A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle

Many fingers pointed to me reading this book. The stars alined, some might say. After reading Dyer's Jeff in Vencie... and DeLillo's Point Omega, my book club discovered Dyer wrote a review of Point Omega. The review was called "A Wrinkle in Time." Also, the book was sitting on my bedside table, prior to this information, because I had decided to read it after reading Stead's When You Reach Me which made so many references to L'Engle's book. Finally, as a possible future Teen Librarian I felt it was right to have read such a famous juvenile literature book.

I was immediately surprised at how flat (simple?) the writing was throughout the entire book. This is a major complaint I have in youth literature, I feel too many authors talk down to their audience. I felt L'Engle was doing just that. The characters weren't developed as much as just thrown at you in all of their simplistic cliches.

The novel is very similar to C.S. Lewis' Narnia series. The magical world of the 'other.' Or, as Shakespeare might say: the green world. This place where good and dreams exists. But, unlike Shakespeare, these green worlds have imperfection and darkness. Quickly discovered and quickly solved. And, much like Lewis, the religious symbolism is a bit heavy handed in L'Engle's novel.

I found myself rushing through the last 70 pages. I just wanted the experience to end. I am trying to break the habit of only reading half of a book. So far this year I have done very well. I didn't want this slim little devil to get through my fingers. So I completed. And am happy to return it to the library shelf and quickly forget it.

D+