I read this as a kid almost 40 years ago and just finished reading it to my 11 year old son last night. I found that the characters of Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace were great and the ideas around tesseracts captured my imagination again as they did my son. The action moves along relatively well and the ominous man with the red eyes and the disembodied brain known as IT were both great bad guys in the plot. Where I stumbled on this more mature (atheist) reading of A Wrinkle in Time is on the Christian overtones which I had completely forgotten from my reading this as a (naive Christian) kid. I would have preferred that Mrs Who, Which and Whatsit were multi-dimensional creatures rather than guardian angels, that there was more Shakespeare and less scripture quoted, and that the references to the Christian religion were less obvious towards the end. Said another way, I really enjoyed the story when it was a sorta scary "where's dad" sci-fi thriller, but came away disappointed with the morality play that it evolved into. That being said, my kid really enjoyed it and the biblical references merely bored him rather than annoyed him (he has been brought up with no imposition of religion and so far chosen not to choose one).
Perhaps a reader of this review can tell me whether the other four books of the series have the same heavy Christian moral aspect to them or not...

(3.5)

4,25 stars - English paperback - read again after 30 years

This is still a crazy book...
Meg and her brother Charles meet a stranger one night who tells them about a tesseract (wrinkle in time). Come to find out their father is trapped on a distant planet and together with a band of new friends they must embark on an epic journey to rescue him from the evil "IT" (and no, we are not talking Stephen King here). Can Meg find the courage inside her to save her father?
I read this book years ago in school and found it super strange and boring but I wanted to give it a reread as an adult to see what my thoughts would be.
This book starts off well but during the second half it starts to get a little boring and I found myself skimming through most of the way.
This is one wild book! The characters are a bit confusing and hard to follow. Also things seem to happen out of nowhere which is a bit confusing for the reader (whether young or older) and I also remember it being very confusing as a child. If I remember correctly there was actually a point where I just had no idea what was going on anymore in the book and I was completely lost.
This book is a classic though and I do respect it as such however, like many classics, it is a little difficult to enjoy to its full extent. Of course it could be the writing style, it could be the characters, or the crazy world that the author has imagine for us. It also may be simply because we've been so modernized (even in our reading) that books like this just don't seem to jive anymore.
Then again it could simply be that this book is not for everyone. Like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Rye I find this book along the same lines, a respected classic but just not for me.
I would recommend this book for the classic that it is. Definitely to younger readers but I don't think this book would be enjoyed as an adult as much as it would as a teenager or preteen.

Meg is having trouble coping. It is hard being a teenager. It seems the only thing she likes in school is math. She is rather hyper-sensitive and temperamental. She is awkward socially and rather invisible among her teachers.

And yet her twin brothers are quite normal. Her baby brother Charles is gifted. Her father, known for working on a top secret mission with the government, hasn't been heard from in years.

And then...4 remarkable people burst into Meg's life and things change. An adventure ensues.

Years later, and Meg's character and her quirkiness still feels current. Relatable.

At the time, the book was almost not published because they didn't know how to categorize it. We can now consider it as magical realism or fantasy or a little bit of science fiction.

it has even been made into a film.

Any way you look at this story, it is an opportunity for children to imagine possibility and celebrate their uniqueness.

I read this when I was in fifth or sixth grade and I loved it. Re-reading it as an adult, I realized there was no way my eleven-or-twelve-year-old brain could have fully appreciated this masterpiece. After all, I am no Charles Wallace. Sure, the book has fantasy elements like travel through time and space, magical beings, and other worlds, but this is so much more than a children's hero tale. This is a beautiful book about love, good over evil, being different, and what happens when we realize our parents aren't perfect and we have to grow up and do things for ourselves.

3.5/5 stars

This took me SO LONG to read but was full of MEMZ. I really love the characters in this book and how weird it is, but it can also feel a bit *too* weird and random if that makes sense?
Overall some great life lessons and messages throughout, as I remembered from my CHILDHOOD.

After coming to this book with high expectations, I must say I was disappointed. Since it is hailed as something of a children's classic, I expected something more than the rather insipid fare presented. Madeline L'Engle seems to have set out to write a children's fantasy with a lot of Hard SF concepts, but have ended up with a familiar "Good-versus-Evil" story in the Christian tradition, cluttered with a lot of half-cooked scientific concepts which are never more than cursorily explained.

