And Both Were Young

Rating:
Summary: beautiful story
Review: a wonderful book, about Phillipa Hunter, who's Father leaves in a swiss boarding school, where she doesn't fit in. The girls think she odd, because she is so quiet and keeps to herself. but Flip (her nickanme)finds a friend in Paul a quiet. sensitive young man she meets in the snowy hills around her school.Soon Flip, who is unsually unconfident, begins to feel good about herself thanks to Paul and her art teacher. I loved this book, its a beautiful story about a girl who doesn't fit in, but finds her niche.

Rating:
Summary: beautiful story
Review: a wonderful book, about Phillipa Hunter, who's Father leaves in a swiss boarding school, where she doesn't fit in. The girls think she odd, because she is so quiet and keeps to herself. but Flip (her nickanme)finds a friend in Paul a quiet. sensitive young man she meets in the snowy hills around her school.Soon Flip, who is unsually unconfident, begins to feel good about herself thanks to Paul and her art teacher. I loved this book, its a beautiful story about a girl who doesn't fit in, but finds her niche.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but has some trouble...
Review: Although I think this was a great book in terms of children's books, I think L'Engle could have done more with the plot. The novel is about a girl who has to deal with life's problems. Her father has put her in a Swiss boarding school so he can paint pictures of children in WWII. FLip is an outlaw at the boarding school and her only friend is Paul, a French boy she met in the Alps. Though she is happy with Paul, he is a mysterious character. Overall, I think this a good read.

Rating:
Summary: timeless!
Review: Although not L'Engle's best (she admits this in a foreward written years later), this book is still excellent. I read it for the first time when I was a freshman in college, and, while I think I might have enjoyed it more if I were a little younger, I still identified with the protagonist and enjoyed the story immensely. It's rather silly, but it is still L'Engle.

Rating:
Summary: Just As Wonderful on the Third Read!
Review: As an avid fan of Ms. L'Engle, I have read and re-read many of her titles. This one is a particular favorite. I especially recommend this book to any pre-teen/teen girl who is having trouble finding a place to fit in the world. Flip is a character you will care deeply about as she struggles to adjust to life at a Swiss boarding school after the death of her mother. She finds friendship in the school's art teacher, Madame Perceval and Paul, a boy without a past or identity. Experiences with these memorable characters teach her that she can be happy if she puts forth the effort. I just finished it for the third time and it remains high on my list.

Rating:
Summary: Heartfelt and Genuine
Review: Before I read this book, I was already a great fan of Madeline L'Engle's work. However, And Both Were Young confirmed my admiration for her as a person and left me once again in awe at her amazing abilities as a writer! Though the book was originally written quite some time ago in L'Engle's youth, it holds more feelings and displays more emotion and wit than thousands of novels that have been written later in the author's life.
First introduced is Phillipa Hunter, or Flip, a teenage girl who is struggling with life after the death of her mother and the new lady friend of her father, Eunice. Wishing to follow in the steps of her father to become an artist, Flip is devastated when she learns that her father is going to China to sketch without her. Eunice then sends Flip to boarding school in Switzerland while she and Flip's father tour China. Recognizably different from the other students at the school, she is automatically excluded and spends most of her time in solitude, until she happens to stumble upon an ancient chateau. Inside the chateau she meets Paul, a young boy, not unlike herself, searching for answers amidst a past of brokenness and carefully shrouded mystery. As their friendship grows into love, each learns from the other, and Flip's heart finally begins to heal after a year of loneliness and mourning for her mother. However, Paul's wound is not so easily healed. As Flip finds her niche in the school's society and some friends of her own, she now has to help Paul recover his past and face the many fears it encompasses. As new acquaintances come into Flip's life, she learns how to be true to herself and to others.
The journey of this girl into womanhood is heartfelt and well written in my opinion. I have read this book nearly three times now, and I know I will read its pages many more times still. Flip is a character we can all relate to, and many of her insecurities are our insecurities. This is an excellent book for teenagers who are thirsting for romance, struggling to find themselves, or simply avid book readers, such as myself. Once again, Madeline L'Engle displays her magnificent ability to reach into the hearts of all of us and put down into words what the rest of us are struggling to comprehend. I guarantee this book will move your heart and enlighten your mind!

Rating:
Summary: Flip learns to feel positive about herself.
Review: Flip longs to be with her father instead of at boarding school. It is all Eunice's fault that she is at boarding school. Eunice sent her away so she could lust after Flip's father. Flip dislikes the teasing girls at school. Her only refuge is the art teacher who makes Flip feel confident in herself. Flip meets a boy named Paul who appreciates the world in the same way that Flip does. The art teacher and Paul give Flip confidents in herself. Flip helps Paul figure out who he is deep inside.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for young women
Review: For young women, who are a little different, a little shy, and a little scared about growing up, this book offers a refreshing tale. It provides hope, and helps teens realize that there are those who have gone throught the same trials of growing up that they have experienced

Rating:
Summary: The Best!
Review: I am not a big fan of saying this is a "child's book" because I was not a child when I read this book. It is a timeless and ageless book, one for the entire family. If you haven't read it, you should, no matter how old you are.

Rating:
Summary: a romance that goes beyond formula
Review: I am not a romance reader, but I am a fan of L'Engle. "And Both Were Young" is a well-written romance for teens that touches on darker issues. The novel deals realistically with death and with a daughter's feelings of betrayal when her father, a widower, dates another woman. The horror of World War II and its affects on the characters, especially Paul, is realistic, but still leaves hope for the future.