The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

Rating:
Summary: This one's a keeper
Review: I can't say enough about this gem of a play by the extremely talented Paul Zindel. It is one of my favorite books of all time. If you grew up reading his novels, as I did, then you know how impossible it is to put down any of his books once you've started. I never did see a stage or tv production of this play - although I have read it so often that I have satisfactorily imagined every detail. In other words, you don't have to see it performed to fall in love with this story and these characters. Tillie, the little girl who studies the effect of gamma rays on man-in-the-moon marigolds is struggling to grow in spite of being suppressed by a neurotic mother (who has led a "half life half lived") and an unstable sister. I felt that I already knew the Tillie character very well, but Beatrice is the real heartbreaker. When you read this story, you'll see what I mean - if you do, you may start to appreciate the Tillie's of the world and perhaps understand where the Beatrice's of the world come from. This play plus THE LITTLE PRINCE and THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE (all three) make a great gift for anyone!

Rating:
Summary: As reviewed by a 17 year old
Review: Now generally I don't take to books that were written around the time my parents were born. In reality, I really don't take to books much at all. But The Effects of Gamma Rays On Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds seemed to make the boredom that I usually associate with reading cease, as I downed the entire two-act play during a class period.
This book was your not-so-simple story of a little girl's triumph in overcoming the realms of an emotionally abusive household. This little girl was named Tillie, and she was brought up in an old, converted vegetable store with her airhead sister Ruth and sadly entertaining mother Beatrice. They reside there with an elderly mute woman known as Nanny and try to survive in some sort of harmony.
Beatrice is insane. It is clearly stated in the book without the reader knowing how or why she became this way. Her daughter Ruth is desperately in need of attention and almost always selfish. This is a complete opposite of Tillie, the independent main character who finds an outlet from her family in science projects. This is an outlet that in turn becomes her greatest talent and creates the main moral in the story.
The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds is not what I would consider a classic because I don't think it ever really got the acclaim or recognition it deserved. But it is still a story that will always provide entertainment whether you read it or see it. Because of this I would have to suggest that this book be read by intelligent young adults or adults themselves. This way the reader (or audience member) can understand the all of the humor expressed through Beatrice and the symbolism between the marigold and Tillie. I would have to give this book a total of four and a quarter stars. It is a great quick-read and I'm almost certain any theatre group would do it justice on stage. The author, Paul Zindel, is loved throughout the world and was the 2002 recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards award for his book "The Pigman."

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful story
Review: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-moon Marigolds, is just as interesting as its title is if not more. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama, this book illustrates the story of Tillie, a young girl who escapes through science the bitterness of her surroundings - her featherheaded, thanatophobic sister Ruth, the unstable mother Beatrice who doesn't seem to find any meaning in life. The author, Paul Zindel, takes you through a short play of laughs and tears as you realize that beautiful marigolds can bloom from compost heaps such as Tillie's home... and the story behind the compost heap.

"Atom... ATOM... what a beautiful word." - Tillie, "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" by Paul Zindel.