Have you ever read a book and felt that you were missing something?

Yep, that’s me with A Wrinkle in Time.

Confession time: there were many parts of this book that made me giggle. Starting with the first line: It was a dark and stormy night. Then, the mention of stew. One member of my family thinks that stew is ew, and “stew” was mentioned six times in this relatively short book. Finally, the mention of IT. Trust me. I hate going to IT.

I was able to follow the plot—it seems relatively straightforward. However, the symbolism was lost on me (other than I know that there was some religious symbolism). A Wrinkle in Time makes me want to locate someone smarter than myself and ask them to explain it to me.

At the beginning of A Wrinkle in Time, the author said that children get this book and adults do not. Maybe I am overthinking it?

A Wrinkle in Time is a fast-paced fantasy novel. In my opinion, it was a little too fast-paced especially in the beginning where we are introduced to a deluge of characters. It was also a bit too focused on world building instead of on plot.

2025 Reading Schedule
JantA Town Like Alice
FebtBirdsong
MartCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
AprtWar and Peace
MaytThe Woman in White
JuntAtonement
JultThe Shadow of the Wind
AugtJude the Obscure
SeptUlysses
OcttVanity Fair
NovtA Fine Balance
DectGerminal

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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.

"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.

Lately I’ve started reading books without realising they have religious content or connotations until half way through. This book is one of them.

The start was very promising and then I felt it went downhill. It also felt rushed to me and didn’t all come together or make enough sense.

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.

This is a very serious book about the struggle of good and evil. It shows people with flaws and weaknesses struggling against well nigh insurmountable obstacles and giving in to the lure of the dark side. And yet there is something very lighthearted about it too.

In this story, L'Engle takes a whimsical delight in showing us that most of the notable characters are not quite what they seem. That includes the ordinary human beings as well as the paranormal and extra-terrestrial ones. The trio of eccentric and somewhat ridiculous old ladies could be witches a la Shakespeare but turn out to be much different. An eyeless monster with tentacles becomes the warm-hearted Aunt Beast.

Of course, L'Engle is also capable of creating nightmare images. In a world reminiscent of 1984, a boy is punished and sentenced to re-education for daring to bounce a ball the wrong way. The evil force at the heart of this totalitarian regime rivals the gruesome talking head of C.S. Lewis.

Perhaps one of the nicest things is that the author does not talk down to her audience, but gives them samples of higher learning, even if it includes things which might be beyond the average youthful reader. She does not shy away from science and math. Moreover, she includes proverbs in several languages as well as quotations from the Bible, Dante and Shakespeare.

n  Okay, the film's an *April 2018* release but principal photography is over at least.n

2018 UPDATE What is wrong with people? I do not comprehend the downer delivered by everyone and her little dog on this film. Can't be misogyny, the character was always a girl; so that leaves...mm hmm...racism. A black woman behind the camera, a lovely and talented young one as Meg. Must have fits and fall in 'em! "It's not like the book!" Umm...it's a movie...and guess what? It's a lot closer than y'all let on. It's a decent film and it wouldn't have been *possible* to get this close in a live-action film until this century. I've now watched it twice and from my very informed perspective as a reader and a filmgoer, lots and lots of information and criticism absorbed and debated, this is a fine film and more faithful to the book than anyone had any reason to expect.

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?

My Review: Meg Murry's daddy left home unexpectedly and without saying goodbye. The adored parent left behind an adolescent daughter, three sons, and a beautiful and smart wife. Meg cannot make herself get used to his absence and can't even pretend that she's not hurt by the town's opinion that he ran off leaving her mother. This, plus braces, wildly curly hair, an intelligence far greater than her contemporaries', and glasses, isolate the girl with her even weirder little brother Charles Wallace against their normal brothers and the rest of the world.

In time-honored tradition, these misfits are actually being prepared to fight the ultimate battle of Good Versus Evil, no pressure on the children no no no, and save their Daddy, not like it's gettin' piled even higher oh no! One fine day, Meg and Charles Wallace are called to their destiny by Mrs Which, Mrs Who, and Mrs Whatsit, the eccentric old ladies who prove to be avatars of interdimensional good beings with the agenda of making the Universe safe for goodness and happiness again.

