Supposedly this is an award-winning children's book. It's considered a classic. And since I'd never read it, and it had all of those wonderful things going for it, I selected it for our next lunchtime read.

And I. Hated. This. Book.

The story is about three children. The first is Meg, who is a cranky, bitchy, rebellious, horrible middle school girl. She spends the entire book demanding attention, throwing temper tantrums, and clinging to people. She's supposed to be mildly 'gifted', but we never see ANYTHING more of that in the book, so it's just ridiculous. There's not one good thing about this child, and I hated her.

Then there's her little brother Charles Wallace, who is four or five years old but acts 38. It's WRONG. He's got some sort of brainy superpower that is never fully revealed to the reader, we're just supposed to believe he's 'special' and that when he's concentrating, something is happening (that never manifests to the reader). It's just STUPID.

And last there's Calvin, who just kind of shows up out of the blue several chapters into the book, and is the only actually gifted person in the bunch - but all he can do is be more eloquent than the siblings. So much for THAT gift. He's supposedly vaguely acquainted with Meg from school (he's a few years ahead of her), and based on that, they can hug and hold hands and we're supposed to think the blossomless 'relationship' between them is natural. It is NOT - it's too pat, too quick, and makes no sense, based on her 'ugliness' and crabbiness, alone.

If that weren't enough, the gov't sends the sibling's father into time/space and the family is left for two years to think he just disappeared on a business trip. The gov't would have a better story than that, hello. Just *SHODDY* writing.

The kids meet three 'women' (who are actually stars, or angels, or... we're never sure). They can go to any planet but they can't help the children in situations the author decides are taboo for no reason. They can give gifts, but they can't tell you what you need to do, or give advice, and they can barely even talk... It's just... WRONG! The whole book was a mess. It made no sense. It was preposterous and illogical and no amount of shoddily thrown in verses is going to change that.

When we finally ((FINALLY)) get to the crux of the plot, we find out that there's a disembodied brain trying to destroy planets with 'darkness' and 'evil' (both vaguely referenced as 'cold' and 'horrible'), and that to defeat it, all you need is LUVVVV. You're KIDDING. All of that slop just to get to THAT?!

Read something else. ANYTHING else. It was horrible.

n  n    “It was a dark and stormy night...”n  n

Okay, I haven’t read A Wrinkle in Time since fifth grade, so I was kind of nervous going into this. Yet, I was very pleasantly surprised, and I’m even more excited to see the new movie adaptation in March! I mean, this reads a little “old” and “simple” but it was still such a delight to read. I will say that I didn’t remember any of the religious/spiritual aspects that were woven in, so apparently fifth grade Melanie, who went to a Catholic school and everything, just pushed those out of her mind throughout the years.

The basic premise of A Wrinkle in Time, that I’m sure you all know, stars a young girl named Meg is one of four siblings in her family, and both of her parents are scientists. Meg and Charles are very intelligent, therefore outcasts, but where their twin siblings, who are of normal IQ, fit in just fine. One day, her father goes missing and Meg, Charles, and their new friend, Calvin, meet a very peculiar trio, who take them on an intergalactic adventure that they will never forget. They essentially travel by folding or “wrinkling” time.

Overall, this was a super enjoyable read, that totally did give me a swift kick in the nostalgia feels. Yet, I’m not sure how well it would hold up if this was your first time experiencing the story. I do feel like there is a little something here for everyone, and even though this is considered a middle grade book, I do think it holds up pretty well for most ages. And honestly? Even reading this in 2018, this is still a very unique book.

n  n    “There will no longer be so many pleasant things to look at if responsible people do not do something about the unpleasant ones.”n  n

This is a story about love, and family, and faith, and being able to think for yourself. I can totally understand why this is a literary classic, and I’m so happy I reread it! And now I’m totally pumped for the movie!



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Valentine's Day buddy (re)read with the beautiful Wren! ❤

How could this book never make my radar before now?!! If it were not for the upcoming movie, I do not think I would have sought the book out. It is unbelievable that such a profound piece of literature was never brought to my attention, especially when I was younger.

n  A Wrinkle in Timen is a simple and beautiful story of love, faith and strength woven into a tale of science and fantasy. There is no doubt that Madeleine L'Engle was deserving of receiving the Newberry Medal in 1963. Even by today's standards, it is phenomenal to have a school-aged girl as the primary character. Meg Murry's resilience and determination are truly commendable. She is a true warrior willing to protect her family and the life world she knows.

