I happily ordered this book for the library based on Hamilton's others, such as "Map of the World" and "Short History of a Prince". I attended one of her readings at Schwartz Books in Brookfield and she was truly wonderful. Each sentence she writes is crafted with such precision and care.

This book had an interesting premise, but unfortunately, I thought it started rather slowly. This slowness makes it somewhat difficult to recommend to students. However, there were certain points in the book where I couldn't help but laugh out loud and even had to reread some passages to my husband. Despite these moments of levity, it still didn't save the book for me. Overall, it was good, but not great.

I had high expectations for this book, given Hamilton's previous works. While it had its亮点, the slow start and lack of overall greatness left me a bit disappointed. I will still consider adding her other books to the library collection, as she is clearly a talented writer. But for this particular book, I would have to think twice before recommending it to others.

I discovered this book within a pile of books that were patiently awaiting to be read. I had bought it quite a while ago since I had a great liking for this author's other works. But this particular one didn't quite capture my interest as much.

Early on in their marriage, while cycling with her husband, Aaron, Madeline遭遇了一场可怕的事故，导致她大脑受损。Julia，在Madeline强化康复期间照顾她的护士之一，和Aaron相爱了；在Aaron的第一次婚姻被宣告无效后，他们结婚了。Julia和Aaron“收养”了Madeline，她现在的心智水平相当于一个七岁的孩子，把她当作他们的“又大又乖的女儿”，并且他们后来又有了两个亲生孩子。这个故事是通过他们的长子的视角来讲述的，在他十几岁之前，他一直认为Madeline是他（大很多的）姐姐。

This is the tale of the five Macivers and their relationships with one another and with the extended family over the years, with Madeline always exerting an influence.

Ordinarily, this would be the sort of novel that would appeal to me. However, I found the way the second wife and husband parented the first wife a bit disconcerting. Nevertheless, this was a better than average book, and Jane Hamilton's excellent writing style continued to engage me.

What a distinct type of family is presented in this novel!

The narrator vividly recounts the story of his family relationships during his upbringing.

His older "sister" is Madeline, who unfortunately遭遇了一场自行车事故就在她刚结婚的时候。

This incident had a profound impact on the family dynamics.

The narrator's description allows the readers to gain a deeper understanding of the complex emotions and interactions within the family.

We can sense the love, concern, and perhaps even a hint of guilt that lingers among the family members.

As the story unfolds, we are drawn into the narrator's world and become invested in the fate of this unique family.

The accident serves as a catalyst for change, and we witness how the family copes and adapts in the face of adversity.

It is a story that explores the power of family bonds and the resiliency of the human spirit.

Aaron and Julia Mciver's story, as told by their adult son, is presented in a charming book. After Aaron's first wife, Madeline, suffered a brain injury shortly after their marriage, Aaron and Julia took on the responsibility of raising her. Julia, in a remarkable act of kindness, decided to accept Madeline and treat her as a beloved child, despite the complex situation. The narrative mainly centers around the narrator's reflections on his childhood, his parents' liberal politics, and their unselfish nature.

The book truly made me contemplate aspects such as love, marriage, and parenting. However, I have some reservations. I wish I could rate it 3 1/2 stars, but I settled for 3. At times, the mother's actions seemed a bit too unbelievable. The writing was beautiful, yet the story had a tendency to wander. I did enjoy reading it, but it didn't have the allure that would make me eager to pick it up at every available moment.

In conclusion, it's a book that is worth your time, but it won't necessarily become a favorite.

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!

http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13584530

I think this may be my second favorite Jane Hamilton novel. "A Map of the World" is still my most favorite. The story, about a young bride who becomes brain-damaged in a bicycle accident and spends the rest of her life living with her husband and his new family after they have divorced, is told from the viewpoint of Madeline's stepson, which is a stroke of genius. Lesser writers would have told it from the viewpoint of the second wife, Julia, or the father. Writers begging for trouble would have tried to tell it from Madeline's viewpoint. Hamilton not only tells the story from the viewpoint of a male but also a male at different stages of his life, from childhood to middle age.

