The Arm of the Starfish (O'Keefe Family, Book 1)
by Madeleine L'Engle
published
(first published 1990)
by Demco Media Inc
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binding
Unknown Binding
characters
isbn
0606002901
(isbn13: 9780606002905)
description
When Adam Eddington, a gifted marine biology student, makes the acquaintance of blond and beautiful Kali Cutter at Kennedy International Airport on hi...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1911)
Read in January, 1980
This book influenced me to become a scientist. It takes a heck of a lot more skill to write a really good "kid's book" than a best selling adult novel. Madeleine L'Engle once said that when she had something really important to say she put it in a children's book.
Not only did this book influence my career choice but I would like to say it reinforced my character. If you only choose the right way when its easy what's the point?
Not only did this book influence my career choice but I would like to say it reinforced my character. If you only choose the right way when its easy what's the point?
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I just love Madeleine L'Engle books. I love the families she gives most (main) characters-- strong, unique, loving, intellectual, spiritual families. I've only read her YA and JF books, but the themes aren't childish-- they deal with death, hard choices, and good and evil-- but she doesn't leave you feeling like the world is a horrible place to live. I would say that if there is any set of "book families" that I would want to model my parenting after, it would probably be the ones f...more
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Read in January, 1995
joey carr's mother was a librarian at one of the local high schools, and she found out i was a huge fan of l'engle. she recommended this to me, telling me that she had actually written books for adults and teenagers, outside of the wrinkle universe. (or as l'engle herself divides them, chronos (austins) and kairos (murrays), with characters intersecting both worlds - canon talis, zachary, and adam.)
anyway, i saved this book for a particularly rotten day, thinking that i...more
anyway, i saved this book for a particularly rotten day, thinking that i...more
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Read in November, 2007
Really good young adult fiction here. Goes up on the list with Z for Zachariah, Ender's Game, and Feed as one of my favorite books written for young people. A few things I really liked about it:
• There was genuine ambiguity in the characters. L'Engle wrong-foots you from the beginning, and even when you think you've got everything sorted, she'll throw another monkey-wrench in the gears.
• The links to previous L'Engle books was fun. I was really confused when Adam got to the O'Keefe'...more
• There was genuine ambiguity in the characters. L'Engle wrong-foots you from the beginning, and even when you think you've got everything sorted, she'll throw another monkey-wrench in the gears.
• The links to previous L'Engle books was fun. I was really confused when Adam got to the O'Keefe'...more
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Read in August, 2008
Intrigue! Espionage! Double agents! I was rather surprised by the rapid appearance of these elements. There are still enough of the usual L'Engle traits recognizable in the O'Keefe family and their actions and beliefs but this book introduces elements of science, politics, morality, and mortality in a way that is different from the author's two other series.
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Somehow I have managed to work around my busy movie-watching, clothes shopping, lunching schedule to reread some of the kids books in my basement. Frankly, I think this book is amazing, A lot of adult novels (and movies for that matter) tend to go so far out of their way to make a point that they lose track of plot. This plot, although written for 12 year olds, is perfectly paced and still manages to make a point. Yes, some of the teenage stuff is awkward, but still. I'll take it over Zach Braff...more
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Few books have made the transition from my childhood to adult shelf, but this book is a really fun mystery. I never read the rest of the series, actually, but if you are looking for something that is Madeleine L'Engle deep (which all fans of A Wrinkle In Time series know can be very deep indeed), or if your teenager is looking for something to read, check out The Arm of the Starfish. And if you read any of the other books in the series, let me know if they are any good. I may have to read the...more
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Read in January, 1971
Sigh. One begins to feel very possessive of Adam.
Laurie can help me out here since I have not reread some of these for years but didn't M L'E mess up her generations here, making Adam a contemporary of Meg's daughter but also of Vicky Austin, when logically Vicky and Meg should be the roughly the same age.
Laurie can help me out here since I have not reread some of these for years but didn't M L'E mess up her generations here, making Adam a contemporary of Meg's daughter but also of Vicky Austin, when logically Vicky and Meg should be the roughly the same age.
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4 comments
Holy Shit. The cover on this book looks cheesy; in 1989 it ruled. And I think it still does. I'll let y'all know. It is all about a starfish's ability to regenerate, within a teenage romance.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 2001
recommends it for:
young adults, easy read
One of my favorites -- combines international intrigue with the scientific and heartfelt plots that L'Engle usually writes. I've read it several times. The characters are memorable and interesting.
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First read in fifth grade instead of whatever I was supposed to be reading at the time. Good choice, me!
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Read in January, 1994
I wanted so much to like this book, after having read and adored the Wrinkle in Time series. I felt like I kept peering around the corner, waiting for my beloved characters to show up, but they never really did. I guess the story was okay, but I think I would have liked it better if it hadn't been about Meg and Calvin's children, but just another random set of characters. All through reading it, I felt cheated.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
hmmm...
found on the freebie shelf outside the smallest library i've ever seen, caught my eye b/c i was always a huge madeleine l'engle fan as a kid. but what a strange book. it was a mix of imaginative marine biology, spy-novel intrigue, and social commentary. impressing complexity for a juvi fic book when it starts out, but then it wraps up in about 8 pages, which is a bummer. definitely doesn't beat 'a wrinkle in time.'
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Read in August, 2008
This is a sort of a thriller, with hints of science fiction and romance. I didn't like it quite as well as L'Engle's more speculative stuff (there's a reason I never read any of these as a kid), but it was still a good story. Sometimes the main character seemed frustratingly naive, but I guess he IS just a teenager...
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Read in November, 2008
recommends it for:
L'Engle fans
I thought I liked Madeleine L'Engle before I read this book, but now I like her even more! The characters were interesting even when they weren't altogether likable and this story has wonderfully crafted twists that kept me turning the pages. The subtle foreshadowing was brilliant and the ending was amazing.
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Read in January, 2008
I don't know when I read this book the first time, but I happily revisited it this year. I feel connected to her characters and even more to her view of the universe and our connection to it.
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Read in January, 1987
This book opened up a whole new world of possibilites to me science-wise. The things nature can do! I am still facinated with the potential for theraputics based on regenerative cell lines.
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Read in October, 2008
I love mysteries and this was a good clean mystery even though it was a little predictable. It also made me think more about medical research and who should use it and when.
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Having fictional families grow and change like the rest of life is like having friends you can visit and check in with whenever you go to your bookshelves.
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This book was easy to read and had a bit of a different idea on the future of science and possiblities. It is a book from the youth section in the library.
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