If you are in need of a story of unconditional love and joy, then consider reading or rereading this book. You will not be disappointed.

the book that first inspired me to tentatively pick up my pencil and my marbled black-and-white composition notebook (remember those?) and write (in 4th grade). the influence l'engle herself and her work have had on my life cannot be overstated. i met her many many years later, during college, when she was well into her 80s, but she was exactly as i pictured her-- spirited, engaging, challenging. when i (very nervously and shyly) told her that she gave me my first inspiration to write, she looked me in the eyes and, with a genuineness in her tone i can't describe, thanked me. i gave her my book to be autographed. she signed in it an handed it back to me. as i walked away, i read her inscription, which said, with love and a flourish, "ananda!" i admit it-- i had to look it up to find out what it meant and when i did, my respect for her grew even deeper (i won't get into the entire background of the word/name here, you can google it yourself). "ananda" means bliss or joy. it was so perfect, i nearly cried.

an amazing book and an amazing woman.

The story takes about 100 pages of tedious, banal dialogue, to get to the point where you are told that this is a battle against Evil, and all you need is love. But everything is so oversimplified, so sketchy--everything is reduced to big words, like IT, and evil. This IT, also called the Dark Thing, is striving to create a communist-type society where everyone conforms, down to the little children who bounce their balls in uniform rhythms and who live in cutter-box houses.

I liked Meg in the beginning, she was a believable character, filled with her own problems, and I really wanted for things to work out for her. But when she went on her journey, and especially since she got to that dreadful communist planet, she got hysterical. She did not “say” anything for half of the book--she yelled, gasped, screamed, cried, etc. She got ticked off at everyone for everything.

Then there might have been an indication that Charles Wallace was going to be a player, but he fizzled. There are constant references to him being special, but we never find out what was so special about him, besides putting a 30 year old into a 4 year old body and calling it “genius”. There was all this build-up for the confrontation between him and IT, but nothing happened. He looked at the guy, let him in, and became filled with ideas from Lenin himself.

Then there are worlds. These characters traveled to a planet that was described in three lines with beautiful flowers and a tall mountain. Then another planet is not described at all except to say that it was a winter wonderland type of a place. The residence of the Happy Medium was another planet where they were conveniently in a cave, and final stop was in a planet that was probably like Earth, except all we know about it is that it had rows of houses and tall buildings. There you have it--traveled all through the known Universe and have nothing to show for it. No imagination to describe and develop a world.

Then there are bizarre references to god/s that come out of nowhere, or in the oddest places, and disappear into nowhere. Characters are underdeveloped; scenes are not finished; worlds are left to themselves; theme is the fear of religious right of the communist left.

It's a caricature of evil, done perhaps in the belief that kids won't get it otherwise. There's not much in terms of a plot, the worlds described are paper-thin, and it shows no historical understanding, no outside knowledge.


More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie


Book Details:

Title A Wrinkle in Time (Time #1)
Author Madeleine L'Engle
Reviewed By Purplycookie

I started reading "A Wrinkle In Time" when I was 8 or 10. I say started because I never finished it. I can't remember exactly why, but I think it kind of scared the crap out of me. Now, 15 or 17 years later, I've read it again (this time the whole thing) and there's really nothing scary at all about it. It's possible that, as a kid, I was somehow relating this book to the terribly scary Disney movie "Something Wicked This Way Comes". Again, I don't know why.

Whatever the reason for my fears, the book is not spectacular. Maybe I can't see it now being older and not reading through the eyes of a child, but I can't understand how it won the John Newberry Medal. The witches were plastic and seemed to serve little purpose; the bad guy, a concept embodied in a shadow, had no motivation (if you want to read about true darkness for the sake of darkness/nothing for the sake of nothing, pick up Michael Ende's "The Neverending Story"); and the father, who seems to have no backbone and no sense of decency when it comes to saving his son. It has been said that the father character is an excellent tool in showing children that parents do not always have the answers, that they are, in fact, fallible and (God forbid) imperfect. But it's so much more than that. He comes across as weak, helpless, foolish, and even heartless at times. If you want to write a story where a child finds out that his/her parents aren't perfect, you don't have to make the parental figure a cold, bumbling idiot. Unless that's what you're going for. And I certainly don't think that L'Engle was. But all that aside, why would you even want to tell that story? Part of the beauty of being a child is you get to hold onto the illusion that mom and dad are Superman. Why ruin that? Granted, some kids live in terrible families, but there are better ways to write about those scenarios. This is not it.

I wanted to give this book 2 stars but decided that, because of my jaded, critical age I cannot judge too harshly. Plus, I did like the savant character of Charles Wallace. He was cute. As was the love that Meg and him shared. Calvin, on the other hand, was a complete throwaway character.

