Meet the Austins

I read this decades ago and decided it was time to see if it were as good as I remembered. If anything, it was better. I think it is because I have experienced loss, making some of this more real. While death looms over the book (Maggie has been suddenly orphaned), it is far more about life. As L'Engle writes, "But being alive is a gift, the most wonderful and exciting gift in the world."

As is true in many of L'Engle's books, faith is a cornerstone in the story. For that aspect, I think this quotation rang most true for me: "The search for knowledge and truth can be the most exciting thing there is as long as it takes you toward God instead of away from Him.”

The book is a comfortable one. I liked the children who were far from show more perfect, but mostly tried to be good people. Sometimes in this world of social media and sometimes cruel memes, it helps to step away. This book was perfect for that. I will be reading the sequels.

The book is perfect for thoughtful middle-school aged children and older. Adults can read it with new and deeper understanding. It is highly recommended. show less

Well, dang. I'm glad I didn't let my totally lukewarm reaction to A Wrinkle in Time stop me from picking up this first novel in L'Engle's The Austin Family Chronicles. I've said that I enjoyed the first bit of A Wrinkle in Time, before the kids go off on the adventure, while the rest of it left me pretty cold. This book is like nothing but that first bit that I liked! The story follows the Austins, a family of six, and centers around second oldest Austin child Vicky. At the start of the story the Austins take in a spoiled and recently orphaned child of a family friend, and the novel revolves around the family's reactions to this disruption to their lives, but really it's just wonderful slice of life stuff, dealing with hard things, big show more emotions, growing up, and figuring out who you are and where you fit in the universe. That last bit is specifically Christian in the book, but I think the experience of the seeking would be widely applicable, regardless of the reader's religious feelings. I will be reading more of this series. Recommended. show less

I have a love/hate relationship with the late Madeleine L’Engle. I loved A Wrinkle in Time, but I hated the sequel, A Wind in the Door. I enjoyed The Arm of the Starfish, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sequel, Dragons in the Waters. But on the recommendation of a Goodreads friend, I checked out Meet the Austins, the first in yet another of L’Engle’s series.

Unlike the two previous series, Meet the Austin contains no paranormal or sci-fi touches. Twelve-year-old Vicky Austin and her sister and two brothers prove a real handful. They’re probably a bit better natured than real-life children, but they’re so creative and fun that I ended up not caring. When 10-year-old orphan Maggy Hamilton comes to stay with the show more Austins temporarily, she throws the already boisterous household into a dither. Summarized this way, I’ve made the plot seem predictable and thin, but L’Engle weaves a charming tale that I loved.

Thank you, Manybooks. Without you, I would never have read Meet the Austins. I’ve gotten the sequel, The Moon by Night, on your recommendation — with hope triumphing over experience. show less

This is the first book of Madeleine L'Engle's *other* female protagonist coming of age series. Whereas "A Wrinkle in Time" could qualify as science fiction/coming of age, "Meet the Austins" is really much more straightforward. There is some Christian woo, but it doesn't smack you over the head in the way that CS Lewis does. An excellent book to give to a young adult, and less fluffy than many of its type - nice to see a female protagonist with normal worries *and* a brain in her head.

recommended for: children's lit fans, Madeleine L'Engle fans

This is one of my favorite books from childhood. I first read it in 1962 when I was 9. I still enjoy the story, and all of Madeleine L'Engle's books for that matter, but I think it's probably somewhat dated; kids today might not enjoy it that much, unless they are reading it as a period piece. It's the story of a family told from the point of view of the 12 year old daughter. This is the first book about the Austin family, just as A Wrinkle In Time is the first book about Meg Murray and her family. In L'Engle's other children's books these 2 families tend to run into each other and I find it great fun to keep up with them.

