When Madeline Was Young

I think this might be the best example I've seen of what people mean when they refer to "women's fiction." This is a book in which, basically, nothing happens. And not even really in the Seinfeld sense where a great deal happens that is internally, or conversationally, noteworthy -- no, nobody in th......more

It was "meh." I was so excited to read it when I pickted it up. I thought it was a unique concept for a novel, but, as I read, I was disappointed. While I think Jane Hamilton has a gift with words, I found the story to be meandering. I had to reread passages to get grounded, and, at times, I found it......more

Despite the title, this book is not really about Madeline, which was very dissapointing because her story held so much promise. The book centers on the extensive Maciver family relationships and is actually very political. It is a nice book but failed to hold my interest for long. For as much time a......more

This is the third book that I've read by Jane Hamilton and, unfortunately, it's the one that I enjoyed the least. I never really was comfortable with the premise--a young man, Aaron Mciver is married to a beautiful young woman named Madeline. She suffers an accident early in their marriage, is brain......more

This was a painful read from an author that I have really enjoyed reading in the past. I have read and loved almost all of JH's other books (The Book of Ruth, A Map of the World, The Short History of a Prince)-in those books, the subject was unique and kept me interested, her writing style was amazi......more