When Madeline Was Young

by Jane Hamilton

Jane Hamilton, award-winning author of The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World, is back in top form with a richly textured novel about a tragic accident and its effects on two generations of a family.

When Aaron Maciver's beautiful young wife, Madeline, suffers brain damage in a bike accident, she is left with the intellectual powers of a six-year-old. In the years that follow, Aaron and his second wife care for Madeline with deep tenderness and devotion as they raise two children of their own.

Narrated by Aaron's son, Mac, When Madeline Was Young chronicles the Maciver family through the decades, from Mac's childhood growing up with Madeline and his cousin Buddy in Wisconsin through the Vietnam War, through Mac's years as a husband with children of his own, and through Buddy's involvement with the subsequent Gulf Wars. Jane Hamilton, with her usual humor and keen observations of human relationships, deftly explores the Maciver's unusual situation and examines notions of childhood (through Mac and Buddy's actual youth as well as Madeline's infantilization) and a rivalry between Buddy's and Mac's families that spans decades and various wars. She captures the pleasures and frustrations of marriage and family, and she exposes the role that past relationships, rivalries, and regrets inevitably play in the lives of adults.

Inspired in part by Elizabeth Spencer's Light in the Piazza, Hamilton offers an honest and exquisite portrait of how a family tragedy forever shapes and alters the boundaries of love.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Audiobook, Adult, Coming Of Age

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Jane Hamilton is an American novelist.

Reviews

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first book by Jane Hamilton and I liked it. At the start, she used this shocking premise: The narrator's eldest sister Madeline is actually the first wife of the narrator's father. Madeline had a bicycle accident few months after she got married to his father and when she got healed, she ended up having the mind of a 7-year old child.

So, I thought the story would be as melodramatic as Jodi Piccoult's novels that normally employ rare medical conditions to create a convoluted family drama coupled with deeply emotional characters to create soaking-wet-hanky moments for her female fans. No! Maybe that's the reason why Jane Hamilton's novels are not as popular as Jodi Piccoult's but this definitely does not mean inferior. In fact, Jane Hamilton has the sensitivity of Alice McDermott (in her After This) as this novel and that Pulitzer-finalist novel both tackle American family drama with Vietnam War as a backdrop as they depict ordinary Heartland USA drama.

Jane Hamilton's characters are not as wickedly strange as Anne Tyler's too. However, Hamilton's are just like you and I (even if I am not an American) and it is not hard to relate to any of them. Madeline, despite being part of this book's title, is not the main protagonist. The POV is that of the narrator, Mac the eldest child of Aaron (Madeline's husband prior to her accident) and Julia. Julia is a nurse who takes care of Madeline after the accident and while Aaron and Julia were looking at the birds outside the hospital, they fall in love and decided to get married after Aaron divorce paper (with Madeline) was approved. Not sure if you could relate to any of them at this point but sure you do with the next.

Since the POV is that of the Mac's, the story jumps from that major premise of a beautiful Madeline with a 7-y/o child's brain as Hamilton skillfully diverts her tale to Mac and his relationship to his cousin Buddy from Mac's life as a boy who realizes the family "secret" to his old age and how the people around him, from Madeline, his parents and his cousin Buddy, played a role in his transformation from boy to a middle-age man. The thoughts that played in his mind, even when he is thinking of how to tell his girlfriend about the secret, are carefully crafted as if Hamilton is transcribing the innermost thoughts of a man. His relationship with his cousin Buddy brought back memories of my own cousins. I have many weird cousins mostly from the paternal side: a drug-addict teenager male cousin who left home promising my auntie that he would come back someday once he gets rich; a rebellious sexually-liberated teenager female cousin who brought home a boyfriend and let him sleep on her bed that made my auntie cry outside the door; a grown up male cousin who is now hiding from the police because he and his wife assaulted their neighbors over some money quarrels and an intellectually-challenged male cousin who when he was a college student, got his daily allowance from my auntie but spent months and months inside the moviehouse in Novaliches.

My favorite cousin is also from my father's side of the family. We used to fight when we were young boys yet we also had many memories together. One of those was when I was in Grade 5 and we had our summer break in Baguio City (the city in the Philippines constructed on top of the mountain by the Americans), we, together with my brother, walked from our house to Loakan Airport that was situated near the Kennon Road. From dusk to dawn all of us little boys walked from Trancoville St. (near the boundary of Baguio City and La Trinidad) to the airport walking the dangerous sidewalk-less length of the winding Kennon Road with only sticks, jokes, stories with us. I remember we were car-crazy boys then. We looked at each of the passing cars and we used to point which ones we liked and dreamed of having one day.

