The Joys of Love

by Madeleine L'Engle

Book Overview

Moving and romantic, this coming-of-age story was written during the 1940s. As revealed in an introduction by the author's granddaughter L na Roy, the protagonist Elizabeth is close to an... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250004829
• Release Date: June 2012
• Publisher: Square Fish
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.7" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Simply a joy to read

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.

old but true

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.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

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 Her aunt disapproves of the lifestyle Elizabeth has adopted while working for a theater company, and has withdrawn the money she was paying for Elizabeth's room and board.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

...

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.

A sweet story

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.