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Madapple | 
| Author: Christina Meldrum
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $9.58
You Save: $7.41 (44%)
New (30) Used (12) from $8.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 29969
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.5
ISBN: 0375851763
EAN: 9780375851766
ASIN: 0375851763
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20081010212127T
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Product Description
THE SECRETS OF the past meet the shocks of the present.
Aslaug is an unusual young woman. Her mother has brought her up in near isolation, teaching her about plants and nature and language—but not about life. Especially not how she came to have her own life, and who her father might be.
When Aslaug’s mother dies unexpectedly, everything changes. For Aslaug is a suspect in her mother’s death. And the more her story unravels, the more questions unfold. About the nature of Aslaug’s birth. About what she should do next.
About whether divine miracles have truly happened. And whether, when all other explanations are impossible, they might still happen this very day.
Addictive, thought-provoking, and shocking, Madapple is a page-turning exploration of human nature and divine intervention—and of the darkest corners of the human soul.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Don't waste hours of your life reading this. October 3, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I don't even know where to begin with what is wrong with this book.--so I'll just start listing the issues I have with it.
1.There is no way this would be considered appropriate for young adults. Okay write what you want but don't try to sell adult material to teenagers!
2.Incest is a major part of the book. As a mother I'm not going to let my teenager read any such book especially when the only real consequence to this disgusting and disturbing act is that it is kept a secret and the offspring don't have a grasp of where they came from. In the real world there are serious biological problems with incest but not in this book.
3.All the major characters are extremely passive. Life happens to them, they don't make life happen. And how do you think they deal with their problems? Mind altering substances - otherwise known as drugs. Nothing like weak women to inspire our daughters. There might be one expectation to this and that is a lesser character named Rune. He seems to show some control of his life. But at the same time he conveniently gets away with illegal acts that real life kids don't.
4.Along the way there is a police officer and a social worker who turn a ridiculous blind eye to a miner who they know needs their help. Come on, I have more faith in the system than what this book blatantly portrays as useless.
5.The author also tries too hard to be deep. This attempt at depth just made me roll my eyes instead of rousing me.
6.Last but not least, the inappropriate language. Although swearing isn't major part of the book it certainly has a presence. And believe me you're reading the hard stuff. There is also deliberate profane blasphemy, not only in words but in actions - by a pastor no less.
With all that said I would like to tell the author that she pulled together many interesting facts and ideas from diverse subjects. She has the ability to write an interesting nonfiction book. Sadly, choosing to expound on her ideas around a story completely lost my respect.
 Interesting reading September 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is good for young adults or adults. The content is a bit much for young teens. It builds suspense until the end where it has an unrealistic conclusion. However, the information regarding myths, pagans, herbs, and religion, is interesting.
 fascinating story of one girl's struggle to find her history September 7, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
In Madapple, Christina Meldrum has created an entire world for the reader to inhabit. A world filled with the science of botany and the equivalent of a doctoral level course in the world's religions. Navigating this world, is the heroine Aslaug who is alternately fascinating, maddening, and clueless. She stumbles from one strange relationship w/her mother to another one with her aunt and cousins in her search to find connection beyond the narrow borders of the world her mother has consigned her to.
You will be drawn in by the details of the world and the ongoing mystery of Aslaug and her mother's life. The trial scenes, told in alternating chapters, are fast-paced and provide a welcome straight forward dialogue to the complex narrative in the other chapters.
A unique novel which is brilliantly complex and thought-provoking, though the ending falters. Highly recommended July 29, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Aslaug has been brought up in near isolation by her mother, taught a wealth of knowledge including the lore and uses of local plants. Orphaned by her mother's sudden death, Aslaug sets out to find the family that she never knew she had, leading her into a dense mystery of botany, religion, genealogy--and tragedy. This is a startling and unique book: its intriguing premise, ongoing mystery, and unusual protagonist keep the reader hooked, and the numerous subjects provide ample food for thought. Unfortunately, the pacing becomes increasingly hurried as the book goes on, shortchanging the conclusion and the myriad themes. Nonetheless I recommend Madapple--while not perfect, it is a captivating novel rich with unusual subjects, complex characters, and careful thought.