Now I have a Toyota. My brother in San Diego has three cars. My cousin has none as he is living most of his life in ships afloat the oceans all around the world. You see, he is a marine engineer. He only sees cars at the ports they disembark at along their ship routes and when he comes back home to visit his family.

If a book can trigger you to think of your yesterdays, it must be good. Hamilton is a brilliant storyteller and I will not think twice reading her other books when opportunities come my way.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this might be the best example I've seen of what people mean when they refer to "women's fiction." This is a book in which, basically, nothing happens. And not even really in the Seinfeld sense where a great deal happens that is internally, or conversationally, noteworthy -- no, nobody in this story changes their heart or mind. Like people do, they get older and think they understand more and they talk deprecatingly about their wives but you can tell they love them a lot, in a very pragmatic way. And that's all.

At least one review has dismissed this as a "situation story," as in, that's not a story, it's a situation. But I don't even think it's that. The flicker of Seinfeld absurdity which even the jacket flap takes to be the "situation" of the book -- that the narrator grows up with his father's first wife, who was brain-damaged into childishness early in their marriage, living in the same house as his mother and father and treated by both parents as another child -- is not the main situation. This isn't even one of those (irritating) books where the weird thing that happened in youth goes on to inform and affect everything else, even the most seemingly unrelated experiences.

The main situation is, simply, the life and surroundings, feelings and thoughts, people and places, of Mac Maciver, the narrator. The narrative structure of the book is best described as that of a long friendship, close enough to hear intimate thoughts but distant enough for lengthy updates. There isn't really any plot build -- again, not even the back of the book can tell you what HAPPENS in this story. There aren't even any of the wacky scenarios typical of, ahem, chick lit, which is what people probably mostly define women's fiction as these days, the kind of thing that, in theory, you could explain quickly to a nearby man: "And Luke DIDN'T KNOW that Becky had planned this whole other wedding at the same time..." There isn't anything to encapsulate. There is just the whole; there is just what is. Nothing happens... but it's still pretty interesting. Mac Maciver... nice guy.

How do I feel about a book like this? How do I feel about calling it feminine? Well, in the words of Teddy KGB of the film Rounders (which my male partner has been known to watch more than once IN A DAY0: "I feel ahkay."

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was "meh." I was so excited to read it when I pickted it up. I thought it was a unique concept for a novel, but, as I read, I was disappointed.

While I think Jane Hamilton has a gift with words, I found the story to be meandering. I had to reread passages to get grounded, and, at times, I found it hard to want to pick up the book. I am one who generally finishes a book no matter what, but I was tempted to quit this one.

I anticipated the story would be told through the eyes of Julia, and I anticipated the story would be centered more on the relationship between the two "wives" and Aaron. I thought there could have been real power to explore the female "leads" that way. Thus, I was disappointed when it was Mac that narrated and the story became more a focus on family rather than the 'bizarre love triangle.'

I wanted to read about how Aaron, Julia and Madeline really felt about thier unique living situation, but I think Hamilton avoided that. We saw Julia only as a saint, we never saw her frustration with the situation--and there must have been a great deal. I really wanted to see Julia's character fleshed out more to understand her on a deeper level. Same with Aaron and Madeline. I think I would have enjoyed having the story told from multiple perspectives (sometimes, it's an over-used literary device, but it might have really worked here.)

That all being said, when I finally "got" that I wasn't going to get what I wanted, I accepted the story for what it was--a story of unconditional love, loyalty, devotion, yearning and the unbreakable bonds of family. I appreciated the book much more in the final third, and enjoyed seeing some of the parallels between Aaron and Mac--both had first loves that were based on passion and fire and settled into (not settled) second loves based on comfort, care and security.

If I could, I would give this 2.5 stars, but since I can't do half ratings, I will stick with a '2.' This is not one I will reread.

[Jaclyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the title, this book is not really about Madeline, which was very dissapointing because her story held so much promise. The book centers on the extensive Maciver family relationships and is actually very political. It is a nice book but failed to hold my interest for long. For as much time as the author spends on each character, I never felt that I knew much about them.

