From the Bookshelf of EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club…

A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet, #1)

Madeleine L'Engle

Start date: April 1, 2018

Finish date: April 30, 2018

Discussion: CLASSICS READS

Why we're reading this: Group Pick for Apr '18 - Classics…more
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CLASSICS READS

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Jul 23, 2010 Dana Wallace - Not Enough Books, Not Enough Time rated it liked it

Originally posted on NOT ENOUGH BOOKS, NOT ENOUGH TIME

So, there are a few things you all need to know about this review and myself. But I don’t know if I want to tell because it shows how idiotic I can be.

- I did not know this was a series.
- This book has been on my bookshelf since 1997.
- This book was a filler. I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. Over the years, I think I have tried twice to read this book and didn’t get through the first three chapters. But I needed a short Originally posted on NOT ENOUGH BOOKS, NOT ENOUGH TIME

So, there are a few things you all need to know about this review and myself. But I don’t know if I want to tell because it shows how idiotic I can be.

- I did not know this was a series.
- This book has been on my bookshelf since 1997.
- This book was a filler. I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. Over the years, I think I have tried twice to read this book and didn’t get through the first three chapters. But I needed a short, quick read while waiting for books from the library. I was greatly surprised at how good this book was.
- But my biggest reaction to this book was how on earth is this a children’s novel.

I know there were a few times while I was reading that I had to put the book down and regroup because what L’Engle discusses is so deep that I couldn’t comprehend what she was getting at. I would have to go back and reread sections. This wasn’t a bad thing per say but for a child, I think the meat of the story would be missed. I think this is one of those books, like To Kill a Mockingbird, where the reader can go back at any given time in their life and learn something new and gain another lesson from the story. That is what makes a really good novel.

Another thing I did not know, again I must have been living under a rock when it came to this book, but I did not know Madeleine L’Engle was a Christian author. Sure, when I was reading A Wrinkle in Time, I couldn’t miss it, but doing more research, L’Engle was compared to other Christian authors, but knowing this it allowed me to see parallels to Biblical parables throughout the story, much like with Lewis and Tolkien. Some of it did seem a little forced to me, like it didn’t quite flow with the plot, but overall, it was another story of good versus evil.

Finally, because you all know me, I have to talk about the heroine.

I have never been a spectacle, red-headed ten year old, but I related to Meg so much, but it was on a emotional level. It was strange being an almost 24 year old relating to a 10 year old girl but at that age, I didn’t feel I was adequate. I had an older brother who was brilliant and athletic and frankly, I thought, my parents favorite. I tried my hardest at school and athletics, I was great at sports but education took effort. I just never felt good enough. Meg went through these same emotions. Reading this book brought back some of these feelings. They were so raw and there, L’Engle didn’t drill it into your head but I think Meg was so relatable that a reader doesn’t have to put themselves into Meg’s shoes so much as they slip comfortably in. She isn’t the typical, strong, smart heroine that we expect in a young adult novel, but she comes into her own skin. Like we all must do in our own time.

In closing, I think this was a well written book, though you can tell it’s dated. But that doesn’t take away from the novel. Like I said, some of the Biblical references were forced but overall, enjoyable. The characters were fantastic, they felt like your next door neighbors. I’m not sure if I will go back and read the next installment in the Time Quintet but I don’t think it should be taken as a bad thing. I think I missed the window where this book was mysterious and enthralling, who knows I might go back in a couple years and find that window. I never say never, because you never know. ...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Nina rated it it was ok

I came back to this book because I remember reading it as a kid and being terribly confused. So I tried it again and it made much MORE sense this time around, but it still never really makes MUCH sense. If that makes sense? I do like wonder L'Engle evokes regarding the universe, but it just didn't come together for me. Descriptions of Mrs Whatsit that compare her to a centaur but not really like a centaur at all make my mind go mushy. Newbery or not--no thanks. ...more

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