Product Description
This work presents the genre of mythopoeic fantasy from a holistic perspective, arguing that this central genre of fantasy literature is largely misunderstood as a result of decades of incomplete and reductionist literary studies. The author asserts that mythopoeic fantasy is not only the most complete literary expression of a worldview based on the existence of supernatural or spiritual powers but that the genre is in a unique position to transform social consciousness with a renewed emphasis on anticipating the future. The author lays out theoretical foundations for his argument in the first four chapters and then demonstrates how the works of fantasy authors Ursula K. LeGuin, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L'Engle, and Orson Scott Card exemplify his argument in the remaining four chapters. ... Read more

Product Description
In honor of Madeleine L'Engle's 80th birthday, a host of prominent writers and academics gather to create this unique collection. Madeleine's circle of friends and peers (writers, poets, scholars, theologians) here provide an intimate portrait of L'Engle and respond to her writings and mentoring influence.

Ranging from the personal to the academic, these essays illuminate the many worlds of Madeleine's writings: the private, the reflective, the theological, the scientific, the mythic, and the literary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Welcome Addition to Your Madeleine L'Engle Collection
Readers expecting to find prose dedicated to the praise of Ms. L'Engle will find themselves disappointed with this volume published in her honor -- at first. The essays found here are loving tributes to both Ms. L'Engle and the Ether she captures so elegantly in each of her books. Authors as diverse as Thomas Cahill (How the Irish Saved Civilization) and Katherine Paterson (Jacob Have I Loved) prove L'Engle's talent reaches out to a diverse set of writers with myriad effects. This volume is as much a tribute to the contributors as it is to Ms. L'Engle. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Lovely Christmas Reflections

L'Engle has created the perfect blend of poetry, short stories, and reflections on Christmas. The page design is lovely, and each piece slows the reader to a more thoughtful pace. I feel that I will have a more complete Christmas this year as I read and re-read this collection. It's one of those purchases that you will never regret, and one of those books that I will never sell. If you already appreciate L'Engle, this is a must-have. It is a rich, spiritual, wonderful, timeless work.

Lovely Christmas Reflections

L'Engle has created the perfect blend of poetry, short stories, and reflections on Christmas. The page design is lovely, and each piece slows the reader to a more thoughtful pace. I feel that I will have a more complete Christmas this year as I read and re-read this collection. It's one of those purchases that you will never regret, and one of those books that I will never sell. If you already appreciate L'Engle, this is a must-have. It is a rich, spiritual, wonderful, timeless work.

A Christmas Blessing
Miracle on 10th Street is an anthology of Christmas essays and poems written by Madeleine L'Engle taken from her many years of writing. This book is for adults and teens and not at all for four to eight year oldchildren as described in the Amazon critique. It is a beautiful book,visually and spiritually and would make a wonderful addition to anyChristmas collection. It definitely is a Christmas blessing.

Beautiful thoughts on God's love through the gift of His Son
I bought this book after briefly glancing through it as a gift for a friend.After getting it home, I didn't want to give it away.Madeleine L'Engle writes beautifully about not only Christmas but the entireChristian life and sums it up in this word:Love.10th Night evoked in meboth joy and pain at what Christmas can be but often isn't.Her insightsas a mother into Mary's life as the mother of the Savior were poignant aswell as the fears, pain and joy she has experienced for her own children. Additionally, as someone only vaguely familiar with the ancient Christiancalendar, I came to appreciate what the celebration and meditation onAdvent, Epiphany, etc., could bring to me as a Christian.I wholeheartedlyrecommend this book for the Christian to encouurage them at any time of theyear time and for the non-believer to give them a glimpse of Divine Love. ... Read more

Product Description
The Austins have a full house on Christmas Eve when fate brings them a new mother and a young woman who is expecting. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A wonderful Austin story; but not really for young children
Grown-ups (and older children) who are fans of MadeleineL'Engle's Austin family books will love this short Christmas story.

It is a picture book, but it really isn't a children's story in the same sense as L'Engle's _The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas._  For one thing, Full House is told (in the first person) from Mrs. Austin's perspective rather than 7 yo Vicky's.  It takes place a few years after _24 Days_.   Rob is no longer a baby, and Suzy is 8.   In the story, Mrs. Austin, her father, and the children come home from Christmas Eve service to find their former babysitter huddled on the doorstep.  It turns out that Evie is pregnant.  Here is an excerpt:

"I remembered hearing that her father seldom came home without stopping first at the tavern, and that her mother had the reputation of being no better than she should be.  And yet I knew that their response to Evie's pregnancy would be one of righteous moral indignation..."

