Customer Reviews

A House Like a Lotus

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Be warned that this review contains serious spoilers.

Madeleine L'Engle is, of course, best known for her book "A Wrinkle in Time" and the four books following which chronicle the adventures of Meg and Charles, and Meg's future husband Calvin. They are fantastical tales of travel at the speed of thought, alien worlds, monstrous evils to be fought, and the power of love in all its forms.

Madeleine L'Engle has a deeper range than young adult science fiction. Even knowing this, however, it was a shock to read "A House Like a Lotus". It has the love of the Time Quartet books, but there is no tessering. There are no alien worlds to explore, and no monstrous evils. To see Meg and Calvin coping with a brood of seven children, and their eldest daughter, Polyhymnia (Polly), dealing with a straight story about love, betrayal and forgiveness makes it feel like you're reading from a different author. It is a compelling expansion upon Meg and Calvin's characters, and Polly carries the story in the first person with considerable grace, as she first befriends, and then flees from, a dying woman named Maxa. It's brilliant, but it still takes some getting used to.

The story is written with, in my opinion, a much older audience in mind than "A Wrinkle in Time". The Time Quartet is ageless, but "A House Like a Lotus" deals frankly with sexual issues, including homosexuality and Polly's first sexual experience (heterosexual). I would not recommend this book to anybody under the age of fourteen, but to any other fan of L'Engle's work, this book is a must read.

As you can see from other reviews, Madeleine L'Engle takes it between the eyes for her controversial subject matter. Some more liberal than her might say that she has demonized homosexuality through Maxa's drunken advances on Polly. On the other hand, others more conservative than Madeleine will not appreciate the fact that sixteen-year-old Polly has sex outside of marriage once (and isn't the least bit unhappy about it) and is perfectly open to having it again with someone else. The scene where Polly loses her virginity is touchingly and tastefully handled. There is too much love going on in this scene for me to believe that a sin is being committed.

Personally, I did not think Madeleine demonized homosexuality through Maxa's portrayal in this book. Maxa is portrayed as a brilliant but hurt individual, who is dying, suffering, and deeply afraid. Much is made early on in the story that Maxa and her live-in partner Ursula might be lesbians, but Meg and Calvin make it quite clear that they believe that what goes on between two consenting adults in private is their own business. They refuse to pass judgement, and I agree with that.

On the other hand, Maxa's advances on Polly were made when Maxa was drunk, hurting more than ever, and more afraid than ever about her oncoming death. She does hurt Polly (this is the focus of the book), but she realizes almost right away that what she has done was very wrong, but only as it relates to itself. Homosexuality is not the defining factor in this shocking and key scene of the book. If Maxa had been a man, the scene would have had as much, if not more power.

"A House Like a Lotus" is a book about trust and love, and how, by just being the humans we are, we sometimes don't live up to other people's trust. And how we must forgive ourselves and the others who betray us, for our human foibles. In this regard, "A House Like a Lotus" carries more power than the entire Time Quartet combined.

The first time I read this book as a teenager, I was shocked by it. I had checked it out of the library, and I didn't like it at all, and certainly didn't think it was a young-adult fiction book. But, I am an unabashed L'Engle fan so I kept on reading. And re-reading. And while it still isn't my favorite of L'Engle's books, I think it is one of her most important. It is a book about forgiveness. It is about learning to allow people to be imperfect by your standards and loving them anyway. I didn't truly learn everything I needed to learn from this book until I was an adult - and about the third time I re-read it. And I'll probably learn more from it the next time I read it. I would not give this book to young teens as they likely aren't ready for it. But older teens (truly young adults) can benefit greatly from this book - ESPECIALLY if it shocks or upsets them ... keep reading it. You WILL learn something from it. But, adults should be aware that some parents will not like their children reading this book, so when giving a gift, be sensitive to that. This is probably the most controversial of L'Engle's books - but that's really not saying much since L'Engle is as uncontroversial as they come.

There is nothing lewd about any part of this book. The use of the term "lewd" in conjunction with any of L'Engle's books is absolutely laughable. It is neither homophobic nor immoral - one of the many points of this book is that we are more than our sexuality ... much more and that is a lesson many people could stand to take more to heart. It is a beautifully written book that tackles some very difficult issues with class and sensitivity. It is very much a book that takes the middle road and emphasizes empathy, understanding, kindness and compassion to everyone. Apparantly, that is too shocking for some people, but I personally think that only people who need to be shocked are truly shocked by this book.

Spoiler warning.

The person who wrote the review "Good old fashioned homophobia" has clearly not read "A House Like a Lotus" thoroughly. To call Maxa a "tormented alcoholic lesbian" and a "straw figure" is to severely underrate her character. She is, throughout the book, an excellent mentor to Meg and Calvin's oldest daughter, Polly. She is, however, suffering from a terminal and painful disease, which has nothing to do with her homosexuality. It is the fear and pain from her illness that causes her to momentarily forget herself and make a drunken advance on Polly in the key scene of this book.

As somebody else noted, the homosexuality of the character is incidental to this event. Had Maxa been a man, the scene would have had as much, if not more power. As such, it is interesting to note that Madeleine, for good measure, has Polly suffer through a leud *heterosexual* proposition soon after this event, producing, essentially a sexless two-part rape of poor Polly, which is the key to her pain in this story. When Polly reaches out to the sympathetic Rennie after all of this, it is tellingly the actions of the man that is topmost on her mind and not Maxa's advances.

And I figure that Calvin's anger when his son Xan and his niece Kate bring home some very hateful homophobic talk should leave no doubt as to the tolerance of Calvin and Meg's position on homosexuality. Maxa could hardly be accused of being in the closet, and yet Calvin and Meg are quite willing to trust Maxa with their daughter.