And this is one time where I think the original cover show more (that I just uploaded and changed my reivew to this edition) should not have been changed. It's beautiful and timeless. show less

It's a book that feels like a chatty slice-of-life small-talk sort of story, not necessarily going anywhere or having a point, and then I got to the end and realized that it'd gotten some important points across without my recognizing it at the time, and there was in fact a definite beginning-middle-end structure, just well disguised by the narrative voice. It reminds me of Understood Betsy, which is one of my favorites. But Understood Betsy is better, and doesn't feel from the first page like I'm starting in the middle of something after missing the first several volumes. My experience with Understood Betsy (which I resented being forced to listen to when it was read to me, until I found that I loved it) makes me think that I might show more like this better on rereading. But for now I feel no real inclination to read it again. show less

I picked up Meet the Austins on impulse last night. I was feeling poorly and just wanted to crawl into bed; bringing along a nice little young adult story seemed like a very soothing way to rest. I was browsing the sale books at my local bookstore on the way home (as you do) and bought it on the strength of the author, Madeleine L'Engle. Apparently, this is the first of a set of stories known as the Chronos series.

It is a charming little story featuring Vicky, the 12-year-old older daughter, as the narrator of the Austin family. Her older brother John is 15 years old, has ambitions to be an astronaut and scientist, and works on his own space suit in his spare time. Suzy, her 9-year-old sister wants to be a doctor and conducts daily show more surgeries on her dolls. Rob, the younger brother, is six years old and rounds out the kids of the family. Their dad is a doctor, and their mom is a housewife. The family includes a great dane named Mr Rochester and the poodle Collette, plus assorted cats (with names like Prunewhip, Hamlet and Cream). They live an idyllic life in a 200-year-old farmhouse outside a small New England town. The book was published in 1960 and feels reminiscent of TV shows of the era, such as Leave It to Beaver, Father Knows Best, and especially Don't Eat the Daisies, with wholesome families, sibling squabbles, bedtime prayers and mealtime grace, naughtiness and spankings, good kids struggling to understand serious events and their own feelings, and so on.

The story opens during Uncle Douglas (dad's younger brother) visit and the family working on dinner when mom receives an emergency call that changes everything. It's from family friend Aunt Elena, who was mom's roommate in college and is now a concert pianist. Her pilot husband Hal died instantly along with his copilot while flying an experimental aircraft. She's about to leave on tour, is devastated by her loss, and is suddenly trying to find someone to care for Maggie, the copilot's 10-year-old daughter who has suddenly become an orphan, her mother having died recently too as a result of illness.

Maggie is the stereotypical lonely rich girl who grew up in the care of servants and all the material possessions money could buy but without a loving, stable home as her absentee mother continued to enjoy her jet set lifestyle. She'd only recently gone to live with her pilot father because her maternal grandfather was too ill to take charge of a child. Then she comes to live with the Austin family, resulting in conflict and drama on top of the usual rivalry and support among siblings. Predictably, she acts up, behaves badly, is mean, and generally plays out the spoiled rich kid trope,

The story reads almost like a series of vignettes, first setting the scene, then Maggie arriving and being assimilated into the family routine. From there, various events happen: bad weather, domestic disasters, illness, injury, visitors, school, vacation, etc. Vicky and her siblings not surprisingly don't welcome the disruption of this unknown interloper at first, and by the end of the story don't want her taken away from them. The story also includes vivid descriptions of the natural beauty of the New England countryside in fall and winter.

It's not a particularly deep or clever story, but it is charming and clearly geared toward instilling Christian moral values in young readers. The characters are appealing, the scenery is delightful, and the story shows children grappling with death, loss, change, trauma, and other big, scary facts of life. But it also shows the strength of family, love, and healthy, supportive relationships at all ages, as well as children being given the space to explore their own interests and be their own persons.

I don't regret the evening spent with this book. It was just what I needed. But I'm not interested in keeping the book. I'll probably add it to a Little Free Library in an area frequented by younger readers. I looked up the other books in the series. Meh. I don't think I'll pursue them. However, I am looking forward to diving into the boxed set of the Time Quintet (beginning with A Wrinkle in Time) that I picked up at WisCon this spring. show less