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runningkar's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
Fantastic young reader biography, with lots of journal entries and letters and photos tucked in the narrative
smallafterall's review against another edition
4.0
A valentine of a book to the authors’ grandmother. It is not the book I thought it would be, which is a recollection of their life with the famous writer, but instead is a straightforward biography culled from her letters and journals. This would be an excellent resource for a young reader looking to learn more about a writer they admire, and it is very well done. I personally will always have a fondness for the authors after seeing them interview Luci Shaw, one of L’Engle’s best friends. That’s a collaboration I’d like to see on the page!
internationalkris's review against another edition
3.0
I was a huge fan of Madeleine L'Engle growing up so I was immensely curious about this biography which was written by her granddaughters. I appreciated learning so much about her early life - born during WWI, dropped off at boarding school in Switzerland with no warning, her early aspirations as a playwright. Some of these details were familiar from the characters in her books but many were surprises to me. The authors never touched on Madeleine's inspiration for her science fiction novels however and this is something that I would have appreciated. Otherwise this was a solid biography with excerpts from many letters and diaries.
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
2.0
This really seemed more like half a book to me. I don't know if the intent was to narrow the scope of the work, or keep it simpler for younger readers, but it was kind of jarring the way it abruptly ended right at the moment of publication of the author's best-known work. Really more like a collection of journal entries and remembrances from part of a life. Not bad, just not complete enough to be good either.
jbojkov's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting look at Madeline L’Engle’s life by her two granddaughters. It includes many photos and excerpts from her journals. This one only goes up until the publication of A Wrinkle in Time. I wish it had been longer, but it was intended as a juvenile biography. I enjoyed it.
azajacks's review against another edition
4.0
I support independent bookstores. You can use this link to find one near you: http://www.indiebound.org
ralovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended!
Becoming Madeleine is a biography aimed toward middle grade readers, or between the ages of 8-12, written by Madeleine's granddaughters, Charlotte and Léna. The "action" of the book starts with background information on Madeleine's parents and concludes at the publication of A Wrinkle in Time; the authors also include more personal notes at the beginning and end of the book. I thought they did a great job setting the context of the United States at war and how disorienting it was for Madeleine to move around so much as a child. The best parts of this book are the many photos, scanned letters, and excerpts from Madeleine's journals. I have read so many of Madeleine's memoirs that none of the events in this book were new to me. I actually found it comforting when the authors quoted her and I saw the familiar turns of phrase. The most delightful parts for me were the snippets from her journals, like when she writes as a child, "I have made a sort of promise to myself saying that I will not read trash books." HA! I really hope young readers read this book, develop deep affection for childhood/adolescent Madeleine, and then go on to read and love her work.
Becoming Madeleine is a biography aimed toward middle grade readers, or between the ages of 8-12, written by Madeleine's granddaughters, Charlotte and Léna. The "action" of the book starts with background information on Madeleine's parents and concludes at the publication of A Wrinkle in Time; the authors also include more personal notes at the beginning and end of the book. I thought they did a great job setting the context of the United States at war and how disorienting it was for Madeleine to move around so much as a child. The best parts of this book are the many photos, scanned letters, and excerpts from Madeleine's journals. I have read so many of Madeleine's memoirs that none of the events in this book were new to me. I actually found it comforting when the authors quoted her and I saw the familiar turns of phrase. The most delightful parts for me were the snippets from her journals, like when she writes as a child, "I have made a sort of promise to myself saying that I will not read trash books." HA! I really hope young readers read this book, develop deep affection for childhood/adolescent Madeleine, and then go on to read and love her work.
urmomsfavauthor's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
thislibrarylife's review against another edition
5.0
So good! Quick read, and perfect if you love L'Engle like I do.