A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Review

A Wrinkle in Time

by Madeleine L’Engle 

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It was a dark and stormy night.

Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O’Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure – one that will threaten their lives and our universe.

Winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal, A Wrinkle in Time is the first book in Madeleine L’Engle’s classic Time Quintet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Wrinkle in Time is a classic children’s story that seems to have surpassed being just for children, becoming a story included on nearly every “Books to Read in a Lifetime” type list I’ve come across. I’ve been meaning to read it for years and managed to put it off another few months since my Book Buying Pressures Haul and Discussion post but at long last, I’ve read it. 

I found A Wrinkle in Time delightful from the start. It begins with the classic don’t-use-line “It was a dark and stormy night.” and I couldn’t have loved it more. Something just clicked with the writing—it was humorous, relatable, descriptive and atmospheric. It was perfect for young readers but still entertaining and charming for adults and remained so for the rest of the book. 

I loved these characters. We meet Meg during the storm, seeing her despairing over herself. “It’s the weather on top of everything else. On top of me. On top of Meg Murry doing everything wrong.” She was a bit dramatic and let her mind wander to the worst scenarios she could conjure, but in a humorous way that I liked quite a bit. I loved that she began to rely on herself more throughout the story. Charles Wallace…I just loved him. He was a fascinating little boy, wiser and more understanding, well spoken and brave than his five years would suggest. It wasn’t just that he had a deeper understanding of something more going on in the world, it was the way he used it and the way he tried to understand his family members who needed to feel understood. So sweet. As was their new friend Calvin. I loved their immediate connection. Possibly my favorite part of A Wrinkle in Time was Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which. Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who were my favorite—they were the exact type of eccentric old ladies I’d want to take me on an adventure. I was curious about all three of the ladies for the duration of the book. They were unique beings and unlike anything I read in a children’s book before—though my curiosity about them wasn’t entirely satisfied. I would like more explanation but the level of intrigue and mysticism around them was fun.

I knew very little about this book going into it and was surprised by the science fiction direction it went in. I’d expected more of a typical fantasy story, but there was a good balance between elements that felt more traditionally fantasy and a very science fiction based plot. I did find it more enjoyable and was more excited about the story near the beginning, when I thought it was going in a different direction. As the story progressed, I enjoyed it but found it rather typical—although I can’t fault it too much because this is from the 60’s and the ideas in this book weren’t so widespread and overdone back then. As it is a children’s book, the ideas and plot points are relatively simple but I would’ve appreciated more detail overall. I have no doubt most of my questions are answered in the other books in The Time Quintet but there are some aspects I thought could do with more explanation in this book. Despite this, it was an interesting, well written tale with great characters that told a story with themes classic to children’s books.

In the end, I liked A Wrinkle in Time a little less than I thought I would. It had nothing to do with high expectations before reading it and more to do with the fact that I loved it so much once I started and didn’t love the direction it went in as much. It was still an enjoyable read but this is one children’s book I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed more as an actual child. I’d like to read the rest of the series someday but I’m in no rush.

3/5

Have you read A Wrinkle in Time? What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading,

Madison