Flip doesn't think she'll ever fit in at the Swiss boarding school chosen by her father's girl friend. Besides being homesick for her father and C...
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Dec 21, 2007
Claire
rated it: 
Dammit, I love Flip. I love Madeleine L'Engle, I love the idea of boarding schools, Switzerland, and French boys and girls snowed into a storm of romance, adventure, and heartbreaking loneliness. (I've also only realized that I've always had a strange attraction for the widowed father and only daughter stories. This one absolutely fills that niche.)
I've reread this book countless times now, and each read only makes me happier and sentimental for the gorgeous but grounding tales of More...
I've reread this book countless times now, and each read only makes me happier and sentimental for the gorgeous but grounding tales of More...
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Dec 17, 2009
Valerie
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What girl doesn't fantasize about going to a Swiss boarding school, having a dashing artist father, a mysterious and beautiful mentor/teacher, and a dark, brooding forest boy to fall in love with?
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Feb 05, 2009
Andrew
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And Both Were Young is a story about growth, understanding and love. Three themes that Madeleine L'Engle handles with both strength and humility.
Philippa Hunter recently lost her mother whom she loved dearly. Her father, Phillip Hunter, is grieving and involved with a woman Philippa loves to hate, Eunice. Despite Philippa's pleas her father follows Eunice's advise and sends Philippa to attend an international boarding school in Switzerland. At the school she struggles with fitting in More...
Philippa Hunter recently lost her mother whom she loved dearly. Her father, Phillip Hunter, is grieving and involved with a woman Philippa loves to hate, Eunice. Despite Philippa's pleas her father follows Eunice's advise and sends Philippa to attend an international boarding school in Switzerland. At the school she struggles with fitting in More...
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Nov 14, 2011
Judy
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Madeleine L'Engle's career did not take off until the publication in 1962 of A Wrinkle in Time, which went on to win the Newbery Medal and remains her most well known book to this day. But she began writing adult novels in 1945, novels that were published but did not sell very well and quickly fell out of print. She almost gave up writing in 1958.
Had these early novels been around when I was in my teens, I would have read and loved them I am sure. Reading them now, I like them bet More...
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Oct 13, 2011
Nmarchunt
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This book "And Both Were Young" written by Madeleine L'Engle was published on March 15, 1983. This book has 256 pages within in. It took me about three days to read. The main charecters are Flip and Paul. The setting takes place in Switzerland.
The setting of the story takes place in Flips boarding school in Switzerland. A year after the death of her mother, Flips father has to send her to boarding school because he is an artist that travels a lot, and Flip needs to be in school More...
The setting of the story takes place in Flips boarding school in Switzerland. A year after the death of her mother, Flips father has to send her to boarding school because he is an artist that travels a lot, and Flip needs to be in school More...
Jul 14, 2011
Elise
rated it:
This is the story of Phillipa, or Flip. Her mother recently died and her artist father is off doing his part in post-WWII Europe. Flip finds herself in a Swiss boarding school with few friends and she misses her father terribly. Enter Paul and his dog, Ariel, and things start to change for the better.
This was a sweet coming of age story written by L'Engle in 1949. Even though it was written over 60 years ago it still felt current. I read the Time series when I was young, but hav More...
This was a sweet coming of age story written by L'Engle in 1949. Even though it was written over 60 years ago it still felt current. I read the Time series when I was young, but hav More...
Mar 13, 2011
Annie
rated it:
The last time I saw an edition of "And Both Were Young" was when I handed my copy over to a friend in high school. She liked romance novels, and I thought she should read it because it has the sentimentality of romance combined with a need for self-discovery. I never saw the book again, so thankfully it has just been released as a re-print.
I bought it and revisited this tale growing up, at first with some trepidation. What if I didn't like it as much as I did at thirteen? Wo More...
I bought it and revisited this tale growing up, at first with some trepidation. What if I didn't like it as much as I did at thirteen? Wo More...
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Mar 01, 2011
Kiirsi
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It's a rare book that leaves me closing the cover on the last page, feeling totally content, at peace with the world, and full of a warm "perfect book" glow.
This book did that for me.
At first it was hard to get into Flip's story...the first half kind of dragged. She had a hard life, and at times I was angry with the boarding-school teachers for being so hard on her. But to her credit, she took their corrections and criticism and tried her best to become the More...
This book did that for me.
At first it was hard to get into Flip's story...the first half kind of dragged. She had a hard life, and at times I was angry with the boarding-school teachers for being so hard on her. But to her credit, she took their corrections and criticism and tried her best to become the More...
