Glimpses of Grace: Daily Thoughts and Reflections

by Madeleine L'Engle

For half a century, Madeleine L'Engle has spun magic with words, touching millions of lives and earning a devoted readership with her award-winning fiction, candid reflections on her personal and family life and graceful meditations on faith. Now, Glimpses of Grace captures the essence of L'Engle's literary gift in one unprecedented volume. Ranging freely throughout L'Engle's remarkable lifework of more than 40 volumes of fiction and nonfiction, adventure stories, family dramas, autobiography and religious commentary, editor Carole P. Chase has collected evocative passages and arranged them as daily readings that offer illuminating bits of wisdom, provocative insight, and, above all, engaging and intelligent daily inspiration. With enduring power and resonance, each of these 366 rich selections speaks to the simple joys and sorrows of daily life and the deepest questions of the human heart and spirit, while reflecting the exhilarating artistry of one of the most spiritually alive and articulate storytellers of this century.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion, Devotional, Christian, Faith, Theology

384 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

Madeleine L'Engle was an American writer of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time. Her works reflect both her Christian faith and her strong interest in modern science.

Reviews

[ladydusk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this over the course of the year. I may not always agree, but I always think. Very few people write like Madeleine L'Engle.

[Gheeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have to say that this is one of my new favorite books that will remain in my annual rotation for years to come. I did not read it as a daily devotional, but rather in sips and gulps as I needed spiritual refreshment during the past couple of months. It is full of L'Engle's unique spiritual reflections on God, Christianity, spirituality, and humanity, written through the lens of her vast personal anthology. Daily reflections are pulled from several of her works of literature varying from children's stories, poetry, adult novels, and her own writings on spirituality and Scriptures.

This is an especially good book if you are familiar with L'Engle's works, but even if you are not there are jewels of spirituality that reflect Truth. I'm glad that I started reading this when I did for I have found healing in the words. I'm sure I will read this again very soon.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

366 excerpts from the works of L’Engle arranged as daily readings by editor Chase.

L’Engle was of a previous generation (1918 to 2007) and her works reflect it. Very much hung up on the issues and trends of mid-twentieth century, her ideas have a quaint aspect which is not immediately obvious to the reader. Not that many of her thoughts aren’t profound, but they reflect a Cold war environment that current readers will have trouble understanding. She, and we, thought nuclear holocaust was a real possibility. Her reflections on nature and man’s place in it are still relevant.

L’Engle was a well-known Christian fiction writer. These “reflections” could well be used a daily devotions. Worthwhile.

[Katie Noah Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of quotes from Madeleine's books - beautiful, thought-provoking words for every day of the year. I've been reading it nearly all year and finally decided to review it. :)

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

GLIMPSES OF GRACE is a compilation of excerpts pulled from Madeleine L'Engle's expansive canon. It is structured with the idea that you would read one passage a day, be it a poem, a journal entry or essay snippet, or a novel passage. As I received this for my September birthday, I wasn't inclined to wait until January to begin, so I threw all order out the window. I began with January and would read any number of passages. I kept it in my car, and typically I would pick it up to read for a couple minutes after I did school drop-off, before heading to work or back home.

I'm chronically slow with reading physical books as of late -- my current season has audiobooks and ebooks taking the forefront due to the ease with which I can engage with them while driving/doing work around the house and reading in stolen moments, since my Kindle is never far off. However, this book was a gift from my sister, and I didn't want it to be neglected, thus the solution to have it close at hand in my car for most weekdays.

Some excerpts translate better than others to this medium (it's hard to have the same impact from a single page pulled from a novel rather than reading it in its entirety and fully grasping the meaning), but this gives a taste to L'Engle's prolific range of work and I enjoyed the moments of quiet. It's whetted my appetite to read more of L'Engle's work.

With its conclusion, though, I'll have to examine what book might lend itself to take the place of this weekday morning practice. I look forward to considering what might be a natural book to fit these constraints.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book for a few years and take it in doses whenever my heart needs some nourishment. Madeleine L’Engle poured her heart, her beliefs, her spirituality, her being into her writing and this collection of those thoughts is just perfect.

[Anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Glimpses of Grace" is filled with thought-provoking excerpts from L'Engle's various books for daily devotional use. I loved this book so much that I bought my own copy to read again on a daily basis throughout the new year. Her wisdom generated many deep conversations between my husband and me and he never tired of me saying, "Oh, this is SO GOOD! Can I read this to you?" He was actually very excited to hear the day's topic and ruminate on L'Engle's timeless wisdom with me. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another 4.5. Used as a devotional for a year, starting in July last. Although each entry was short, they were nearly all very thought-provoking and memorable. I recognized that I had come full circle through the year without marking it, as I recognized the first reading a year later.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Madeleine L'Engle. This tome was a delight.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never fail to inspire

[Sue Ronnenkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second or third journey through this daily reading book. Always get something new of value every time.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise: a daily devotional of sorts, relying heavily on L'Engle's autobiographical works and scripture commentary. Most of this is variations on a theme, and it's probably best to read these one at a time, rather than blitzing through them as book (as I did) so as to best appreciate and contemplate her words. Carole Chase did a lovely job at arranging L'Engle's works into a loosely coherent collection of themes.

