When Madeline Was Young

The key word in the title is "when." It's about Madeline, yes, but it's also about when she was young. And she was young for a very long time. "When Madeline Was Young" evokes and captures the decades from the 1950's forward. The vehicle is an oddly-constructed, to say the least, family. If you describe the premise of "When Madeline Was Young" you would likely focus on Madeline and the fact that a woman is first a wife and then, essentially, daughter. Since the book is told through the eyes of the son of the woman who replaces Madeline, the story is full of possibilities for mentions of the "whimsy of fate," as `Mac' puts it. Indeed, if it weren't for Madeline's bicycle accident, Mac wouldn't exist. But Hamilton's touch is light and deft. She doesn't club you over the head. The writing is sharp, not showy. The Kennedy clan is "a nation unto themselves." Tessa is introduced as a woman who is always taking the "full measure" of new people she meets so its "best to clear your head of all insincerity" when introduced. The early chapters take place when families weren't so "pharmaceutically girded" to deal with mental health issues. The book is about Madeline but it's really Mac's book, his process of understanding the warmth and charity of his own family values. Watch Miss Figgy, one of the best foils going as the family grows up and as events telescope back and forth over time, with political discussions and real fighting at Kent State, in Vietnam and then Iraq (both wars). The war and politics are both backdrops and vital to the foreground action. (In some ways "When Madeline Was Young" is one of the best war books ever.) This book is about Madeline, but it's really about Mac's parents--Aaron and Julia Maciver--and their calm approach to life. They are the ones that prompt Mac's evaluation of his values, his surroundings, his siblings, his relationships. Mac's parents raise the bar and challenge all around them. They are the ones adding certainty and order to a messy world. This book is about Madeline, but it's also about facing challenges, finding contentment and moving on. "When Madeline" is upbeat without a sprinkle of sugar, it's smart and deep without showing off. (Special note that I listened to this on audio CD and narrator Richard Poe gave an incredible performance.)

Jane Hamilton is a great Literary author. The only author I've read whose prose had a greater scent of 'America' was John Steinbeck's. Her exposition of characters has no gender boundaries whatsoever. Her earlier novels happened to be mostly either about women, or in 'The Short History of a Prince', a homosexual male. Her portrayal of Howard in 'A Map of the World' was mostly from a female perspective, though the short section in which he is alone feels like the training ground from which this book, 'When Madeline Was Young', came. This is her first novel that deals primarily throughout its entirety on male issues, a large one of which is understanding females. The reason Madeline's story has such a large factor so as to be the very title, is that it is the story from which his understanding (or non-understanding) of women, firstly his mother, comes. 'When Madeline Was Young' is rich with variety. It touches on politics, war, family, and the very nature of what it is to be adult. It is a Great book. Great books are not easy reads. Great books do not focus on the same stereotypes and circumstances that its target demographic audience understands. Great authors write books that continually push the limits of their 'genre' setting. Jane Hamilton no longer fits neatly between Debbie Macomber and Nicholas Sparks. If you took a moment to look at her previous novels more carefully, you'd see that she never did.

Jane Hamilton has done her readers a great favor with her latest work. In exquisitely describing a loving family living in the complexity of mid-20th c. America, she allows us to enter into a family which beautifully ties itself to each of its individual members. I loved this book and didn't want it to end. Mac, the narrator, is the product of parents who live the values they hold dear; his reflections on his childhood and his adult family life show that the lessons took hold. The parents' political beliefs are an extension of the way they see the world as it should be -- a nurturing and hospitable place for everyone. It's no Utopia, though, and Hamilton's keen observation of family dynamics engages the reader in the confusions and conflicts of this mid-western family, shedding light on life's complexities throughout the unfolding of this quietly compelling story. This is a fine read!

Laid up with a holiday cold, I used the time wisely to read this book in two days. What a delightful and engrossing read! I came to care about each character and truly did not want it to end. Although I agree that some sentences seemed run on, it is well worth struggling through those awkward few to reach the prize at the end. What prize? The warm and gentle reminder that while the world sometimes seems too much for the frightened children within us, there is still goodness, grace, courage, and human decency. At times, Hamilton nearly breaks our heart with her insightful and poignant portrayal of a not-so-perfect family who rises above their circumstances to become more than they each are separately. However, it is a feel-good ache that brings home the truth that in the midst of pain and tragedy, it is not what happens to us that really counts. Rather it is what we choose to do with that which has happened that determines one's character and exemplifies true courage and commitment. Well done, Jane Hamilton!

This is one heck of a smart book. I didn't expect it to be as provocative and twisted as it was--- as always Jane Hamilton is accessible, compassionate, and thoughtful--- but her story runs against the conventional grain here and her questions of American life are political, sophisticated, and brave. With love and affection she exposes an upper-middle class family for the truly Gothic and strange thing it is. She tackles race relations in the 1950s and 60s here with all the assurance of an Updike thinking outside of the box. I am a long-standing fan of Ms. Hamilton (I am really partial to her early work) and this is a truly smart, funny book that shows the growing pains and sincerity of her artisty to good effect. This is, dare I say it, an important book--- though so gently, humorously, and accesibly packaged that a certain kind of reader could almost overlook its gravitas. In that sense, it reminded me of other books with both popular and critical appeal, like Jonathan Franzen's Corrections. Bravo, Ms. Hamilton!