If I had kids, would I push this book on them? No. If they picked it off my bookshelf and started reading it, I wouldn't stop them. But I'm not about to recommend it to anyone young or old. Unless it's too ask that person to help me understand what the big deal is.

Unlike some other reviewers I didn't think this book went downhill after the first three chapters.

I liked the first two chapters very much, but for a few chapters after that some of the writing felt a bit clumsy and I was starting to lose interest.

But the final half of the book was genuinely thrilling and I found it very hard when I had to put the book down!

I also very much enjoyed the portrayal of the children (in particular Meg) as flawed and often socially awkward human beings. In this regard this book reminded me of the early Harry Potter books (I've only read the early ones) and also in the way the children find their own strength.

I'm curious about what happens to Megan, Charles Wallace and Calvin, so will almost certainly carry on with this series.

Extra note: My edition also carries an afterword by L'Engle's granddaughter Charlotte Jones Voikis, which I found very helpful in understanding who L'Engle was as both a writer and a person.

n  n    n  n

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"It was a dark and stormy night."

After reading on a friend’s blog that she had recently read this book, I was tempted to do a re-read myself. I was sure I had read it at some point in my childhood, and remember finding it magical and engrossing. So when I came across the book in the thrift store for 99 cents, I couldn’t resist.

Once I started reading it, though, it became clear to me that I had probably never read this book before in my life. Not one thing about it seemed familiar to me, except maybe for the centaur-like creatures (but that could be because the book cover features this image). Even though I would have read this more than a decade ago, I still think I would have remembered something about it (for example, I remember aspects of Maniac Magee quite clearly, and I read that ages ago). So I’m not quite sure where I got the idea that this book was fantastical and wonderful, but those were my expectations going in.

I’ll admit I was a little let down. I did keep in mind while reading that it’s a children’s book first and foremost, but I couldn’t help but feel that it was a little disheveled in places. I loved that the protagonist is female, and quite ordinary (braces, mousy brown hair, glasses), even if she was slightly annoying at times (I imagine all 14-year-olds can be annoying). Time travel is always cool, and the unfamiliar planets (especially Ixchel with its sightless, faceless creatures) were incredibly fun to imagine. The crazy Mrs Ws were very interesting, and if their stories are continued in further books in the quartet, I’d be all over that.

The story itself is great – the classic battle of good versus evil in a sci-fi / fantasy setting. The manifestation of evil as a dark cloud reminded me of The Nothing from The NeverEnding Story (loosely). The themes of individuality, love, and acceptance carried strongly throughout; even though they were almost shoved in the reader’s face, I’m ok with that since it is a children’s story.

What I didn’t like, primarily, was the character of Charles Wallace. For some reason, he really creeped me out. I understand he is supposed to be “gifted,” but his words and actions seemed far too adult for a 5-year-old. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the religious references made in several places in the story. Too many mentions of “God” turn me off. However, I am willing to admit that it was quite daring of L’Engle to mix religion with some pretty heavy pagan aspects, like witches and crystal balls.

Overall, I did enjoy the story and definitely appreciate the themes and values, I was just turned off a little as an adult reader. I also spotted the aforementioned Maniac Magee in said thrift store, but I’m hesitant to re-read that book because I’m worried it might not be the same to me now as it was when I was young.

I just finished reading this for the first time since, maybe college? Twelve year old Meg Murry, her precocious five year old brother Charles Wallace, and their new friend Calvin meet some highly odd beings who call themselves Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which. This strange, quirky trio sweeps the children away on an interstellar quest to find and rescue Meg and Charles Wallace's missing father. They fold space and time through tesseracts (the "wrinkle" in time and space) and battle the darkness that has taken over other planets and shadows ours.

This 1962 book is noticeably old-fashioned and a little simplistic in several ways. The symbolism and the links to religion and scriptures aren't subtle, and Meg's anger and stubbornness gets old, though it's interesting to see how those character traits can in some situations stand her in good stead. Also, in fairness it is a middle grade book, though a lot of older readers love it. There's something really lovely about the book's ultimate message and themes. I enjoyed revisiting it again after all these years.

I'm going to stick with my original 4 star rating, though I'm pretty sure that the nostalgia factor is playing into this rating. Full review to come!

January 2018 buddy read with the Pantaloonless group.

Original post: I read this book at least two or three times when I was a teen/young adult (actually, I own and have read the entire series), but it's been a long while since I last read this. I'm interested to see how it holds up!

So, before I dive into my thoughts on this book, I have to start by reminding you all that the star ratings are based on *whether I personally would recommend the book*. I’m not saying anything about the actual quality of the book unless I specifically mention quality as a problem in my review.

