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b0hemian_graham's review against another edition
5.0
very different from the usual L'Engle. I actually like the "adult" stuff.
erikars's review
4.0
(For those not familiar with this novel, this was extremely hard to get access to for years, but there's now a Kindle version.)
This was L'Engle's second novel and the only one that was never republished. It seems L'Engle wasn't particularly fond of it. It definitely has signs of being an early novel, but it was still a good read. Although it's not as positive or, to use a word I don't think L'Engle would not object to, redemptive as many of her later novels, it does explore many of the same themes of the ways humans are unintentionally cruel to each other and the stresses of the modern world on traditional world views. Even if it's not L'Engle at her best, it's still clearly in the same space.
This novel was ultimately a little dissatisfying. Not because of how the plot went in broad strokes. Not much happened, but this novel was a character study of Ilsa through the eyes of a flawed and biased narrator, Henry. Rather, it's because, I think, L'Engle didn't know then what really happened to the characters after the novel. This is independent of the decision to keep things ambiguous for the reader.
(I have no evidence this was the case. It's just the sense I get.)
Whether or not that's true, L'Engle eventually shows us a little about what happens to Henry and Ilsa. You can search for yourself. The Joys of Love and A House Like a Lotus provide the clues of how they fit into her larger timeline.
This was L'Engle's second novel and the only one that was never republished. It seems L'Engle wasn't particularly fond of it. It definitely has signs of being an early novel, but it was still a good read. Although it's not as positive or, to use a word I don't think L'Engle would not object to, redemptive as many of her later novels, it does explore many of the same themes of the ways humans are unintentionally cruel to each other and the stresses of the modern world on traditional world views. Even if it's not L'Engle at her best, it's still clearly in the same space.
This novel was ultimately a little dissatisfying. Not because of how the plot went in broad strokes. Not much happened, but this novel was a character study of Ilsa through the eyes of a flawed and biased narrator, Henry. Rather, it's because, I think, L'Engle didn't know then what really happened to the characters after the novel. This is independent of the decision to keep things ambiguous for the reader.
(I have no evidence this was the case. It's just the sense I get.)
Whether or not that's true, L'Engle eventually shows us a little about what happens to Henry and Ilsa. You can search for yourself. The Joys of Love and A House Like a Lotus provide the clues of how they fit into her larger timeline.
karibaumann's review against another edition
3.0
I only finished this because it is my beloved Madeleine L’Engle but there is a reason it was out of print for so long.
csheehan72's review against another edition
1.0
I love Madeleine and didn't finish this. Very depressing and draggy.
ralovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I bought a re-issued paperback of this Madeleine L'Engle novel because I happened upon it at the Novel bookstore in Memphis, TN. Woo!
This novel felt similar to other novels for adults by Madeleine: lots of introspection, strong sense of place, and a wide cast of characters. I saw the faint line between the narrator and another side character in another novel, but the Southern world felt pretty new to me. I had a hard time orienting myself in time and then latching on to the characters (there are SO many, and they all have similar names). I liked but didn't love this novel. Part of it is that the narrator annoyed me the entire time because he had no momentum or self of self. I just do not empathize with the slacker narrative. But there is a kind of tension throughout the book that kept me moving along, even if it wasn't like, GRIPPING. The writing is lovely, and I was happy to be back in Madeleine's world, but I don't know if I'd recommend this to anyone but diehard Madeleine fans/completionists.
Ilsa is similar to other Madeleine books, especially The Small Rain and The Other Side of the Sun. As for other novels, it reminded me of The Great Gatsby and Giovanni's Room, and I think because of the young male narrator and overall life of leisure. (Do these people work?! Apparently not.)
Also, I'm not sure what the deal was, but this version had very strange typos throughout. It was super distracting and actually made me question the provenance of the edition, but it seems legit. Very weird.
This novel felt similar to other novels for adults by Madeleine: lots of introspection, strong sense of place, and a wide cast of characters. I saw the faint line between the narrator and another side character in another novel, but the Southern world felt pretty new to me. I had a hard time orienting myself in time and then latching on to the characters (there are SO many, and they all have similar names). I liked but didn't love this novel. Part of it is that the narrator annoyed me the entire time because he had no momentum or self of self. I just do not empathize with the slacker narrative. But there is a kind of tension throughout the book that kept me moving along, even if it wasn't like, GRIPPING. The writing is lovely, and I was happy to be back in Madeleine's world, but I don't know if I'd recommend this to anyone but diehard Madeleine fans/completionists.
