Madeleine L'Engle - A Ring of Endless Light

Pros: Flawless writing, plot, and characters.

Cons: Might be a bit syrupy for some.

The Bottom Line: A deep, lyrically written book on life, death and love. A beautiful read at any age.

Review: I saw Eternity the other night,
Like a ring of pure and endless light,
All calm, as it was bright,
And round beneath it, Time in hours, days, years,
Driven by the spheres,
Like a vast shadow moved, in which the world
And...

Pros: Lovely, life-affirming story

Cons: Often sad

Review: "A Ring of Endless Light" is the third in the Austin family series, and one of the most spiritual of L'Engle's books. Though sometimes the spirituality has an unfocused abiguity, my belief is that L'Engle, a Christian, was attempting to reach...

Pros: Descriptions, themes, connection to the main character

Cons: A bit dated.

The Bottom Line: A novel that will stick with you long after completion.

Review: Madeline L'Engle is best known for her young adult science fiction spectacle A Wrinkle in Time. Her vivid characterization and beauty of description carry over into my favorite of her novels, a Ring of Endless Light, with a story much closer to home. ...

Pros: One of those "can't put it down" books that will leave you hoping for more

Cons: None at all

Review: "A Ring of Endless Light" is one of the best books I have ever read. It follows one summer in the life of Vicky Austin, a 15 year old girl living with her family on beautiful Seven Bay Island. Over the summer, she learns to cope with the...

Pros: Exciting, Insightful, Well-Written, Everything's Good

Cons: None

Review: This was the first book I read by Madeline L'Engle and it kept me reading all the others. Since then I've read about 9 of her other books and I'm still reading them(This one's still my favorite). In the book them main character, Vicky Austin, is faced...

Pros: Dolphins, comforting, well-written, continuity with other novels but still self-contained.

Cons: Vicky not quite believable, a bit heavy-handed at times, too much death, ends abruptly.

The Bottom Line: This book is appropriate and comforting for anyone who has ever been preoccupied with fears or thoughts about death. Good for adults and kids.

Review: As a small child, I was madly in love with Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door. So, recently I decided to go back and reread those books, and all the other novels I missed by ...

Pros: excellent messages about faith, love, and death

Cons: the Austin family is annoyingly perfect

The Bottom Line: While not what I'd call a page-turner, this book should appeal to teenagers and older who are interested in exploring ideas about death through fiction.

Review: Another month has passed, and with it another book club selection and discussion. This time A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle, a young adult novel in L’Engle's series of books about the Austin family, made the cut. Having read...