A Live Coal in the Sea

I wanted to like this book, because Madeline L'engle will forever be one of my favorites. I never read Camilla, but I have read And Both Were Young approximately a million times, and some of my earliest book-reading memories involve the Wrinkle in Time Series. There were things to love about this book- some of it was deliciously soapy, for one- but there were other things that couldn't help but turn me off of it.

SPOILERS BELOW:
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This book came out in 1996, not 1969, and as such I'm not thrilled about L'engle's take on homosexuality. When I read that something awful had happened to Mac, and then learned that his father was abused as a child, I thought that he had perhaps been abused in turn. However, what? He walked in on his father show more doing it with another guy and it ruined him forever? Ok, so seeing your parent's infidelity can be traumatic, I get it. However, it was not the infidelity that horrified Mac and his mother, but the fact that his father was caught doing the nasty with a MAN. An evil man, by the way, who is evil. Did I mention he was a terrible dude? Seriously. Let me remind you again. Sigh.

And then! And then said father seeks help and gets better! From being bisexual! Really! I am aware that this was supposed to take place in a time far away, etc, but gay people were not invented in the 1980's. Hey, there were a lot of gay lady labor activists (some of them cohabited, received presents together, raised children together) in NYC in the 1930's and 40's. Eleanor Roosevelt was friends with some of them. For example.

I also realize that L'engle was aware that she should not demonize gay people entirely, but her subsequent inclusion of a token gay character who only exists to have one speech in which he says that he is gay but oh, please don't tell anyone, the end? It seemed most of all like a desperate effort to assure readers that she, Madeline L'engle, has nothing against The Gays.

Unfortunately, much as I was delighted by a book about a woman who considers Fibonacci sequences while pregnant and who manages to have children and a successful career in the sciences while dealing with a lot of drama, there was a fair amount of fail, and that soured things considerably. show less

A wonderful continuation of Camilla - such a sad but happy story...the sins of the fathers are definitely visited upon the children. I could not imagine having a mother like Rose, so needy. Even though this is fiction, a good example of how careless actions affect generations.

Sequel to the teenage novel 'Camilla', although this one is decidedly for adults. Camilla, who was in her teens in the first book, is now a grandmother in her fifties and also a prestigious astronomer.

However most of the story takes place in the past, in a series of flashbacks. The story is held together by conversations between Camilla and her granddaughter. It's cleverly written so as to introduce a little of the story at the time, though perhaps a little confusing at first. There are tangential comments about astronomy and number theory, but Camilla’s work mostly takes a back seat to her family life.

The characters are mostly three-dimensional and believable, and I found myself growing particularly fond of Camilla’s in-laws. It show more wasn’t a difficult read and I finished it in just a couple of days. Overall I thought it a satisfying sequel. show less

I like the complex relationships between spouses, parents and children, brothers and sisters, friends and lovers. A celebration of what it means to be human. With all our flaws, mistakes, and wounds, we can still love and be loved.

Madeleine L'Engle has always been one of my favorite authors. Her range extends far beyond her most commonly known works such as a Wrinkle in Time. This book is written for older teens and adults. When Camilla's (from the book Camilla) granddaughter Raffi begins asking questions about her family history, both grandmother and granddaughter are forced to face some unpleasant truths. This book explores themes of loyalty and faith. L'Engle, as usual, rejects easy answers, and grapples with the messy issues of finding faith in the midst of the psychological pain that often characterizes our experience. As a result her work appeals to those who are thinking spiritual seekers and are not satisfied with easy answers.

Beautifully written. The language is gorgeous. Dysfunctional families aren't my favorite thing to read about, which colored my rating. The ending is abrupt, as others have alluded to. I definitely didn't see it coming.

Overall, I enjoyed it for the quality of the writing, but I wouldn't read it again.

I give this a similar review to A Severed Wasp. I had read some okay books right before I read this and it was a relief/joy to pick up a book thats quality shone. I felt in such good hands with Ms. L'Engle. I was really disappointed with the end though. There were a couple times when I was in the middle that I worried about the end, because the end can make or break the reading experiance for me. When those worries arose I consoled myself that surely a writer as good as Madeline L'Engle would have a good end. Too bad.