Thursday, September 20, 2007

Madeleine L'engle




While I was gone to Charleston it appears that Madeleine L'engle died, she was 88. She is best known for her children's fantasy trilogy, A Wrinkle in Time, A wind at the Door and the A Swiftly Tilting Planet. She wrote numerous other books for young adults and some also for adults. Her four part Crosswicks journal series is very good. She was truly gifted and the only writer who ever wrote me back after I had written them. She will be missed.



I came to know her by reading the book a Ring of Endless Light. The heroine in the book speaks telepathically to Dolphins so you can see why I liked it. This led me to read all her other books which I loved. I truly wished I had found them as a child but alas I did not read until I was an adult. I loved her books because besides the wonderful stories she had such strong female characters. There were several books about each family and sometimes you would meet an old character in a new series. It was like having an old friend appear. I have wanted to write for young adults because of her. I made sure that Sarah had copies of the books to read while she was growing up. They are really good.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was truly saddened when I read about her death - even though she lived a long life, her spirit just shined through her writing. Her "Wrinkle In Time" series were special favorites of mine as a young girl, and I made sure to give them to my daughters to read as they were growing up.
I think it really says something so wonderful about her as a person, that you're the second blogger that I've read a post saying she wrote them back - how you must treasure that, I know I would - but I think that just shows what a truly magnaminous spirit she had, and makes her passing all the more poignant. There's another light in heaven now, I think.

Julie said...

I will have to read this book as I love dolphins. I have only read "A Wrinkle in Time" and didn't read it until I was an adult. I made sure Kristen read a lot of books that I wasn't exposed to as a child (Narnia, etc.)

Julie