Not typical picture-book text, and while I loved it myself, it's probably not something I would read to my 6 and 8 year olds.

BTW, the ENTIRE text of the story is also found in the grown-up book A Miracle on Tenth Street, which is a collection of short stories, essays, poems, journal entries, etc...mostly about Christmas.  (It also includes the text of 24 Days.) ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (76)

Book review
as always, Madeleine L'engle's story lines are supurb and give you a lot to think about

fairly good read
I wanted to love this book and I did enjoy it but it was not one of my favorites.I think I wanted there to be more of Vicky and Adam which there was not enough of in my opinion.But the story was a new and interesting tale.

Troubling a Star: Exciting, but too scientific and politic
Returning to her hometown of Thornhill, Vicky Austin feels out of place.There she meets the great aunt of her friend and love interest, Adam Eddington, and they develop a fast friendship.On her 16th birthday, she is given a trip to Antarctica, where Adam is studying.But all is not as it seems...

While a bit slow in the beginning, it quickly jumps into the action and maintains it throughout.The descriptions are very detailed and most of the characters seem quite realistic.There are, however, many politic references and more obscure scientific facts that the average reader might not understand.The climax just appears, rather than building up to it, however it is interestingly woven into the story.The last 100 or so pages are hard to put down, and there are many twists and turns that keep you reading.Overall, a relatively good book.

A Disappointment, but O.K
After reading A Wrinkle in time I picked this book and was sure I would like it, but I asumed wrong. This book was O.k. It was a little confusing.The ending was too rushed and came to a conclusion faster then I would have liked. I had to read the ending several times before I finally understood it completely. I definitely think that this was not Madeleine L'Engle's best work.

almost gave it a 5 but...
Wow. I read a Ring of Endless Light earlier and, me, being stupid, didn't even know they were SUPPOSED to be connected. Nothing clicks together. Reading this, you'd think Adam and Vicky are different people all together!
BUT as a stand-alone book, if you just don't think about Ring of Endless Light, it's pretty good. At the end, it's a little sketchy and things just happen all at once. If you want to read it, I reccomend renting it from your library, but it's not quite worth buying. ... Read more

Product Description
When Charles Wallace Murry goes searching through a 'wrinkle in time' for his lost father, he finds himself on an evil planet where all life is enslaved by a huge pulsating brain known as 'It'. How Charles, his sister Meg and friend Calvin find and free his father makes this a very special and exciting mixture of fantasy and science fiction, which all the way through is dominated by the funny and mysterious trio of guardian angels known as Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which.Amazon.com Review
Everyone in town thinks Meg is volatile and dull-witted andthat her younger brother Charles Wallace is dumb. People are alsosaying that their father has run off and left their brilliantscientist mother. Spurred on by these rumors, Meg and Charles Wallace,along with their new friend Calvin, embark on a perilous quest throughspace to find their father. In doing so they must travel behind theshadow of an evil power that is darkening the cosmos, one planet at atime.

Young people who have trouble finding their place in theworld will connect with the "misfit" characters in thisprovocative story. This is no superhero tale, nor is it sciencefiction, although it shares elements of both. The travelers must relyon their individual and collective strengths, delving deep into theircharacters to find answers.

A classic since 1962, MadeleineL'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time is sophisticated in concept yetwarm in tone, with mystery and love coursing through its pages. Meg'sshattering yet ultimately freeing discovery that her father is notomnipotent provides a satisfying coming-of-age element. Readers willfeel a sense of power as they travel with these three children,challenging concepts of time, space, and the power of good overevil. (Ages 9 to 12) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (968)

"A straight line is not the shortest distance between two points"
"A straight line is not the shortest distance between two points"
Meg Murray is the daughter of two brilliant scientists, making her difficulties in school mind-boggling.Her father has been gone, experimenting, for over a year and the family is getting worried.The arrival of a mysterious neighbor lady leads Meg, her youngest brother, Charles Wallace, and new friend, Calvin, on an adventure to save Meg's dad.

