A Wrinkle in Time
Ratings916
Average rating3.8
I read this book when I was young and I just loved it! I wanted to read it again before seeing the movie. I loved it again!
Strangely I don't ever remember reading this as a kid, but since the movie is on the way I thought it would be good to read it first. So keep in mind I'm coming at this from the perspective of an adult. I can see why it has become a classic, it really pushes the boundaries that a lot of other kids books don't and I appreciated that. Whether it was the mixing of fantasy and sci fi, or anger issues in a pre-teen main character or even the subject matter of free will versus comfortable mindless puppetry (a rather poignant subject even today) - A Wrinkle in Time touches on things I was rather surprised by, but truly enjoyed. I don't think I felt the ‘charm' I have felt with other kids books in the same vein, but that might be a product of reading it first as an adult. Others have taken issue with the religious connotation, but as a Christian myself, I really found it poignant and thoughtful. I feel like the overall message is still a positive one whether you are religious or not. Overall it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing the film.
I didn't love it. Ok, not good, definitely not great. I didn't read this as a kid, so maybe the nostalgia is missing. I liked the beginning it was charming and paced well, but as I read on it read like a skipping stone to me. The author barely touched on the big themes and interesting and unique ideas that she tried to introduce. It came out very flat and two dimensional when it tried to talk to fourth and fifth dimensions. Also, definitely didn't dig the obvious and out of place religious references.
Why ask me? This book is a classic that goes beyond all internet reviews. School librarians and teachers will forever be recommending this book, and with good reason. If you're going to read it as an adult, don't expect too much, but kids will remember it forever. I just read it to my children and we went to see the movie. It's a cerebral, magical, wonder-filled book that is great for children from 8-12. I highly recommend it for reading aloud or reading solo. The kids loved it. It's imaginative and adventurous, with plenty of laughs and cries. The thing I liked most about it was reading a children's book that quotes Shakespeare, Dante, Goethe, and Cervantes in their original languages. That's the kind of book I want to read to my kids.
If it's so great, then why only three stars? Honestly it's a little hard to read. This book was notoriously rejected over sixty times by publishers who thought it was too hard for kids to read, and I might agree with them. I read it aloud, and I often had to stop and re-read awkward sentences. Also there's the structure of the story itself: the movie is getting a lot of heat for this but trust me, the problems are there in the book. The story is just not that strong, but honestly the story doesn't seem to be the point. The point seems to be the relationships between the family members, the cool worlds they visit and Meg's arc, which is good despite the weaknesses of the plot as a whole. Meg still grows up quite a bit over the course of the story and solves the final problem, but I'm too much of a bitter adult to really get it.
On the other hand, the kids loved it, so why not read it to them?
This was one of my favorite books in elementary school. In anticipation of the movie, I decided to re-read it. As an adult, the book unfortunately doesn't translate well. I can definitely see why I related to the character of Meg, but the other characters felt one-dimensional. The plot jumped around a lot, and the ending was abrupt. That said, I think that it's a great book for kids.
Enjoyable but forgettable. I had a vague memory of a single scene that I recognized halfway through, otherwise no recollection of plot or characters since reading this as a kid. I think it's one of those things you had to have loved as a child (doesn't hold up against adult science fiction, leaves too much unexplained, etc). Also, nothing makes me speed read quicker than angsty teenager outbursts.
Executive Summary: I never read this one as a child, so it's hard to gauge if I'd have liked it more then. I thought it started much stronger than it finished. 2.5 StarsFull ReviewWith the movie upcoming, I was interested in reading this classic. I thought the premise was pretty interesting, but I found the execution a bit lacking. Traveling between planets by folding time and space seems pretty cool and would have been right up my alley as a kid.I thought that Meg and her brother were both pretty interesting characters, but that the book came across as far to preachy about what children should behave like and with its message of religion. Meg also got kind of bratty for a period of time, and that started to annoy me.The first half of this book had some pretty good worldbuilding, but the second half felt very rushed and the ending left a lot to be desired. I was expecting more plot and by the final chapter I was wondering how things would be wrapped up. In my opinion they weren't so much wrapped up and they were rushed to an abrupt stop.I'm certainly not the target audience for this book, and my agnosticism has me generally uninterested when religion is worked into the narrative. Then again I loved the [b:The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe 100915 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1) C.S. Lewis https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1353029077s/100915.jpg 4790821] as a kid and this book has far less religion in it than that book.Overall I'm glad I finally read it, but it's not going to be a book I read again.
