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Summary: A book to feed the soul and linger in the memory.
Review: This is a special book that will linger long in the memory of any reader who enjoys fantasy, or for that matter, a well told, challenging, thought provoking story.L'Engle has constructed this book thoughtfully, the action is well paced, and the characters beautifully developed. This development of course continues throughout the rest of the "Time Quartet". The concept of the Fifth Dimension is wonderful; some may say that this is too difficult for children. I would answer with Madeleine L'Engle's own reason for writing children's books: "When I have something to say that I think will be too difficult
for adults, I write it in a book for children. Children are excited by new ideas; they have not yet closed the doors and windows of their imaginations. Provided the story is good...nothing is too difficult for children." Perhaps this is the thing I enjoy most about "A Wrinkle in Time" each time I re read it. It is a children's book that gives children credit for intelligence and understanding and ability to cope with complicated ideas...to me, this is what makes a 'classic' children's book which stands the test of time.
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Summary: Wow! you would'nt want to miss this book!
Review: Wow!,have you ever read A Wrinkle In Time? It is one of the greatest book's by Madeline L'Engle.You wouldn't want to miss a word of it.
It has plenty of adventure,power and love. Meg, Charles Wallace, Calvin O'Keefe,Mrs.Whatsit,Mrs.Which and Mrs.Who help each other to free Meg and Charles's father from a evil being or thing called IT.They go through 5 dimensions.First dimension was a line,next was a shape,third was 3-D,fourth dimension was only time,and last is the dimension of Tesseract.This is where Mrs.Whatsit,Which and Who leave the three kids to find Father.
They woman gave them a gift before they left them. I like Calvin because he can communicate to any living creature and tried to tell Charles him to fight the evil, because IT took over him.But the one who can help Charles is Meg.They only got to help their father but he couldn't do anything.So then the three women came back and gave Meg another gift, it was love so then she kept on telling Charles I love you! and it worked. Charles was free!!In a flash they were home.
So if you want to read a book there is many choices like A Wind in The Door,A Swiftly Tilting Planet and Many waters.I hope you like them Goodbye! by Christian
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Summary: Wonderful, quick and easy read!
Review: I finally read this book, and honestly wish I'd read it sooner. Light, but not fluffy reading. The story is quite basic, but still thouroughly thought provoking, and the characters will stick with you long after turning the last page. For being a fantasy story, it reads very realistically. Grea one-sitting read!
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Summary: A Wrinkle in Time Review
Review: I read this book recently and enjoyed it very much. This book is about a girl named Meg who gets involved in time traveling. She must rescue her father and an entire solar system from a dangerous, evil, black spot in the sky. I like this book because there is so much fantasy in it. Everything is described so well that I could almost feel what was happening. All the unusual creature she encounters are brought to life with realistic personalities. Most of these characters are extremely interesting and can be compared to "Star Wars" in originality. I especially enjoyed a planet called Camazotz, a place where all the people, houses, and routines are exactly identical. The portrayal of "IT" is also quite an interesting idea, but I can't tell what "IT" is for that would in a way ruin the book. However, even with all of these positive opinions I found some parts slow moving and boring. Certain characters, for instance Meg's brother Charles Wallace, are simply annoying. Charles' self-centered personality is often too much. He can make you actually mad at the book. Overall though this book is an example of excellent literature and I definitely suggest reading it.
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Summary: Multi-Leveled & Multi-Layered. . . .
Review: A WRINKLE IN TIME is one of those rare "children's" books that I keep in a consistent rotation to read every few years (Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry & The Phantom Tollbooth being two others). It is so much fun to read the novel as just a futuristic fantasy story, with touches of science and sociology thrown in: dimensions, misfits, love conquering hate, etc. Although overworked lately, time travel was quite state-of-the-art for when the book was written and published, and L'Engle approaches the topic from a scientific perspective, through the five dimentions, rather than a fantastic one. As successfully as L'Engle presents these timeless themes and ideas, she also does a spectacular job of presenting some major symbolism, very biblical and spiritual in nature, as well. Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Who so clearly represent the trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, respectively): Mrs. Which with her booming voice and mulit-lettered pattern of speech, clearly the leader of the triad; Mrs. Whatsit, taking on a human form despite her other-worldliness, being the mediator between Mrs. Which and the children; Mrs. Who, never quite appearing, represented only by her glasses, using the words of others to communicate whenever possible. It's beautiful. The obvious struggle between good and evil (with love being the ultimate weapon), the "fallen" stars, the Black Thing, and the mind control of IT all serve as classic biblical symbols. L'Engle uses multiple scripture references, particularly through Mrs. Who's quotes, to convey her messages of love, hope, and strength. She does all of this with a remarkable subtlety and tact. She does not intend to offend, nor does she---the story stands by itself. If one wants to delve deeper, however, the symbolism is there to be dug out. Truly great books can be read many times on different levels, with different reactions and interpretations from different readers. Ms. L'Engle provides readers of all ages, reading levels, backgrounds, and thinking skills with a gold mine of material in this book and its sequels (none of which quite match this one for overall quality, although they are well worth reading!).
