A House Like a Lotus

L'Engle, M. ( 1985). A house like a lotus. New York: Random House.

ISBN: 978-80440936855

Annotation: Polly is faced with the trials and tribulations of growing up as she falls in love, loses her virginity, and has to watch the slow death of her friend by cancer.

Summary: Polly O'Keefe is introduced to Max, a friend of her uncle's. Max is a wealthy woman, a lesbian who is dying of cancer. She gives Polly many gifts of wisdom and insight, but one night, she is drunk and tries to seduce Polly. Polly takes off, very upset and refuses to see her again. However, she agrees to still go on a trip to Greece that Max had arranged and learns all about forgiveness.

Evaluation: In typical L'Engle fashion, Polly is a heroine for all ages. Her moods and angst and confusion will be familiar to all teens as she struggles with friends, a boyfriend, and how to deal with Max's dying. This is a highly controversial book, dealing as it does with lesbianism, Polly losing her virginity, and Max's attempted seduction. It's a heavy, emotional book but reads as easily and well as an action story.

Age Level: 15+