I’ve mentioned a number of times that I am hosting Carrie’s “Reading to Know” Book Club for the month of October, and my book choice is Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. I shared some introductory remarks about the book here at Carrie‘s.

I’d love to have you join us! If you do so, please drop over to Carrie‘s and let her know in this post. It’s not required that one write a review of the book, but Carrie will provide a place to share thoughts about the book and link up to reviews if you’ve written them on October 26.

I had read A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle as a child, but the only thing I could remember about it was one scene where boys in driveways all down a street were  bouncing balls in perfect rhythm with each other. It was one of those titles I had always wanted to revisit, and I just did so over the last several days via audiobook.

In the time between that first reading and now, I had also heard L’Engle described by some as a Christian fantasy writer in the tradition of C. S. Lewis and by others as a dangerous New Ager. That was another reason I wanted to revisit the book, to see what angle she was coming from. I can definitely see why there is confusion.

The story itself begins with teenager Meg Murry. Meg is finding it hard to fit in at school. Her teachers feel she does not do nearly as well as someone with two brilliant parents should. She doesn’t fit in socially and gets into a fight when someone calls her little brother dumb. She doesn’t like her appearance. And her father has been away for over a year, but no one knows where he is, and some of the townspeople are beginning to gossip about his disappearance.

Meg’s little brother, Charles Wallace, is about five years old and is thought dumb because he does not speak to outsiders, but he is quite articulate with his family. He even seems to go belong the spoken word to know what his family is thinking and what they need, at least his sister and mother. Meg has twin brothers as well, but they seem to be in the background most of the time: by contrast to Meg and Charles Wallace, they are not bad at anything but not exceptionally good at anything either and have no problem “fitting in.”

Meg and Charles Wallace meet a teen-age neighbor, Calvin, and  a Mrs. Whatsit, who, along with Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, tell the children they are needed not only to save their father but to save their planet from the Black Thing. The three Mrs W’s take the children through time and space via a tesseract (which “wrinkles” time, in a way), to the planet where Meg’s father is being held captive by IT, a being that takes captive the thoughts of the people on the planet and makes everyone act in perfect conformity. A man with red eyes, controlled by IT, tells the children that this is the best way because there is no crime, hate, or sorrow. But the children know better and continue to resist the pull of IT and to to look for Mr. Murry.

I’ll leave the plot there for you to discover. There are recurring themes through the book: good vs. evil, creativity vs. conformity, vigilance vs. passivity, and love vs. hate. Meg continually is reminded that things aren’t always what they appear and she needs patience, and these admonitions are repeated in various ways through the book.

Just as a fantasy or science fiction, the story is quite interesting and well put-together. The differing opinions come in when trying to discern where L’Engle is coming from. It’s interesting that secular sources cite her the book as reflecting her Christian faith, but some Christians have trouble with a few elements. There are definitely Christian elements: Scripture is quoted directly, the whole good vs. evil and love vs. hate themes reflect a Christian base. But Christianity is spoken of more as a philosophy: there is nothing in the actions of the characters that suggest what we’d consider normal Christian life (praying, for instance, even in times of extreme duress). Some of the troubling elements include a “Happy Medium” and Mrs. Which, though not called a witch, described with the typical garb of fairy-tale witches. And when the children are asked who are lights in the world they know of that fight against darkness, they mention Jesus as seemingly just another light beside Shakespeare, Einstein, Bach, Gandhi, and others (I think Buddha may have even been mentioned, but one problem with an audiobook is that I can’t go back and find that exact reference).

I mentioned in a post about magic in Narnia that I had wrestled through the whole issue of magic in books, and came to realize that fairy tale or fictional magic is often not the same thing as the magic the Bible warns against. Real life witches don’t wear pointy hats, ride brooms, or turn people into frogs. I think the magic in this book is more along the lines of fairy tale and not promoting such things in real life. Still, there are serious warnings in the Bible against witches, wizards, and the like, so I don’t know why a Christian writer would use elements known to trouble Christian readers and then scoff at them for being troubled (which L’Engle did in some of the articles I read about her, calling such people “narrow.”) The “Happy Medium,” for instance, uses her crystal ball to show the children the “dark thing” hovering over earth and to show them their families (and the Mrs W’s want her then to look at something pleasant so she’ll stay a happy medium). Since this is science fiction, she could have easily been a scientist with something other that a crystal ball to observe the planets. She is kind of a play on words, though, from earlier in the book when Meg’s mother tells her she needs to find the happy medium (between mindless conformity to fit in with the crowd vs. being so individualistic that she’s peculiar).

