false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1190942630m/14358.jpg 14358 13 After a tumultuous year in New York City, the Austins are spending the summer on the small island where their grandfather lives. He's very sick, and watching his condition deteriorate as the summer passes is almost more than Vicky can bear. To complicate matters, she finds herself as the center of attention for three very different boys.<p> Zachary Grey, the troubled and reckless boy Vicky met last summer, wants her all to himself as he grieves the loss of his mother. Leo Rodney has been just a friend for years, but the tragic loss of his father causes him to turn to Vicky for comfort&mdash;and romance. And then there's Adam Eddington. Adam is only asking Vicky to help with his research on dolphins. But Adam&mdash;and the dolphins&mdash;may just be what Vicky needs to get through this heartbreaking summer.<p> <hr> <div><b>"This wasn't the first tie that I'd come close to death, but it was the first time I'd been involved in this part of it, this strange, terrible saying goodbye to someone you've loved."</b> <p> These are Vicky Austin's thoughts as she stands near Commander Rodney's grave while her grandfather, who himself is dying of cancer, recites the funeral service. Watching his condition deteriorate over that long summer is almost more than she can bear. Then, in the midst of her struggle, she finds herself the center of attention for three young men. Leo, Commander Rodney's son, turns to her as an old friend seeking comfort but longing for romance. Zachary, whose attempted suicide inadvertently caused Commander Rodney's death, sees her as the one sane and normal person who can give some meaning to his life. And Adam, a serious young student working at the nearby marine-biology station, discovers Vicky, his friend's little sister, incipient telepathic powers that can help him with his experiments in dolphin communications. Vicky finds solace and brief moments of peace in her poetry, but life goes on around her, and the strain intensifies as she confronts matters of love and of death, of dependence and of responsibility, universal concerns that we all must face. The inevitable crisis comes and Vicky must rely on openness, sensitivity, and the love of others to overcome her private grief. Once again, Madeleine L'Engle has written a story that reveals in the drama of vividly portrayed characters and events the spiritual and moral dimensions of common human experiences. 1234050 book 1980 A Ring of Endless Light (Austin Family, Book 4) total:4100|5:1622|4:1448|3:856|2:145|1:29| 4100 16789 4929 203 2 2 false true Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1995 Sun Apr 20 21:22:09 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 20 21:22:09 -0700 2008 5 1 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Sat Jan 05 05:17:12 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 05 05:17:54 -0800 2008
Vicky Austin goes to her grandfather’s house on Seven Bay Island. Each day, ...more...]]> 5 1 true false Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1993 Sat Nov 08 18:39:17 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 03 18:58:15 -0800 2009 4 more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1992 Thu Mar 05 09:44:21 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 09:49:10 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Jul 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jan 05 12:57:55 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 06 14:19:19 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 06 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 07 17:42:26 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 07 17:50:12 -0800 2008 2
Although there ...more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Mar 09 14:40:04 -0800 2007 Fri Mar 09 14:42:17 -0800 2007
Needless to say, I caught on when I realized t...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Oct 21 20:07:33 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 21:01:45 -0700 2009
The back of the book and the first few chapters it seemed like a realistic fi...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon May 25 06:41:12 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 08:41:54 -0700 2009
However, from what I remember, I think she paints the Austins as a perfect family, which doesn't exist. Also, though this is not at all a "naughty" romance novel, and more of a young-adult book (alth...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Apr 19 20:47:44 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 20:47:44 -0700 2009 Dazzles the darkness in my heart
And breaks apart the dusky clouds of night.
The end of all is hinted in the start.

When we are born we bear the seeds of plight;
Around us life and death are torn apart,
Yet a great ring...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jul 31 22:38:13 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 14:29:31 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 08 18:38:13 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 08 18:47:41 -0700 2009
Unfor...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 1999 Mon Dec 22 22:29:19 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 01 18:12:01 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jul 24 11:05:54 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 24 11:13:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Mar 14 09:41:50 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 09:50:47 -0700 2009 8 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Nov 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 10:02:06 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 10:22:14 -0800 2008 A Wrinkle in Time series, but it has its own magic. I haven't read the first three Austin books, but I might now. I would love to be part of their discussions.

I listed it as a teen book because the heroine is 15 and...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Feb 27 09:16:43 -0800 2008 Thu Sep 17 13:15:59 -0700 2009 4? 5? more? The author's talent for lyricism and word usage shines brightly in this book, as does her understanding of love and loss, life and death. It's a story about growing up and discovering who you are, but al...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Tue Sep 11 22:32:16 -0700 2007 Thu Feb 21 10:02:45 -0800 2008 Meet the Austins.
Vicki's grandfather is dying of leukemia and her fami...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Wed Jul 25 14:55:58 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 25 14:55:58 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jun 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 24 08:31:54 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 24 08:35:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=14358