10.30.2013

Currently Re-reading: A Wrinkle in Time

For a book I've read and worshiped as many times as I have Madeleine L'Engle's little magnum opus, a review seems a bit superfluous. What could I say? A few psychedelic and/or sentimentally spiritual elements of the tale haven't held up well to fifty years' aging; overall, however, I prefer not to criticize. Simple and childlike the climactic scene may be, but I still cry over it. I adore this story with all my bookish heart.
"But she could love Charles Wallace.... She could stand there and she could love Charles Wallace."
If the act of standing there and loving someone has salvific virtue, I do more good in this world than I think I do.
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7 comments:

  1. GeorgeOctober 30, 2013 at 4:14 PM

    I almost hate to say it, but A Wrinkle in Time has never done much for me. It was good on first hearing it read, but none of the few times I tried to reread it resonated with me.

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  2. AnonymousOctober 31, 2013 at 9:57 AM

    If the act of standing there and loving someone has salvific virtue, I do more good in this world than I think I do.

    Yes.

    Though I have to agree with George. First time reading, loved it, not so much later. I've found that some books are meant to be first time wows like that. Then we're ready to move on. However, A Swiftly Tilting Planet held up much better for me.

    --Deborah/Arabella

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    1. Jenna St. HilaireNovember 1, 2013 at 11:47 PM

      Yeah, I've had the first-time-wow-and-then-move-on experience with books, too. Sometimes even with favorites.

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  3. LauraNovember 1, 2013 at 11:34 AM

    Heh. I'm just going to stand over here and love harder.

    I don't know if I'd love A Wrinkle in Time if I read it now. I did read A Swiftly Tilting Planet again after 20 years and was kind of disappointed. I like the version of Wrinkle that exists in my memory, though I feel like the Giant Brain Dystopia aspect is kind of heavy-handed. But I like Meg as a character (I'm not so big on Charles Wallace) and I like how much the whole thing feels like a Super Special triple episode of The Twilight Zone.

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    1. Jenna St. HilaireNovember 1, 2013 at 11:44 PM

      Ha. I know exactly what you mean about loving the version that exists in your memory. And I forgive the book for its heavy-handedness mainly because of the age of its target audience.

      I was always a Charles Wallace fan myself, but that's a taste thing.

      Delete

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