I have truly enjoyed two of her other books, A Map of the World and The Book of Ruth, but this one was not so great.

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read several Jane Hamilton books and enjoy her stories, just an extremely talented writer, her best known work being the award winning "A Map of the World". This is one of her lesser known books, and quite frankly doesn't fair that well with the readers ratings and reviews. I think I understand why. Although the writing is very good and so is the concept, the plot is not developed sufficiently, not enough meat with the potatoes. Again, a great concept that just falls short. Also, I think some people are turned off by the idea. Madeline, a young wife, suffers a brain injury in a bicycle accident and is left with the mind of a young child. Her husband, who remarries, with his new wife continues to look after Madeline, even as they have children of their own. That is hard to fathom for many people for many different reasons, and it gives us pause to think what we would do in that situation. I was going to give it 3 stars for the story but bumped it to 4 because I like her writing.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the third book that I've read by Jane Hamilton and, unfortunately, it's the one that I enjoyed the least. I never really was comfortable with the premise--a young man, Aaron Mciver is married to a beautiful young woman named Madeline. She suffers an accident early in their marriage, is brain damaged, and is left with the mental capability of a 7 year old. A tragic event, but one that takes on bizarre aspects when Aaron divorces Madeline, marries Julia, who is one of Madeline's nurses, and then the three adults form a family unit. Yes, Madeline is treated as if she is one of the children in the family. The book is narrated by Mac, Julia and Aaron's son, who views Madeline as an older sister with special needs. Julia reminds the reader of Eleanor Roosevelt, both in her social awkwardness and in her extremely liberal political views. The novel explores issues such as the effect parent's political views have on their children and also follows two generations of the Mciver family as they deal with the political world from the 1950s through the Iraq War and with the interpersonal relationships among family members.

[eb · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wait, I'm confused. Isn't Jane Hamilton considered a talented writer? Are her other novels any good, or is When Madeline Was Young characteristic of her work?

What a VAGUE novel this is. It moseys along, structurelessly, from irrelevant scene to irrelevant scene. Nothing is easy to picture; none of the characters are three-dimensional; nothing insightful or even interesting is said about the issues this novel pretends to tackle: race, class, Vietnam, Iraq. The title character is a complete cipher; I liked her, though, because she's the only person who doesn't speak in Dan Brown-esque bursts of exposition.

Most offensive of all is the narrator. For one thing, the idea that he's a man is laughable. For another, he's a despicable racist, which I think he's supposed to be--but Hamilton's description of the loving black maid is equally despicable, and I'm sorry, it mitigates nothing to have one character constantly refer to her, sardonically, as "Mom's slave."

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a painful read from an author that I have really enjoyed reading in the past. I have read and loved almost all of JH's other books (The Book of Ruth, A Map of the World, The Short History of a Prince)-in those books, the subject was unique and kept me interested, her writing style was amazing... I can't give any of the same praises for this book. I think in general, the subject you read about on the back of the book IS interesting...but what's on the back of the book is not what's in the book. Madeline is not a focal point at all and the other characters I just couldn't like or be interested in. So a big nay on this one. If you want a good Jane Hamilton book...look for The Book of Ruth...that one is worth the read.

[Kathy McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent a lot of time in my car last weekend and listened to the audio book. It was a wonderful way to pass the hours. It is a story of family dynamics and extended family relationships. It is also the story of Aaron and his 2nd wife Julia who are caring for Aaron's first wife who is brain damaged due to an accident. Interspersed are political discussions between the relatives about issues important in the 60s. This book would have earned a five if there had been more development of Madeline's life, but all in all it was an interesting story of love and acceptance.

[Adri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always hesitant when people compare writers to such great authors such as Anne Tyler, as more often than not it turns out to be nothing but wishful thinking. I struggled a little getting into this book, but once I did I could not put it down. Some very interesting characters, strong females and thoughtful males. I love a book which makes me think and which forces me out of my comfort zone. This book succeeds on both counts. Well worth the read.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A map of the world" by the same author is on my top 10 list, hence reading this book. I really enjoyed it a lot - I like the way at the end, the whole story comes full circle. If I had to describe it in one word, I would say "endearing".

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I put this book down 3 times because I didn't want to waste my time reading it. I ended up finishing it because I got sick and couldn't sleep one night. That is the only reason I finished it. Technically, I would rate it in-between hated it and it was ok. Honestly, if this were the first book I read by this author, I would not pick up another of her books.

