Customer Reviews

A Live Coal in the Sea

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Everyone knows Madeleine L'Engle, right? Admit it. You've all read A Wrinkle in Time, and you all thought it was cool. Most of you probably went on to read the other three books in the series. (Some of you probably sought out the other books in the two series that crossed over with the Time books, and you don't need to read this review, because you've probably already read this book.)

For the rest of you, who wondered what L'Engle had been doing since then... A Live Coal in the Sea is her forty-second book, at least the forty-second listed in the "Books by Madelieine L'Engle" page. A well-stocked bookstore will have books by L'Engle in fiction, young adult, drama, poetry, religion, and at least two or three other categories. I know this because while a bookstore manager I actually attempted to order a couple of everything she'd written. It was impossible. I exceeded the weekly budget. Nowadays, or at least in 1996 when this book came out, L'Engle is/was the writer in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. I'm not sure how one gets such a job, but I'll bet a good part of it has to do with writing a book that's been translated into every major (and many minor) language on Earth and has probably sold almost as many copies as the Bible.

So, the main question should probably be, has she lost any of that power in the last thirty-odd years since A Wrinkle in Time made its unassuming debut? And if not, why aren't her books still selling like hotcakes? The answer to the second question has to do with the changing priorities in the publishing business far more than it has to do with L'Engle, and the answer ot the first question is "not really." _A Live Coal in the Sea_ is a simple, warmhearted, moving family-type novel that has about as much in common with most books that fit that description as The Day the Earth Stood Still has in common with Plan Nine from Outer Space.

The book centers on Camilla Xanthakos, an astronomy professor at a small university in New York, and her granddaughter Raffi, a freshman at the same institution. One evening Raffi comes to Camilla's house and asks, "are you or are you not my grandmother?," thanks to a comment from her glamorous, overstressed, childish father. The book slides between Camilla's reminiscences of the past, and how they affect Camilla, Raffi, and their family and friends in the present. In other words, it's another heritage mystery. But it's handled in such a different way than The Quincunx (for one point, all the prevarication about whether to tell who about what is handled offstage, which is why this book is only slightly over three hundred pages) that, despite the fact that I was reading the two in tandem, I could draw no connections between them other than the most basic plot point.

Another thing that sets L'Engle apart from her contemporaries, and this is far more true now than it used to be, is her use of Christianity in her work. Contemporary Christian novels are far more likely to deal with God-as-concept rather than the human side of the religion; that's why it's so refreshing to go back and read Mauriac, or L'Engle's stuff, instead of trying to choke down these "War in Heaven" style novels that have little, if anything, to do with the human struggle to reconcile the existence of some kind of supreme being with what humanity faces on a day-to-day basis. And the Xanthakos family is faced with a whole bunch of it, from every direction, including inside (you don't have a scientist in the family without having the family faith questioned), and yet still everyone is able to reconcile the faith to the fallacy, and in a logical manner to boot. Questioning faithful types will probably find some affirmation in here; nonbelievers who have always wondered how thiking Christians reconcile things (especially those nonbelievers who have never been able to get good answers to some questions) may find answers in here. I did.

So the plot's good, the characterizations are fine, the theme is downright excellent, it's gonna get five stars, right? Nope. It doesn't quite hit lifechanger level, and the ending is something I'm still trying to figure out; to say more would consitute spoilage. Still, it's certainly a worthwhile book to pick up, as is anything by Madeleine L'Engle; the lady's still turning out better material than most of what's out there.

If you want to read an absorbing, moving and surprising story that you could read over and over again, reach for Madeleine L'Engle's "A Live Coal in the Sea." L'Engle is one of this century's greatest living writers. She always writes about meaningful and varied topics, and this novel is full of them. The story is shocking at times, and yes, there are sexual themes that are deeply disturbing, but this is an INCREDIBLY WELL-WRITTEN book. As a college graduate from the University of California in English and American literature, I have read plenty of books. I truly feel that writing doesn't get much better than this. L'Engle creates characters who are realistic and who have profound concepts to teach yet are fallible people. The protagonists within the story are amazing role models who inspire and disappoint us. "A Live Coal in the Sea" is a sequel to L'Engle's novel "Camilla" and it just makes the experience richer if you've read that before reading this one, but not crucial. I have to laugh after reading the other reviews here that pick apart small "flaws" within this story - YOU try writing something like this and then we'll talk! I think that all novels, whether they are written by Charles Dickens or by Jackie Collins, have something to pick apart if you are looking for that. If you want a story that will affect you and you want to read one of the most magnificent writers of our time, choose "A Live Coal in the Sea." I have read over 2/3 of L'Engles books (she has written many!!!) and besides "A Ring of Endless Light" and "A Wrinkle in Time" it is one of the best of her books. Whether or not you're L'Engle fan, you will most likely become one after reading this tale of true mercy, growth, and love.

