of hope that only youthfulness can bestow. One daughter in particular, Tille, has found her glimmer of hope in science, specifically in her science project of atomic grown flowers: Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. Atomic energy, an element commonly recognized for its destructiveness, is used in her project to aid in the growth of the flowers. When handled carefully, atomic energy can be used to create beautiful things, thus, bettering lives.

The parallel is this: as atomic energy can be harmful, so too can their mother with her permeating aura of negativity, regret and bitterness, how those dark, unwavering emotions can annihilate the bursting positive vitality and idealism that normally encompasses the spirits found in youths.

With all the atrocious words and spiteful actions committed by the three characters -- Ruth and Beatrice mostly -- the stark truth from a simple child's science project remains the same: "The Future: After radiation is better understood, a day will come when the power from exploding atoms will change the whole world we know. Some of the mutations will be good ones - wonderful things beyond our dreams...." Thus, with her mother and Ruth's malevolence and cruelities, with better understanding, will rise joy, strength, stability and the fruition of that which earlier was not deemed possible.

This is a play for people of all ages, a play with simple truths, a play about seeing, a guaranteed winner.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some background on Gamma Rays, April 17, 2008

By 

Y2KK9 (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds (Mass Market Paperback)

The author of Gamma Rays (Paul Zindel) was my science and chemistry teacher on Staten Island (in the 60's). He was a hilarious teacher and would set off experiments, run out of the classroom and lock us in, and there we would be all alone, thinking the classroom was going to explode. He was also in charge of our high school's annual science fair. The winner of our science fair for 3 years' running was an exhibit titled "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Marigolds" and I always wondered if this play was about the girl who kept winning our Science Fair. While the play has no specific geographic location, it does mention Moravian Cemetery which is located on Staten Island. This play is a wonderful legacy and brings back many memories.