The problem started with the point of view. I kept having to remind myself that it was a male point of view. Even after knowing the character's name, I still kept having to remind myself it was a male point of view. I don't know why this happened, but when I analyze it I think it was because the narrator's voice got lost in the story. I had to reacquaint myself everytime Mac "reappeared".

The story's concept was an interesting one; however, the story jumped from person to person so much that not a single by-line interested me. I wish I would have learned more about one character (the mom) and a lot less about a couple of others.

Huh, now that I am really thinking about the book. I would recommend that you don't waste your time.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst book I have read in a long, long time, and I have decided not to finish it - something I rarely do. I've suffered through half of the story, hoping it would get better, but I'm pulling the plug now. The storyline is very weak - it's almost like indulging in the sick and perverse side of human nature (a husband and wife who shares their bed with the first wife who's suffered head trauma...). But what makes it completely unreadable is the fact that after reading half of the story, I still feel absolutely no emotional connection to any of the characters. That's just bad writing.

[Dina Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a family making the best out of a bad situation.

The book is narrated by Mac, and we travel with him through time—his childhood, his marriage, and his life as father. The book goes back and forth between past and present. It jumps around a bit.

Mac grows up with an interesting home life. He lives with his mother, father, sister, and his father's first wife. Madeline, the first wife, was brain-injured in a bicycle accident.

The book was full of so much love and compassion. I really enjoyed it...at least the storyline about Madeline.

There's another storyline about war and Mac's cousin. I was less into that.

[Lori Mcdaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really enjoyed reading this book. (esp. the second time) love jane hamilton's style of writing and the story she developed with madeline is shockingly tender. if you have a family that has strong women in it you will love this book. the selflessness of julia is heartbreaking at times. this book is written from the view of the main characters' son and i found it hard to let go of this intriguing family. all three generations.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Hamilton doesn't disappoint and this book was a worthwhile read. Spanning the 1940's through present, and incorporating politics (including the Viet Nam War and the Iran conflict), family relationships, and adult mental impairment, I found the book to be engaging. This book, like many Hamilton novels, takes place in the upper midwest, with characters and settings I can relate to.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best word I can think of to describe this book is graceful. Maybe ethereal. Beautiful prose. One of Jane Hamilton's best.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It was my mother’s practice to let a tangle work itself out,” attests the admirably square narrator of Jane Hamilton’s novel When Madeline Was Young. In what is billed as a rich and loving story about a nontraditional family, the book follows three generations of the modern-day Maciver clan, scions to a 19th-century Chicago fur-trading estate. Their connections to American centers of power, their divided political persuasions that would parallel a nation at war, and their proximity to the front lines of urban racial tension in post-war America provides ample material with which the skilled and evocative Hamilton contextualizes her characters; but in the end, it is the tangle of one marriage that captures the imagination and, cathartically, allows everything else to work itself out.

During the Second World War while working at a Wisconsin munitions factory, Aaron Maciver marries the beautiful young Madeline Shiller. While not enjoying the status of the Macivers, the Shillers were not without means, having travelled to Italy in 1937 in honor of Madeline’s high school graduation. But shortly after the marriage, the 25-year old Madeline was permanently disabled with a severe brain injury, the result of a cycling accident, and her parents quickly cut themselves from the picture. Julia Beeson, the novel’s central protagonist, soon enters the Maciver saga, caring for the injured Madeline first as her nurse, and then later as the second wife of Aaron Maciver. Over the course of the next five decades, it would be the relationship between Madeline and Julia that would define the entire Maciver family.

Despite suggestions that the young Aaron and Julia move Madeline into a long-term care facility, they resist, insisting that her home is with them and always will be. And while the attention that Madeline, with the mental capacity of a six-year old, requires is sometimes shockingly overwhelming, the Macivers still manage to successfully raise two children of their own, Mac and Louise. It’s Mac who narrates the story, knowing Madeline as a sister, and very early on as someone deserving of his fiercest protection, even escorting her back to Italy many years later. Yet at the center of his recollections and reflections is the triumvirate of affection between Aaron, Julia, and Madeline, a relationship so intense and laden with loving patience that it almost defies logic to call the arrangement ‘nontraditional’. And if the portrait of Aaron Maciver is somewhat thin, Hamilton by far makes up for it, allowing Mac to pay homage to the learned, stoic, and convicted Julia, a character that leads by example and unabashedly speaks out about the injustices of war, unaccountable leaders, and racial inequality.