Ilsa is similar to other Madeleine books, especially The Small Rain and The Other Side of the Sun. As for other novels, it reminded me of The Great Gatsby and Giovanni's Room, and I think because of the young male narrator and overall life of leisure. (Do these people work?! Apparently not.)
Also, I'm not sure what the deal was, but this version had very strange typos throughout. It was super distracting and actually made me question the provenance of the edition, but it seems legit. Very weird.
katekat's review against another edition
4.0
I have read every Madeleine L'Engle novel and while I like some much better than others I enjoy all of them at least in part. This is not one of my favorite books by her but it is still quite good. Her writing style always engages me and I find at least one character in every one of her books that I can relate to in some way.
td3's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first novel by Madeleine L’Engle and for the most part, I found it an engaging and enjoyable read. I definitely was more interested in the first half of the novel, but found last half a bit disappointing.
The disappointment is mainly due to the character of Henry. We meet Henry as a young boy when he discovers a new friend, Ilsa, who is a few years older. He becomes fascinated by Ilsa. As the years pass, Henry never grows out of this fascination, even though he spends several years away from her. In the novel, we never see Henry in any setting that does not involve Ilsa, so it seems we are only privy to one aspect of his character.
When Henry decides to go home, he naturally gravitates to Ilsa again. I felt like at this point the novel lost it’s steam due to the fact that Henry never seems to grow (or grow up). He has no drive or ambition and seems to follow Ilsa much as a loyal dog follows its master. Henry became quite pathetic to me. As an adult, he had opportunities to try and take his relationship with Ilsa to the next level, but never acted upon them. By the time he did, Ilsa did not see him as a romantic partner and certainly she may never have seen him in that role.
There are several themes running throughout the novel that would make for great discussion. L’Engle presents the subjects of dysfunctional families, marital abuse, alcoholism and bigotry, among other things. She also presents some eccentric Southern characters who are able to demonstrate love and acceptance, a sense of responsibility towards others and the value of close family ties.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Ilsa and look forward to reading more from L’Engle in the future. I think any reader who likes Ann Patchett will enjoy this novel as well. There are a few typos in the kindle edition I read that need correcting, but this did not affect the content in any way. A solid 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media for allowing me to read a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The disappointment is mainly due to the character of Henry. We meet Henry as a young boy when he discovers a new friend, Ilsa, who is a few years older. He becomes fascinated by Ilsa. As the years pass, Henry never grows out of this fascination, even though he spends several years away from her. In the novel, we never see Henry in any setting that does not involve Ilsa, so it seems we are only privy to one aspect of his character.
When Henry decides to go home, he naturally gravitates to Ilsa again. I felt like at this point the novel lost it’s steam due to the fact that Henry never seems to grow (or grow up). He has no drive or ambition and seems to follow Ilsa much as a loyal dog follows its master. Henry became quite pathetic to me. As an adult, he had opportunities to try and take his relationship with Ilsa to the next level, but never acted upon them. By the time he did, Ilsa did not see him as a romantic partner and certainly she may never have seen him in that role.
There are several themes running throughout the novel that would make for great discussion. L’Engle presents the subjects of dysfunctional families, marital abuse, alcoholism and bigotry, among other things. She also presents some eccentric Southern characters who are able to demonstrate love and acceptance, a sense of responsibility towards others and the value of close family ties.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Ilsa and look forward to reading more from L’Engle in the future. I think any reader who likes Ann Patchett will enjoy this novel as well. There are a few typos in the kindle edition I read that need correcting, but this did not affect the content in any way. A solid 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media for allowing me to read a copy in exchange for an honest review.
bluepixie89's review
4.0
This book really surprised me. I found this book at a library and fully aware of its rarity(also unaware of its recent availability as an e-book) got just out of curiosity. After a few pages, a soon found myself fascinated, finding it difficult to stop. It was a sad book, but it spoke to me because of that. This story of Henry Porcher's unrequited love for Ilsa Brandes through the years and the disappointments they both faced shows how hard life could be. Ilsa's character was very real to me. Her good and bad points were brought brilliantly as she dealt with her different problems. There was also great character interaction even if you don't like all the characters. I did have a problem with the ending though as I found it ended to abruptly and on an even more depressing not than the rest of the book had so I was a little taken aback. All the same, this book is a new favorite of mine that I will definitely buy the kindle version now.
katekat's review
4.0
I have read every Madeleine L'Engle novel and while I like some much better than others I enjoy all of them at least in part. This is not one of my favorite books by her but it is still quite good. Her writing style always engages me and I find at least one character in every one of her books that I can relate to in some way.
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