We read about so many dysfunctional families and people nowadays. It's nice to read about relatively happy couples and families who overcome adversity. However, one thing that didn't quite work was the Viet Nam war subplot. One of the cousins is a career military, and there are many disagreements over the war in the family. I realize that this was to add texture and a sense of the times to the book, but for some reason, it seemed a bit stilted to me. Still, this will probably be one of my 10 best reads of 2015.

My least favorite of her books, yet I still managed to find enjoyment in it.

It is an epic tale that revolves around a well-to-do family, which has the power to draw you in.

This story made me contemplate profound thoughts regarding life, death, and the passage of time.

Interestingly, I have been in a similar state of mind throughout the year, mainly due to the birth of my son and the unfortunate passing of my Grandmother.

However, I found the portrayal of some of the characters to be rather troubling.

Although the writing was good, the characters seemed dated and somewhat simplistic.

I believe the author was attempting to depict the changing attitudes and times, but it didn't quite hit the mark.

Specifically, I was bothered by her treatment of the main character's wife and the family's African American housekeeper.

Overall, while there were aspects of the book that I liked, these issues with the character portrayal did somewhat dampen my overall experience.

"A map of the world" by the same author is on my top 10 list. That's the reason why I decided to read this book. I have to say that I really enjoyed it a great deal. The way the author crafted the story is truly remarkable. Towards the end, the whole narrative comes full circle, which is just amazing. It gives a sense of completeness and satisfaction. If I were to describe this book in just one word, I would毫不犹豫地 say "endearing". It has this charm that draws you in and makes you fall in love with the characters and the story. The author's writing style is engaging and easy to follow, making it a pleasure to read. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story.

This is truly remarkable and rather strange.

A man's wife suffers a brain injury. Thanks to some dubious legal maneuvers, he is able to remarry, and both he and his new wife take care of the first wife. Oh, it's non-sexual, nothing improper (not really). It's a sensitive and captivating portrayal of an unconventional nuclear family.

This is the third book I've read by Jane Hamilton, and the second one written from a man's perspective. Her topics are extremely diverse, and she is an outstanding author.

She has a unique ability to explore complex relationships and situations with great depth and nuance. In this book, she delves into the challenges and rewards of a family structure that defies traditional norms.

The characters are well-developed and their emotions are palpable, making it easy for the reader to become invested in their stories.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thought-provoking and engaging literature.

Disappointing.

For a novel where relationships are central, the way the narrator relates to his mother, his cousin Buddy, and with his father's first wife, Madeline, is truly lackluster.

When Hamilton uses political affiliations to explain the divide between the characters, it seems artificial and forced to this reader.

Take Madeline, for example. She is raised as the narrator's sister after suffering brain damage in an accident. However, the plot simply meanders from one character to another without providing much in the way of new and profound insights.

It's as if the author is more interested in moving the story along rather than delving deep into the emotions and motivations of the characters.

As a result, the relationships feel shallow and unconvincing, leaving the reader with a sense of dissatisfaction.

Perhaps with more careful development and a greater focus on character psychology, this novel could have been a more engaging and thought-provoking read.

But as it stands, it fails to live up to its potential.

The life span of Mac, the main character, is almost precisely the same as my own.

Consequently, I can effortlessly identify with his childhood in the 1950s and 1960s.

Although my family definitely didn't possess an African American maid or a summer estate beside a lake.

The most evident theme of the story stems from the fact that Mac's father's first wife, who suffered a brain injury in a bicycle accident early in their marriage, remained a cherished member of the family.

She was tenderly cared for by Mac's mother, the second wife.

Did his mother engineer the divorce out of self-interest and deliberately impede the first wife's mental recovery, as Mac's aunt insinuates?

A powerful second theme centers around Mac's mother's liberal political beliefs and the continuous conflict with the same aunt regarding these views.

