A House Like a Lotus

There's a new genre out there these days, one that is designed for people who have been reading Young Adult books but have grown up a bit--ok, maybe a lot. It's called New Adult.
I guess L'Engle was ahead of her time, because this volume, written in Polly's voice (she chose to change the spelling of her name, she explains in this one) and from her own point of view, is definitely New Adult.
Here, Polly is all grown up and is defining herself in all kinds of ways...and the new spelling of her name is just one example of that. Polly is defining herself intellectually with what she reads and studies, socially by her choice of friends and activities, and, also, Polly is defining herself sexually. She has several sexual experiences in this show more book, including assault and intercourse, so of course I would not recommend it for the Young Adult audience. But I also would not make the mistake of saying the book should not be read by young people. The window into Polly's thoughts as she works through these issues is a useful one for others going through the same things, or even for those who might want to look back on that time in their lives and think it through.
There are no fantastical elements of this book. It's pretty much a straight-up coming of age story, and, yet, the natural scenes are so lush and Polly's interior life so rich, I'm still haunted by them. The violence is so realistic; L'Engle conveys so well the horror of having a loved one betray us with an invasive act. I do not recommend it for very young readers, but for mature ones, this book is a beautiful place to begin many responsible discussions. show less

L'Engle deals frankly with teenaged sexuality and sexual orientation, which makes this a maturer book than many of her others written for young adults. It's a bit uneven, though, as Polly is both an old soul and really naive, which makes for some readerly whiplash. And the book suffers from the main-character-lust problem: it seems that even though Polly is this major introvert who is a bit of a know-it-all and not real great at social cues, all these guys just want her all.the.time, and trust me, it doesn't work like that. And let's be honest: Renny is a poophead. The way he treats Polly in the end is both poor taste and bad judgment on his part. She's 16 and doesn't know better. He's a medical student and absolutely does. The end.

Third in the 'O'Keefe' series narrated by the teenage Polly. In this book she is almost seventeen, and beginning to explore adult life and feelings. She is alone in Athens when we meet her, clearly upset about something which is not revealed until about half way through the book.

There are a lot of flashbacks as Polly's thoughts and daydreams re-live some of her experiences in the past few years. Could be confusing, but it's very well written and I found it almost impossible to put down once I'd started, as more and more of the 'past' storyline is unfolded at just the right pace.

Some controversial and 'adult' issues are explored, with a sensitivity and awareness that would have been unusual in the 1980s when the book was written. I show more wouldn't recommend this for anyone below the age of about fifteen; it's far more thoughtful with less tension than the earlier two books in the series. show less

Another favorite from youth, still a great book. L'Engle is a wonderful writer- I'd forgotten how skillful she is. I'm not a religious person, not even a little bit, but reading this, I can begin to have a glimmer of why some people are. The treatment of lesbianism as something not quite polite was grating, however. The pain of being a young girl is captured with grace and love.

A House like a Lotus drew me in with both stories that are told. One was told by Polly O'Keefe through her dreams and memories of the recent past; the other, she was living in the present. There are "adult" themes running through the book (homosexuality and pre-marital sex with an older man), so parents might want to read the book first before giving it to younger children. In my opinion, everything is handled tastefully (if dated by its publication year) and is necessary to tell the story of understanding and forgiveness. Favorite quotation: To deny friendship is unlove.

I've read this multiple times, and in college, when I spotted a copy at the Powell's in Hyde Park I bought it, even though I already had a copy in FL. Now I always have one copy with me wherever I'm living, and the other in FL for when I visit my parents. That's how much I like this book. This one's about Polly, the oldest daughter of Calvin and Meg from A Wrinkle in Time, etc. It's not a time travel book like those but rather deals with the many social issues Polly faces while growing up.

Oh, I remember this one now. I liked it as a kid, but now I'm like, "ohhh, some of these elements are fairly problematic now and I didn't realize." Would probably need to do some critical re-reading here.