In one brilliantly written scene, two African-American teenagers from the inner-city come to stay with the Maciver family in their white-bread suburb west of Chicago. Despite Julia’s never-ending attempts to impart her children with her own liberal-minded ideals, the tension between the teenage Mac and his clearly uncomfortable guests is as thick as the sultry summer evenings they are being forced to share. When a fight breaks out and a neighborhood boy is left with a bloodied face and broken nose, rumors immediately circulate that one of the visitors must be responsible. Instead, it was Mac’s own cousin, the indomitable Buddy, that had done the damage in an effort to protect Madeline’s honor. Rather than allowing the rumors to stand, it is Cousin Buddy that makes the rounds, door to door, informing each neighbor that, in fact, it was he who was responsible for the violence.

In some ways, it is exactly that kind of benevolence that defines the story as a whole and make it such a compelling read. The characters that Hamilton has created exude the kind of wholesomeness that is so often the trope of novels portraying the Midwestern family. What makes this book unique, however, is the absence of underlying dysfunction, especially the psycho-quandaries that so often afflict fictional baby boomers. At its heart, this is a story about patience. Its heroism is one of mundane durability, its insight one that transcends even the spiritual. In a touching scene as the novel closes, Aaron Maciver sits in the fading light, sipping wine, idly tracing his finger across the back of his partner of 60 years, a standing testament to exactly the way in which tangles work themselves out.

(c) Jeffrey L. Otto October 13, 2009

[Josephine Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

GROWING UP WITH MADELINE. Madeline is always young. She was once a beautiful young woman, tall, blonde. blue-eyed, lovely face, gorgeous figure. But due to a bicycle accident, not long after her marriage, she grew older, but stayed mentally and emotionally a seven year old.

The story is told by Timothy Maciver, the son of Aaron's second wife. Mac found out many details about his father's first wife from his Aunt Figgy. Figgy told the man much about what happened before he was born and the years he was too young to remember. Mac begins his story not long before he receives notice that his cousin, Buddy's son, has been killed in Afghanistan. Memories come more and more about growing up years plus living with Madeline. Buddy, his cousin, two years older who knows more about life than Mac adds knowledge as to what Mac should know. Mac looks up to this cousin, at the boys young age two years means much.

After Madeline has her accident, she becomes a patient at the hospital where Mac's mother is working as a nurse. Julia had gone to Madeline and Aaron's wedding; she is a somewhat friend to Figgy. Julia, a small plain woman, not into styles, makeup, shopping plus other girlie pleasures is a complete opposite of beauteous Madeline. Aaron Maciver can barely remember Julia as a wedding guest; she is not a memorable character. After Aaron and Julia get to know each other, a wedding takes place. Then the birth of Mac, two years later sister Louise. Many times Mac thinks about, if Madeline's accident had never happened, he would not exist. The family group, aunts, uncles, cousins, plus dominant grandma spent long summers at a large, estate like residence at Moose Lake in northern Wisconsin. Madeline always goes with the large family group. Aaron and Julia would never place her in a home for disabled people though people advised them to do so. She becomes their child, throws temper tantrums, pouts, cries. Mac and Louise, when they were very young, were not sure of who Madeline is, possibly a tall child who lives with the family, possibly an older sister. Madeline loves to play games with small children until they grew too old and Madeline has to find another group of small kids for friends.

The family lives in Chicago in a neighborhood filled with large families, a busy, active neighborhood. Buddy is a strong man, a hero type, who takes up for people who are victimized. He breaks a kid's nose for making a show out of Madeline and her boyfriend, Mikey O'Day. Yes, Madeline has a boyfriend, a singer who sings the popular music of the times, a retarded man who brings Madeline some self worth. She has a boyfriend. Eventually she gets little jobs that make her feel worthwhile. Buddy is the hero, Mac's mother is proud of him, yet doesn't like his military ways. Mac's mother is a pacifist, against war, against violence.

Mac tells his story going back to his childhood and beyond, telling his story of growing up with Madeline who grows old, but not into adulthood. Mac is a doctor in a small town in Wisconsin. He fathers three daughters.

Another character is Russia, a black home worker who works for the Macivers plus several other neighborhood families. She is an almost family dedicated to the Macivers.

