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readsewknit's review against another edition
3.5
GLIMPSES OF GRACE is a compilation of excerpts pulled from Madeleine L'Engle's expansive canon. It is structured with the idea that you would read one passage a day, be it a poem, a journal entry or essay snippet, or a novel passage. As I received this for my September birthday, I wasn't inclined to wait until January to begin, so I threw all order out the window. I began with January and would read any number of passages. I kept it in my car, and typically I would pick it up to read for a couple minutes after I did school drop-off, before heading to work or back home.
I'm chronically slow with reading physical books as of late -- my current season has audiobooks and ebooks taking the forefront due to the ease with which I can engage with them while driving/doing work around the house and reading in stolen moments, since my Kindle is never far off. However, this book was a gift from my sister, and I didn't want it to be neglected, thus the solution to have it close at hand in my car for most weekdays.
Some excerpts translate better than others to this medium (it's hard to have the same impact from a single page pulled from a novel rather than reading it in its entirety and fully grasping the meaning), but this gives a taste to L'Engle's prolific range of work and I enjoyed the moments of quiet. It's whetted my appetite to read more of L'Engle's work.
With its conclusion, though, I'll have to examine what book might lend itself to take the place of this weekday morning practice. I look forward to considering what might be a natural book to fit these constraints.
I'm chronically slow with reading physical books as of late -- my current season has audiobooks and ebooks taking the forefront due to the ease with which I can engage with them while driving/doing work around the house and reading in stolen moments, since my Kindle is never far off. However, this book was a gift from my sister, and I didn't want it to be neglected, thus the solution to have it close at hand in my car for most weekdays.
Some excerpts translate better than others to this medium (it's hard to have the same impact from a single page pulled from a novel rather than reading it in its entirety and fully grasping the meaning), but this gives a taste to L'Engle's prolific range of work and I enjoyed the moments of quiet. It's whetted my appetite to read more of L'Engle's work.
With its conclusion, though, I'll have to examine what book might lend itself to take the place of this weekday morning practice. I look forward to considering what might be a natural book to fit these constraints.
monicamjw's review against another edition
5.0
Each day's entry features either a reflection written by L'Engle or a passage from one of her books.
ricefun's review against another edition
5.0
I loved, loved, LOVED these readings as my morning ritual in 2016. L'Engle is both mystic and pragmatic with the ability to share stories of faith in an accessible way. Reading these daily bits of L'Engle's wisdom has inspired me to want to read her body of work in a more conscientious way. I'll highly recommend this book to anyone looking for daily inspiration with a strong undercurrent of reality.
almgren_ac's review against another edition
5.0
"Glimpses of Grace" is filled with thought-provoking excerpts from L'Engle's various books for daily devotional use. I loved this book so much that I bought my own copy to read again on a daily basis throughout the new year. Her wisdom generated many deep conversations between my husband and me and he never tired of me saying, "Oh, this is SO GOOD! Can I read this to you?" He was actually very excited to hear the day's topic and ruminate on L'Engle's timeless wisdom with me. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
eupomene's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended for readers already familiar with Madeleine L'Engle's spiritual writings. Carole Chase has carefully put together a devotional-style book with a reading for each day of the year. Good for quick sips of a favorite author's words.
psitsbethany's review against another edition
5.0
I have had this book for a few years and take it in doses whenever my heart needs some nourishment. Madeleine L’Engle poured her heart, her beliefs, her spirituality, her being into her writing and this collection of those thoughts is just perfect.
katiengibson's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great collection of quotes from Madeleine's books - beautiful, thought-provoking words for every day of the year. I've been reading it nearly all year and finally decided to review it. :)
aliciamae's review
4.0
I'm not much of a devotional person, in part because I'm not very good at sticking to daily readings. (This is where my binge reader-ness is very obvious.) I didn't read this one as a daily devotional, although it is set up for that. If you do read it daily, most blurbs are fairly short. At most they spread to two or three pages long, but usually it's a little paragraph. This is a collection of various poems, writings, excerpts from novels, etc. that Carole F. Chase, a Presbyterian minster, organized and edited. L'Engle's words were equal parts comforting and thought-provoking. I started without a pencil and little post-it tabs, which was a mistake, and I ended up having to go back through the beginning to mark things of interest/importance. There were a handful of days where I had a theological question or two--do I agree with what she's saying here?--but that was not a detraction for me.
Oh, and the etymology of the word atonement, which is highlighted on March 27 (pages 75 and 76) was startling and wonderful. "At-one-ment." At one with God. "There is nothing about crime and punishment in the makeup of that word. It simply means to be at one with God. Jesus at the cross was so at-one with God that death died there and Golgatha, and was follwed by the glorious celebration of the Resurrection." I of course had to go look up the etymology myself, and yes, it from at one + -ment, influenced by medieval Latin adunamentum ‘unity,’ and earlier onement from an obsolete verb one ‘to unite.’
Oh, and the etymology of the word atonement, which is highlighted on March 27 (pages 75 and 76) was startling and wonderful. "At-one-ment." At one with God. "There is nothing about crime and punishment in the makeup of that word. It simply means to be at one with God. Jesus at the cross was so at-one with God that death died there and Golgatha, and was follwed by the glorious celebration of the Resurrection." I of course had to go look up the etymology myself, and yes, it from at one + -ment, influenced by medieval Latin adunamentum ‘unity,’ and earlier onement from an obsolete verb one ‘to unite.’
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