Confession time, as an avid reader I have not read The Time Quintet. Which includes L’Engle’s most popular book, A Wrinkle in Time. I have read her nonfiction work Walking on Water, which I reviewed a while back. (I chuckle that the only book I’ve read by this famous fiction author is a piece of her nonfiction.)
In Sarah Arthur’s biographic book, we read about the duality that Madeleine lived within. Her chapters are written focused on the this and that Madeleine represented, lived within, and embraced. (Sacred and Secular, Faith and Science, Religion and Art) Having known little about L’Engle’s life I found this journey into her past and who she became fascinating. And although it is very clear that Arthur sees an icon in L’Engle she also recognizes that she is ‘a human being and a very fallible one’ to quote Dr. Murray from A Wrinkle in Time.
Her personal faith journey and community proves we are in this life together, as one and the best way to do life is in a community no matter how difficult that may be. Although we as readers may have a more icon like the perspective on L’Engle and her legacy it appears she was as human as we are. She struggled with censors who called her writings dangerous new age in the guise as ‘Christian’. She lost her husband to cancer and then her son to late-stage alcoholism. She never seemed to recover from the loss and the cause of her son’s death, it was a real-life narrative she was not in control of and couldn’t re-write.
If you are a fan of L’Engle’s writings and would like an open-minded look at the spiritual journey her life encompassed and how her writings have uplifted and encouraged others in the time since they’ve been published then A Light so Lovely would be a fabulous addition to your book collection.
Get a copy of A Light so Lovely, HERE.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
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Stylishly Shelby 