Madeline is the Maciver's baby long after Mac and Lu grow too old to be babied. She climbs into bed with the couple, climbs on Julia's lap, fusses about food. Aaron becomes angry with this overgrown baby, Julia never does. This is an interesting story of midwestern people. It is different, but possibly not so much. Does anybody ever grow up?

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story searching for a point. A center. An ending. Meh

[Nichole (DirrtyH) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never did actually finish this book. I was really close. This was my first foray into the world of audio books, and I listend to seven discs out of nine.
This book had a premise, but no real plot. There was no storyline to keep me hooked, so when I got to the seventh disc and realized I just didn't care how it ended, I stopped.
I think I would have liked this book better if I had actually read it rather than listening to it at work. Due to the nature of the book, it just didn't work very well as an audio book. I also think a lot of it had to do with the narrator. The further the book got along, the more I realized there was a lot of wry humor and irony that was just getting completely blown over because the reader was so... formal. He was really great at the dramatic aspect; doing different voices, etc. But he was missing the subtleties that I think would have made this a more interesting read.
Bottom line: If you are thinking of reading this book, keep in mind that it is not what the back cover makes it sound like. The relationship between Madeline and her husband and his new wife is briefly touched on, but most of the book is about the narrator, Mac and what it was like to grow up in the 60s. It touches on JFK, the Vietnam war, racial tensions, family tensions, etc. It is probably a good read as long as you know what you're getting into and aren't expecting it to actually be about Madeline.
I really do not recommend doing this one as an audio book. You'll get more from it by actually reading it.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life span of Mac, the main character, is almost exactly my own, so I could easily relate to his 1950s and 60s childhood, although my family certainly didn't have an African American maid nor a summer estate on a lake. The most obvious theme of the story derives from the fact that Mac's father's first wife, brain-injured in a bicycle accident early in their marriage, remained a treasured family member, lovingly cared for by Mac's mother (the second wife). Did his mother orchestrate the divorce out of self-interest, and intentionally limit the first wife's mental recovery, as Mac's aunt suggests? A strong second theme revolves around Mac's mother's liberal political convictions and ongoing conflict with the same aunt over these views. The conflict is mirrored in differences between Mac and his cousin, Buddy, especially when the Vietnam war forces choices upon them. This is an easy read that offers plenty to think about.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the basic premise of this book and characters. The protagonist's family scenes, though, were pretty humdrum. I was really interested in the way Hamilton handled the controversy over the Vietnam War--good drama and not heavy-handed, but then at the end I couldn't stomach the way that she found a way to make the novel more politically acceptable vis-a-vis the Iraq War.

[Ayelet Waldman]

Terrific and terrifically creepy premise.

[Rachel Whelan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meanders a bit too much for my taste. Many passages about political events as time progresses through the family, but not a lot of substance comes from the discussions between the characters. Though she is the titular character, Madeline is not the focus, more of an example of a character set in time as life continues around her. There are better examples of books where the narrator is providing a story of the lives around him, this one felt like a collection of people who are all related but boring beyond belief.

[Emma DuBose · Rating 1 out of 5]

couldn’t even finish

[Laurel-Rain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aaron and Madeline Maciver began their married life, just as many other couples from their time, believing they had many years ahead of them.

But one day Madeline was tragically injured in a bicycling accident that left her brain damaged, reduced to a childlike state.

After a period of rehabilitation, Aaron developed a relationship with Julia, the nurse who helped care for Madeline; their relationship morphed into a marriage—after Aaron terminated the marriage to Madeline.

What was most unexpected was Aaron and Julia's decision to take Madeline into their home with them, where they cared for her as if she were their child.

Mac Maciver is the narrator of this family saga, moving back and forth in time to chronicle the stories that spotlight family moments, the connections that bind people together, and the flaws that often tear them apart. Set against the backdrop of the times, from the Viet Nam war to the Iraq conflict, Mac introduces a series of family members, from Cousin Buddy to his own wife and daughters many years later.

Through the years, Madeline is a constant presence, even though friends and neighbors find the family dynamics strange at best and bizarre at worst.

How does Julia cope with the "extra" wife in her home? Is her tendency to control things a way of coping, or is it something more? What will a romance for Madeline do to alter the dynamics of this unusual family?