I Liked:
I think it is pretty radical for a book written in this time (1962) to feature so prominently a girl who is a whiz at math.Nowadays, we see it all too often (and sometimes groan at how badly it's done), but back in the 60's, most girls could look forward to "girly" jobs, like secretaries, teachers, nurses, and other typically feminine occupations.So Meg is quite the role model in her own way.
After a slightly slow beginning, the book whisks us away to another place, using the interesting concepts of tesseracts (the math geek in me squees).I really liked this concept--a real reason for space (and time!) travel.I liked how it was somewhat based in real science and math--perhaps to get the kiddos interesting in the best fields of all time?And the aliens who can't see...that really got me to thinking about how it would to describe light and sight to them, to think about aliens that are of the "non-human" type.
I was rather surprised that the book touches on such "heavy" topics for a children's book.The children go to a dystopic world and learn about uniformity, aberrance, and other topics that I wouldn't have thought to introduce to kids.The major characters have to learn to stick together, to protect their minds from people who want them to be all the same (peer pressure?), and to persevere, even when the going gets tough.I was also impressed at how Meg's view of her father changed.She thought of him as omnipotent, but then she came to realize that he wasn't much different from her--a bumbling child in a world he doesn't understand.She also realized that she couldn't saddle her father with all the responsibility, that SHE had a responsibility that only she could perform.How many kids books do that?Obviously, not the books I read...
Also, I thought it cool how the author narrated.I loved her little anecdote at the beginning too.

I Didn't Like:
Let me preface this with the following: I am twenty-six years old and this is my first reading.I never had the chance to read this as a child, and I wonder if perhaps many of my complaints are based on coming at this being an adult (I mean, I try to have an open mind and not take things too seriously, but no one is perfect).
Our protagonist, Meg Murray, is aggravating.I have no problems with characters with flaws; I have no problems with characters who are imperfect.But Meg must have been given every single last flaw in the book.She is whiny, she is overdramatic, she is despondent, she is pessimistic, she is self-loathing, she is forgetful, she has huge glasses, she is complaining, she is a miserable, little twit that I would like to squeeze until she squishes like a bug.While she is given the one trait of being good with numbers (but, of course, not to her evil teacher's liking, who mark her down simply because she won't do it the "right" way), Meg is heaped with more flaws than strengths that I have ever seen.She is always wailing about something to someone (calm down, get a grip!).She is always complaining about her situation in life (calm down and DO something about it).You might use the excuse "She's a teen", but that's just an excuse, not a reason.You might even say she had to be this way to change, so the ending would matter, but I beg to differ.Meg could have a few more good qualities and had a great "knock-down" at the end that would mean something for her character.And I understand her dad has been gone, and no one knows where she is, but that still is not a good enough excuse for me to overlook her bad behavior and like her.
Charles Wallace is the weirdest child ever, full of hyperbole.I think it's supposed to be "cute" or his "talent" that he talks like an English college professor at the age of five but I found it eye-rolling.
Calvin wasn't half bad, but when he nearly burst into song upon entering the Murray house, I had to wonder whether this guy was completely okay in the head.He says something to the extent, "I've never been here, but somehow I feel like I'm home!"Oh brother.
What was the point of the mother and the twins?The story is about Meg, Calvin, and Charles; there was no need to clutter it up with a mom who is so smart but makes no difference and twins who are only there to insult other characters' intelligences.
The tesseract is explained in a way that makes it more confusing than enlightening to understand.I feel sorry for parents trying to explain this to their eight-year-old.
There are aspects of the book that feel a little too much like C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia (children called from their world to fix another world, a boy who is swayed to join the bad guys, the allegory, etc.).I also felt that some of the Bible verses cited felt a little too awkwardly placed.
And I hate to complain about the narrator, particularly since she's the author, but did the narrator have to be so overdramatic and overact?Perhaps I wouldn't have hated Meg so if the narrator hadn't said all of Meg's dialogue in loud, self-defeatist tones.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Nothing.
Rumors abound that Mr. Murray ran out on Mrs. Murray.
The children watch a woman spank a child.A being is made of a brain and controls people's minds.

Overall:
I'll admit that I really didn't like this book.But if I ever have kids, I'm going to read this to them when they are young.I think they will appreciate the adventure, associate with Meg more than I did, and get to thinking about the topics the book presents.And it's a good precursor to other fantasy/sci-fi books that I did love, such as the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, and Ender's Game.

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

wrinkle in time
Excellent condition that was delivered in a reasonable amount of time.Met all expectations. Very satisfied customer

A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time was a gift for me sons 50th birthday. It was in mint condition. All of my sons were so excited when I told them I found the book. It was as if they were all little boys again.

Thank you so much

Suzanne J

just ok
I like how this book started, and it did keep me engaged throughout, but towards the middle it became full of stuff that seemed to have little bearing on the story.It just felt like weird things were being introduced for no other reason than to have some more strangeness in the book. For me it became distracting. I know many kids who love the book, but for me it had just a little too much.

