Rating: 
Summary: A book for the artist
Review: Rather than approaching this book as I would approach most L'Engle (or C.S. Lewis or Stephen Lawhead) stories, simply as stories with a moral or two and a page-turning plot, each time I read A Severed Wasp I slip into my piano-player mode. I know relatively little about Ms. L'Engle herself; I don't know the extent to which music was a part of her life. However, Katherine is plainly a musician, and easily believable as such. She lives not only in the musical world, but in the world of music; music is her coping mechanism and her anxiety, her key to past, present, and future, and through music she can deal with the things which life hands her. I don't think I've ever met a musician as real as Katherine outside of a practice room. And of course, as musicians we don't tend to talk about the things L'Engle shows in her book -- we deal with things musically rather than verbally. So Katherine, because she is a written creation, shows things to the reader that she would not show to the world, and while doing so shows the musician/reader more about himself. The plot's good, the characters are interesting, but more than anything I would recommend this book to all musicians. Katherine operates the way a true musician, one whose heart is essentially made of music, does. Through this clear example, a musician can more easily come to terms with the way he himself operates.
Rating:
Summary: At last, a book to savor
Review: Sure, I've read my share of can't-put-'em down thrillers that seem good until you have to get up for work and wonder why you stayed up until 2 am to finish them. Usually, the prose takes second place to the action. Now, A Severed Wasp isn't a thriller in the strict sense of the word, but it IS worth staying up for! The story unfolds bit by bit, with clues for you to pick up here and there that add depth and complexity to the whole thing. L'Engle weaves recollection, suspense, mystery, and comment on the human condition into a great read. And, if you really want to dive in, many of the characters in A Severed Wasp appear in other books by L'Engle (I just finished The Young Unicorns). Better get started
Rating:
Summary: Another excellent story
Review: There are several levels upon which this book appeals to me. The first is the most obvious: Katherine the musician. Madeleine L'Engle captures the heart and soul of the Artist so well, that, while I am reading this book, I can feel, for that fleeting moment, what it is like. Then there is the other thing that she does so well: tie the storyline with threads from previous books. Like the first reviewer, I too was very surprised to find Suzy and Dave married (though there's a subtle hint if you read _Young Unicorns_ carefully). (Note: if you read _Ring of Endless Light_ carefully, Katherine makes a cameo appearance.) And then there's the message -- accepting your past, the decisions you've made, as well as those made for you; taking the pain and just... letting it go (moving through it to get to the other side).I could go on and on... I re-read this book a lot, and each time (as with the best of the L'Engle books), I learn something new.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning!
Review: This book completely blew me away...I lived and breathed this and "The Small Rain" for the several days I was reading it. Madeleine L'Engle has a special quality for putting in her characters a realism and essence that unveils the true human nature, flawed yet perfect. She has a wonderful portrayal of the world as it is, and though the books are not always happy, they have a type of hidden joy, an acceptance that they cannot change the world, but they can try to. She has a remarkable talent of being able to touch your very soul, to make you believe there IS something out there, something worth living for, and hope flows throughout her writings even in the darkest times. An altogether awesome book!
Rating:
Summary: Stunning!
Review: This book completely blew me away...I lived and breathed this and "The Small Rain" for the several days I was reading it. Madeleine L'Engle has a special quality for putting in her characters a realism and essence that unveils the true human nature, flawed yet perfect. She has a wonderful portrayal of the world as it is, and though the books are not always happy, they have a type of hidden joy, an acceptance that they cannot change the world, but they can try to. She has a remarkable talent of being able to touch your very soul, to make you believe there IS something out there, something worth living for, and hope flows throughout her writings even in the darkest times. An altogether awesome book!
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best!
Review: This book is easily the best book that I have ever read, or will ever read. I have read and re-read it for years. Every time I will find something intriguing and new. I love this book! :-)
Rating:
Summary: a warm and tender book
Review: This book, like all of L'Engle's works, draws one in a holds you through to the very last page. This book is a continuation of a book she wrote much earlier, and she does an incredible job bringing back old characters and incorporating new ones. As usual, she also includes characters from her other books. The storyline follows Katherine Forrester who is now in her 70's. Having retired from piano playing, she has moved to NewYork to relax. The story slowly reveals what has happened to katherine in the 50 years between the "Small Rain" where she was first introduced, and the present. It is a very intruging and lovely book. Anyone who likes to read L'Engle will be very pleased with this book as well.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful....
Review: This is a wonderful story of the reconciliation of life's memories of the past with the present. A Severed Wasp is a continuation of the story of Katherine Forrester that began in A Small Rain. While the narrative is about Katherine as a retired pianist, through the use of flashback, the story continues at the point of Katherine's departure for France to her school-tutor, Justin Vigneras. I found that reading A Small Rain first led me to enjoy this book even more. The book is brilliantly constructed with present events in Katherine's life mirroring past events and evoking profound feeling in Katherine. Through ever-building and subtle epiphany, Katherine realizes that a life long-lived touches a great many people and that in continuing to choose life and engage life, one continues to touch many, many people. A wonderful testimonial for an active "retired" life.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful....
Review: This is a wonderful story of the reconciliation of life's memories of the past with the present. A Severed Wasp is a continuation of the story of Katherine Forrester that began in A Small Rain. While the narrative is about Katherine as a retired pianist, through the use of flashback, the story continues at the point of Katherine's departure for France to her school-tutor, Justin Vigneras. I found that reading A Small Rain first led me to enjoy this book even more. The book is brilliantly constructed with present events in Katherine's life mirroring past events and evoking profound feeling in Katherine. Through ever-building and subtle epiphany, Katherine realizes that a life long-lived touches a great many people and that in continuing to choose life and engage life, one continues to touch many, many people. A wonderful testimonial for an active "retired" life.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read for L'Engle fans!
Review: This is one of L'Engle's best works! It is VERY hard to put down (it was for me), as the author lures you little by little into the story. It is interesting to see a character from another novel (_The Small Rain_, L'Engle's first) all grown up and in her seventies. This is a really good story, and if you don't read very fast (like me) you can savor it even more. You'll get the most out of it if you read _And Both Were Young_, _The Young Unicorns_, and _The Small Rain_, as many characters from these three are either mentioned or cross into it. I rarely read a book twice, but when I get the time to do so, I will read this great novel again!
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