Regional herbalism and botanical mythology; Pentecostal Christianity, paganism, and virgin births; mysterious genealogies, familial relationships, and potential incest; murder investigations, adolescence, appearance and reality, events and motivations--Madapple is a rich combination of a plethora of subjects and themes. The variety may seem random and illogical, but Meldrum weaves these many aspects into one whole--a whole which is all the more meaningful and unique for its complexity. Balancing characters against subjects and plot against surprisingly natural exposition, combining herbalism and religion so smoothly that they appear intrinsically connected, Meldrum creates an intriguing, convincing, unique novel. Aslaug explores an unusual world from an even more unusual viewpoint, and her journey is captures the reader and provides plenty of of food for thought.
Meldrum's subjects are bold and, on the whole, brilliantly realized--but the latter half of the book moves at an increasingly fast pace, and there simply isn't enough time to explore later subjects to the depths they deserve. The increasing pace, skipping weeks and then months and then years, allows the book to cover more plot but mostly serves to make the reader wonder why Meldrum didn't simply condense the plotline. The conclusion itself is too brief and seems artificially complete, even more so because of the complexity of the story that proceeds it, and the last exploration of the book's themes ring true but also a bit trite.
This isn't to say that the end of book is a disappointment: the plot has a satisfying climax and many of the subjects and themes continue to the end. Nonetheless, the conclusion is not as good as it could be or as the rest of the book is. If it were better, this would be a spectacular novel. As it is, Madapple is intriguing, promising, and brave, strongly written with a mystical voice and a convincing protagonist, containing more complexity in its premise alone than many novels contain in their entire length--but it is not all that it could be. I enjoyed it and I highly recommend it to all readers, youth or adult (for its complexity and some of the subject matter, I'm not convinced it belongs in the YA category; I think it is best for older teens and adults), who find the concept intriguing. It is a rare gift to find a book that stretches so far and aims so high as this does. But I also look forward to more from Meldrum, to see what she can achieve now that she has the experience of one published novel.
Courtesy of Teens Read Too July 26, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I finished reading MADAPPLE last night and, for the first time ever, I sat staring at the book in shock. For fifteen minutes. I was ready to laugh, to cry, and to scream in frustration. Never before have I read a book that left me feeling that way after finishing it. Sure, there have been books where I've laughed, cried, and been frustrated at different points as I read it (HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS comes to mind) -- but to experience them all at once at the end of a book? Never.
Once the shock wore off, I began wondering how I was ever going to write a review of this book. Because a book that can cause emotions like that definitely can NOT be summed up in one paragraph, no matter how long. I could say that MADAPPLE was about flowers and plants. I could also say that it's about a girl who's a prisoner in her own life. I could also say that it challenges the religion of Christianity. I could say all of those things and so many more, but none of them would be correct. Yes, MADAPPLE is about flowers and plants. It's also about being a prisoner in your own life and it's even about Christianity. But it's also about so much more than that. More than even my mind can comprehend.
But I must warn you - MADAPPLE is NOT for everyone
Told in alternating chapters of the present and of testimonies being held at Aslaug's trial, MADAPPLE challenges the reader. It informs the reader. I, myself, though not a strong Christian, know by now that most Christians are offended when their religion is challenged. MADAPPLE does that. But I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing, for it never states that Christianity is wrong, and every single character has their own opinion on it. Heck, one of them even runs a church. But what it does do is explain how the birth and story of Jesus that the Christians follow is not the first in history. I'm not going to say more on that subject in fear of giving too much away, but I'll say this - if you're a Christian who is easily offended, I wouldn't read this. If you're a Christian who can handle a reasonable amount of things, pick up the book.
My feelings about MADAPPLE changed throughout the entire book. At first, I was intrigued, then confused, and then bored. Actually, I think I was confused up until the last page and then some. Even at this moment, I can't say whether I love or hate MADAPPLE. But I'm going to say that I love it because it's left me speechless, and the only other books to have done that are my favorites. The one thing, however, this book didn't do was make my stomach hurt. The character emotions just weren't there to make my heart break. All other aspects, besides that, which I love in books were there.
So do I recommend MADAPPLE? Definitely yes! But only if you're up for a challenging read. Only if you're mature enough to handle speculations about virgin and premarital birth. Only if you're ready to be blown away, because you will be, whether it's in a good or bad way. Only you can make that decision.
Reviewed by: Harmony
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