The children are joined by fellow misfit Calvin, a popular boy athlete in their town whose hidden depths have tormented him all his life, in the quest to make the evil entity, a disembodied brain called "IT," that slowly takes over planets and compels all life thereon to submit to being in a group mind, erasing individuality and leaching away happiness.

This is a YA novel, so all turns out well, with Mr. Murry coming home and the children being brought home all safe and sound. But how they get home is very interesting: They travel via tesseract, a geometric figure that extends into a fifth dimension beyond spacetime. Mr. and Mrs. Murry have been researching this in their roles as scientists, and Mr. Murry has used the tesseract to get to the planet from which he's rescued. The Mrs Who/Which/Whatsit interdimensional beings use the tesseract to "tesser" or wrinkle the fabric of spacetime to get the children there as well.

Fascinating stuff for a Christian housewife to be writing about in 1960-1961! And make no mistake, the book is a very Christianity-infested Message about the perils of brains without hearts leading to Communistic group-think. Mrs. Murry, a capable scientist, stays home with the kiddos and makes dinner over Bunsen burners so she can keep working while she stays home to be a wife and mom. Ew.

And Meg, poor lamb, worries that she's not pretty enough because she needs braces and glasses and she's not all gorgeous like her mom is. Then Calvin, a popular boy and an athlete, shows hidden depths and falls for little Meg. So bells ring, doves coo, and hands are held, so all is well. Ew.

But it ain't Twilight, so I'm good with it. In fact, because I first read it before I was ten, I'm good with all of it. The stiff, unrealistic dialogue, the socially regressive and reprehensible messages, the religiosity...all get a benign half-smile and an indulgent wink.

Because sometimes you just need to know that n  someonen out there believes that good CAN triumph over evil.

I passed over these series as a child, although I remember wanting to know what the hype was about. I finally picked up this first book and gave it a try. I'll just come out and say it: I was almost annoyed with how bored I was reading this. I'm really confused as to why it was such a big deal! It felt like a short story! I've read a lot of children's books and none of them felt this...lackluster in regards to the content inside the story. I'm not saying I disliked the characters or the events. Those were fine. It felt like someone had the plot outline and then just turned that in as the book. There didn't seem to be much detail or emotion even in any situation in the book. It was like every third sentence had been chopped from the book. Kids are not complete idiots. They can deal with more detail or momentous situations.
I'm going to keep reading the series in the second book and see if my opinion changes. I really hope it does change upon further reading.

(3.5)

This is a short, easy read that rates a 4.4 on the Flesch-Kincaid reading index (meaning that it requires a 4th-5th grade reading level). But that's based strictly on the sentence structure, vocabulary, paragraph size, etc.

What the stats don't cover is the depth of feeling and the profound scope and meaning in this book. Madeleine L'Engle's sentences may be rather simple but her notions of good, evil, love, and devotion are taken to a cosmic level (literally). This isn't mere sci-fi or fantasy; it's gorgeous, breathtaking Humanism.

L'Engle never talks down to her child/young adult audience; though she aims at their level there are plenty of weighty, inspiring themes for adults to savor. The child-centric focus gives it a level of simplicity, yes, but also a kind of intense purity. She brilliantly weaves in issues relating to childhood, adolescence, parent-child relationships, maturation, acceptance, social stigma--all of which make the book utterly relatable, even when the kids are transplanted to fantastic or awful new planets in far off galaxies.

There are some religious overtones, but they're really more cosmic than religious (even the stars in the galaxy are fighting the great darkness). She uses some of the language of Christianity to express her notion of universal love, but I don't think that should be seen as making this a Christian text. As an agnostic-bordering-on-atheist none of the language turned me off. Christians are free to embrace it as a wildly expansive view of Christianity but non-believers should be able to see that she has a vision that goes beyond the language used.

I can't do the book full justice here. Just pick it up and engross yourself in it. It's only about a 4 hour read for most adults and easily well worth it.

Do enjoy.

Am I the first living 64 year old who had never read this book- until now - March, 2017.
that is?