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Feb 05, 2011
Peggy
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This is certainly nothing like L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time! It is the story of Flip, a young girl who is sent to boarding school in Switzerland when her mother dies, and Paul, a local boy who is struggling with issues of his own. Flip is very close to her father and misses him and is grieving for her mother. She does not fit in with the girls at school and is very lonely. Paul and Flip become good friends and help each other through their hard times. This is a sweet coming-of-age story that s
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Jul 14, 2010
Pam
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Written and set right after WWII, this book is a period piece by Madeleine L'Engle long before she became the best-selling children's novelist in the 1960s. Having been assured this book gives you glimpses of the nascent character traits that reappeared with Meg Murry years later I couldn't resist reading it.
Set in Switzerland, an American girl is sent to a boarding school because of her father's job. Philippa has to deal with being away from home, separated from her father, and More...
Set in Switzerland, an American girl is sent to a boarding school because of her father's job. Philippa has to deal with being away from home, separated from her father, and More...
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Apr 30, 2010
Angie
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I think this may have been the last Madeleine L'Engle book I read (for the first time) as a teenager. And for some reason it holds a sort of distinction in my head because of that fact. I, like most other readers I know who love her books, got in on the whole thing with A Wrinkle in Time, moving on to the other Murry and O'Keefe family books and then the Austin family series and so on from there. I must have been somewhere around ten or so when I first read the Time series and by the time I got
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Jan 02, 2011
Amanda
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jun 28, 2011
Annie
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The thing I love about Madeleine L'Engle is that her writing can move from a straight forward telling of the story and then glance over and be so beautiful and evocative. The dialog is a bit simple and formal, but it was originally published in 1949 so that's understandable.
I loved this book because it's simple and sweet but still moving and transformative. She doesn't deny the darker parts of life or of this world, doesn't soften them or skirt around them; but she doesn't revel in More...
I loved this book because it's simple and sweet but still moving and transformative. She doesn't deny the darker parts of life or of this world, doesn't soften them or skirt around them; but she doesn't revel in More...
Apr 18, 2011
Meagan
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This book was mentioned in a listserv as a read alike for Anna and the French Kiss, which I loved. I'll report on its success...
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Well, I can see the similarities between the two, but just for its sheer modern-ness I have to give the edge to Anna. This one would have been a perfect read to a girl in the 50s or 60s, but for today it felt a little, no - a lot, dated. There's only so much of teenagers saying things like "golly" that a person can stand.
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Well, I can see the similarities between the two, but just for its sheer modern-ness I have to give the edge to Anna. This one would have been a perfect read to a girl in the 50s or 60s, but for today it felt a little, no - a lot, dated. There's only so much of teenagers saying things like "golly" that a person can stand.
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Aug 07, 2010
KTT
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Dec 17, 2009
Monica
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Well, I would have given it five stars when I read it over and over and over when I was around twelve. (I even tried to copy out the library copy, but gave up after a few chapters. In those times and place, I didn't think you could buy books. Living in East Lansing, Michigan circa 1964, you couldn't very easily.)
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Oct 19, 2010
Meaghan
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This was apparently quite daring when it was originally published in the 1940s, so much that it had to be bowdlerized. But it seems awfully tame to me. I read the original (non-bowdlerized) version and find myself wondering just what they felt they needed to cut out. The whole "mysterious stranger lurking around" subplot seemed pretty truncated to me.
Nevertheless, this was a good book. It does a good job portraying the claustrophobic, almost incestuous boarding school atmos More...
Nevertheless, this was a good book. It does a good job portraying the claustrophobic, almost incestuous boarding school atmos More...
Nov 29, 2009
Jennifer
rated it: 
This definitely didn't have the magic of many of l'Engle's other books, but I haven't read her for a very long time, and I wonder whether I would find it in any of her books. I liked Flip better as a self-pitying lonely romantic and didn't love the pull-up by the bootstraps and fit in with the rowdy boarding school girls message. Though maybe in the shadow of World War II, that message was more powerful--just get on with the living because too many have died. I was fascinated by the mention of
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Nov 13, 2011
Nadene
rated it:
I loved it - every bit of it.
Madeleine l'engle manages to capture her readers with something as simple as describing a scenery. She makes the feelings of each character so relatable that the reader has no choice but to be pulled into the fictional character's world. Even with such a simple and plain storyline, one can't help but feel that the book is captivating.
This book manages to portray the simple, pure side of teenage love - something that many authors fail to do. It is a s More...
Madeleine l'engle manages to capture her readers with something as simple as describing a scenery. She makes the feelings of each character so relatable that the reader has no choice but to be pulled into the fictional character's world. Even with such a simple and plain storyline, one can't help but feel that the book is captivating.
This book manages to portray the simple, pure side of teenage love - something that many authors fail to do. It is a s More...
