The thing that originally attracted me to this book was the cover. Look at it! So dark and mysterious...and the description only added to the appeal. It seemed like an intriguing read.
And it was, but not exactly what I was expecting. From the way it sounded, I thought it would be further back in time, and possibly with some magic involved. Instead what I got was botany, incest, religion, philosophy, murder, and mythology. This story was very complex, with too parallel story lines really, Aslaug's life after her mother's death and Alsaug's tiral. The writing was beautiful, and while I didn't find it exactly thrilling, it was compelling. Also, very informative. I learned a lot of interesting trivia. The characters were multi-dimensional, but hardly likable. They all had their issues and it was hard to predict what they were going to do next. There were some parts that were so frustrating! I wanted to step in and yell at the characters and tell them they were stupid, or speak up for them. And those lawyers? Nobody on the stand could get a single word in before those wackjobs cut them off. I'm conflicted about my feelings for this book. Its definitely not for everyone, but I do recommend you try it. ( )

Aslaug spent her life in near isolation with her mother, so when her mother dies she's not sure what to do. Armed with a suitcase full of money, she heads off in search of her mysterious father. She finds instead her aunt, a preacher in a Pentecostal sect, and cousins, and begins to piece together the mystery of her life. But just when she gets some answers and begins to feel like she has a home, she gets pregnant and things start to fall apart. ( )

Aslaug lives a sheltered life with her mother. She is thrust into a world she knows nothing about when mother dies. Hoping to find her father, Aslaug instead meets her long lost cousins and aunt who run a church. Commonly accepted Christian doctrine is challenged throughout the text, mainly by cousin Sanne who believes that Aslaug and her mother have been given a special gift from God. Chapters alternate between Aslaug's inner story and the outer story that comes out during a murder trial. Bibliography of additional reading on the topic of religion included at the end. ( )

Reviewed by Harmony for TeensReadToo.com

I finished reading MADAPPLE last night and, for the first time ever, I sat staring at the book in shock. For fifteen minutes. I was ready to laugh, to cry, and to scream in frustration. Never before have I read a book that left me feeling that way after finishing it. Sure, there have been books where I've laughed, cried, and been frustrated at different points as I read it (HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS comes to mind) -- but to experience them all at once at the end of a book? Never.

Once the shock wore off, I began wondering how I was ever going to write a review of this book. Because a book that can cause emotions like that definitely can NOT be summed up in one paragraph, no matter how long. I could say that MADAPPLE was about flowers and plants. I could also say that it's about a girl who's a prisoner in her own life. I could also say that it challenges the religion of Christianity. I could say all of those things and so many more, but none of them would be correct. Yes, MADAPPLE is about flowers and plants. It's also about being a prisoner in your own life and it's even about Christianity. But it's also about so much more than that. More than even my mind can comprehend.

But I must warn you - MADAPPLE is NOT for everyone

Told in alternating chapters of the present and of testimonies being held at Aslaug's trial, MADAPPLE challenges the reader. It informs the reader. I, myself, though not a strong Christian, know by now that most Christians are offended when their religion is challenged. MADAPPLE does that. But I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing, for it never states that Christianity is wrong, and every single character has their own opinion on it. Heck, one of them even runs a church. But what it does do is explain how the birth and story of Jesus that the Christians follow is not the first in history. I'm not going to say more on that subject in fear of giving too much away, but I'll say this - if you're a Christian who is easily offended, I wouldn't read this. If you're a Christian who can handle a reasonable amount of things, pick up the book.

My feelings about MADAPPLE changed throughout the entire book. At first, I was intrigued, then confused, and then bored. Actually, I think I was confused up until the last page and then some. Even at this moment, I can't say whether I love or hate MADAPPLE. But I'm going to say that I love it because it's left me speechless, and the only other books to have done that are my favorites. The one thing, however, this book didn't do was make my stomach hurt. The character emotions just weren't there to make my heart break. All other aspects, besides that, which I love in books were there.

So do I recommend MADAPPLE? Definitely yes! But only if you're up for a challenging read. Only if you're mature enough to handle speculations about virgin and premarital birth. Only if you're ready to be blown away, because you will be, whether it's in a good or bad way. Only you can make that decision. ( )

Maren tells her sister she is pregnant. Maren tells her sister she is still a virgin. This is how Aslaug's story begins. Aslaug has only ever known her mother Maren and she knows of their lone neighbor. Maren home schools her and teaches her of other religions and beliefs and many languages. When her mother dies Aslaug doesn't know what to do. Thrust into a world she has never know Asluag must figure out how to survive based on a few hints and clues her mother has seem to have left her. This story told in alternating chapters between 2003 when all this begins and her trial in 2007 reveals Aslaug's story and how it all turns out in the end.

