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whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
5.0
I sought out my mom's copy of this book after hearing part of the first chapter read on NPR. I subsequently read every other thing written by Madelein L'Engle I could find. What can I say, I read voraciously in middle school. What else was there to do?
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
5.0
So beautiful and enlivening and gentle all rolled into one lovely package. I love this just as much now as when I first read it as a child. Perhaps more. Definitely in a different way seasoned by all the living I have done since I first read it.
is_it_chris's review against another edition
3.0
i liked it, but i think seeing the movie first messed me up. :( it was really fun seeing the movie with mama though.
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
2.0
I read A Wrinkle in Time when I was a kid. I wanted to read it again when I saw the movie a few years back because the movie wasn’t very good and I wanted to compare. I never got around to it as I believe I was still in the midst of my years-long reading slump at that point. From my recollection as a child the book was fairly confusing though enjoyable. I assumed by re-reading it I would understand more now that I am an adult. I now can see what I found to be confusing as a child was me projecting some deeper meaning onto the story than there actually was and presuming that I was not getting it.
While there are some heavy concepts present, the book is not so bogged down in scientific rhetoric that I would consider it a problem. It could be a turn off for kids, however, as the introduction in my audiobook stated L’Engle didn’t ever actually consider this a kids book so that’s a modern day demographic categorization issue more than anything.
I don’t actually have much to say, good or bad. I expected to like it more because it was special to me as a kid and it’s widely praised. I found it stronger at the beginning when the mystery had yet to unfold. As it began to unwind it became significantly less interesting as it settled into a very basic rescue story. And when I say basic I mean white-tee-blue-jeans level basic. They only travel to one place at which point they almost immediately resolve the main point of the journey. There is only one other location on this little excursion. There are no clever puzzles or interesting tricks or really anything fun to figure out. When it’s not dabbling in discussions of high concept scientific theory the book feels as if its sole purpose is to push L’Engle’s ideological beliefs onto the reader.
It’s not a bad belief system - the idea that love can conquer all - however, there are better, more entertaining, less obvious ways to weave a message into a story. The characters often function as little more than pawns as everyone outside of Meg does not progress in any way. This is especially true for Charles Wallace whose whole schtick is purposely designed to make him a better vessel to perpetuate the agenda.
So, all in all I would recommend this just to experience some of the hype, but I would say definitely manage your expectations as much as you can. I like it well enough. It’s just not as mysterious or magical as it appears to be at the outset.
While there are some heavy concepts present, the book is not so bogged down in scientific rhetoric that I would consider it a problem. It could be a turn off for kids, however, as the introduction in my audiobook stated L’Engle didn’t ever actually consider this a kids book so that’s a modern day demographic categorization issue more than anything.
I don’t actually have much to say, good or bad. I expected to like it more because it was special to me as a kid and it’s widely praised. I found it stronger at the beginning when the mystery had yet to unfold. As it began to unwind it became significantly less interesting as it settled into a very basic rescue story. And when I say basic I mean white-tee-blue-jeans level basic. They only travel to one place at which point they almost immediately resolve the main point of the journey. There is only one other location on this little excursion. There are no clever puzzles or interesting tricks or really anything fun to figure out. When it’s not dabbling in discussions of high concept scientific theory the book feels as if its sole purpose is to push L’Engle’s ideological beliefs onto the reader.
It’s not a bad belief system - the idea that love can conquer all - however, there are better, more entertaining, less obvious ways to weave a message into a story. The characters often function as little more than pawns as everyone outside of Meg does not progress in any way. This is especially true for Charles Wallace whose whole schtick is purposely designed to make him a better vessel to perpetuate the agenda.
So, all in all I would recommend this just to experience some of the hype, but I would say definitely manage your expectations as much as you can. I like it well enough. It’s just not as mysterious or magical as it appears to be at the outset.
bookph1le's review against another edition
5.0
This is, hands down, one of my all-time favorite books. I love it to pieces
mirandacasteel's review against another edition
5.0
Another "bucket list book" checked off for me! This is definitely a great story for middle school aged children! I'm surprised I hadn't read it before now.
cdjdhj's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book with my 7th grade English classes. I read the book as a child and liked it a lot more then. For preteens and early teens, this is a good book with a good message and nothing objectionable. It is a very imaginative book.
rattledragons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25