I feel like I need to establish that again, because obviously in reviewing something that is considered a modern classic like A Wrinkle In Time, the writing is probably going to be good. That’s not what my stars are based on. If I am basing the star rating purely on writing and enjoyability, I’d probably give this book a 4. It gets 1.5 stars, because I found myself concerned with other aspects of the book.

Let’s start by defining dualism, shall we?

Dualism, according to the dictionary, is “a religious doctrine that the universe contains opposed powers of good and evil, especially seen as balanced equals”. As Christians, we do not believe in dualism. God is sovereign and all-powerful. “Satan” or “Evil” is not equally powerful with God. There is no “eternal battle of good and evil” - God completely wins, Satan is thrown into the lake of fire, and that’s that.

Unfortunately, I cannot get behind A Wrinkle In Time because it’s firmly grounded in this idea of dualism, that there is a “Dark Thing” in the universe that seeks to claim different planets, and there is this constant power struggle between “light” and “darkness” with some planets succumbing, some planets triumphing, and some planets “fighting” against it.

Also, apparently the worst thing this “Dark Thing” can do is take away our decision-making and individuality? I found that weird.

This wouldn’t have bothered me so much if this book were taking place in a separate, completely imaginary world - then I could categorize this as pure fantasy. But I couldn’t do that because L’Engle places the whole thing in our universe, and specifically seems to be trying to say something about God in the process. In this book, God is not all powerful, planets are “fighting” against “The Dark Thing” (mainly with love), and this whole thing is not presented as an allegory because Jesus is actually mentioned as one of Earth’s “fighters” against “The Dark Thing”. Jesus is mentioned as just as important as people like Rembrandt, and Shakespeare. What a compliment (sarcasm font needed here). Because the author even inserts Bible verses into the story, I felt like she was trying to fit Christianity itself into this imaginary narrative of the history of the universe. Creative? Sure. Biblically sound? No, it wasn’t at all.

Jesus is not a “fighter” against Evil, He is God Himself, who became a man (while remaining God) to save us from our own sin when we trust in Him. God is not in an eternal struggle with “The Dark Thing”, He is infinitely sovereign and powerful over everything.

Maybe you think I’m being nitpicky about something that’s supposed to be a fantasy story, but I firmly believe we should not accept any book at face-value but look at the worldview that is being communicated through the story. And I’m sorry to burst any bubbles, but the worldview here is certainly not in line with the God’s Word.

I’m particularly concerned that this book is being read by children because of a few references to occult practices and symbols that were presented by the “good” characters. We have a “Happy Medium” who observes things in her crystal ball, abilities that seem to be like "psychic" abilities to me, and a god-like character that wears the classic witch’s garb - pointy hat, black cloak, and a broom. I am particularly concerned with the author mixing Christian references and Bible verses with occult symbols and practices here. For Christian parents, I’m afraid that handing this book to our children could inadvertently send the message that these things are okay and can coexist wth Christianity, unless parents are carefully discussing the problem with mixing the two.

Personally, I won’t be handing this book to my children at all, at least not until they are able to read it with critical eyes and guard their minds. Maybe not even then. To me, the way Christianity was mixed with these competing views about God and the world is pretty insidious, and I’d recommend approaching this book with great caution.

n  

"Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
I travel the world
And the seven seas,
Everybody's looking for something."

Eurythmics

n

n  n

You have plenty of time to put this book in your reading queue before the movie release in March of 2018 starring Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon. Create some synergy by reading the book and then watching the movie.

Check out the trailer.

A Wrinkle in Time 2018 Movie Trailer

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I was scared to reread this book, I hadn't read it since I was in seventh grade and that was a loooong time ago. A Wrinkle in Time was the book I would read as a kid when I was in a bad mood or bored or just because I wanted to get wrapped up in the magic of another world. I read A Wrinkle in Time for the first time in second grade and it made me fall in love with reading. Of course I liked to read before then but this book turned me into the voracious reader I am today. So as I said before I was scared to reread this book after all these years given how much it meant to my childhood. I worried I wouldn't like it and I didn't want to destroy the memory of this book.

So how do I feel after rereading it?

I didn't love it as much as I did when I was a child but that was an impossible bar to reach. I have to admit I was very confused for the majority of the book. I don't know how I understood this book as a 8 year old when I could barely keep up as a 32 year old. I'm glad I reread it and I'm glad I didn't hate it. My childhood memories remain intact. Had this been my first time reading my rating would have been lower(2.5-3 stars) but since I probably wouldn't be the reader I am today or the woman I am today without this book 4 stars seems a fitting rating.

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