AMAZING!!!!
My product came so fast in the mail!!! Came in the condition as promised!!! Very VERY happy!!!! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (28)

Interesting family interactions
I am a Madeline fan and always enjoy her books and own many of them.When I started reading this one it seemed to be a good one to share with my early teen granddaughters but as I read on I realized it is really for late teens or young adults.As Camilla learns more about life, love, friendship and family conflicts she grows in maturity and finding her place in the world.I loved the part where she realizes that she is really an individual and has her own place in the world and that others do also.This takes great insight at her age and certainly will help her as she matures.

decent
Camilla is a good read even if I hate the ending.I was never sure it had ended wrong until I read A House Like a Lotus and that book proved that Camilla did not end up with Frank, how anoying.

A personal favorite
"Camilla", or in some editions, "Camilla Dickinson", is obviously a very early Madeleine L'Engle novel, as it lacks the fantasy, allegorical, historical, and suspense elements that permeate her later work. It is a coming-of-age story about a young, well-to-do girl, Camilla, living in New York City in what appears to be the early 1950s.I found it in the adults' section of the library when I was about 14, and was curious about it because I had loved "A Wrinkle in Time" so much.At that age, I skipped over some of the heavy-duty philosophizing that Camilla and her friend Frank engage in (such discussions of life, the universe and everything being handled more skillfully in L'Engle's "The Moon by Night", in my opinion) but I enjoyed reading about their adventures in New York and the romantic moments of the story moved me to tears.

As the story begins, Camilla is a young teen living a life that is sheltered in some respects, but dysfunctional in others.Her parents are gorgeous and rich, but fight and cheat on each other.Her mother attempts suicide, which has the desired effect of bringing father rushing back to her side.Camilla, a quiet and thoughtful girl with none of the dramatis personae of her mother, escapes by gazing out her window at the stars, and by spending time with her friend Luisa.Luisa is the daughter of bohemian parents who have a similarly stormy marital relationship.Luisa also has a brother named Frank, who suddenly starts to take an interest in being friends with Camilla. Within a short span of time, and to Luisa's chagrin, Camilla and Frank become inseparable and explore New York City together, talking about all kinds of emotional and philosophical subjects, and along the way, falling into first love.Frank takes Camilla to places she normally wouldn't go, and to see people she normally wouldn't meet, such as a disabled war veteran who gives Camilla her first kiss - a little bit surprising as you'd think her first kiss would be Frank, the way things are going.

As it turns out, Camilla and Frank are unexpectedly and tragically parted before they even get a chance to do so much as kiss.This makes for a very sad ending, which seems even sadder upon discovering that Camilla and Frank turn up in other, later, L'Engle books, but are "just friends" and apparently don't continue their youthful romance.However, the descriptions of their short time together, interspersed with lovely descriptions of old New York, make for a very sweet and wistful read, until you get to the conclusion.I love this book in the same way as I love "Romeo and Juliet".Furthermore, I choose to set L'Engle's later works about these characters aside and believe, as I did when I was 14 (before L'Engle had written any sequels) that Cam and Frank did find each other again when they were old enough to have some control over their lives, and lived happily ever after.

Enthusiastically recommended for listeners of all ages
Camilla is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a novel by Madeleine L'Engle, the author of the widely beloved classic "A Wrinkle in Time". Fifteen-year-old Camilla Dickinson has long lived a sheltered life, but when her parents' marriage begins to fail, she's caught in the middle of emotional turmoil. She becomes close to Frank, her best friend's brother, and the one person she can really talk to about life, death, God, and her aspiration to become an astronomer. They travel the streets of New York City together, and Frank introduces her to a world of people she'd never met or known before - but will her first love end as badly as the dying love between her parents? Superbly narrated by Ann Marie Lee, who has appeared in numerous television shows including "ER", "Law & Order: Criminal Intent", and "Nip/Tuck", Camilla is enthusiastically recommended for listeners of all ages and public library audiobook collections. 6 CDs, 7 hours 36 minutes.

My favorite author
Madeleine L'Engle was a master of the English language. It is a joy to read anything she has written. ... Read more

Product Description
Madeleine L'Engle's first adult novel in four years -- now in paperback! With 23,000 copies sold since May 1996, this "haunting domestic drama" (Publishers Weekly) examines the powers of faith and mercy in one family's confrontation with a legacy of evil.

Best known for A Wrinkle in Time -- the children's classic that has sold more than 2 million copies since 1962 -- Madeleine L'Engle is as adept at exploring faith and human experience as she is at spinning fascinating, fantastic tales. Now this masterful storyteller blends her two passions and offers an engrossing new story to delight her devoted audience.