For example, the key concept, the "tesseract", is explained as “the fifth dimension”. The author says, through the character of Mrs. Whatsit:

"Well, the fifth dimension’s a tesseract. You add that to the other four dimensions and you can travel through space without having to go through the long way around. In other words, to put into Euclid, or old-fashioned plane geometry, a straight line is not the shortest distance between two points."

Well, she is wrong on many counts here.

The tesseract is actually a hypothetical figure of the mathematical fourth dimension, whose “faces” consist of three dimensional cubes, the same way the faces of a normal cube consist of squares. In fact, if you square a square, you get a cube: if you square a cube in the fourth dimension, you get a tesseract. (Interestingly enough, this point is well captured by L’Engle: only, she sees the fourth dimension as time. This is Einstein’s concept, and totally independent of the mathematical fourth dimension.)

[To be fair, I have to add that although the author misses base totally with the basic concept, I found the title of the book is a nice way to describe the concept of a wormhole: however, apart from using this methodology to keep on jumping from one planet to another, this interesting topic is not developed further.]

The parents of the protagonist, Meg, are scientists. Meg is a typical “difficult” child-bad at academics and rebellious at school, but brilliant. Her parents, being scientists, can see beyond outer appearances, so they are tolerant of her faults: her teachers and society less so. When the story begins, Meg’s father is missing, ostensibly on a secret mission for the government. But all the neighbours think that he has gone off with another woman, and the snide remarks she keeps on hearing do nothing to improve Meg’s already belligerent personality. The only person who understands her is kid brother Charles Wallace, a boy who is officially a moron but endowed with psychic powers in reality.

It is into this situation, on a stormy night, that Mrs. Whatsit walks in. She, with her companions Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which (nice play on words here: Mrs. Who wears glasses and quotes from classics reminds one of a wise owl, and Mrs. Which flies on a broom and keeps on appearing and disappearing, as if by magic) are fighting against the “Darkness”, which Meg’s dad is also fighting. They whisk away Meg, Charles and neighbourhood kid Calvin across many universes and dimensions. It seems that the kids have been destined to fight the Darkness: which they do on the frightening planet Camazotz, and in true fairy tale tradition, initially lose and then win.

And that’s the story in a nutshell.

As fantasies go, this is pretty standard fare, considering the time in which it was written. However, the novelist must be commended for bringing the whole good-versus-evil battle into a wider canvas than the traditional Christian one: Einstein, Gandhi, Buddha, Da Vinci etc. are also seen as warriors of the Light along with Jesus, and the Darkness is never identified with the concept of Sin or the Devil. In fact, the description of Camazotz with its mindless inhabitants and their rigid adherence to discipline is positively chilling in its resemblance to a totalitarian regime (the nonconformist child being forced to toss the ball again and again, crying with pain at each practice… brrr!).

But ultimately, the novel fails to deliver. Meg’s father’s experimental project ends up as just a plot device. The author seemed to have started out with a lot of ideas at the outset, but seems have lost track of them as the novel progressed: in the end, only the rescue of Meg’s father and his reunion with the family is given any focus. The whole background story remains extremely inchoate. And as a fearless female protagonist, Meg does precious little except at the very end.

Still, I give the novel three stars for introducing a lot of interesting concepts to its young audience. In its time, it must have "ignited a lot of minds" (to borrow a phrase from our former President, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam) and encouraged them to travel along the adventurous trail of scientific discovery.

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.

"it was a dark and stormy night . . ."

and so begins one of the best stories ever with one of the most improbably wonderful first lines. i read this first in fourth grade, at the pressure of my mother, who insisted i would love it despite the fact i was in a phase of "anything not based on history or about living in the woods/island/frozen tundra alone sucks!!" so it took me a while to pick it up. then i simply couldn't put it down. i have probably read this book upwards of fifty times, and it never seems to get old. perhaps because i so related to meg (except for being good at math), perhaps because i somehow understood the christian theology on a level i wouldn't fully get until much later, but honestly, i think it was the sincere horror of "IT" and that planet.

the messages this book sends are remarkable. it's layered and complex and still able to be enjoyed by a ten year old. i'm so glad it's never been turned into a movie, and i find it highly ironic that it took so long for l'engle to find a publisher for this -  A Severed Wasp was sold first, i think, and then she shopped this around and couldn't find any takers.

i have about three copies - all different editions. i give this away as a present all the time, though i've done it so often now, i'm going to have to find a new fall-back book. this is the book i tend to reread when i'm feeling particularly down. it's still innocent l'engle, it's still the safe world of the murrays - she develops into a harder person, i think, with the austins and even the o'keefes (at least, through polly). this book reminds me of simpler times, and how things tend to always come back to your roots, to the beginning.