This book was not what I expected. It was dark and introspective with gleams of light throughout. The book delves into thoughts and ideas that are deeper than I expected from a children's book. Whereas The Chronicles of Narnia make bring theological ideas into story, A Wrinkle in Time painted a picture of the power of the reality of love in our world that can be so dark and cruel and unforgiving.
Things I liked:
- Equality and sameness are not the same.
- The diction of being loved for who we are before we've done anything for that love.
- A fantastic story in an alternate world and universe.
My Dad & Mom read this series to me when I was younger and I recently re-read them. I enjoyed the stories very much. They are so strange and unique and I've never read a book quite like it. Everyone should at least read this first book, I'd bet you'll want to read the rest as well. Overall just a great story, good characters and a thrilling plot.
I don't think A Wrinkle in Time is a bad book, but it's definitely not for me. Maybe I would've liked it as a kid? I can certainly see why someone would—it instigates curiosity and questioning, and it encourages self-thinking, which I believe is very important—, but I don't know. Maybe. At the moment, for me, it's cute and slightly interesting at best, and at worst it's just annoying. What is it with all the Christian references?! I don't know. Maybe I'm just bothered because I expected one thing and got something entirely different.
“Life, with its rules, its obligations, and its freedoms, is like a sonnet: You're given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself.”
I love this book! When reading this it's so easy to get lost in the story. Meg can be such an annoying character at times due to her level of immaturity at times. Reading this as an adult I think might be the reason I feel this way. She, her brother, and a new friend end up making a journey to rescue Meg's Father after learning that they are the only ones who can save him. On this journey all three characters end up learning lessons about themselves and their special gifts that they develop and use to continue on their path. In the end each character finds out what their calling and purpose in the grand scheme of the universe. This is a must read for anyone who loves a good adventure with a few lumps and bumps along the way.
I loved that this book was written before I was born and yet it didn't feel like it. A book that can stand the test of time. Of course I know I should have read this when I was a kid, but somehow I never got around to it. But it was so good, even for this adult.
I know it's a YA book, but I'm not sure if 10 year-old me would have liked it either. At least it's finally off my “To Read” list.
Reread this for a Reading Challenge. I'm glad I did. It was as good as I remembered.
Light read in the manor of Pratchett. Old children should enjoy it.
I found the book just engaging enough to finish. It's a straight forward book which requires a heavy amount of suspension of disbelief. I believe that young readers will enjoy it and it might speak to them in a more meaningful way than to a young adult or more mature reader.
I'm not entirely sure how this is the first time I've ever read this classic YA novel, but it was about time. While I did find a few places that seemed to drag just a bit, and I could very much tell that this novel was written in a different era, my overall impression was that this is a great piece of fiction. I particularly enjoyed the author's ability to give each of her young characters flaws, and allow those flaws to be an integral part of the story's eventual resolution. The message of embracing our differences is certainly one that remains challenging and meaningful today. I very much enjoyed this book.
I decided to re-read some L'Engle because someone whose opinion I admire was recently talking about how disappointed she was when she re-read them as an adult...
As a kid/teen I adored this book and would have given it 6 stars if that was possible. As an adult, I am more aware of its faults but still loved it. I still adore Meg (in this book... I'll leave the debate about adult!Meg for if I ever review The Arm of the Starfish) and this time around I found myself really really enjoying Mrs Murry. I'm intrigued by her story and wish there was more. I still think Meg&Calvin are one of my favourite literary couples (up there with Anne&Gilbert) and I'm still ambivalent about Charles Wallace.
Maybe I should have read this when I was younger, and I may have gotten more from it. For some reason, I could not focus on this book. The writing style was a little too formal for a children's book (IMO) and I found it to be kind of a drag. Sure, the themes of light overcoming darkness and love being all you need may have won it the Newbery, but I'd MUCH rather spend my time reading a Narnia book than this. Not sure if Madeleine L'Engle gets better the further into the series you go, but for now I'll move on to better things.