Customer Reviews

The Moon By Night

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Every adult-in-the-making goes through at least one "difficult year." For Vicky Austin, that year comes when she's 14. She hasn't been able to do anything right (or it seems that way to her, at least!) for months, and now her parents have decided to tear her previously secure world apart. Dr. Austin is taking a temporary research and teaching position in New York City, leaving his small-town medical practice in another doctor's hands. The Austin family's home in Thornhill, Connecticut will be occupied by that other doctor's family, and that's where their pets will remain, too. But before they move into a New York apartment, the Austins embark on a cross-country camping trip - from Atlantic (Grandfather Eaton's home on Seven Bay Island) to Pacific (Laguna Beach, California, where they visit Uncle Douglas and Aunt Elena) and back.

It's an eventful trip during which Vicky has her first taste of romance, as she meets and is followed all the way across the country by a troubled and sometimes frightening rich boy named Zachary Grey. Zach's angry, hopeless response to life (which he fears losing at any moment, thanks to a rheumatic fever damaged heart) forces Vicky to confront twin demons that are making her own life miserable, in what L'Engle sensitively yet unsentimentally presents as something more than typical teen-aged angst. Vicky is part of the first generation to grow up under the shadow of the atom bomb, becoming aware of world events and their significance at the Cold War and nuclear arms race's height (this book's copyright date is 1963). She's become old enough, during her "difficult year" of being 14, to realize that she and everyone she loves can die at any moment; and she's also become old enough to ask herself whether or not God is really there. The love and respect she has for her grandfather, a minister and former missionary, can't save her from wondering if Zachary and others like him may not be right.

Although I didn't find THE MOON BY NIGHT as enjoyable a read as other L'Engle books because it was a bit too introspective for me (I'm used to more action and dialog, and missed it sorely as I ploughed through page after page of interior monologue), it is nevertheless the one I would most recommend to today's young readers. I was just a little bit younger in 1963 than Vicky Austin, and I remember only too well how it felt to know that my generation might not live to grow up - much less middle-aged or old - thanks to a world suddenly grown far smaller and more dangerous than the one in which our parents came of age. The children of post-911 should find plenty to identify with in Vicky's crisis of hope and faith, and much encouragement in its resolution.

This is one of my favourite books,and I know I will never grow too old to enjoy it. I identify strongly with fourteen year old Vicky,who tells the story. She and her family are travelling around America,before they move to New York.On the way Vicky meets Zachary,a very confused and troubled boy,who almost envies her naiveity. Vicky is not sure if she likes Zach as much as he likes her, but she learns a lot from knowing him. While journeying through new places with her family, she finds out about friendship and courage, and understands more how to love people (including herself) for what they are, not what they could be. This book has helped,(and is still helping,)me to grow up.I would reccomend it to anyone as a wonderful read, and I send a big thank you to Madeline L'engle for writing it!

I thoroughly enjoyed "Meet the Austins" and hoped "The Moon by Night" would be half as good. It was even better. I like that "Meet the Austins" gave an introduction to the family, and I found them a very nice family in deed- loving and Christian but still very believable, with realistic problems.

"The Moon by Night" takes place about two years later. Mother and Daddy have decided to move the family to New York, but to soften the blow they get there by way of a summer long cross-country camping trip.

It is on this trip we get to know Vicky Austin even better. She is fourteen now, and going through a very confusing phase. She's not sure what she believes about God, or the world outside her safe home on the hill. Complicating things even more is Vicky's relationship with Zachary, a boy who seems to show up wherever they make camp.

I could really relate to Vicky-every confusing emotion she had about Zach I felt too, as I read. I understood her questions about God, and I know I've had similiar ponderings. And I was very satisfied with her conclusions.

I would HIGHLY reccomend "The Moon By Night" to any teen looking for a good read. I would definitely suggest reading "Meet the Austins" first, though this book has enough background you can enjoy it without any previous introduction to the family.

The Moon by Night, written by Madeleinel L' Engle was one of the best books that I have read in a long time. This is a story of a troubled boy (Zachary) who has found interest in a very simple girl (Vicky), and both are trying to distinguish themselves. Vicky has always been overshadowed by her younger sister and older brother, and is now being followed by Zachary, who which none of her family appears to like. The Moon by Night is a lovely book about a girl growing up, and a boy trying to find himself.

I first read this book when I was twelve. I had never read a book I enjoyed more or met a character with whom I identified more. I borrowed this book from the library at least once a year and enjoyed it every time. I bought a hardcover copy as an adult, and still re-read it often. The Austins are, to me, the perfect family: intelligent, thoughtful, loving, and living in a world filled with books and music. (I told my husband he had to read this book to know how I wanted to raise our children.) When "A Ring of Endless Light" came out, I couldn't imagine that it could come close to the quality of "The Moon By Night," but it did. But that's another review.

At the tender age of 14-years-old, Vicky Austin is filled with uncertainty about her life. She feels out of place, and, unlike the rest of her family, she feels unsure about what she wants to make of herself when she gets older. But when her parents decide to take a cross-country camping trip, she couldn't be more exciting. On the way, for the first time ever in her life, she meets up with a boy (a gorgeous one for that matter), named Zachary, who is actually interested in her. And she's interested in him too. But as he pops up at every one of the Austin family's camping stops, the family begins becoming aggravated with the boy. Now Vicky is becoming even more confused, what with suddenly having a boy's attention on top of everything else. Will Vicky ever be able to sort out her problems, or will her "difficult year" last longer than she actually thinks.

Another excellent novel in the Austin series. Madeleine L'Engle has touched on a subject that affects people of all ages, and adds a bit of romance to liven things up. A must-read book for everyone, especially for girls ages 12-16.

Erika Sorocco

Vicky Austin is the main character of this touching novel. Her family is moving to New York; and to help soften the blow, they decide to camp all the way across the United States. Vicky takes this especially hard, because the move from rural Thornhill, to New York means ripping out everything she's established. Vicky slowly matures over the summer, and is exhilarated when she's followed across the country by Zachary Gray. Over the summer she learns many things about entering the adult world. I found this book to be yet another masterpiece by Madeleine L'Engle. She tends to carry characters over, and Vicky Austin reappears in several other books. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and one of the things I found to be the most interesting was the character development. I can't wait to read another one!

I own about half of the books that L'engle has written, and I love each and everyone one of them. This may not have been my favorite, but it was very good and an essential read for anyone who loves her work. It's following Vicky Austin and introduces Zach, who is in at least 2 other of her books, which makes this even more important to understanding his character, and Vicky's, more fully.

I think this book is one of L'Engle's best. It gives you the feeling that you're in the book and that you know the characters personaly. Vicky is drawn to Zachary Gray who is very troubled, and much older. While Vicky and the rest of the family are on a camping trip that will lead them to California, Zachary follows her, leaving notes at all of the campsites that he passes. Vicky meets Andy, who makes her feel comfortable around him. She doesn't know whether to stay with Zachary, the unpredictable one, or with Andy, the normal teenager looking for love. I can identify with Vicky in almost every way and i highly recomend it to anyone. A Ring of Endless Light is a good coice to read after this one because Zach's back........

In this book we first meet Zachary who we persist in messing with various heroines for book upon book. In general this book is very straightforward except for the rather bizarre ending. Overall a good read.