Customer Reviews

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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."

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.

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.

This play contains some amazing monologue material---a pleasant alternative to the more traditional high school drama material.

Paul Zindel is probably most famous for his mastery of adolescent angst. While this play owes a great deal to the same subject matter--it also stands up under adult reading as well.

I saw this play perfomed by a local theater group about a year ago and I was blown away. I have since searched endlessly for the video will no results (if you have a copy available please email me). The characters are beautifully developed and the interaction between them is electifying. Although the grim subject matter may be disappointing to readers looking for a fairy-tale plot but those who allow themselves to be taken in by the story will be tremendously satisfied. Simply amazing!

At first I had my doubts about this book because it seemed so complicated. But after several pages I automatically knew I would like it. It's a wonderful book, not just for young adult readers but for anyone. Since "The Glass Menagerie" one of the best examples of a family torn apart because they have trouble expressing their emotions. I recommend to anyone. Enjoy!

So, I liked the book; I could relate to the characters, just because they seemed so real and not fake. Paul Zindel I believe Is an author with true talent, and links real life into his books, to make his characters come alive. The title alone got me interested in it. it took me an hour and a half to read it because it was so intreging I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I It really upset me when their mom killed their rabbit though. So it's filled with laughter and tears, murder (the rabbit), and lieing. Truley a surreal book.

This is a terrific play as it shows how difficult it is to lead a relatively normal life while having a wild imagination at the same time. At various points in a person's life, one must be replaced for another. This book captures the difficulties and the magic at the same time.

This is an excellent play. I was hunting around for a monologue for my acting class and I chose this play because the premise was very intriguing. I'm glad I read it. It's a well-written story with plenty of juicy characters.

Although Paul Zindel wrote many other works exploring dysfunctional families, with crazy or alcoholic parents who didn't understand and sometimes downright abused their sensitive, poetic children, this is one of his best works and definitely deserved the Pulitzer Prize. None of the characters are flat; Beatrice and her older daughter Ruth are by turns human, pitiful and downright malevolent. The sensitive younger daughter Tillie is fascinated by nature and science in contrast to Ruth's more typical fascination with dating. It's obvious that Tillie in this family is like a creature who just arrived from the moon herself, and no one really has a clue what to do with her. Tillie's science project about the effect of gamma rays on man-in-the-moon marigolds becomes an obvious metaphor for her life.