A Wind in the Door

I know I read this book at some point earlier in my life—maybe even a couple of times—but all I remember is the disappointment I felt. A Wrinkle in Time was a pivotal book for me. I identified with Meg, and I loved the Murry family with their emphasis on studying the world and making the world a better place. I couldn't wait to read book two, but the ending left a lot of things unclear, and remember also being frustrated with how the battle against bad guys not only had to be fought in outer space but also on a microscopic level.

I felt those same things with this read, but somehow time has tamped that down and I have a new appreciation for the wisdom of the fight and the ways that Meg and her companions were able to overcome the bad with good.

Just a bit about the plot: Meg's younger brother, Charles Wallace, has started school and he is suffering from bullying as well as from some mysterious mitochondrial ailment. Meg is approached by a cherubim and a teacher who guide her into action as Meg and her companions (one of whom is, intriguingly, her arch-enemy and former principal, Mr. Jenkins) must leap into action.

Yep..still one of my favorite books. Sure it's a kid's book, but it's got great imagery and reminds me of good perspective in life.

This one gets a little lost in the weeds for me compared to the others. It can feel at times like the plot is just rolling over the characters and moving on without addressing the characters themselves and their thought processes throughout. That said, it's still wildly charming and fantastical, I can never find myself upset at L'engle honestly.

Overall, I give this one an okay. I love the characters and how relatable Meg is. I love the fantastic imagination of creatures. I love that there could be problems on the scale of galaxies similar to the problems on the very micro scale. However, the story didn't work for me. It mostly worked...I was mostly there until the last third or so. I dunno. I really wanted to love this book because A Wrinkle In Time is such a delight.

I noticed in my re-read of A Wrinkle in Time just how fast everything happened. This is the case again in A Wind in the Door, although it didn't stand out to me as much, perhaps because I have a history with the characters from Wrinkle. This time, Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace are not just meeting fantastical beings and moving through space, but they are exploring size and relativity through (real) mitochondria and (fictional) farandolae. (Note: I had to google whether farandolae are real, and in doing so, I came across farandole, which is a kind of French dance in which the dancers form a chain. The farandolae in the book dance in a circle together, and this can't be a coincidence.) I love the way Madeleine L'Engle explores huge ideas through interpersonal relationships: the idea that a human being is like a galaxy to a farandola, but that what happens to that farandola affects its human host, and so by implication, what happens to one human matters to the entire galaxy.

This was something quite different from what I was expecting after reading [b:A Wrinkle in Time 33574273 A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1) Madeleine L'Engle https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507963312l/33574273.SX50.jpg 948387]. The writting and the time setting was all very confusing; and the whole adventure they went through in the previous book was never even slightly acknowledged in the entire story.Esto fue algo diferente de lo que esperaba después de leer [b:Una Arruga en el Tiempo 40049190 Una Arruga en el Tiempo Madeleine L'Engle https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527645839l/40049190.SY75.jpg 948387]. La escritura y el lugar en el tiempo fueron muy confusos; y toda la aventura que pasaron en el libro anterior no fue ni siquiera ligeramente reconocida en toda la historia.So now I'm left with the same questions I had once I finished AWIT and even more questions that, sadly, I'm not interested in looking to resolve. By the last third of the book I was just skimming through the paragraphs hopping to get to the end fast enough before deciding to not finish it.Entonces ahora solo quedé con las mismas preguntas que tenía una vez que terminé UAEET y aun más preguntas que, tristemente, no estoy interesada en buscarles respuesta. Para el último tercio del libro estaba solamente hojeando a través de los párrafos esperando llegar al final lo suficientemente rápido antes de decidir no terminarlo.I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the quintet. No creo leer el resto del quintento.I'm giving it 1.5 stars because it was not terrible but I really didn't like it.Le doy 1.5 estrellas porque no fue terrible pero realmente no me gustó.

The story in this one was more compelling. I liked it better than A Wrinkle in Time.

“Love isn't how you feel. It's what you do. I've never had a feeling in my life. As a matter of fact, I matter only with earth people.”

This is the second book in L'Engle's Time Quintet. As a follow up to A Wrinkle in Time it picks up with Meg and Charles Wallace continuing to discover the connection that they seen to share. While slow to start they story quickly gets interesting and wastes no time at all introducing quirky, but memorable characters to journey with the group. Towards the middle of the book there is a slow down in story progression and the expected character development of Meg takes over. She at times can be quite off-putting due to her whining and immature nature. While I do understand that she is young I did expect a little bit more out of her considering the events of the previous book.

This read is definitely geared towards a teenage audience and deals with some pretty heavy concepts that one around those ages maybe be experiencing or dealing with.

I didn't love this one as much as A Wrinkle In Time and I was getting frustrated with Meg's stubbornness, but I still enjoyed reading it!

Madeline L'engle at her best. Creating fabulous characters and worlds and creatures to teach us hope, to be better humans, connect us with our Creator, and comforting us when the pains of life get too strong.

Very abstract, odd plot. Dialogue-heavy. Strange theme about adapting that didn't really make sense to me. I might pick up the third one but not in a hurry.

Short review: I am revisiting this series for the first time as an adult. I always liked books two and three better than Wrinkle in Time. The theme of the series seems to be the power of love to overcome. This time Meg has to learn to ‘name' those around her to save her brothers. In order to name something you have to be able to see the good in that person or thing and then love it.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/wind-in-the-door/

I love this book! I love this whole series!