Bookmarked passages:

"Slowly I have realized that I do not have to be qualified to do what I am asked to do, that I just have to go ahead and do it, even if I can't do it as well as I think it ought to be done. This is one of the most liberating lessons of my life." (February 5, pg 33, from And It Was Good: Reflections on Beginnings. I don't necessarily agree with the application of this thought in all circumstances, though.)

"One evening [Red, a seventeen-year-old boy who lived in our building in New York,] came in as I was, as usual, banging away on the typewriter. 'Madeleine, are you afraid of death?' I turned around. 'Of course, Red.' 'Thank God. Nobody's ever admitted it to me before.' I've had people tell me they aren't afraid of death. I don't think I believe them any more than I believe writers who tell me they don't care what anybody thinks of their work. My agnostic faith does not, at its worst, include pie in the sky. If it runs along the same lines as does William James's, it cannot evade acceptance of responsibility, judgement, and change. Whatever death involves, it will be different, a venture into the unknown, and we are all afraid of the dark." (February 28, pg 54, from A Circle of Quiet)

"The kind of unself-consciousness I'm thinking about becomes clearer to me when I turn to a different discipline: for instance, that of playing a Bach fugue at the piano, precisely because I will never be a good enough pianist to play a Bach fugue as it should be played. But when I am actually sitting at the piano, all there is for me is the music. I am wholly in it, unless I fumble so badly that I perforce become self-conscious. Mostly, no matter how inadequate my playing, the music is all that matters: I am outside time, outside self, in play, in joy. When we can play with the unself-conscious concentration of a child, this is: art: prayer: love." (June 25, pg 163, from A Circle of Quiet. Reminds me a lot of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, actually.)

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good in sections, and contained the occasional jewel.

The books layout as a 365 day devotional was too awkward for me. The back and forth between personal scriptural insight and fiction was a bit off putting, and it doesn’t flow well.

It’d be hard for me to recommend this book, while I’d readily recommend Madeleine.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of daily readings by Madeleine L'Engle for each day of the year. It includes excerpts from her novels and autobiographical works, poetry, and more. This will be a good resource to use individually or in groups for meditation and prayer, privately or in groups. It also includes a detailed and useful index.

[Jan Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely collection for anyone who enjoyed L'Engle in childhood. Very comforting, thoughtful, and optimistic. Perfect reading for when life becomes challenging.

[Nyrb]

Her devotionals definitely appeal to those who need a more logical, scientific approach to faith. Well worth the read.

[Megan Byrd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A year-long devotional of quotes and writings from Madeleine L’Engle. Some were particularly insightful and encouraging, others not.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely way to begin each day, with passages both familiar and new. This just cemented my opinion of L’Engle as one of my all-time favorite authors!

[Miss Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I truly enjoyed this daily reader with its selections from Madeleine's journals, fiction, essays, and poetry.

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will miss my daily dose of Madeline.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of daily thoughts and reflections taken from Madeleine L'Engle's writings. Probably they expect people to read only one day's thought as a sort of devotion for that day and then think about it throughout the day. However, either personally or situationally, I just don't read books like that so it took me far less time that I year to read this book. It was a thoughtful and reverent book.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved, loved, LOVED these readings as my morning ritual in 2016. L'Engle is both mystic and pragmatic with the ability to share stories of faith in an accessible way. Reading these daily bits of L'Engle's wisdom has inspired me to want to read her body of work in a more conscientious way. I'll highly recommend this book to anyone looking for daily inspiration with a strong undercurrent of reality.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carole Chase compiled excerpts from L'Engle's books, both fiction and non-fiction, to create a book of daily meditations. The subjects somewhat coincide with the church calendar. It's nice if you are familiar with L'Engle's characters and storylines, but if you aren't you might miss the larger meaning on some days. As daily devotional books go, it would have to be one of my favorites.

[Charlanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Madeleine L'Engle and enjoy having a daily reflection or meditation of some sort, this is a great read. However, it leaves you wanting to know and read more, whether it's of her books or of the God she describes, so if you can handle the tension of a book leaving you with a desire you are not sure how to fulfill, then grab it.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful little book. 366 excerpts from Madeleine L'Engle's writings arranged into daily readings that fit with the seasons and holidays. Some of the excerpts are more inspiring than others, but they're all very reflective. For me it was like spending a few minutes each with an older brilliant relative. I'm kinda bummed it's over.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of her books that I read all the time. I had never read her children's books but had to after reading the quotes from them in this book.

A treasure and a thank you to my sister who gave to me as a birthday gift.

[Kerith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for readers already familiar with Madeleine L'Engle's spiritual writings. Carole Chase has carefully put together a devotional-style book with a reading for each day of the year. Good for quick sips of a favorite author's words.

[Aneta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. So many wise words..quotable quotes.. L'Engle makes me think about things in a new way and gives words and validation to things I think about. This a great book to have on hand for reading and savoring a few minutes at a time. Definitely a book to reread.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book at the beginning of the year and it is wonderful. I truly look forward to reading it each day.

[Sonja · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected something more unique and it is mostly excerpts from her books.