The Moon by Night

I might have enjoyed this second book in the Austin Family Chronicles even more than the first. The Austins are about to move to New York City, but first they are taking a cross-country camping trip to see the country and visit friends and relatives. The story comes through the perspective of Vicky, second oldest of the Austin children as she begins to itch a bit at the confines of family, begins to have interest in boys, and discovers more about who she is. Sometimes slightly dated in some attitudes, but not enough to be terribly bothersome, though of course that is YMMV. More annoying is the boy who won't leave Vicky alone. We're supposed to think he's kind of okay despite being... not all that okay, and that was the hardest thing to show more sit with for me. show less

Twice I have read a series by the late Madeleine L’Engle, loving the debut novel while hating the sequel. But the sophomore slump is over! I really liked the first book in the Austin Family Chronicles, Meet the Austins, but I loved this follow-up, even more!

Like many teenagers, Vicky Austin, now nearly 15, has become moody and confused. Orphan Maggy Hamilton, who has lived with the Austins for two years, will be moving with her new family to California. Maggy is thrilled, but Vicky realizes that, with the loss of Maggy and her older brother John heading off to M.I.T. in the fall, her life would be bound to change; on top of that, the Austins are moving to New York City temporarily while her dad, Dr. Wallace Austin, conducts research show more there.

The Austins drive out to California to visit with Maggy, Uncle Doug and Aunt Elena, camping all the way there and back. I won’t spoil the novel by telling any more. But Vicky does quite a bit of growing up. I’ve never seen an adult create a more accurate picture of what it’s like to be a teenager betwixt and between her old life and the new. It rekindled by own, long-forgotten memories. Again, thank you, Manybooks. Without your recommendation, I wouldn’t have found this fabulous series! show less

This is the perfect change of pace after "Breaking dawn". It's the kind of book that didn't matter how long it took to read. I could read just for a few minutes and stop to drift off into idle thoughts provoked by the mood of the text. Madeleine L'Engle can always effortlessly carry me to so many places. It was also fascinating because I hadn't quite realised before that I'd never yet read this part of the Austin series, so that was a real surprise for me.

Perhaps it was the fascinating introduction by her grandchildren, but I found myself looking at the text differently. This book is a little odd anyway, as it reads sometimes like a children's geography book dressed up as fiction (a bit like Brent-Dyer tried to do) and at other times show more reminds me of people who write at too great a length about their holidays "and then we did this. And then we did this. And the next day it rained, so we stayed in bed until..." But I also wasn't quite convinced by Vicky's angst. It felt almost to me as though L'Engle didn't really understand Vicky's problem with God and so was just writing the words that she'd heard "teen-agers" say by way of explanation. But it was a lovely read for all that, and I really loved the fact the modern edition has not tried to modernise the language. It's a long time since I've read "gay" in the context of "happy" and it was fun to go back in time, even if I did get annoyed by some of Vicky's language, such as "Yah". Somehow I'd never thought of her using that kind of slang! show less

Let me say first that it's a wonderful book. The characters are people you care about, and get very involved with. The plot is fun. The writing is excellent.

However, I think it is dated, no matter what Wendy says to the contrary. The attitudes of the menfolk, first of all- Daddy makes all the calls, takes the women and children out of danger, and dictates what his wife may not wear (pants, natch). John, the priggish elder brother, follows Daddy's lead here. The overarching worry about nuclear war with the Soviets dates it. The wondering if humans will ever fly to the moon dates it. The painful slang- including "hoods" and "beatniks". Even the logging trucks with one log per load make it read as dated. And who calls their father 'Daddy' show more un-ironically when they are 14? Or like John, 17?

Why do I find this particular book dated in a fashion I don't notice with, say, the Betsy-Tacy books? Probably because it feels like L'Engle is attempting to comfort the people who were genuinely Vicky's age when this book came out. There's an undercurrent of very pointed reassurance that seems to be grounded in time, and I think that's what makes parts of this book a little stale. I think that had I been reading this as a young teen in 1963 I would have clung to it like grim death. I read it as a young teen in the mid-70's and thought the slang very silly at the time. But it didn't stop me loving the book.

In addition to the things I'm complaining about, there's a timeless story here too, wherein a young girl tries to make sense out of the senseless, to grasp the meaning, if any, of her life at the same time she's beginning to pull away from her family of origin and find her own path. Here is the place in which L'Engle shines like the sun. Her essential, unshakable conviction that there IS a reason for everything, that there IS a hand at the wheel, and that the driving force of that hand is the power of love, infuses every word. And makes all my bitching about beatniks sound as small as it is.

It's a wonderful book. I love that it's anchored at both ends with Grandfather. I'll always love Grandfather for giving me Henry Vaughan, but as Kipling said, that is another story. show less

Ms. L'Engle takes the familiar motif of a journey in the form of a family vacation and ties it neatly into the metaphorical journey that all adolescent girls take as they move from being a child to being a woman. Vicky is a nice girl, but even nice girls have their moments of moodiness, of falling for the "bad boy", of just wanting to be alone, of feeling misunderstood. The beauty of this particular journey is that the Austins are a family that sticks together, even when one of their members is being hard to love. They make allowances and love each other anyway. I also enjoyed seeing many places that I am familiar with through the eyes of a young person seeing them for the first time.

The summer she was fourteen, Vicky Austin was dealing with a lot of changes. For one, she's just getting into that in-between age where moodiness is expected and she's just not a little kid anymore. For another, Maggy is moving in with Aunt Elena and Uncle Douglas, who are getting married, and her dad got a new job in New York, so they're moving. But first, they're taking a cross country road and camping trip. One thing is for sure: after this summer, nothing will ever be the same.

The title is taken from a line in Psalm 121, "I lift my eyes up to the mountains...the sun will not harm you by day, / nor the moon by night." The psalm is referred to often throughout, as Vicky deals with a crisis of faith and identity. She meets a boy and show more experiences all sorts of new, complicated feelings - along with the disapproval of her family, who don't like Zachary, who is a bit of a spoiled and pessimistic brat, all that much. I enjoyed the descriptions of various places around the country: the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, Indian reservations, and more. It's rather episodic as they move around and have adventures in each new place, culminating with a climactic event that was suddenly more than I expected. I had a weird sense of deja vu, too, as if I had read the story once before as a kid. Things would happen and I would think, that's right, that sounds familiar. Anyway, if I had read it when I was younger I'm not sure I had the same compassion for Vicky that I did this time around, trying to come to terms with her own beliefs and growing up. The story was written in the 60s and is in some ways a bit dated ("Daddy doesn't like women in pants"), but in others shows great tolerance and urges people to listen to each other without judgment. show less

This gentle book is an excellent one, provided you understand it is rooted in its time period. There are certainly cultural things (the father being in charge, the fears of a nuclear war) that make it clear when it was written. That said, it still speaks to me now.

Young Vicky Austin is now 14, and learning just who she is. She discovers, "You have to go off by yourself or you just stop being you, and after all I was just beginning to be me." And that in some ways is the theme of the book. Who are you and how do you know? And what happens when you meet someone different, not the same ethically as you?

I enjoyed the tour across the country, especially the descriptions of the Palo Duro Canyon, not far from where I live now. I also enjoyed show more the philosophical passages in the book. It was exactly what I needed to take a break from my hectic real-world life.

Thoughtful young teens would enjoy this book. Adults who still remember what it was like to be 14 and who enjoy philosophy would like it, too. show less