L’Engle-L’Engle

Books read: 3

Title: A Wind in the Door

Author: Madeline L’Engle

Status: The sequel to A Wrinkle in Time. Meg, Calvin and Mr. Jenkins go inside Charles Wallace to save both his life and the life of all that’s good in the universe. I didn’t read this one nearly as often as Wrinkle, so I didn’t remember much of it. I liked Proginoskes, the cherubim, but other than that, this one wasn’t as engaging as its predecessor.

Result: I hate breaking up a set :)

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Title: A Swiftly Tilting Planet

Author: Madeline L’Engle

Status: The third in the series, we rejoin the Murray clan eleven years on. Charles Wallace is 15, Meg is pregnant and Calvin is a PhD. A rogue South American state threatens nuclear war and it’s up to Charles Wallace (with telepathic help from Meg) to save the day. I remember even less of this one than I do of A Wind in the Door, but I found this one more interesting as far as plot. Something I noticed with both of the sequels, there isn’t much reference to anything that happened in previous books. Maybe I’m just used to how most series books continue the same plot threads, where as these three are really separate stories….but it would be nice if there was more than just a passing mention of all their previous adventures. It also feels like Door and Planet work within the same reality (kything, echthroi, etc) whereas Wrinkle and Waters (see below) have more universal rules in common (tessering).

Result: Keep, obviously

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Title: Many Waters

Author: Madeline L’Engle

Status: When I first read this book, I remember being annoyed because it was all about Sandy and Dennys, rather than Meg and Charles Wallace. It takes place between Door and Planet, if I have my timelines correct. The twins end up in Noah’s village, pre-ark building. With my lack of religious education as a child I do remember it took an awfully long time for me to figure that out. This was possibly my first reading as an adult - certainly the first in a good long while - and I think it might be just below Wrinkle in terms of enjoyment. The twins are kinda dumb teenage boys, but the environment and other characters are well rendered and really draw you in.

Result: Definitely keeping