First, a disclaimer to all of the L'Engle fans out there: I, too, adore the writings of Madeline L'Engle. She is one of my favorite two or three authors. I loved the Wrinkle series and her other books for children and young adults, and I was thrilled when I discovered that she also has fabulous adult novels (I've had previous bad experiences with favorite childhood authors who wrote horrible adult books).

I may have given this book three stars, but the fact that this mediocre work came from a woman I consider to be one of the 20th century's most talented and accomplished authors disappointed me tremendously and added to my dislike of the book. I have to admit that I was shocked with all of the five-star reviews granted by readers here at Amazon.

So what's my beef, you may wonder? The writing is abrupt; the language is too common, repetitive and full of clichés; the story is melodramatic and sensational.

I love L'Engle's ability to weave a story through time and places and people in a way that makes me barely realize that I am reading a book rather than watching the world she creates. She can make each page flow together, each part of the story line seem a completely natural progression. She takes complex circumstances and characters and paints a picture with her beautiful, smooth, sophisticated and yet simple choice of words and language.

In "A Live Coal in the Sea," L'Engle puts none of these unique and exquisite talents to use. With this book, it felt like she was trying to force the story and its moral into my head and heart with a sledgehammer. With her other books, it feels like she surrounds my head and my heart with a warm, colorful, intense, soft cloud of air, and by the end of the book the air has warmed me and filled my lungs and become part of me.

Yes, the message of mercy is good and the support for the value of that human trait is established again and again... and again. Yes, the story is original and entertaining and one that you can both relate to and daydream about on some level. But this book is not up to L'Engle's standards, and (especially since I had been saving it for vacation) I was miserable with how much I disliked it.

I wanted to abandon this book about two-thirds of the way through (but couldn't bring myself to do it), whereas with her other books I didn't want them to end (thinking of her "The Small Rain" and "A Severed Wasp," specifically).

My recommendation is to skip this book and delve into the dozens of other masterpieces L'Engle has given us. She remains one of my favorite and most admired authors.

A Live Coal in the Sea was a fantastic book. It is a sequel to the novel Camilla, but you don't have to read Camilla to enjoy the book. It is about Camilla's granddaughter discovering her hidden hereditary. You relive Camilla's past and find out about all the skeletons that are hidden in the closet. Once you pick it up, the book is impossible to put down. Camilla lived a fascinating life, and you get the vicarious thrill of reliving her past as she reveals what really went on to her granddaughter. There is a surprise twist at the end, so when you think that you've figured it all out, there's still more to come. The book is appropriate for almost anybody that is at the end of high school or an adult, there are inappropriate situations for younger kids to deal with. I would reccommend this book to anyone who likes to read good books, or likes the author Madeleine L'Engle (who is a fantastic writer). It was a wonderful book with an intricate plot, I was sorry to finish it.

I've been a huge fan of Madeleine L'Engle since second grade, and i was thrilled to pick up this book, one of her more "adult" novels. But I was fairly disappointed in the end. Because of the constant switching back and forth between the present and past, I knew much of what would happen and the rest was obvious and predictable--but for the sudden ending, which seemed contrived and tacked-on. Unlike many of her other series in which I felt a real empathy with the characters, I could care less about this excessively melodramatic family. Throughout the entire novel I kept waiting for the story to pick up, for something unexpected and exciting to happen, for the magic that I associate with L'Engle books to surface, and unfortunately it never did.

After reading Madeleine L'Engle's Camilla, I just had to find out what had become of her. A Live Coal in the Sea introduces new characters and reunites us with old friends. Written in the style of A House Like a Lotus, with flashbacks every few pages, the reader will never be confused about the time. The main character is Camilla Dickinson, who is happy until her granddaughter, Raffi, comes to her home asking "Are you or aren't you my grandmother?" Camilla is forced to deal with something that happened long ago. So she tells the story of her life, beginning at her senior year of college, when she met her husband which all lead up to the discovery of Raffi's father Taxi's parentage. There is a surprise twist at the end of the book. Ms. L'Engle deals with complicated issues in a subtle way. This book should be read by more mature readers, but everyone will learn something from it.

I, too, am surprised by how many 5 star reviews this book got. It's mildly entertaining, and I did actually finish it, but it reads like Sydney Sheldon read *Camilla* and decided to write a sequel. The style was overly-simple, with constant short segments with clunky transition phrases (like Sheldon's writing, but I expect less from him), and the whole story was contrived and soap-operatic. The characters seem flat as well. Usually L'Engle's characters walk off a page, but I never got a real sense of Mac or Taxi or any of the main characters in the story.

Moreover, the Camilla in this story doesn't seem to resemble her counterpart in *Camilla.* (I never would have thought she'd have stayed friends with Luisa Rowan in a million years, for instance.) And the melodramatic aspects of this book seem to do disservice to the characters created in the original book. Rose Dickinson comes out in this book as a more simplistic charcter than she does in *Camilla.* I consider this book non-canonical, whereas I accept and like L'Engle's character crossovers in other books.