In looking through some articles and interviews with L’Engle, I’d say she’s Christianish, but I’d definitely disagree with her on several key points, like universal salvation or viewing the Bible as just stories rather than literal truth. A couple of the interviews I read about her were here and here and here, and of course the Wikpedia entry is here if you’d like to read more about her. I think some of you have read other books by her, and I’d love to hear your insights from her own words.

I didn’t know, when I chose to read this book at this time, that this is the 50th anniversary of its publication, and a new graphic novel of it will be released October 2:

I also didn’t know there was a film made of it, but what little I read and saw of it (clips on YouTube), I don’t think I’d like it. They changed too much of it (as usual). In one of the interviews I read, L’Engle was asked if the film met expectations, and she said, “Yes. I expected it to be bad, and it was.” 🙂

I also gained a lot by skimming through SparkNotes. They pointed out connections and other things I hadn’t caught, like the many references to seeing clearly and people’s glasses, and the fact that Meg’s disappointment that her father couldn’t fix everything when they found him was necessary to her own maturity..

Have you read A Wrinkle In Time or anything else of L’Engle? What do you think?

The folks at 5 Minutes For Books host What’s On Your Nightstand? the fourth Tuesday of each month in which we can share about the books we have been reading and/or plan to read.

Here is what I’ve finished since last time (links in this section are to my reviews):

Rare Earth by Davis Bunn. Former operative Marc Royce has been sent into Kenya to help bring supplies to an area devastated by drought and a volcano eruption, but he secretly has another mission. Excellent.

The Bridesmaid by Beverly Lewis, second in the Home to Hickory Hollow series, Amish fiction. Joanna has been a bridesmaid multiple times but finally meets a young man, except he is from another town and obligated to work his father’s farm. Her secret hobby of writing becomes known and gets her in trouble. Always love Beverly Lewis: hers is the only Amish fiction I read.

The Discovery by Dan Walsh. A young author inherits the home of his famous author grandfather and finds an old unpublished manuscript which may reveal things his family never knew. Very good.

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen. A well-to-do young women escapes her step-father’s plans for her to wed an unscrupulous young man by disguising herself as a maid and going to another town, ending up at the home of two brothers who were former suitors. A very enjoyable read.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle, not reviewed yet.

I’m currently reading:

The Disciplines of Grace by Jerry Bridges with Challies‘ “Reading Classics Together” group.

Unless It Moves the Human Heart: The Craft and Art of Writing by Roger Rosenblatt

Thriving at College: Make Great Friends, Keep Your Faith, and Get Ready for the Real World! by Alex Chediak, since my youngest just started college.

When You Come Home: The True Love Story Of A Soldier’s Heroism, His Wife’s Sacrifice and the Resilience of America’s Greatest Generation by Nancy Pitts. This story had been featured in Tom Brokaw’s Greatest Generation, and this is the full story.

Up next:

Uncle Tom’s Cabin for Carrie‘s Book Club October pick, which I happen to be hosting. Join us? I’ve listened through the audiobook but want to go through the book as well.

Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson coming out next week. I’m glad to see a new one from Dee! I really enjoyed her previous books.

Wildflowers of Terezin by Robert Elmer

Audiobooks of C. S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy: Out of the Silent Plant, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength

What’s on your nightstand? Happy reading!

In The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen, Margaret Macy is a well-to-do young woman in London whose mother has remarried a man only interested in the family’s wealth. He had thought Mrs. Macy was the one to receive an inheritance, but it is actually Margaret who will come into it on her next birthday. So Margaret’s step-father, Sterling Benton, brings his nephew in to woo Margaret, planning to “manage” their finances after they marry. But Margaret can easily see that Benton’s nephew is no better than he is, and after overhearing their unscrupulous plans, she escapes, hoping to hide out a few months until her next birthday when she comes into independence.