This book will outlive time itself.

A Wrinkle in Time has that Thing I can't describe, this special element that I haven't seen in any other book. There's magic, there's physics, there's fantasy, and friendship and loyalty and courage and anything else you can imagine. This is that book. It's the book you will read over and over again, not because of the intricate plot or complex world-building, not even because of the characters, but because of the special Thing it contains.

I can't fathom the thought that I went a whole six years without rereading this. This book is so so so so special, and if you haven't read it, then damn I feel bad for you. I feel like I just went on an intergalactic journey with some of the most brilliant minds of our time.

There's a certain divide, or a line that my favorite authors can't cross with female protagonists, and that is their personalities and the way they are portrayed, and how they interact with other characters. Basically, I despise weak female protagonists. When I read this novel for the first time in sixth grade, I hadn't yet formed a solid opinion on Meg Murry, because I wasn't picky and I basically read anything that was given to me. But now? I just ... I love that bitch. With my whole entire heart.

Meg Murry is a frail, awkward, odd, intelligent girl that is faced with the daunting task of saving her father from The Dark Thing, AKA "IT" on another dimension called Camazotz. In the first 75% of the novel, it is evident that Meg Murry is very afraid. She isn't used to stepping out of her comfort zone, has always lived a normal, quiet life, and does not think she is at all capable of anything related to saving her father, let alone an entire dimension. And I think, overall, that is what makes her character growth so inimitable.

I think the thing we love the most about our favorite characters is not that they start off with a sturdy strength inside them, but that they are full of faults and flaws that they eventually overcome them. Why? Because it makes us proud. Because we, as imperfect humans, are given something to relate to.

That is why Meg Murry's journey is a special one. I'm tired of reading about characters that seem to know exactly what they're doing, where they're going, and who they are. In this book, I was able to see Meg's growth and how she learned to rely on herself, how she learned to stop putting her responsibilities in other people's hands, and how she learned to do things for herself. I loved watching how she learned to stop hating herself, and that she was worthy of love and worthy of every happy feeling in the world. She is not perfect, she is not a saint, she is none of that. And she has accepted that inevitable truth with all of her heart.

--

"I wanted you to do it all for me," Meg said. "I wanted everything to be all easy and simple ... So I tried to pretend that it was all your fault ... because I was scared, and I didn't want to have to do anything myself."

--

Meg wanted to reach out and grab Calvin's hand, but it seemed that ever since they had begun their journeyings she had been looking for a hand to hold, so she stuffed her fists into her pockets and walked along behind the two boys. I've got to be brave, she said to herself. I will be.

--

Growth comes in different forms, different seasons, different times, and no matter how infinitesimal Meg's may seem, it is part of her journey all the same.

The definition of a strong female protagonist is not one that has been strong from the beginning. It is one that has endured more than any could bear, one that has fallen, stood up, and kept going. These strong protagonists come in many shapes and forms, and Meg Murry is now added to my long list of favorites.

I automatically fell in love with the insta-love, insta-care, and insta-protectiveness. (I just made all of these terms up because I am cool.) Normally, I hate insta-love. Hate it with my entire being. But I just couldn't bring myself to feel any irritation towards it in this book because it is so well written and so lovely and just everything I needed today. I love how Calvin is immediately protective of Meg and he won't let anyone hurt her, how he refuses to let her cry on her own. I love how Meg has known Aunt Beast for approximately a few hours and departs from her arms with tears in her eyes, and "I love you," on the edge of her lips. I love that I love it so much, and I have no clue why, and in all honesty, if I read this in another book it would be completely, utterly weird, and I know I would hate it immediately. But this book ... it’s speshul bro

Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, Mrs Which, Charles Wallace, Mrs Murry, Calvin

why
are the characters
so beautiful
so wonderful
i can't explain it
i can't comprehend
- an exquisite, sad, lovestruck poem written by me

In every book, there are characters I would die for, and characters I would kill. Miraculously, A Wrinkle in Time has yanked the strings of my heart and has made me numb to all the hatred in the world. I can't bring myself to hate anyone in this book. Not even "IT", the antagonist. Why? BECAUSE IT'S WRITTEN SO WELL. I have absolutely no complaints about any of the characters whatsoever. They are all beautiful beans (except the Prime BitchCoordinator).