Jane Hamilton's prose is remarkable, revealing the emotions, the setting, and the characterizations with clarity. In this excerpt, Mac and his sister Louise are returning from a visit to their home, during which some events have forced them to see what they had not realized before:

"Below us as we lifted off lay the flat grid of the gray city, the desolation of the urban landscape. We were leaving it behind as we'd done before, but this time was different; this time the entire scrim had been pulled away from the home front, and we could see the outer world that all along had been part of us. I would have liked to return to our cozy, selfish ignorance, but that seemed no longer possible; from now on we'd walk hand in hand with our entitlements, nursing them along, feeding them up...."

As much as I enjoyed the characterizations, the prose, and the unusual plot of "When Madeline Was Young," I found myself drifting off course, easily distracted, and losing my way as the narrator rambled and meandered in his effort to tell the stories of his family, some of which seemed irrelevant. Therefore, I'm awarding three stars.

[Sutter Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so old, likely no one will bother with my review. An odd book, not up to Hamilton's usual standards. The premise intriguing, and I really enjoyed Madeline's relationship with her boyfriend.
The overall tone of the book was lulling; nearly put me to sleep. I had a better time noting its faults than I did reading it.
Too much was made of the aunt's innuendos about what happened in France with the Madeline and the bicycle; what a tease for what turned out to be a disappointing story, which the aunt was only piecing together, having not been there, not knowing what anyone was thinking at the time.
Hamilton doesn't seem to know what her own book is about; it's a roundabout way of addressing politics and the Vietnam war. The mom was over-the-top relentless about arguing politics at family dinners.
And how Buddy could totally do a 180 from the insufferable nasty child and pre-teen to the rigid polite military person is ludicrous; no motivation for that. Absolutely unbelievable, unless he was so brainwashed in military acadamy.
What totally annoyed me was either Hamilton's or her editor's ignorance on punctuating possessives for proper names; throughout the book are such passages as "the Simonson's visit," "the Pendal's garage."
And frequently using "what" for "that" (or "which.") Eg: "...her anger. What of course is rightfully hers," "...another girl. No matter that girl." Plus deplorable lack of hyphens: "cream colored chair," "stare down contests." and, my favorite: long dark haired girl."
Also some errors such as "site" instead of "sight" and misspelling of fluorescent.

[Kellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The whole idea of this book is extremely off kilter. Madeline is injured in a bike accident and has brain damage. The impact sends her back to being a 6 year old. Forever. Her husband quietly divorces her and marries her nurse. Madeline stays with them and is treated like family. Julia, the new wife, has 2 kids. This novel is told from the point of view of the son, Mac. He goes back and forth between time remembering his life as a kid and the interactions of other family members like his Aunt Figgy and Cousin Buddy. And Madeline who was the enigma and the part she played in everyone’s life. Mac says “If it wasn’t for her accident, I wouldn’t be here”. I had a difficult time trying to figure out what the maid idea of this story was. This wasn’t really about Madeline, per se. It was about the whole family. I felt like the author was trying to unveil many different themes when maybe she should have focused on one. She touched on the Vietnam war, racism, people with disability among others. I think the lack of focus really took a way from this. I had a hard time with the subject matter to begin with and the writing style made it even worse. At times, the reading became tedious. This is due to the fact that there wasn’t really any climax to this book. It kind of plotted along without any real direction and that frustrated me as a reader. I have 2 other Jane Hamilton books I haven’t read yet. I hope this was her worst. I’m not sure I have the energy to plod thru another one like this.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s not a bad book; just not what I was expecting. Given the title and the jacket summary, I expected a story much more focused on Madeline and the idiosyncrasies of including her in daily family life. Instead, I got a whole lot of Mac’s perception of the war and his family’s inability to overcome the rift caused by their political views. Like I said, not bad per se, but I was hoping for a story focused more on Mac’s parents and Madeline, not Mac.

The best aspects of the story were those that focused on the direct effects of Madeline on the family, as well as their effect on her. I thought the author did a wonderful job of tapping into the emotional strife of dealing with a loved one who has suffered brain damage of this magnitude. The relationship between Madeline and her boyfriend was touching, and worked well as a backdrop for introducing the exploitation of her naiveté by a local neighborhood boy.

I had been trying to find an excerpt from the book that caught my attention, but this proves quite difficult when you listen to an audio book and don’t write it down as soon as you hear it. The general gist was how the best form of love is the kind that exists in the simple aspects of life, such as being able to sit up all night talking about life, love, and the randomness that makes the world go round. Of course the author worded this much more beautifully than me, but I’ve given up the search.