And Both Were Young

Madeleine l'Engle

Nov 2023 · DigiCat

About this ebook

In the late 1940s, Connecticut teenager Philippa "Flip" Hunter is sent to boarding school in Switzerland after recovering from a knee injury sustained in an automobile accident that also killed her mother. Her father Philip Hunter, an illustrator of children's books, is planning to travel around Europe making sketches for a book on lost children, and he is also being romantically pursued by the beautiful Eunice Jackman, whom Flip dislikes. At the boarding school, Flip resorts to going for illicit walks off the school grounds and discovers that Paul lives nearby with his father, and the two make friends and begin to meet regularly. She learns that Paul is a war orphan who was rescued by Madame Perceval's brother-in-law and that he has lost his memory of his past due to trauma he suffered in a concentration camp. Will Flip and Paul learn to overcome their respective pasts? Will the two lost souls end up falling in love? Read on!

About the author

Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007) was an influential American author, best known for her blend of science fiction, fantasy, and philosophical musings, that transcended the boundaries of traditional genre distinctions. Initially finding her voice as a writer during her formative years at boarding school and subsequently at Smith College, L'Engle's narrative repertoire often featured protagonists who, much like herself, sought understanding amidst the complexities of existence. 'And Both Were Young' is one of her earlier works that illustrates her knack for weaving the tapestry of human emotion with the threads of insightful storytelling. Set in a post-WWII context, this novel, like much of her bibliography, feels ahead of its time in depicting the inner lives of its characters with authenticity and compassion. L'Engle's most famous work, 'A Wrinkle in Time', part of the Time Quintet series, embodies her literary style, which is characterized by its interlocking of intellectual curiosity with a deep examination of interpersonal relationships and spiritual inquiry. Her body of work, while often categorized for young adults, has earned critical acclaim for its universal appeal and thought-provoking content, earning her multiple literary awards including the Newbery Medal. L'Engle's enduring legacy is one of challenging her readers to expand the horizons of their imaginations and to encounter the metaphysical questions that underpin our shared human experience.