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Summary: Must-read fare for children and adults--especially now
Review: I find it fascinating that the recent made-for-TV film was done by Disney, considering that Disney was behind a series of "experimental community projects" in the 90s that were somewhat vaguely reminiscent of Camazotz, where the houses were identical and people were closely monitored. In any case, the film adaptation is bolstered by beautiful, psychdelic visual effects that do end up approximating the feel of the original novel to some extent. When I first read this at the age of nine, I found the book absolutely chilling; the fact that places similar to Camazotz exist right here on Earth today (North Korea?) make this a sort of Orwellian fable with a mystical slant; that it was written in the 1950s could even have been a subtle poke against McCarthyist paranoia. Fortunately, the ending is positive, as befits a children's novel, providing one with an appropriate breath of fresh air. Certainly not the be-all-and-end-all of literature, but as a starting point for pre-adolescent children, it is seminal and looking back on it as an adult, I still find it highly enjoyable and timely.
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Summary: an old favorite offers surprises
Review: The phenomenal success of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, the first two are both in the Top 10 of most Bestseller Lists, lead me to reread this Children's Classic, which was one of the big favorites of our generation. I must have read it around fifth grade--I imagine most every kid in America reads it at some point--and noone will be surprised to hear, it turns out I wasn't as smart as I thought I was when I was ten. Madeleine L'Engle managed to hoodwink me, but good. I thought this was just a great Science Fiction/Fantasy story, but now I discover that the whole book is a religious allegory. Meg Murry and her brothers, Charles Wallace and the twins, live with their mother. Their Father has been missing for years, supposedly working on a top secret government project. Meg and Charles Wallace are strange children, noone seems to know quite whether they are idiots or geniuses. In short order they meet Calvin, a tall gangly boy, who also feels like a misfit and three women who have moved into an abandoned house in the neighborhood. The old women, Mrs. Whatsit , Mrs. Which & Mrs. Who, inform the children that Mr. Murry is in dire straits and needs their help. They travel through time and space via wrinkles, called tesseracts, to the planet Camazotz, where Mr. Murry has gone to battle the forces of darkness that are closing sections of the universe in shadow. There they battle the evil being known as IT, a disembodied brain who offers people complete security if they will only give up their freedom and their individuality, as have the inhabitants of Camazotz. Most of the allegorical stuff is easy enough to see, the children can fight evil by finding The Father. Meg despairs that evil is allowed to exist at all and blames her father, and so on. But I really liked the fact that L'Engle portrays Camazotz (or Hell) as a place where there is complete conformity and security, but no personal freedom. Personally, I believe that Camazotz closely resembles both a Socialist or Communist State and the Garden of Eden. Just as the great struggle of Ms L "Engle's time was the fight for freedom against the security of Socialism/Communism, Man chose to leave the security of a pastoral existence in the Garden and accept the vicissitudes of life without because we prefer freedom. The book also contains one of the most beautiful descriptions of human life that I've ever heard. Mrs. Whatsit compares life to a sonnet: It is a very strict form of poetry is it not? There are fourteen lines, I believe, all in iambic pentameter. That's a very strict rhythm or meter, yes? And each line has to end with a rigid rhyme pattern. And if the poet does not do it exactly this way, it is not a sonnet, is it? Calvin: You mean you're comparing our lives to a sonnet? A strict form, but freedom within it? Yes. You're given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you. This book conveys a worthwhile religiopolitical lesson about the human condition and is great fun besides. I look forward to reading it with my kids. GRADE: A+
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Summary: Midly interesting, but not as good as advertised
Review: I found this book midly entertaining. I read it on a car trip and it was fine, but I didn't absolutely love it. I didn't care one way or the other whether I read it or not. It was not the type of book that makes you really want to read it.
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Summary: Fantastic, delightful, though not without flaws
Review: I am deeply moved by the ideas and the emotions in this book, though there are mild problems with the writing itself. The story is delightful, but there are points when Meg and Calvin are first talking or later as they are sorting out various problems where the believability of the prose falters. Others may call the integration of Christianity troublesome. For example, she quotes the Bible, yet slips in things that any fundamentalist would be apalled at. So there's plenty to offend anyone of any persuasion if they do a close reading!
But so what?! It's a phenomenal story, it asks delightful questions, and it speaks pointedly to the nature of evil and mankind's struggle with same. It is a fun and thoughtful book that is very cinematic... many of the scenes hold a tension or a warmth that causes the reader to fill out the details in their head. I found myself speaking the dialogue aloud, acting out the parts. I also respect how L'Engle used quite advanced vocabulary when the moment struck her. She didn't dumb down the language for her readers, instead she delights in playing with difficult but completely appropriate words when needed. While reading this book I got the distinct impression that the writer was having fun, was writing about something serious and important to her, and didn't give-a-hang who might be offended or bothered by her liberties with religion or vocabulary, etc. This is a classic that deserves to be a classic, and I will read it to my children.
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Summary: A Magical Book
Review: A Wrinkle in Time is a great book. There are many funny, exciting, sad adventures that always kept me stuck to the book. My favorite characters in the book are the three Mrs. W's. They are very mysterious and I loved how the author was creative in making them creatures covered in human form. I recommend this book to everybody.
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