Wow. What a great story. What's that I see in the back of this book? A bibliography. AWESOME! So I had checked this book out a few times and never got around to reading it. I sure am glad I finally did. Christina Meldrum writes a wonderful portrayal of a girl kept from the world and well educated in everything except social standards. I don't want to say to much and ruin it but I really enjoyed this book. Christina Meldrum adds in lots of myths and ancient religion along with many facts about plants and their powers. Aslaug ends up remembering a place her mother once had them drive to and there she finds some of her family and they try to help her piece together who her father was. You really have to sit down and read this; it is in its own league a truly unique tale that will certainly keep you wanting for the next page. ( )

This mystery jumps from a present court case where Aslaug is the defendant in a double murder case and the past where she remembers her childhood with her single mother and then later her single aunt and two cousins when her mother dies. Her mother was into homegrown drugs while her aunt is a pastor and her cousins deal with their own problems. By the time Aslaug meets her aunt and cousins, she has already been cleared in the death of her mother, but when she is found outside the burning church where her aunt and Sanne are found inside dead, she is put on trial and the death of her mother is again brought up. My first problem was the neighbor witness in the court case who thought he needed to use expletives while answering questions on the stand. Until the latter half of the book, they are minor expletives and infrequently scattered through testimonies. The real problem begins about 3/5 of the way through where Aslaug dreams about her cousin Rune spending time with her after being drugged by her cousin, Susanne (Sanne). When she turns up pregnant, she accuses Rune of rape and worse expletives are scattered throughout the remaining pages. While I found the book on the YALSA site, I cannot recommend it. ( )

Virgin births, Essenes, Gnostics, herbalism, Charismatic Christians, Sun Gods, a murder trial, kidnapping, syndactyly, teen sex... you name, this book has it. It's a compelling, weighty, intelligent story full of well developed characters and an intriguing confluence of spirituality, science, and nature. It is marketed as a YA novel (probably because the main character is in her teens) but is definitely a mature/adult read. Well worth exploring. ( )

The cover of Madapple looks very intriguing but the contents are messy overkill. After finishing this book, I'm having a very hard time seeing where the rave reviews come from.

Aslaug has spent her early life isolated with her sick mother who is so off-balance that she even tacks sheets over the windows to keep the light out. When she wakes to find her mother dead, an attempt to give her a proper burial leads to her arrest. Though cleared of any wrongdoing, Aslaug finds herself completely lost- she has never met any family and doesn't even know who her father is. She follows the only clue she has: a building in the next town over that her mother used to drive to and stare at. She takes with a car with no mirrors and a suitcase full of hidden money to try and find her family. Lucky for her, she does end up with family- her aunt and two cousins who run a small church. They take Aslaug in and through her cousin, Sanne, and her mothers notes she finds out about her mother's supposed "virgin birth" and her interest in a variety of ancient religions. Asalug also begins to get close with her other cousin, Rune, having vivid and intimate dreams about him. After several months living with them Aslaug begins to feel ill- a trip to the doctor reveals that she is pregnant though she does not remember having intercourse. Is Aslaug following in the steps of her mother?

Okay, so in a summary it seems like it could be interesting. But really, this story is so very disjointed! The chapters alternate between Aslaug's first person account of what happened and a trial.

The story is working at you from both ends in reverse directions but I feel like it gets more muddled than intriguing. Meldrum is an attorney and it shows through a little too clearly; the courtroom drama is very lawyer dramatic but not very teenager dramatic under the very last moments. I don't see Aslaug as a character that teens can easily latch onto unless they're really into ancient religious sects or botany- this is partially due to her isolation, but this is not a book that discusses an isolated girl's transition into the modern world. Instead, it is an outsider transferring herself into another group of outsiders that teens also will find it hard to relate to. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone under 16- the language is dense, the courtroom parts somewhat confusing (I say this as a former law student!), and the issues are heavy (multiple degrees of incest, drug use, poisoning, teen pregnancy, death, kidnapping, a communal family- the list goes on and on). I did not find this to be an easy read on any level- it was hard to get into. It's definitely different from other books that were published last year, but I don't necessarily think that translates into accolades. Perhaps I'm alone on this one! ( )