She disguises herself and travels as far away as what little money she has in hand will take her. She finds a hiring fair, hoping to find work as a maid, even though she has never done any such labor in her life. She is hired by a kindly steward and doesn’t learn til they are on their way that the home they are going to is one in which two brothers who had been former suitors of hers live.

Her disguise seems to work, though, and Margaret learns over time that she may have misjudged both the brother she spurned as well as the one she preferred. She also learns much about herself and life “below stairs.”

This was a delightful book. It didn’t take long for me to get hooked and then look for nooks and crannies of time beyond the norm to get a few pages read.

I’ve read books about maids before, but this one incorporated a lot of information that was new to me.

I had seen Julie Klassen’s books but hadn’t yet read one. When this one was free for the Kindle app (at the time, it no longer is), I decided to try it, and now I’ll be looking for Julie’s other books as well!

The Bridesmaid by Beverly Lewis is the second in her Home to Hickory Hollow series, and some characters are in both books, but each can easily be understood alone.

Joanna Kurtz is close to suffering from the old cliche, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” She is 24, which by her community’s standard sets her in danger of being an old maid, and there are no prospects of a suitor in site. But an out-of-town trip for a relative’s funeral leads to a meeting with Eben Troyer, a young Amish man near her age.

The two hit it off immediately, but their relationship is beset my many problems. Besides living in different states and only communicating by letter and an every-other-week phone call, Eben is responsible for helping his father on the farm. The farm would go by rights to his younger brother, Leroy, but Leroy is off “in the world,” getting higher education and learning to fly planes, both taboo to the Amish. All of Eben’s hopes are tied up in Leroy’s coming “back to the fold,” which humanly speaking does not look likely.

Joanna has a semi-secret hobby: she loves to write stories. While not expressly forbidden, it is frowned upon. When news of it reaches the bishop’s ear, he pays a visit to warn her against it. Innocently she asks about the difference between writing stories and telling them, as there are famed Amish story-tellers, but she is threatened with shunning if her impertinence continues. If Joanna is in trouble with her bishop, that would not only affect her own life and her family, but it would likely prevent her from being able to move out of state as well.

Just as these problems  and others for Joanna and Eben come to a head, another young man from Joanna’s community, who seemed undesirable before, begins to show her attention, and she wonders whether God might be leading her toward him.

A relative gives Joanna a quilt stitched by her namesake, and as Joanna learns the story behind the quilt, it inspires her to trust the Lord for her future.

I enjoyed this story and Joanna’s journey. I especially appreciated that in this series, each plot wraps up instead of being held over until the sequel. I always enjoy Beverly’s books. There is something cozy about them, and I admire the industriousness and gentleness of the Amish women. Beverly does not gloss over the problems the Amish face, though, especially the legalism that varies from church to church. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series in April.

In The Discovery by Dan Walsh, famous author Gerard Warner has just passed away. Though well-loved, he was reclusive, not allowing photographs of himself on his book covers, only granting print interviews, never going on book tours. No one knew him like his family, especially his grandson, Michael, who is also an aspiring author.

At the reading of the will, the family members discover that they are each now ridiculously wealthy, and Michael has been willed his grandfather’s beautiful home in Charleston, SC. Michael can begin in earnest now to pursue his own dreams of writing.

In his grandfather’s office Michael discovers a previously unpublished manuscript from his grandfather along with a note indicating that he had intended for Michael to find it. As Michael becomes engrossed in the WWII spy novel, he begins to realize the impact this book will have on his family. And since his grandfather’s manuscript is published as a book within this book, readers can follow along as well.

I can’t say too much more about the plot without spoiling it, and some readers may be able to figure out the main thrust of it just from these few words. But even though I figured things out way before Michael did, this was still a very intriguing read.

My only real criticism of the book is that the spiritual truth in it comes through a character who is a part of what I would consider to be a works-based denomination (though one is not saved by denomination but by personal repentance and faith in Christ). This is the second book in which Walsh has done that. I wouldn’t have a problem with it if this was a secular novel, but in Christian fiction I am dismayed to see such lines blurred.

But overall I really enjoyed the story. Charleston is one of my all-time favorite cities, and I loved the scenes there. The dilemma that Ben, the character in Gerard’s manuscript, finds himself in is heart-wrenching, and  making sacrifices for one you love is displayed on several levels.