I love this book. It is probably my third time through it. It just helps me understand how much I am loved.

*3.5 stars*

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I really enjoyed it and took a lot from it. I loved Madeleine sharing her experience with writing, talking about how she writes and why she writes. I loved the explanation of the importance and purpose of story in writing. She shared how a car accident she experienced in which she was seriously injured, affected her faith and her relationship with God as well as the stories that she learned from it.

The chapters all talk about one aspect of story as she defines it: homecoming, a family affair, afffirmation of God's love, the search for truth, scripture, the Lord's prayer, community, joy, good news, a creative act, a redemptive act, and resurrection. It was very encouraging to see how her faith intersects and is interwoven with her writing and writing life. I found it very helpful as a writer and as a Christian. It's not a light read, but it's a good one.

A lovely reflection on Story, and how crucial it is to our growth, our formation, and inspiration for our lives. The main "inspiration" that L'Engle gave me here was a further prod to return to Scripture and deepen my knowledge of it.

This book was a delightful devotion on the ways that story communicates things that cannot be said in any other way - and how they are more true for being told, for being stori-fied. The stories we tell reveal what we believe about the world and shape our being in the world. They can even call us to ways of being in the world that no lesson or proverb ever could.

Do not prepare for a novel or a story told in these pages, however. These are meditations, reflections, and devotions. You need not even read the whole thing. I highly recommend Chapter 4: Story as Truth and Chapter 11: Story as Redemptive Act for the most original and powerful reflections.

I did get a chuckle out of the very 1990s context, which L'Engle appropriately references throughout the book, including responses to accusations of being too "New Age" to be a a Christian. Oh, how things change... and how they stay the same.

“The vocation of a storyteller is not to worry about the expectations of the world, but to bear the pain of redemption.”

I had never read any of Madeleine L’Engle’s books before this point, mostly because my to-read pile is stacked higher than I can ever hope to finish. But back in May, I went on a quarantine book-buying spree (anyone else do that?) ...and this one, “The Rock That Is Higher,” caught my eye. So here we are, with another book I’m so glad I didn’t pass by.

Madeleine tells the story of her accident, a brutal crash that almost took her life. Sometimes she wished it did. But during her time in recovery, she realized she had more to share about who God was to her; about story, and its saving elements; about “the bonds of literalism” that Christ tore in two with the Incarnation.

Madeleine, thank you for reaffirming our identity as more than we know, and what we’ve always had a sense of - as the true princess, the younger son, the enchanted beast, and the wise old woman. Thankful for these elements of fairy tale that help us understand the redemptive narrative of our own story.

I'm generally a fan of Madeleine L'Engle, but I had some problems with this one. I appreciated the sections where she recounted a horrific car accident that kept her hospitalized and in recovery for some time. I also liked her emphasis on the truth of the Bible's great narratives, and how they speak to our lives in this world. But L'Engle's idea of Biblical "truth" is not the same as mine. She does not see God's Word as being infallible and inerrant; she speaks about the myths of the Bible, which "contain" truth but cannot be understood as literal truth. The God of Deuteronomy, for example, is an angry, tribal god. She has disparaging things to say about Sunday school teachers who teach children stories of a vengeful God, and there is quite a bit of criticism for those who would take a literal stance on Scripture. Aside from this, the writing of this particular book seems more rambling and less organized in places, with strange breaks in the narrative that distracted me. Overall, not my favorite.

Essential for writers (or anyone in the arts) of faith.

Great book. I found profound intellectual and spiritual refreshment. The book expanded my world view through the author's deep faith and further insight into the power of story. I especially enjoyed the section on fairy tale and also the chapter on Resurrection. I almost underlined everything. Plus, she shares a lot with writers or people who value story. She continues to be one of my favorite authors. On another note, this book took me a LONG time to read. It is so thought-provoking!

This book profoundly changes my understanding of Truth.

The Rock That Is Higher

Story as Truth

by Madeleine L’Engle

Crown Publishing

Convergent Books

Christian

Pub Date 18 Sep 2018

I am reviewing a copy of The Rock That Is Higher through Crown Books and Netgalley:

In this book beloved author Madeline L Engle reminds us that story captures our Hearts and Feeds our imaginations. Story reminds us who we are and where we come from and it gives us meaning and directions in our lives as we learn to see it as an affirmation of God’s love and truth. Our acknowledgement of our longing if the rock in the wilderness.

L’ Engle draws upon her own experiences as well as tales in literature and selected scripture to bring us this book.

I give The Rock that is Higher five out of five stars!

Happy Reading

Last fall, my sister-in-law’s father drove off a straight road on a clear morning and rolled his car. It didn’t look like he made any attempts to stop. His phone alerted the police who sent paramedics to his location and took him to the hospital.

He went from joking with the police officers to emergency surgery to life support in the ICU within hours. There he remained for months. In the first month I visited, sitting in the ICU waiting room entertaining my niece, while my sister-in-law sat vigil by her father’s bed.

People came and left, many died, while her father slept. I watched families in the waiting room, saw them smile at my little niece as a distraction from their unimaginable grief.

I picked up snippets of conversation. Most people were there because of car accidents, more and more motorcycles accidents and one teenage girl had been shot by a boyfriend. Another young woman collapsed and no one knew why. The family was more confused than anything.

“We just need to know what happened,” they said.

In the middle of this waiting room place I remember Madeleine L’Engle’s account of the car accident that almost took her life. The truck that ran the red light, broke her bones and lacerated her organs.

Thus begin The Rock That is Higher, an account of healing and the things which heal us. Story is healing.

L’Engle explores story as she sits in her hospital bed, weaving together her personal journey, truths she’s found, stories she’s heard and Scripture. After reading The Rock That is Higher I find I’m consciously reading Scripture as healing narrative which rings more true than the ways I used to read. I find I’m seeing grief as narrative.

Last year was very difficult for my sister-in-law but her father’s entering the year in rehab with his own story of healing, of miracles and of truth. When I visited two weeks ago he said something very similar to L’Engle after her accident, “There’s still a lot left for me to do.”

L’Engle says, “Someone told me that the difference between happiness and joy is sorrow.” Story leads us into a much deeper, richer, more redemptive human experience, which often comes only after sorrow.