And as for Meg forsaking her docterate for her husband, again that's an example of poor reading. She did it for her children's sake, not for her husband, and she does help her father's scientific activities, especially when mathematics is involved. I may not agree with her decision to postpone her docterate while she had her children, but the ultimate decision lies with her and who are we to tell her otherwise?

As you can see from some of these reviews, it appears that Madeleine has ticked off both liberals and conservatives with her book. She's falsely accused of homophobia, and she is criticized for a "dirty" heterosexual sex scene which is, in my opinion, tastefully and tactfully handled. Clearly, to tick off both sides suggest that Madeleine has done something right.

As a very Christian 18 yr old girl, i really enjoyed this book. As others have stated, there are several controversial issues in this book, but I think l'engle dealt with them very well. Other reviewers have pretty much covered the plot. While I do not completely agree with everything L'engle has occur in the book, I do appreciate very much the message that she is sending a a Christian woman herself: You do not have to be perfect to be Christian. It is very comforting. The book is very well written and pulls you into the plot thoroughly. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of L'engle's other books, and especially to Christian teens who are not EXTREMELY conservative.

This is another of L'Engles masterpieces. This book is honest, and at times hard hitting. It deals with the struggles of accepting the world around you when it no longer fits into your perception of it, and when you get knocked down by it. It is probably too heavy for young readers, but I recommend it for most ages. Some parents might find some of the topics too controversial, but I think it is a wonderful book that takes an honest look at some tough issues that everyone eventually faces in their life. Polly is one of my favorite heroines, and whether opposite Vicky or Polly, Zachary always provides an interesting contrast to the heroine. This book also gives the reader a glimpse at some well loved characters from the Time Trilogy.

I read this book for the first time when I was 11 years old, and I enjoyed it then but it was not my favorite of L'Engle's novels. When I read it again in high school, I identified with Poly more than any other character I'd ever read. Ten years later I am still finding new reasons to appreciate it. This story is moving and grows with the reader, so it is appropriate for just about anyone.

I was so desperate for a good book while on vacation. Wanted a Madeleine L'Engle book and this was the only one available. (OK. I'll admit that I'm along way from 'youth' status!)

Phew. I was blown away. Just proved to me once again that a good story with profoundly good character development is ageless and timeless. Polly sure runs the gamut of emotions but gets lots of help from her friends.....we should all be so lucky!! Is there a message and direction for youth and adults in this book---you bet there is!

"Naked with life" is how Max Horne described Polly O'Keefe, though no one else may have thought so then, Polly included. Yet all the characters in "A House Like a Lotus" are the same way--so passionate about existence that they cannot help but affirm life.

When the novel begins, Polly O'Keefe is in Athens, on her own for the first time in her life, about to join an international conference in Cyprus. Though her experiences throughout the novel are definitely unusual, she represents all teenagers who must learn to grow up, be alone, and become comfortable with complexity.

With her heroine in a city where she can plant one foot in the past and one in the present, Madeleine L'Engle gives her readers the same treatment, letting the plot skip back and forth from present scenes to past events. In such a potent setting, Polly does not just relive the days of her friendship with Max, but also the glory days of Ancient Greece.

Max is a fascinating character, a painter who reads classical literature and has anthropology for a hobby. Keeping with the Greek theme, she becomes a Mentor to Polly, gently drawing the girl out of her shell. Anyone who has ever felt like an outcast will believe in the wonder of a friendship with someone who FINALLY, thank God in Heaven, UNDERSTANDS. Yet Max is not that simple. As she opens Polly's eyes to the complexities of life and of people, she reveals her own--and Polly must come to terms with that dark side. When she does so, she also comes to terms with her own.

The sexual elements in this story are unavoidable. When we open ourselves to everything sacred, spiritual, human, and real, we also open ourselves to what is sexual. Then we are not always touched by the light alone, but also by the darkness. In this novel about the coming of age of a young woman, L'Engle does not insult readers by tiptoeing around the truth: she presents life with powerful complexity, no matter which character she holds up to scrutiny. Yet she is undoubtedly on the side of the light: the novel's climax is a "vision of love" worthy of all Christian mystics.

"A House Like a Lotus" is probably the best novel she has ever written.

Without needing to traipse all over the galaxy as is her habit, Madeleine L'Engle weaves a story of fears, loss of innocence, and coming-of-age against the romantic backdrop of South Carolina and Europe in the poignant and occasionally painful House Like a Lotus. Her heroine, Polly O'Keefe, struggles to retain her "old-fashioned" values and ideals in the face of lessons taught in an increasingly violent and less tolerant world. With poetic language and her trademark diversity of character, L'Engle's world moves like a river of color and sound, wrapping the reader in a richness of language seldom found in modern young-adult novels. The story, told half in the present and half in flashback, unfolds parallelly, joining finally at the end with a tender yet powerful reinforcement of the theme.

I'm 21, but I read this for the first time when I was 11 or 12, and I was hardly shocked by it. If anything, L'Engle's other books are far more frightening and "adult." They deal with global politics, the possibility of the end of the world, etc. This just has queer people in it, and they're not even very out queer people.

Rereading, I have to keep reminding myself that it was written 20 years ago. The tone that the adult characters take towards Max is meant to be tolerant and compassionate, but, while Max certainly gets to be a complex character, homosexuality is treated as a subject better not talked about in polite company. Hopefully we've evolved somewhat as a society since then such that it isn't considered rude to tell a precocious teenager that two women who have lived together for many years are, indeed, partners.

And I am sad that Meg, after all of her adventures, has been utterly tamed. In some ways Max gets to be one of the most complex adult characters in L'Engle's books: she points out Meg's sense of loss, and she gets to make mistakes, and be generally vivid. The other adults are far less multidimensional.