LitPick Review
It is the summer of 1946, and twenty-year-old Elizabeth is living a dream at a summer theatre, where she gets to help out, practice her acting skills, take classes, and even meet some notable actors and actresses of the day. She has found friendship with others interning at the theatre, and even sprouted a summer romance that has her happier than she has ever been. However, her Aunt Harriet, a stern woman with whom she has lived since her father's death, decides to withdraw her approval, and thusly her money. Elizabeth's remaining weeks of bliss suddenly narrow to the one left paid, and she must find a way to convince her aunt to let her stay- or leave and never see her friends again. Will she be able to navigate a way to remain in the first happy place she has been, or will her summer be stripped away forever?
Opinion:
The Joys of Love, by accomplished writer Madeleine L'Engle (also author of A Wrinkle in Time), takes a simple plot and makes it sing with joy, sadness, and hope, all of which in their purest forms. This novel has a fresh lightness to it that is rare to find, and the charming dialogue only adds to this quality. Today's young adult readers will adore the delicately woven plot, and delight in the old-fashioned phrases and jargon that are slipped between the words. The quick- moving plot line never feels rushed or dull, but keeps a tempo that moves in stride with the reader's expectations, though without feeling hackneyed. The reader will share Elizabeth's emotions, and when the book closes, they will breathe a sigh of relief at the choices that she has made. The ending of the book is abrupt, but gives the reader all the information that he or she desires, leaving the rest up to the imagination. Overall, this book is immensely enjoyable, and the sweet innocence that it projects should be a breath of fresh air to all.
