I thought this book was really lovely and moving. It does lack a strong plot, but that did not bother me as much as it bothered some other commenters. I thought the characters were very well-developed and I don't agree that the bits about Vietnam and Iraq were tangential to the theme; I thought that they were effectively used to portray both the passing of time and the way that views and perspective shift or remain the same over time. ( )

I thought this book was really lovely and moving. It does lack a strong plot, but that did not bother me as much as it bothered some other commenters. I thought the characters were very well-developed and I don't agree that the bits about Vietnam and Iraq were tangential to the theme; I thought that they were effectively used to portray both the passing of time and the way that views and perspective shift or remain the same over time. ( )

Though the book is titled When Madeline was Young, the story really is the observation/history of the Maciver family over years as narrated by the son of Madeline’s husband Aaron. It begins when Aaron Maciver’s young wife, Madeline, suffers a head injury in a bicycle crash and she is left with the mental capacity of a six-year-old. In a strange twist, Aaron and his second wife Julia care for Madeline, as they raise two children of their own—creating a very different non-traditional family. The story moves (both back and forth) from Mac’s childhood growing up with Madeline and his cousin Buddy in Wisconsin through the Vietnam War, through Mac years as a husband with children of his own, and through Buddy’s involvement with the Gulf Wars. I found the concept of this book interesting, though I wasn’t completely enthralled with the characters, particularly Madeline (who seemed to be incredibly superficial—especially prior to her accident). I also was disappointed that we didn’t receive much insight as to why certain decisions were made—particularly why Julia and Aaron agreed to “raise” Madeline. 3 out of 5 stars. ( )

Joplin Library Book Club selection for Oct. 2010. I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to me that a female author used a male character as the narrator. I thought she did that very well. ( )

It was okay but really didn't seem to have much point, lacked focus. Set in fifties and sixties to the present with politics interwoven. A story more about many things; war, head trauma, disabilities, family life, coming of age. It has a very good description of what it is like to experience the loss of mother. ( )