Monday, February 14, 2011

Madeleine L'Engle's Y Chromosomes

"Come on, L'Engle, you owe me. After all, it's your fault I compare every man I date to Adam Eddington."
It's inevitable - when people start sharing their literary crushes, sooner or later, someone's going to bring up Adam Eddington.

The lit-crush conversation today was inspired by Valentine's Day, of course, and Gina, Anindita, and I all agreed on Adam. Then we started discussing Madeleine L'Engle's other alpha males:

And as if I weren't slogging my way through the Jane Eyre-athon, I made an announcement:

So. There will be a "guys of L'Engle" series beginning soon. (Got a better name for it? Please?)

Here's who I'm thinking we need to cover:
  • Adam Eddington, of course (The Arm of the Starfish, A Ring of Endless Light, Troubling a Star)
  • Zachary Grey (The Moon by Night, A Ring of Endless Light, A House Like a Lotus, An Acceptable Time)
  • John Austin (Meet the Austins, The Moon by Night, A Ring of Endless Light, Troubling a Star)
  • Paul Laurens (And Both Were Young)
  • Calvin O'Keeffe (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, The Arm of the Starfish, A House Like a Lotus)
Who else? Is there enough to say about the Murry twins in Many Waters? Should I buckle down and finally read Camilla? Should Vicky's grandfather get a turn? Anybody got a better name for this project?

13 comments:

shayera said...

You should read Camilla. Heck, I should re-read Camilla. Also, And Both Were Young.
My love for Adam will know no end.

Sarah Rettger said...

I love And Both Were Young - I think that was the book that finally turned me into a L'Engle fan.

All right, following my librarian's advice: Camilla goes on the reading list.

gina said...

Hurrah for a fun readalong! I can't wait to eatsleepread Adam Eddington and actually catch up on other L'Engle books!

Reading is my Life said...

You've forgotten Dave Davidson from The Young Unicorns! A former gang member with a rough past who spends his time working for Canon Tallis and tutoring a blind girl. Ahh.

Sarah Rettger said...

Glad you like the idea, Gina!

And Reading is my Life, you're right, I forgot Dave entirely. I haven't read The Young Unicorns in ages. (Though I do recall that Dave ends up married to Suzy Austin, in a cameo appearance in one of L'Engle's adult novels...)

Mel said...

What about Renny?

Sarah Rettger said...

Hmmm... Remy's a possibility, but I'm not sure I have a whole lot to say about him.

michele said...

I'm late to this party, but I love it!

How about Frank Rowen? He is in Camilla, A Live Coal in the Sea and a small cameo in A House Like A Lotus.

And also, Canon Talis!

This is a great project?

Sarah Rettger said...

Thanks, Michele!

I'm still not sure I have enough to say about Frank or Canon Tallis -- except that Frank is sort of a proto-Zachary. (When does he show up in A House Like a Lotus? Don't remember that!)

mordicai said...

What, no Charles Wallace?

Sarah Rettger said...

Charles Wallace isn't out of the question, except... we only ever really see him as a kid. I put him in the same category as Rob Austin.

michele said...

Frank Rowen shows up in A House Like A Lotus as one of the convention leaders. He has turned into someone on the side of angels. (As adult Meg would say.)

And, you'll see him not as Zachary-ish in A Live Coal in the Sea.

Sarah Rettger said...

Oh, that's right. Forgot all about that.

(On an unrelated note: I totally tried to appropriate that conference into a story I was working on in high school. Much less successfully than L'Engle did it.)