That this was written by one of my favorite authors makes it all that much worse.

One of my favorite things about Madeleine L'Engle's work is that she shares her own life with her readers. At first glance a fictional story dealing with four generations working through their own dysfunction and pain to find healing and mercy, and perhaps even a sort of peace, would not seem to have a lot of similarity to L'Engle's own life, or at least one would hope not. The similarities I find are subtler. L'Engle is Episcopalian. Her main character's husband works in an Episcopalian church. L'Engle's husband Hugh was an actor who played on a soap opera for many years, as is Taxi Xanthakos, another character from the book. As she shares pieces of herself in numerous details such as these, L'Engle adds authenticity to her tale.
The story itself takes many unexpected twists and turns as it progresses. These twists and turns, along with L'Engle's attention to detail that I mentioned earlier, invite the reader to not just take the story at face value, but to read it for the broader underlying theme-mercy. Each of her characters must give and receive mercy at one time or another, some more than others. Although I have had none of the experiences of the characters in this book, I found myself able to identify with their plight as they struggled with mercy and forgiveness. The plot of the story so drew me in though that I was about halfway through the book before I really understood why I was identifying with them. We all need to give and receive mercy countless times throughout our lives.

As someone who loved L'Engle's romantic bildungsroman, "Camilla Dickinson" several decades ago, I was so happy when "A Live Coal in the Sea" came out, because I wanted to find out what happened to Camilla as an adult. I must confess that I was also anxious to see her get back together with her first love, Frank. Unfortunately, I was disappointed, not only because Camilla doesn't end up with Frank (though he does appear in this book as a platonic friend of Camilla's), but also because this book was a bit of a dreary and preachy potboiler. "Camilla Dickinson" was relatively sparse in number of characters, time window covered, and themes explored, and was a much better book as a result. "Live Coal", by contrast, seems overblown and filled with "Christian novel" elements that L'Engle has increasingly utilized in her books over the years.

At least Camilla did remain true to her original ambitions of becoming an astronomer, and has become quite a celebrated one at that. She is also a grandmother, through her marriage to Mac, an Episcopalian priest who she met at college. She and Mac actually "meet cute" when Cam's beautiful but cheatin' mother shows up on campus and straightaway starts having sex with Cam's professors, causing Cam to flee from the sight and bump into Mac in her haste. Cam's former boyfriend, Frank, is now also a priest and pops up in the book as a friend of Cam and Mac, who name their daughter "Frankie". I frankly couldn't understand why, if you were going to have Camilla marry a priest, she couldn't have just married her first love Frank, but I guess having a new love interest for Camilla allowed the author to expand some more plot space developing the characters of Mac and his relatively functional family as a foil for Camilla's (and Frank's) messed-up parents.

Naturally, having priests and scientists as characters provides lots of impetus for long-drawn-out discussions about love and mercy and God and other deep thoughts. Unfortunately, when such conversations are put into the mouths of adult characters in the 1950s and 1960s, they do not ring as true as they do when written down to a teenage level and placed in the mouths of teenage Cam, Frank, Vicky Austin (see "Moon by Night") and the like. These folks seem to overanalyze everything and occasionally make mountains out of molehills.

The plot of the book is somewhat entertaining, focusing on Camilla's granddaughter Raffi's search for her true grandparents. Raffi's father Taxi, now a handsome soap opera star (a very fitting profession given the story), was raised mostly by Cam and Mac, but Raffi has gotten hints that he wasn't really their son. The narrative skips around in time as Camilla reveals the secrets of Taxi's parentage. Suffice it to say that Cam is actually Taxi's half-sister, not his mother, and the other half of Taxi's parentage is unknown till the end of the book. The book also suggests that when Taxi was briefly out of the care of Camilla and Mac, he was abused and he never got over it. I personally thought all of this was portrayed as much more of a deep, dark family secret than it really warranted being, especially since Raffi is apparently making her inquiries in the 1990s and at least one of the scandalous family members is already long dead.

Aside from the writing being a bit heavily Christianized, the device of building the story around Raffi's conversation with her grandmother seems cliched. The ending also seems cliched and anticlimactic, especially after all the hinting around at a Big Dark Family Secret. I was also annoyed by the author's transposition of the Kennedy assassination, a key event in the book, from November, when it actually happened, to springtime. I couldn't figure out whether this was an editor's fault for not paying attention, or whether the author was simply "wrinkling" earthly time for the sake of a literary device, but either way, the sudden twisting of reality was disturbing.

How many books have you read that give you something to think about that doesn't assault your being? This one tells a meaningful story about something not so pleasant...something families face all the time. There is something to learn from this 'story'...something that we might just be able to use in our own journey! Thank you Ms. L'Engle for this wonderful lesson. It's one I'll read again.