Aslaug had been raised by her mother the near isolation of a small town in Maine. The two sustained themselves with through the forest behind their home and only ventured into town for rare supplies. Aslaug's mother taught her everything about religion, mythology, biology, and botony. She was her life, until her mother unexpectedly died.Now Aslaug is on her own, with no friends or family and no understanding of how the outside world works. She discovers her long lost aunt who is a preacher at a small rural church. While staying with them Aslaug discovers that her mother suspected that Aslaug was a virgin birth. As Aslaug uncovers her mother's and her own past, she discover's things about the family that she never wished she knew.This is a crazy, mindbending and amazingly written book. I could not believe how well organized the story was and how much I learned to love characters that had no obvious redeeming qualities. ( )

Bizaare, icky, strange, and yet fascinating . . . the author's personal interests were overwhelming to the story. ( )

OMG! This book was so well written and the plot was riveting. It is for older young adults since it deals with sex. I really enjoyed the different alternative religions that are brought in to the plot. ( )

Although billed as a young adult novel, Madapple is actually a title for adults or very sophisticated, older YA readers. Aslaug's youth was spent isloated from society with her mother home schooling her and teaching her about the qualities and effects of the plants found in the surrounding fields. After her mother's death from cancer, Aslaug went in search of her father but found her Aunt and cousins. Her relatives are possibly more mentally diranged than her mother and her life becomes even more isolated than before. Extremely naive and socially ackward, Aslaug becomes entangled in a web of alcoholism, incest, religious fanaticism and finally murder.

Aslaug's story is told in alternating chapters dealing with Aslaug's present day murder trial and her developing life story.

This disturbing story is not appropriate for younger teens. ( )

Aslaug has lived alone with her mother almost all her life. So when

something happens to her mother, and Aslaug is accused, she runs away to find her aunt. But things are different than Aslaug expected. New problems arise, new temptations, and Aslaug must figure out how to deal with them all, and ultimately, how to separate the truth and the lies.

Madapple, Christina Meldrum's debut novel, was in a word, weird. It was so weird. But that doesn't mean I didn't like it. Meldrum's style is brilliant, and I found the different point of views to bring a certain mysterious quality that wouldn't otherwise be there. Madapple has its own feeling to it, unlike any other book I've read.
I would have expected this book to be written in first person, because of all the focus on the feelings of Aslaug, but I must applaud Meldrum's ability to keep it in third person and still bring in vast emotions. Aslaug is always a mystery, always making you think. In truth, the readers don't figure out what is true and what is false until the last, like 50 pages!
Which brings me to this-moments of Madapple will bore you. The perspective of the interviews/whatever they're called for Aslaug's case will be annoying with all the "objection"s. It's neat at first, but then it does get a little annoying, but if you suffer through that little dip in the middle and make it to the end, you won't be sorry.
There were moments in Madapple when my jaw dropped and a "wow" came out. It's stunning how Meldrum can surprise her readers, yet keep the storyline so intact. It's strange. It's beautiful.

Oooo, I see what the fuss was about with this YA novel! It's awesome! Yay! I listened to the audiobook and wanted to keep driving during the last two CDs. I HAD to know how it ended! Aslaug was raised in a small house in the woods with her mother, isolated and educated. When her mother dies, Aslaug has to learn how to survive in a modern world. But modern people take advantage of girls like Aslaug. She is taken in and taken advantage of. Through Aslaug's court transcripts (why, oh why, is she in court you may ask?) and her own reflections, you'll get sucked into Aslaug's world. She's an awesome teenage girl. You cheer for her as you read and you dread the reliability of the narrator and the decisions of the court. What's the truth? Is Aslaug a murderer? a mother? a prophet? a saint? or just a confused girl? ( )

Told in alternating chapters between Aslaug's past and the present in a courtroom transcript, we learn how Aslaug lived with her mother, who claimed she had been born a virgin birth. There was sporadic homeschooling out of books her mother edited, harvesting of plants for food and an otherwise strange existence. Eventually, her mother dies of cancer and Aslaug relies on one memory from her past to bring her to her aunt's house. She's searching for her father, but finds an aunt and two cousins instead. There Aslaug keeps trying to find who she is and where she comes from, especially after she somehow becomes pregnant too. ( )

Booklist
( April 01, 2008 ; 0-375-95176-8 )

