Ring of Endless Light

Rating:
Summary: I checked this out 25 times in a row before I bought it...
Review: And that should tell you what I thought right there. "A Ring of Endless Light" is basically, and we're talking extremely basic here, about one girl (Vicky Austin) and her struggle over one summer to understand death and other people. Her grandfather is dying, one of her family's friends just died, a little girl dies in her arms. Plus she has three guys vying (sp?) for her attention, one the guy who is basically responsible for the death of the family friend, one who is the son of the family friend, and one who worked with the family friend. Little bit complicated here, but read the book and you'll understand. I would suggest that you read a few other books first--it's not necessary, I didn't read them first, but you'll understand it better--they will give you a better idea of who the characters are and why they act the way they do, especially Adam. "A Wrinkle in Time," (all these are by Madeleine L'Engle, incidentally)"Meet the Austins," &q! uot;The Arm of the Starfish," "The Moon by Night," "The Young Unicorns," "A Swiftly Tilting Planet," and "A Wind in the Door." The great thing about L'Engle's books are that they almost all are tied together by one or more characters. Start with "A Wrinkle..", then go to "Swiftly Tilting..", then "A Wind..", then "Meet the Austins.." then either"Moon by Night.." or "Arm of the Starfish" (they take place at the same time) then "Young Unicorns" THEN read "A Ring of Endless Light". It will make so much more sense to you. And if you liked all of those, read "Troubling a Star" after "A Ring.." It's a definite sequel about Adam and Vicky the fall after "A Ring.." takes place. If you followed all of the that, I hope you enjoy this book--it's totally awesome.

Rating:
Summary: One of her best
Review: I've always enjoyed Madeleine L'Engle's books, but I think that this one has to be one of her very best, the other one being "A Wrinkle In Time." Like the two previous books in the Austin series, this one centers around the struggles and triumphs of a teenager named Vicky Austin. She and her family have moved in with her grandfather, who is dying of leukemia. In addition to that trial, Vicky has to choose between three young men: Leo, whom she's known all her life and who can identify with the struggle she's going through with her beloved grandfather; Zachary, the poor little rich boy whom Vicky can't quite figure out; and Adam, the gentle, caring--and yet confusing marine biologist. Join Vicky as she travels the path to adulthood--complete with its disappointments and successes--and learns more about herself and the people around her. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Madelien L'Engle, and enjoys a good read. It was realistic, and yet had that mysterious element of fantasy that L'Engle is so good at inserting. By all means--read it! You won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: a lyrical, beautiful story
Review: This book is unquestionably my favourite in the Austin series. The other books in the series are The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas, Meet the Austins, The Anti-Muffins, The Moon by Night, The Young Unicorns, and Troubling a Star. A Ring of Endless Light contains some of my favourite poetry, as well as being written in clear, natural, effortless prose. The issues it deals with, such as faith, life and death, and the nature of God, are never oversimplified, and there is a refreshing absence of a narrow, didactic viewpoint. This book clearly deserved its Newbery Honor Book status. Ever since I finished reading this book, I have wanted to swim with a dolphin, and was encouraged to read Henry Vaughan's poetry for the first time.

One thing I really wish is that Disney hadn't ruined this story by turning it into a 'save the dolphins' teen flick, totally changing the themes and content of the story. If you have seen the t.v series please read the book as well before making up your mind about the story.