The kind of book that I will never consider fully read, as it will be constantly re-read. A book to dip into and quote when things get tough. A book to inspire and guide, whether you agree or disagree with all that she says. A book all women writers, especially mothers, need to read.

Library. Want to own.

Another memoir for the year. Based at least partially on her journals and the writing of A Wrinkle in Time, L'Engle writes about her own journey to faith, ontology, time, love, writing, and joy. She writes with such beauty and honesty about her life during this period: her life as a person and what that means.

I can't wait to read Summer of the Great-Grandmother.

Commonplace entries here.

Rereading this Madeline L'Engle book. So soothing. I do love her quirky way of thinking and writing in these journals. I spent a long time getting through this because I was reading so many other books at the same time.

i have such mixed feelings about this book. i very much share her aesthetic sense and her feelings on the purpose of art.

there's also a bit at the beginning that really resonates with me, where she talks about self-image getting in the way of art. how it's unavoidable to be shaped by other people's opinions of us but we must be careful who we use as mirrors. one thought in particular i've never seen anywhere else before, that enjoying compliments too much can be deadly to art.

but the moral and sociological reflections? mostly not my thing

Beautiful reflections on faith, family, and the art of writing. Exactly what I needed to read right now.

4.5 stars. I really loved this collection of essays. The thoughtful way L’Engle writes about community, reading, teaching, faith, and “mundane” life is inspiring and beautiful. There’s something nostalgic and classy about this type of writing. You feel elevated for having read it. Yet she also manages to share little human quirks and moments of pettiness that make her so, so relatable. It’s a book about big, messy, beautiful human experience, written by a dear childhood favorite, that expects you to stay with it and keep up - never for a moment do you feel as if it’s dumbed down (and I so appreciate that right now).

Inspirational

I found this inspirational, vulnerable and endearing. It is the first of the Crosswicks Journals I have read; I am eager to read and to know this woman and her family and her God and all the things and people who made her the enchanting woman she was.

So so. It doesn't quite hang together as a cohesive volume and L'Engle is a little preachy and superior in some parts in a way I found unappealing and uncharacteristic. I enjoyed reading about her struggles as a writer however.

It's hard to describe this one. A bit of a memoir, a bit of an essay, a bit of a fiction. A reflection about life, writing, faith, parenting and lots of other things. A bit aged but it makes it better I think.
It was like talking with a good friend over a cup of tea - cozy and nice, deep and familiar at the same time.

This book is non-fiction, written by the author of "A Wrinkle in Time". It would be especially helpful to aspiring writers.
"Every so often I need OUT. . . . My special place is a small brook in a green glade, a circle of quiet from which there is no visible sign of human beings. . . . I sit there, dangling my legs and looking through the foliage at the sky reflected in the water, and things slowly come back into perspective.
Set against the lush backdrop of Crosswicks, her family’s farmhouse in rural Connecticut, this deeply personal memoir details Madeleine L’Engle’s journey to find balance between her career as a Newbery Medal–winning author and her responsibilities as a wife, mother, teacher, and Christian.
As she considers the roles that creativity, family, citizenship, and faith play in her life, L’Engle reveals the complexities behind the author whose works—honored with the National Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and countless other prizes—have long been cherished by children and adults alike. Written in simple, profound, and often humorous prose, A Circle of Quiet is an insightful woman’s elegant search for the meaning and purpose of her life." synopsis copied

Read July 2009: "A great piece of literature does not try to coerce you to believe it or agree with it. A great piece of literature simply is." A Cirlce of Quiet, pg 201. This book is.

Reread January 2016: I enjoyed again all the thoughts that this book inspired me to ponder. It's a great book to pick up and savor in small doses.

This book makes me want to write!