Random Thoughts ....
.....I was surprised to discover this story was about a little GIRL --not a WIZARD.
.....I was more surprised that Meg, 13 years old, had three other siblings... two twin brothers, Sandy and Dennys, and a younger brother, Charles Wallace Murray, who is a child prodigy.....with parents who were scientist. THERE IS A REAL FAMILY -WITH REAL PEOPLE in this book! NOT SURE WHY THIS SURPRISED ME!
.....I'm thinking "HOT DAMN, I might like this story".... and my daughters might have.... but as far as I know .... they missed reading this one too.
Heck, the first page was 'great' - the first sentence was 'classic-great': "It was a dark and stormy night".
What child doesn't perk up to hear a story with those first words?

So....I continue reading 'remembering' that not long ago 'ELLIE' praised this book SO HIGHLY ....as her FAVORITE children's book ( she and I both have passion for the Velveteen Rabbit)....that I KNEW I HAD TO FINALLY READ IT. I bought a used copy at my recycle bookstore for a dollar. THANK YOU ELLIE!!!!! :) whew...I'm glad I didn't miss this gem!!! I loved the characteristics of the kids and adults....each unique in their own ways.

.....What creative names for characters: Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Witch.... 'charming supernatural neighbors'. .....as well as the lovely Aunt Beast.

The three *W* women escort Meg, Charles, and another boy, Calvin O'Keefe. from Meg's school --through the universe by means of SCI FI UNIVERSE TRANSPORTATION-- "tesseract" - A fifth dimensional phenomenon-- ET hasn't phoned home yet.....on a mission to rescue Meg and Charles father. Meg, and the Mrs. W's all agree that the mysterious disappearance of the father is very strange and has something to do with the term "tesseract". After all he is a scientist and was working on a project before his disappearance.

The Trio W-women and children travel through the universe and visit different planets - a utopian world- with creatures disguised as humans. First they bump into evil... then they are taken to a woman to look through a crystal ball. The children are learning that there is both evil and good in the world. They see much darkness through that crystal ball down here on planet earth. They also see that artist's, and philosophers, and religious folks are fighting against the evil.
AT THIS POINT IF I WERE A CHILD - I WOULD HAVE QUESTIONS --
THE CHILD ME WOULD ASK: "well, my daddy died--[I was 4]. I'd want to know if he left me because he got tired of all the fighting on earth--and since I've always wondered since the day he died -- not knowing what the hell that meant -- if he was coming back soon --- and could I go on the mission with Meg and bring my daddy back home too?" This book might have scared me as a child -- I would have needed a tender adult reading it with me.

ON WITH THIS STORY:
They soon travel to a planet called Camazotz.... where they find Meg's father: trapped!
The planet is being controlled by an evil brain and with powerful telepathic abilities- called "IT".
This story begins to gets MORE SCARY..... I would have been on the edge of my seat. Note: I don't read much science fiction - but the children are threatened by the possibility of their minds being controlled through a telepathic takeover.

Whew..... laughing ....I was exhausted by the end.....OF COURSE IT HAS A HAPPY ENDING....
I HATE that felt like crying in this children's book! I hate all you people who told me it's a must read .....because for this girl it WAS!!!!!! I LOVED IT!!! - you mean people!!!

I love believing there is GOOD in the world .. so why am I sad?


A special appreciation to the Goodreads community-- I might never have read this book without all the the LOVE & EXPRESSION for this children's classic! Thank you!

Beloved by many, A Wrinkle in Time is supposedly a whimsical tale of three children's fantastic adventure through time and space. Yet somehow it only managed to make me feel as though I was having a really bad anxiety attack.

Reading this reminded me of when my grade 7 music teacher forced us to watch that horribly creepy, animated Beatles movie, Yellow Submarine. A Wrinkle in Time reads like a Dr. Seuss story but darker. Weirder. I'm not sure how to explain it but there's something really unsettling about it.

Beyond that it's just really dull. The characters are extremely flat and the dialogue is shrill and unnatural. I really wanted to see it through to the end since it's such a short book, but I just couldn't do it. I am utterly baffled by this rather tedious and somewhat sinister story.