Madeleine L'Engle is one of my all time favorite authors. Both her characters and storylines are thoughtful, well written and intriguing. She writes books that I can read again and again. These particular novels are some of my absolute favorites and I have enjoyed them both as a written books and as an audios.

For many years, when people would ask me about my favorite book I would promptly say that it was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Recently, I started to wonder if my love for the novel had stood the test of time so I picked up the 4 book series entitled the Time Quartet (I have the box set that I got years ago) from my shelf and dove in headfirst. Reading the first book in the series, A Wrinkle in Time, completely transported me back to middle school when I first discovered the delightful writing of L'Engle. The book was just as fantastic as I remembered but with the passing of time I see more clearly the overt references to Christianity which were lost on me as a child. (She's a bit like C.S. Lewis in the way that she writes for children about Christianity but instead of fantasy devices she uses science fiction and fantasy.) This literary device would increase as the series continued and in a lot of ways it took away some of the enjoyment of the books for me. One of the bonuses of L'Engle's writing is that it is never 'dumbed down' for her child audience. She uses technical terminology and speaks of scientific endeavors as if the reader should already be aware of them. When I first read that book, this was a foreign concept to me as I didn't think I was any good at the sciences when I was in school. (Now look at how many scientific books I've read and reviewed!)

The main character in the first book is Meg, eldest sister of the Murry clan, and we see everything from her point of view. A large portion of why I loved this book was that Meg wasn't a typical girl of her age and I strongly identified with her (and I had a crush on Calvin). A Wrinkle in Time focuses on Meg's relationship with herself, her family, and her peers (especially Calvin). She sees herself as 'other' except when she's with Charles Wallace or her mother (or Calvin...yes, I'm enjoying myself). It doesn't help that their father has been missing for so long that the postman in town has started asking impertinent questions. (The whole town is gossiping or so it seems.) While Meg plays a large role in A Wind in the Door, the main part of the plot is written with Charles Wallace (youngest Murry son) as the main character. Both books are full of adventure and self-discovery. Both Murry children come into their own and use their unique strengths to help them accomplish their goals. The stakes are always set extremely high and the pace is alternately rushed no-holds-barred action and so lackadaisical as to seem stagnant. (Note: If you don't enjoy books with a lot of descriptions and copious amounts of symbolism then I'm afraid this isn't the series for you.) By A Swiftly Tilting Planet, I felt almost overwhelmed by the underlying religious messages and the conclusion, Many Waters, which focuses on the twins, Sandy and Dennis, was so far-fetched as to be ridiculous. (Books 3 and 4 are so convoluted that I don't feel like I can talk about them in detail other than to say they are out there.) Part of me wishes that I had stopped reading at A Wrinkle in Time (as I had done for so many years) so as to not shatter the illusion of what this series meant to me but part of the reason I started this blog was to explore new books and to give as honest a review as possible. The hope is that even if I don't enjoy a book it might interest someone else. With that being said, A Wrinkle in Time remains in my top 50 all-time faves but the others...not so much. 9/10 for book 1 and a 3/10 for the series overall.

A/N: I just did a little Google search and discovered that although I have the box set which is called the Time Quartet there was actually a fifth book written called An Acceptable Time and which called for a new set to be created, the Time Quintet. I feel like I've been hoodwinked! Does this mean I need to find a copy of this book to complete the experience?! (Spoiler alert: I am probably not going to do this.)

I loved these books! They're deliciously creepy and bizarre.

L'Engle was an odd but creative author. When reading her, I often find myself asking whether I agree with her; but she gives me things to think about, and imaginative stories to muse over.

Madeline L'Engle is possibly one of the most thoroughly brilliant people ever to turn hand to novel-writing. The depth, scope, and passion in each of her books is thrilling; her characters are not only believable, but the sort who become your friends. I frequently find myself coming back to these books just to spend more time with Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin. The science that weaves its way through these gems of literary perfection just heightens their believability and depth. Nobody can make me cry quite like Madeline L'Engle.

I absolutely loved this series as a young lass. It's been years since I've read it but I remember being filled with wonder and delight whilst reading.

I hadn't read these books in many years and had never read Many Waters. I was surprised to find that I didn't love the books. They all seemed to involve simplistic moralizing (there's just good and evil, often with only minimal explanations of what makes something or someone evil), and certain parts really didn't age well. (particularly the issue in A Wind in the Door with Charles Wallace being bullied, which everyone agreed was up to him to resolve on his own) I actually enjoyed Many Waters the most, as it read like it was just a story instead of a lesson, the plot developed gradually in a natural arc, there were several different subplots going on, and the setting was interesting to me.

Still interesting, often profound stories about spirituality and the bonds between family members. Much shallower and less developed (in plot and characterization) than I remembered from my childhood, though.

Madeleine L'Engle: The Wrinkle in Time Quartet (LOA #309): A Wrinkle in Time / A Wind in the Door / A Swiftly Tilting Planet / Many Waters (Library of America Madeleine L'Engle Edition Book 1) by Madeleine L'Engle – The whole series was on sale in digital format, so I had to have it! Enjoy these coming of age adventures! Happy Reading!

I have finally finished the series that many kids in this country grew up on. But being 26 didn't negate the fact that I really loved this series. I didn't rate all the books a five, and I was constantly annoyed with her random writing style (look who's talking...), and there were times I was confused as to who was who and when (not where) we were. But they were truly amazing. Especially the last two. I guess Many Waters was never a part of the original trilogy, and chronologically, it actually happens before A Swiftly Tilting Planet. For actual reviews, see each book individually on my bookshelf.

I will say this though. There are so many wonderful Christian truths in these books, and characters that are real. They actually struggle, or get frusterated, or chose sin because it's easy, and deny the truth because it's not logical. And I like that, but she always brings it back to God's Word. She just interweaves Christian theology so effortlessly into her stories that you walk away with very profound truth. I won't let my kids make the same mistake I did by not reading these books until later in life. They will most certainly be a staple alongside Narnia and the Penderwicks. A true classic.

Right now, at the end of A Wrinkle in Time, I'm only giving the series a 4/5. I'm not actually putting stars on it till I finish the quartet, though, since I can't remember which book in the series I liked best. Sadly, Wrinkle didn't thrill me as much at not yet 30 as it did when I was not yet 10.

These happened the summer of my 6th grade year. My brother signed me up for a library reading contest - I had to read 100 books! It was worth it, and these were the highlight. My favorite ride of all literature.