Dec 06, 2010
Catherine
rated it:
ROMANCE REQUIREMENT- This book was really well done, as all of L'Engle's books are. Flip's mother has died, and her father (who she loves) and his girlfriend (who she hates)send her off to boarding school while he travels around as an artist. While at the school, Flip meets Paul, a boy who can remember nothing of his past except for the snatches that come to him from the concentration camp he was held in during the war. This story is a romance, but it doesn't have the sappiness or the scandal
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Jun 07, 2010
Vicki
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I would have been totally cuckoo for this book when I was younger -- I really liked it this time, but yeah. I can see having been a young girl, and finding this book somehow and just being over the moon for the whole thing. I loved stories that were so far out of my realm -- a Swiss boarding school in the late 40s?! but still connected somehow. I love the way the main character, Flip, sometimes can only relate to the beauty of her surroundings. She's a flawed, interesting person who grows up
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Apr 22, 2011
Chachic
rated it:
Originally posted here.
I'm so glad they decided to re-issue this one with a new cover and that I didn't have to hunt down an out of print copy. I love the new cover too, I like how the pink stands out against all that snow and how it portrays Flip and Paul taking a walk. And Both Were Young is similar to Camilla in the sense that it's a quiet sort of novel. However, there's more to look forward to in the former and I enjoyed reading it more than the latter. Even though I'm an outgoin More...
I'm so glad they decided to re-issue this one with a new cover and that I didn't have to hunt down an out of print copy. I love the new cover too, I like how the pink stands out against all that snow and how it portrays Flip and Paul taking a walk. And Both Were Young is similar to Camilla in the sense that it's a quiet sort of novel. However, there's more to look forward to in the former and I enjoyed reading it more than the latter. Even though I'm an outgoin More...
Jan 30, 2012
April
rated it:
Originally reviewed here
I need more Madeleine L’Engle in my life. Sure, she’s retro, but friends, I’m sort of sighing over the sweetness of And Both Were Young. Weird as this sounds, And Both Were Young totally relaxed me and was such a calming read – bringing me back to a different time.
So Phillipa (Flip) Hunter lives an ideal life with her painter father – traveling and then going to live in NY with her Grandmother when she can’t go with dad. Then this sophisticated bea More...
I need more Madeleine L’Engle in my life. Sure, she’s retro, but friends, I’m sort of sighing over the sweetness of And Both Were Young. Weird as this sounds, And Both Were Young totally relaxed me and was such a calming read – bringing me back to a different time.
So Phillipa (Flip) Hunter lives an ideal life with her painter father – traveling and then going to live in NY with her Grandmother when she can’t go with dad. Then this sophisticated bea More...
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Nov 18, 2010
Nora
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I was hoping to entice 7th/8th graders to this book with the new updated cover. Maybe I will.. but as I reread the book, I think it's a little dated. The plot is also slower than more recent action-driven series. It will be perfect for the more innocent girls looking for a romance book. Tame, with nothing more than kissing-- almost like a starter romance. Probably why I liked it when I was in 8th grade.
Nov 10, 2011
Daniel
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This book is great! It's about this girl called Phillipa (Flip for short), who meets this boy called Paul. Paul doesn't remember his past, but someone comes along who claims to be his father! Flip goes to a girls' boarding school and doesn't fit in. She sneaks off to meet Paul, but the problem is still there. Will she ever fit in? Also, Flip decides to ski in an upcoming ski meet, but no one can know about her secret training with Paul. The book is great and if you like school or trying-to-fit-i
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Nov 03, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
I absolutely LOVED this book. There could have been a bit more talk about what Paul went through and how he came to be with his "father" but the story focused on the relationship between Paul and Flip and Flips relationships at school. I would have loved to read a continuation of this story- see how the characters turned out. It was a good light read- would totally recommend it!
Aug 06, 2010
Fysierm
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This story reminds me of Spirited Away and Chihiro's journey, of how she went from a whiny brat to a young woman, intrepid and able to stand strong, supporting others when previously she was the one who needed the support. The characterization (of everyone) is superb, as well as the building of a post-WWII Switzerland boarding school, complete with a dragon of a headmistress.
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Aug 06, 2009
Michelle
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I read this book many many years ago, and it had actually slipped my mind.... until a little while back when all of a sudden i remembered reading and loving an amazing book about a girl in boarding school... i couldn't for the life of me remember it's title! So I searched and searched, and have found it!!! This book is wonderful! I am going to read it again!
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Aug 05, 2011
A wonderful, beautiful story that brought a smile to my face. This is a coming-of-age story set in post-World War II Europe, though it could come from any time or place -- such is the magic of Madeleine L'Engle's writing that it never once feels dated. It's a wise story, a gentle story, and once you begin, you won't want to stop. Loved it.
Nov 23, 2010
Ana
rated it:
It was so innocent. The dialogue between Flip and Paul felt like they were 12 year olds not 17. Of course, this book was originally written in the 1950's. This would be a good book to recommend to a young teenager. The romance was not all that convincing -- they interacted more like good friends than two people attracted toward each other.