If I had to complain about one thing, it would be the method in which Meg defeats "IT". The love-conquers-all bit is a lil cheesy, which is completely understandable, seeing as how this book was published in 1962, and everything was cheesy back then. Overall, the plot had me at the edge of my seatbed the entire time, and still, six years later, I love it just the same and even more.

I know how sparse my five star ratings can be, but this book will always deserve its five stars. I don't think it will ever go down. This is a book that everyone has to read, because it is beautiful and heartbreaking (in how beautiful it is), and that ending, oh my god that ending, that last fucking page just shattered my soul because it. was. written. so. well.

Hopefully you get my point and are now rushing to the nearest library to check out this book. If you are not, The Dark Thing shall reawaken from the depths of the fifth dimension and will come find you. (I shall set it upon you.)

"Life, with its rules, its obligations, and its freedoms, is like a sonnet: you're given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself."

So What's It About?

It is a dark and stormy night when Meg first discovers that the ordinary world she knows is in fact infinitely more marvelous and dangerous. Three strange women bring her news that her physicist father, who mysteriously vanished, is in desperate need of her help against a foe of unimaginable evil. Her quest to save her father -and the rest of the world- is one that will take all of her courage and wits to survive.

What I Thought

I remember reading this book for the first time when I was about 10 or so and being struck with the impression that, while it was interesting, it wasn't necessarily especially enjoyable. 10 year old Charlotte and current Charlotte are in agreement on that front.
As far as interesting goes, I'm principally occupied with the book's equal regard for Christian themes and scientific thought.

Science and religion are often treated as though they are opposite ends of a spectrum and in my opinion A Wrinkle in Time demonstrates that the two can in fact thrive in co-existance. The book's overall battle of light vs. dark draws from Christian allegory and alludes to angels as well as Jesus's contribution to the fight against IT.

At the same time, the book is suffused with scientific reasoning- Meg comes from a family of scientists and it shows in the way she views the world. While the fight against IT requires the faith of religion it also requires the rationality of science, shown for instance in delicate act of tessering.

I also thought that it was very interesting that the first portion of the book emphasizes the children's desperation to find their father, and in a lesser book the achievement of that goal would herald an end to their problems. Instead, they realize that adults are fallible and must continue to rely on their own courage and ingenuity:

"She had found her father and he had not made everything all right."

In addition, it certainly cannot be said that L'Engle's imagination is lacking- A Wrinkle in Time sees Meg and the gang encounter a fascinating variety of bizarre alternate worlds and creatures who inhabit them. Ultimately, the sheer strangeness of it all is what I ended up appreciating the most about this book.

I wish that I could add Meg's journey to better self-esteem to the list of things that I enjoyed, but unfortunately I found it to be one of the book's more lacking elements. Her initially self-disparaging and negative attitude is compassionately and accurately realized, but I never truly felt that any organic internal growth occurred. One minute she is thinking of herself as utterly useless and then the next she has somehow magically achieved the kind of self-actualization that usually takes months of work to achieve.

My biggest complaint, however, lies in the fact that I never found any of the three main characters to be particularly enjoyable children to spend time with. Charles Wallace, in particular, irritates me to no end. He walks around talking like a pompous 50 year old man in a 5 year old's body while everyone acts like he is the most amazing and incredible child in the world:

Charles Wallace put his hands on his hips defiantly. “The spoken word is one of the triumphs of man,” he proclaimed, “and I intend to continue using it, particularly with people I don’t trust.”

I think my irritation with Charles Wallace comes down to my underlying frustration with one of the book's messages, which seems to be that there are "normal" people like Sandy and Dennys who are all very well and good, but the truly important ones are "special" people like Charles Wallace. These people are the ones who are truly deserving of your ultimate attention and respect. It rubs me the wrong way becauae it strikes me as needlessly smug and elitist, especially for a children's book.