*Starred Review* Aslaug lives in isolation; the flowers and plants that her mother, Maren, uses to make their lives possible are more real to her than the outside world. Then Maren dies, and Aslaug makes her way to the nearby Maine town, where she finds her aunt Sara and teenage cousins Susanne and Rune. Aslaug hopes they will have a clue to her father's identity; she learns, as readers already have, that Maren proclaimed Aslaug a virgin birth. Aunt Sara, a charismatic preacher, wants none of this. But Susanne, enthralled with the writings of esoteric religionists and pagans, believes this is a possibility, while Rune is just enthralled with Aslaug herself. Then Aslaug finds herself pregnant, and divine intervention is once more a possibility. Plot summary does little justice to this haunting book, which is as much mysticism as it is story. Meldrum plunges deeply into the nature of reality. She uses language in a particularly arresting way, with the leaves and petals of the plants that are so much a part of Aslaug's life shimmering over the pages. If all this wasn't satisfaction enough, Meldrum, a litigator, mixes faith and science with a solid mystery, told in the transcripts of a trial in which Aslaug is the defendant. There is much to ponder in this enthralling achievement from a debut author.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2008 Booklist

Madapple was one of my favorite books throughout this whole year. It was thrilling yet content in its plot and status of its chararters. I really liked this book because it gave me a surpise everytime i would turn the page. It would leave me guessing everytime i put down the book. I would advise anyone to read the novel.

This book went back and forth between the life of a girl who was brought up far differently than the rest of the world and the trial she is standing. The trial itself is a bunch of questions and answers, some causing the reader to ask more questions about what really happened in this girl's life and why she is on trial. It was really quite a captivating read, making you want to learn more and giving a few twists to keep you on your toes. I sort of figured out what really happened with the hints, which was a nice feeling that I could pick up on that. That the author left you some clues. I loved the imagery of this book and the feeling of a girl meeting the modern world for the first time. Overall, I couldn't put this book down - I read it in a day. ( )

I started trying to listen to this, but found the alternative chapters being flashbacks very confusing. The plot seems to run ahead of it self in the chapters from the court trail vs. the chapters that seemed to be telling the story. I spent much of book being confused and was not satisfied by the ending. The book is about a young girl who is raised in almost complete seclusion from society with her mother. Her mother teaches her sciences and mythologies and leads her to believe she has been immaculately conceived. After her mother dies she finds her aunt and cousins that she never new existed and must find the truth in her life. Overall this book had potential, but I found it to flow poorly and felt confused most of the time. ( )

Really enjoyed this, especially the alternating trial with the story of Aslaug's life. Loved the way the descriptions of the herbs/plants tied in with the story. ( )

Kearsten says: Hmmm. This one was fascinating, though unsettling. Meldrum writes beautifully - lyrical and mysterious and meticulously. Aslaug - the main character - is decidedly strange, and at times unsettling, though with the upbringing she'd had, her strangeness is no surprise. I was fascinated by the talk of religion, and how the basics of Christianity - the Messiah, the virgin birth, the twelve disciples, etc. - all have their roots in so-called "pagan" religions, but less enraptured by the endless talk of plants and herbalism, though Meldrum does a wonderful job of intertwining all the ideas.

Susan says: This book is a complicated layercake of plots, emotions and information. First of all, it is a combination of the gauzy tone of historical fiction with the courtroom drama of a contemporary book. The main character, Aslaug, is raised by a single mother who lives off the land, including teaching her daughter about all of the plants around them. Aslaug's mother has always told her she was a virgin birth, and suddenly Aslaug believes that she too is having a virgin birth. Reality and tales are interwoven until you don't know who to trust in the book. Aslaug may or may not be a reliable narrator, and if she is not then you feel unstable, like you don't know what is right. This is definitely a book for older teens, who would be willing to put up with the confusion and information overload that sometimes happens. I felt sorry for Aslaug, but because of the way the book is told, I am not sure you ever really get to know her, For me, this is a book that makes you go Hmmm... ( )

Hmmm. This one was fascinating, though unsettling. Meldrum writes beautifully - lyrical and mysterious and meticulously. Aslaug - the main character - is decidedly strange, and at times unsettling, though with the upbringing she'd had, her strangeness is no surprise. I was fascinated by the talk of religion, and how the basics of Christianity - the Messiah, the virgin birth, the twelve disciples, etc. - all have their roots in so-called "pagan" religions, but less enraptured by the endless talk of plants and herbalism, though Meldrum does a wonderful job of intertwining all the ideas. ( )

For most of Madapple, I was wondering what genre I was reading, figuring out about half way through that I was reading a mystery, and the story didn’t wrap up until the very last pages. This book made me feel uncomfortable, but not necessarily in a bad way. It’s mysterious genre combined with the insane perspectives of each characters left me squirming and wondering, like Aslaug, what is fact and what is fiction. It felt like a good representation of how people can get lost in their own worlds, and how it is possible to love and be loved by people who abuse you extraordinarily. This is a good, gothic tale, and though it left me cold and a little frustrated, a can see the appeal for another reader. ( )