Customer Reviews

The Joys of Love

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Somehow and without much fuss a new Madeleine L'Engle novel has been published. I was most ecstatic when I found out about it several days ago and quickly read it. Apparently, according to the preface, it is an older book she wrote but publishers didn't have any interest in. So she gave it to her grandkids to be something for them. Well, a couple of years ago one of them re-discovers the book and was of the opinion that interest in L'Engle has reached a point where there might now be interest.

As a result The Joys of Love reads more like L'Engle's earlier material than not, which is definitely a good thing. It is more straightforward than (for example) A Small Rain, with the steady setting more reminiscent of Camilla.

The best thing about this book, though, is the fact that it is a real, live rediscovered novel. Too often when an author dies a publisher slaps together some of their unfinished writings (look at Douglas Adams, for example) and while it is nice to have those, they leave you aching for something more substantial... something which the author themselves would have wanted us to read. And with The Joys of Love we get that.

Definitely recommended for those who love L'Engle beyond her Time Quartet.

This book is a sweet, well written story. It is the perfect sort of book for a rainy day or a sick day when you want something entertaining and pleasant, but you do not want to tax your brain. I enjoyed it greatly.

Elizabeth has big dreams of becoming an actress. She loves everything about the theater and feels born to be a part of it. Her aunt, who has raised her, wants a more conventional life and disapproves of Elizabeth's ambitions to become an actress.

Taking place over a mere four days, Elizabeth is forced to learn a lot about herself, about her career ambitions, and about growing up. Her aunt disapproves of the lifestyle Elizabeth has adopted while working for a theater company, and has withdrawn the money she was paying for Elizabeth's room and board. This leaves Elizabeth to confront just what compromises she will make in her life to realize her dream.

The melodramatic title aside, this is a lovely book. It's set in 1946, with mentions of Automats, and with characters speaking a diction reminiscent of an earlier time. It's a detailed look into the lives of young men and women trying to find themselves by playing other characters. Elizabeth doesn't just have to stand up to her aunt, she also has to learn about the kind of love that comes along with growing up.

The characters are well drawn, and L'Engle deftly draws the reader in to the stories of the minor characters as well as the major ones. It is an example in character study, with a satisfying ending that does not feel trite or contrived.

Reviewed by: Marie Robinson

A nice, entertaining read...and like a typical L'Engle, there's so much more beneath the surface.

L'Engle's tales seem so real because, for the most part, they are. I have to wonder which parts, but that's my own curiosity. It's simple enough to read and enjoy, and wonder if our heroine will end up with the cad.

There's something very real about a L'Engle novel. I like that. I wish I'd have known about these books (beyond 'Wrinkle'). Perhaps she could've given me the courage to realize that there was another adolescence than the reality that Judy Bloom presented. Gratefully, I can read L'Engle's adult works with an appreciation for grace and forgiveness for human weakness.

The Joys of Love is a coming of age young adult novel set in the 1940's and first conceived as a short story in 1948, so it's quite different from the Young Adult offerings of this decade. When she tried to sell it decades ago, the agents/publishers weren't quite sure how to classify it then either (I received that bit of information from the introduction by her granddaughter, which almost is worth the purchase price itself!).

The story parallels L'Engle's own young adult years that she spent in the theater, so it's a must-read for fans of L'Engle's writings and philosophy. However since the young twenty-somethings of that era probably have more in common with a fourteen-year-old today, the book might span a wider age range than many YA offerings -- even if the respect for parental authority and for good clean fun might seem a bit antiquated.

The only nod to sex is when one character asks if two others are sleeping together (and the answer was, "I don't know. I haven't thought about it."). The material would be appropriate for any teen, but the subject matter would be best appreciated by ages sixteen on up. It would be especially interesting for anyone with a professional or avocational interest in the theater or the arts.

Twenty-one year old Elizabeth Jerrold is in that typical post-college decision-making stage. She earned a sensible degree as her guardian aunt desired, but now she's gotten on as an apprentice in a summer theater on the Jersey coast to see if she has a hope of making a living doing what she loves -- acting.

Alongside the choices she is making about her future, there are inevitably choices concerning love. This plotline is expertly handled by L'Engle. Will she choose Kurt, the older actor who Elizabeth adores but whose sincerity is somewhat doubtful? Or will her best friend Ben declare the love for her that is obvious to everyone? Will she see everyone as they really are? As in real life, the choices aren't always as easy as they seem.

As an adult reader, I loved it. It reminded me of that carefree young adult time when we're free to make selfish choices because they don't affect others, but in the process of making choices, we figure out who we are.

How happy I was to stumble upon this book by one of my favorite authors! This new book by the recently deceased L'Engle is in fact an early work only recently published.

Elizabeth Jerrold, an aspiring actress, is spending the summer of 1946 working as a theatre apprentice. Despite the disapproval of her Aunt Harriet, Elizabeth is determined to learn all she can, especially during the visit of the great actress Valborg Anderson. But it is through her relationships with friendly, energetic Jane, loyal and understanding Ben, and the handsome and exciting Kurt that Elizabeth will learn the most important lessons, not just about the theatre, but about life and love.

The story is sweet and a joy to read. While not as polished as L'Engle's later work, you can see some of the same themes and types of characters that run through many of her best novels. And, as the introduction suggests, through Elizabeth we get a glimpse of Madeleine as a young woman, which for any L'Engle fan is a treat not to be missed.

adeleine L'Engle shows in this book that she has mastered her sory-telling craft. There are well-developed characters and a good plot line. I would recommend it to young adults and up.

I was so glad to see another book by L'Engle be released. This book was great and seemed like it defintely related to her real life. I enjoyed it greatly.

This is not at all what one expects from Madeleine L'Engle, as it is nothing like the Wrinkle in Time series. But it's such a beautiful little story full of the ordinary things that happen in just a few days of life. It makes me very calm and peaceful to fall into this story.

The story takes place in 1946, over 4 days in the life of Elizabeth Jerrold while she is working summer stock. Elizabeth is a recent college graduate who knows she wants to devote her life to the theater. She loves the theater and the people she has met there, especially Kurt Canitz, an older director. Life seems perfect and the summer unending.
Than Aunt Harriet calls and states that she will not pay Elizabeth's tuition to stay at the summer stock anymore. Elizabeth must scramble to find a way to squeak out one more week of summer stock so she can see her favorite actress, Valborg Andersen, perform. And what about Kurt?
M's L'Engle's story is dated, as some of the other critics have said. But it's still well written and a good read. It was fun to learn about what goes on in summer stock - the various classes, the practices and the people. I really enjoyed this book even though it's not of the same caliber as the "Wrinkle in Time" quartet. I recommend this book highly for all who are interested in seeing how summer stock works as well as those who want a good read.