Thursday, June 2, 2016

A Wrinkle in Time - Review

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Rating: Very Good
Source: Library (audio)
Description:  It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.  "Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them, "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course.  Let me be on my way.  Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract".  Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared.  Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin and Charles Wallace to rescue him.  But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space? (from Goodreads)

Genre: Children's - Middle Grade, Science Fiction

Why I Picked This Book:  I remember loving this book as a child but I found I remembered almost nothing about it.  I had some time open up on my audio schedule and I couldn't resist revisiting this book.

My Impression: I remember loving this book in childhood.  I remember exactly where the book was located in the library and what the cover looked like and that about sums it up!  Rereading it as an adult was fascinating on multiple levels.  I'm surprised that I loved it so much - not because it isn't interesting and well written but because it's so different.  In some ways it is similar to the adventure stories that I adored but it is most definitely science fiction which has never been a genre I've really read much of so it surprises me how much I enjoyed this as a kid.
The book itself is definitely different.  I've found that main characters in Middle Grade adventure stories tend to be perpetually cheerful resilient and mature children.  Meg Murray is none of those things.  She's angry, she holds grudges, she complains, and she is most definitely her age.  The other characters - Charles Wallace and Cal - are not as well developed but are still unusual.  That's all before we meet Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which and step through the wrinkle in time.  
From there the adventure expands over time and space.  I did lose thread of the story a time or two and had to back track but I think that may have been because I was listening to this on audio and I think print might have worked  a little better.  As for the adventure itself it's something better read about than discussed.  And since my reading of science fiction is fairly limited I can't really compare it to other books of the genre.  
I can say that I really enjoyed this revisit to L'Engles' universe and I'd really like to continue with the series.  
I listened to audio book and while the narrator, Hope Davis, did a good job I'm not sure the book itself works perfectly as an audio.  I think I might read the next book to see if it's easier to keep track of all the details.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Definitely.  I don't think I was aware when I first read it that this was the first book in a series.  I'd like to see what happens next with these characters.

Would I Recommend this Book?: I would.  It wasn't what I expected given my usual reading but it was interesting and worth the read.

16 comments:

  1. Thank you for this review - I'll check it out as it may well be ideal for my granddaughter:)

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  2. Check out Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me. It's a Newbery Winner, and A Wrinkle in Time figures in the story.

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  3. I liked this book too. It was different and imagine a sci-fi book like this out during it's time.

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  4. I should give this book a re-read. It's been ages and ages since I read it. I always liked it, and it surprised me too because it definitely has a sci-fi feel which is also something I generally care for.

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  5. It's been so long since I read this one! I actually remember A Wind in the Door more, can you believe it? I should go back and read this one again.

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  6. Wrinkle is one of my favorite children's books of all time. I'm glad you enjoyed your reread (or listen?) I reread this book and A Wind in the Door at least every four or five years, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet almost as often. Disney is planning a movie adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time; fingers crossed that it will be better than the TV adaptation that came out in 2003.

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  7. Never read this one but seen the movie so I am sure the book is even better as the movie was just okay. I didn't know it was a series either so I will have to check it out. :)

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  8. I actually never read this one nor did I know it was a series. Glad you enjoyed it as an adult now. Great review!!

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  9. I need to reread it - also a childhood favourite of mine and now I bought it for my own kids.

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  10. It is always a little dicey going back and revisiting something loved from childhood but turns out this one never lost its appeal for you which surely is the hallmark of a great book.

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  11. It felt familiar as I read the synopsis and yes I read this years ago...I had no idea it was a series!

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  12. I loved this book, I read the graphic novel during Christmas and it really was delightful! Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Yes! And I am so ready for a re-read of the series because I want to read that last book I had no idea existed. I was introduced to it by my fourth grade teacher reading it to us and I can remember listening to it with my head down on my desk (that was how she made us sit during storytime) I moved and went to another school before she finished the book and I remember walking to the library to borrow it the very next time I went to my grandmother's for the weekend, so I could finish it. My new fourth grade teacher was reading the Little House books to the class. We had to listen with our heads down for that teacher, too. Ha ha.

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  14. Which narrator did your version have? Did you like her?

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  15. A Wrinkle in Time is a book I've been wanting to read for a while now... It's interesting reading your thought as a re-read. Re-reading books we read when younger always tends to be an interesting experience. Glad you enjoyed this one!

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