michromeu's review against another edition
4.0
I don't want to say Bible fanfiction...but it's totally Bible fanfiction.
All kidding aside, I love books where familiar figures are weaved into the story and totally reimagined. It's like you get a little glimpse of what could have been going through their heads while in the midst of a story you pretty much know by heart. In the case of Many Waters, which has "ordinary" Murry twins Sandy and Dennys traveling back to the time of Noah, we're able to see beyond just the Bible/Sunday school story we all know, to the personal trials and tribulations of Noah's family and everyone who was around during that time. (Not to mention some ridiculously awesomely imagined seraphim and nephilim.)
All kidding aside, I love books where familiar figures are weaved into the story and totally reimagined. It's like you get a little glimpse of what could have been going through their heads while in the midst of a story you pretty much know by heart. In the case of Many Waters, which has "ordinary" Murry twins Sandy and Dennys traveling back to the time of Noah, we're able to see beyond just the Bible/Sunday school story we all know, to the personal trials and tribulations of Noah's family and everyone who was around during that time. (Not to mention some ridiculously awesomely imagined seraphim and nephilim.)
robinbirdsong's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't read this since childhood, the main things having stuck in my mind were that I loved it, that there were seraphim, it was all very romantic, and that it's set in "Bible times." As with the other books in the series, as I read them now to my kids I'm just so gleeful at how L'Engle manages, with straightfaced earnestness, to cram in the most utterly insane assemblage of science (quantum theory!) with fantasy (unicorns, manticores, time travel), throw in Biblical times and crib the Noah's ark story, add a few intelligent mini-mammoths and make it all make sense. I'm astonished, although I shouldn't be, that the kids were hanging on every word and begging me to read every night. L'Engle never underestimates children's capacity for complexity and wonder.
One of the underlying themes here is the awakening sexuality of the twin boys (what I mistook as a girl for "romantic"), and so I lightly edited some lines as I read to my 10-and-under audience. There's nothing very explicit, but I did elide a few glistening naked bodies/breasts to just bodies, or skip over some voluptuous descriptions of scent/hair/skin. Oh, and I did have to explain what a virgin is.
One of the underlying themes here is the awakening sexuality of the twin boys (what I mistook as a girl for "romantic"), and so I lightly edited some lines as I read to my 10-and-under audience. There's nothing very explicit, but I did elide a few glistening naked bodies/breasts to just bodies, or skip over some voluptuous descriptions of scent/hair/skin. Oh, and I did have to explain what a virgin is.
erin_oriordan_is_reading_again's review against another edition
4.0
I've now finished the Time Quartet. Meg and Charles Wallace are hardly in this one at all, but I didn't mind. Sandy and Dennys are plenty interesting, it turns out, especially since they've managed to land themselves in Noah's time, shortly before the building of the ark. This is now my third-favorite of the four books. Sorry, [b:A Swiftly Tilting Planet|77276|A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Time Quintet, #3)|Madeleine L'Engle|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327465278s/77276.jpg|1196024], but I just wasn't that into you (even though a book about a mad dictator is super relevant today).
zenithharpink's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. This is a bizarre yet compelling Bible story. I simply couldn't put this book down; even as I scoffed at some of the content.
This book really doesn't fit with the Wrinkle in Time series, but I suppose is really just a few series about the same bunch of characters-not a contiguous storyline. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but it is what it is.
I think I enjoyed this book more than the others because Mega and Charles Wallace are not featured-I simply don't like those characters. The twins are a refreshing change, and I enjoyed them, however there was absolutely no way to tell the difference between the two of them-they were the same character.
In comparison to the other books, this book was far more racy, graphic and crude-which I enjoyed, but perhaps younger audiences won't. Earlier books could be rated less than G, this is trending toward PG-13. I don't advocate restricting reading options, but it's always something to be aware of.
I recommend this book to those interested in a retelling of the famous Bible story about Noah, those who have enjoyed the Wrinkle in Time series, or those looking for an easy, diverting fantasy read. While there is science in this book, it's certainly not sci-fi.
This book really doesn't fit with the Wrinkle in Time series, but I suppose is really just a few series about the same bunch of characters-not a contiguous storyline. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but it is what it is.
I think I enjoyed this book more than the others because Mega and Charles Wallace are not featured-I simply don't like those characters. The twins are a refreshing change, and I enjoyed them, however there was absolutely no way to tell the difference between the two of them-they were the same character.
In comparison to the other books, this book was far more racy, graphic and crude-which I enjoyed, but perhaps younger audiences won't. Earlier books could be rated less than G, this is trending toward PG-13. I don't advocate restricting reading options, but it's always something to be aware of.
I recommend this book to those interested in a retelling of the famous Bible story about Noah, those who have enjoyed the Wrinkle in Time series, or those looking for an easy, diverting fantasy read. While there is science in this book, it's certainly not sci-fi.
beatrixhaase's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
This was a good book. I liked learning a bit more about Sandy and Dennis. You don't really learn about them in the other books. I actually enjoyed this book more that A Wind in the Door and A Swiftly Tilting Planet.
xoxo,
Bebe
This was a good book. I liked learning a bit more about Sandy and Dennis. You don't really learn about them in the other books. I actually enjoyed this book more that A Wind in the Door and A Swiftly Tilting Planet.
xoxo,
Bebe
jobearreading's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
Spoiler:::
I love when Malah gets pregnant
I love when Malah gets pregnant
that_redman_woman's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
pagesofpins's review against another edition
3.0
An odd addition to the series, to be sure. The theme is belief without seeing, so the very logical and scientific Dennys and Sandy are whisked away by their father's experiment to Noah, pre-flood. Suddenly, they're surrounded by unbelievable creatures and a mysterious God on a planet both thousands of years old but also very young.
L'Engle chose to include some of the more mysterious mentions in Genesis, including Nephilim and Seraphim, which makes for an odd enough book, but she also decided to include some truly strange details of her own invention: mammoths the size of small dogs (ridiculous but also I want one), puberty lasting for decades because of the long lifespans, and sometimes incorporeal unicorns.
Lots of nudity and references to sex between various characters, so more YA than the previous adventures.
L'Engle chose to include some of the more mysterious mentions in Genesis, including Nephilim and Seraphim, which makes for an odd enough book, but she also decided to include some truly strange details of her own invention: mammoths the size of small dogs (ridiculous but also I want one), puberty lasting for decades because of the long lifespans, and sometimes incorporeal unicorns.
Lots of nudity and references to sex between various characters, so more YA than the previous adventures.