The conflict is reflected in the differences between Mac and his cousin, Buddy, particularly when the Vietnam War compels choices upon them.

This is an uncomplicated read that provides ample food for thought.

I was truly anticipating that this book would delve deeper into the aspects of how a person such as Madeline managed to integrate herself into a family that might have been hers under different circumstances. Additionally, I was eager to learn about how the various family members coped with their rather unique family configuration. However, to my disappointment, the book turned out to be more focused on the general experience of growing up in the suburbs during the 1960s. In this context, Madeline was merely one of numerous supporting characters, not receiving the central attention that I had initially expected.

It seems that the author missed an opportunity to explore the more complex and interesting dynamics that could have arisen from Madeline's situation and the family's response to it. Instead, the narrative seemed to gloss over these potentially rich storylines in favor of a more broad and somewhat generic portrayal of suburban life during that era.

Overall, while the book did offer some insights into the time period, it fell short of meeting my expectations in terms of its exploration of the specific themes related to Madeline and the family.

My first encounter with a book by Jane Hamilton left a lasting impression on me. I truly liked it.

At the very beginning, Hamilton sets the stage with a shocking premise. The narrator's eldest sister, Madeline, is actually the first wife of the narrator's father. Just a few months after getting married to his father, Madeline has a bicycle accident. When she recovers, she ends up with the mind of a 7-year-old child.

I initially thought the story would follow the melodramatic path of Jodi Piccoult's novels, which often use rare medical conditions to create a convoluted family drama filled with deeply emotional characters, designed to bring tears to the eyes of her female fans. But I was wrong. Maybe this is why Jane Hamilton's novels aren't as popular as Jodi Piccoult's, but it definitely doesn't mean they are inferior. In fact, Jane Hamilton has the sensitivity of Alice McDermott. Both this novel and McDermott's Pulitzer-finalist novel, After This, tackle American family drama with the Vietnam War as a backdrop, depicting the ordinary drama of Heartland USA.

Jane Hamilton's characters aren't as wickedly strange as Anne Tyler's either. However, Hamilton's characters are just like you and me (even though I'm not an American), and it's not hard to relate to any of them. Madeline, despite being part of the book's title, isn't the main protagonist. The point of view 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. While Aaron and Julia are looking at the birds outside the hospital, they fall in love and decide to get married after Aaron's divorce paper (with Madeline) is approved.

Since the point of view is Mac's, the story jumps from the major premise of a beautiful Madeline with a 7-year-old child's brain as Hamilton skillfully diverts the tale to Mac and his relationship with his cousin Buddy. The story follows Mac from his life as a boy who discovers 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 a boy to a middle-aged man. The thoughts that play 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 cousins, mostly from my paternal side, with their own unique personalities. There's a drug-addict teenager male cousin who left home promising my auntie that he would come back rich someday. There's a rebellious sexually-liberated teenager female cousin who brought home a boyfriend and let him sleep on her bed, making my auntie cry outside the door. There's a grown-up male cousin who is now hiding from the police because he and his wife assaulted their neighbors over a money quarrel. And there's an intellectually-challenged male cousin who, when he was a college student, spent months inside the moviehouse in Novaliches with the daily allowance he got from my auntie.

My favorite cousin is also from my father's side of the family. We used to fight when we were young boys, but we also have many memories together. One of those memories was when I was in Grade 5 and we had our summer break in Baguio City. We, together with my brother, walked from our house to Loakan Airport, which was situated near the Kennon Road. From dusk to dawn, all of us little boys walked along the dangerous sidewalk-less length of the winding Kennon Road, armed only with sticks, jokes, and stories. I remember we were car-crazy boys then. We looked at each passing car and pointed out the ones we liked, dreaming of having one day.

Now, I have a Toyota. My brother in San Diego has three cars. My cousin, on the other hand, has none as he spends most of his life on ships, sailing the oceans around the world. He's a marine engineer and only sees cars at the ports where their ship disembarks along their 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 won't think twice about reading her other books when the opportunity presents itself.