Absolutely stellar, and full of insight on life, the arts, relationships, and faith. L'Engle's "agnostic faith," as she calls it, is one of the most fascinating threads, and although the book is intentionally "episodic" (it is a journal, after all) this particular thread is actually resolved in one of the final entries, and is a compelling story all on its own.

Among the many other things I appreciated was how Madeleine talks about things like the generational gap, the problems of war and the environment that are left for her children, and the often unnoticed complexity of people we dismiss out of hand. It reminds me that "there is nothing new under the sun," but in a way that's oddly comforting. If others have faced these dilemmas, and emerged with helpful and enlightening stories to share, then perhaps we're not so bad off after all.

I experienced conflicting emotions reading this. I grew up reading and thriving on both the fiction and essays of C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton and Charles Williams and recognised the echoes in this book. While some of her wisdom resonated, too much of it came across as grumpy , opinionated and rambling.

I admired her honesty and boldness in approaching her local clergyman to explain she did not accept Christian belief but needed to live as if she did and request that he accept her as a church member on that basis. I don’t accept many of her opinions, including her assertion that preaching and teaching are aligned activities.

This is a book which needs to be a conversation- a to-ing and fro-ing of argument in search of truth or agreement. It is not carefully enough crafted as a book - even though (or perhaps especially because) it is a book about writing. Stream of consciousness does not cut it for me when conveying ideas and philosophy.

For all that I finished the book and found some of it thought-provoking. I particularly liked her assertion that we are afraid of the dark - in all its manifestations. These are the kind of gems I used to get from Lewis, Chesterton and Williams. Their writings were, however, more economical and disciplined.

Nevertheless, I finished feeling somehow renewed and nourished. In spite of the frustration I think I might read more of the Crosswick journals.

July 2018

Revisiting this book after quite a while away was like seeing an old friend. So many lines from the book have permeated my vernacular so deeply that I had forgotten their provenance. It's a book that has really shaped me over the years, and re-reading it was a reminder of just how much that's true.


---
2000

Would recommend: Yes

I recommend this book to anyone who's going through a tough time, since it was written during a wave of rejections that Madeleine L'Engle received for A Wrinkle in Time. That said, the thoughts in this memoir are applicable at any point in life, and it is a great introduction to L'Engle outside of her fictional characters.

I've finally decided to abandon this one. I've dipped in and out of it for a while and although I enjoyed some of it, I just wasn't usually excited to pick it up. It seems that maybe I'm not yet at a stage of life to appreciate it, so I might revisit it in the future, especially because I love much of her fiction and liked some of these essays. Also, our religious beliefs are different enough to make it hard to connect with her philosophical essays. I can appreciate that it's well-written, but it just isn't for me right now.

So many wonderful thoughts and ideas in here. Yes to 30s being HARD! Yes to our culture's stilted response to death! Yes to self vs self-image! I went to New York while reading this and was able to visit St John the Divine in her honor. She is probably the writer who has had the biggest impression on me from childhood until now. I read the New Yorker article that talks about her life being more complicated than her writing about it, but that happens. Her storytelling is transcendent, even in memoirs.

It's hard to believe this book was published in 1972 because her words are so perfectly suited as a message to today's society. I read this book slowly and absorbed her words and their meanings. What a wise, kind, spunky, and funny woman she was. I see her as both Meg and the three Mrs. W's, as well as Aunt Beast. This book gave me good advice and spoke to my soul. And when I think of the fact that I was only 7 years old when it was published, I feel she's been with me on this life's journey all along. These words were meant for me to read at exactly this time in my life.

Even better the second time around.

Stellar. She writes exquisitely of being and writing.

Educators and parents need to read this. Reflect upon this. Work to emulate this for our children. If they open their minds and read this work, they will find the value of more than rote math and computer programs aimed at reading intervention. They will find the truth of teaching our children to be grateful for humanity over devices and attractions (distractions), and, in the process, may even find a way to bring joy and compassion back into the human condition. The simplicity of the journal allows for a depth we miss today, but it is part of what we search for in our “more” society.

A beautiful memoir but so much more than a memoir, in a rambling fashion she reflects on so many things about life, the joggling of family and career, spiritual journeys, our place in the world, and mostly about writing - I was fascinated to be in a writer’s shoes during this read.

There are passages of solid wisdom, many great references to literature, education, christianity in the culture, the universe and its mystery. I have really enjoyed those about imagination, paradox and the unanswerable, about humility and hubris.

I was also struck anew by the importance of keeping a journal - in her case it was also a treasure trove for the novels she wrote, but most importantly, a way of not losing oneself, the lessons, the journeys.
“To be half a century plus is wonderfully exciting, because I haven't lost any of my past, and I am free to stand on the rock of all that the past has taught me as I look to the future.”

I've loved reading for as long as I remember. However, I do remember two books that my second grade teacher read aloud to our class that would affect the genre I would love for the rest of my life: (until present day anyway!) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and A Wrinkle in Time.

So when I saw this book written by the author of A Wrinkle in Time, I was eager to read it and learn more about her.

Crosswicks is the name of her New England farmhouse. As she writes this "letter" she describes it, she has just celebrated her fiftieth birthday, and during the summers four generations stay in her old house.
n  Every so often I need OUT;...-away from all these people I love most in the world-in order to regain a sense of proportion.
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.n

From this circle of quiet, she writes about many different things. She talks about religion and Christianity. She talks about what she finds the meaning of her life to be. Of course she talks about creativity, writing, art,and teaching throughout the book and she often uses other famous authors in her observations. My favorite part is when she discusses how she is still joyful despite being unhappy or in pain. She discusses so many different things. Some of her observations are more meaningful to me than other issues. But for those points alone, and for whatever things will be meaningful to you, this short book is worth a read.

Recommended for people interested in memoirs, writing or Madeleine L'Engle

This book was provided by NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

L'Engle is currently one of my favorite authors, and this book pretty much sums her up. A Circle of Quiet is a book about ontology, the study of the world from a bigger perspective in a bigger sphere ( as defined by me, not Webster.) Enough said, I suppose. This book came at the most perfect time for me, and I definitely was deeply impacted by her journal-like writing that takes the reader through L'Engle's mind as she shares her insights and thoughts.