When Dr. Camilla Dickinson's teenage granddaughter confronts her with the disquieting question of whether Camilla is, in fact, her grandmother, long-kept secrets rise to the surface to test the faith, love and loyalty of the Xanthakos family. This skillful, gripping tale shuttles between past and troubled present, providing clues to a multigenerational mystery -- clues that begin to focus on Camilla's son, the deeply troubled TV idol Artaxias, and on Camilla's mother, the irresistibly beautiful and adulterous Rose. Though riveting and psychologically complex, A Live Coal in the Sea is "infused with the warmth of love and mercy" (Booklist), showcasing the keen eye and deep compassion that have made L'Engle one of this century's premier writers on faith and its place in human experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Waves from the Past
This is a gripping human drama about secrets hidden and secrets revealed.If the reader were looking for a biblical value to describe this book it would be the concept that the effects of the sins of the fathers and mothers are passed down through the generations.The waves from the parent's and grandparent's choices threaten to swamp some of the book's younger characters.The story is told through the eyes of Camilla who is opening up the Pandora's box of the past to her granddaughter.While no one is perfect in this story, Camilla is noteworthy for her ability tomake the most of awful situations, neither living in bitterness nor passivity.Along with her in-laws she is a credible witness to the truth of practicing mercy, even when it takes sacrificial love.

Would have been better if it had used new characters
As someone who loved L'Engle's romantic bildungsroman, "Camilla Dickinson" several decades ago, I was so happy when "A Live Coal in the Sea" came out, because I wanted to find out what happened to Camilla as an adult.I must confess that I was also anxious to see her get back together with her first love, Frank.Unfortunately, I was disappointed, not only because Camilla doesn't end up with Frank (though he does appear in this book as a platonic friend of Camilla's), but also because this book was a bit of a dreary and preachy potboiler."Camilla Dickinson" was relatively sparse in number of characters, time window covered, and themes explored, and was a much better book as a result."Live Coal", by contrast, seems overblown and filled with "Christian novel" elements that L'Engle has increasingly utilized in her books over the years.

At least Camilla did remain true to her original ambitions of becoming an astronomer, and has become quite a celebrated one at that.She is also a grandmother, through her marriage to Mac, an Episcopalian priest who she met at college.She and Mac actually "meet cute" when Cam's beautiful but cheatin' mother shows up on campus and straightaway starts having sex with Cam's professors, causing Cam to flee from the sight and bump into Mac in her haste. Cam's former boyfriend, Frank, is now also a priest and pops up in the book as a friend of Cam and Mac, who name their daughter "Frankie". I frankly couldn't understand why, if you were going to have Camilla marry a priest, she couldn't have just married her first love Frank, but I guess having a new love interest for Camilla allowed the author to expand some more plot space developing the characters of Mac and his relatively functional family as a foil for Camilla's (and Frank's) messed-up parents.

Naturally, having priests and scientists as characters provides lots of impetus for long-drawn-out discussions about love and mercy and God and other deep thoughts.Unfortunately, when such conversations are put into the mouths of adult characters in the 1950s and 1960s, they do not ring as true as they do when written down to a teenage level and placed in the mouths of teenage Cam, Frank, Vicky Austin (see "Moon by Night") and the like.These folks seem to overanalyze everything and occasionally make mountains out of molehills.

The plot of the book is somewhat entertaining, focusing on Camilla's granddaughter Raffi's search for her true grandparents.Raffi's father Taxi, now a handsome soap opera star (a very fitting profession given the story), was raised mostly by Cam and Mac, but Raffi has gotten hints that he wasn't really their son. The narrative skips around in time as Camilla reveals the secrets of Taxi's parentage.Suffice it to say that Cam is actually Taxi's half-sister, not his mother, and the other half of Taxi's parentage is unknown till the end of the book.The book also suggests that when Taxi was briefly out of the care of Camilla and Mac, he was abused and he never got over it. I personally thought all of this was portrayed as much more of a deep, dark family secret than it really warranted being, especially since Raffi is apparently making her inquiries in the 1990s and at least one of the scandalous family members is already long dead.

Aside from the writing being a bit heavily Christianized, the device of building the story around Raffi's conversation with her grandmother seems cliched.The ending also seems cliched and anticlimactic, especially after all the hinting around at a Big Dark Family Secret.I was also annoyed by the author's transposition of the Kennedy assassination, a key event in the book, from November, when it actually happened, to springtime.I couldn't figure out whether this was an editor's fault for not paying attention, or whether the author was simply "wrinkling" earthly time for the sake of a literary device, but either way, the sudden twisting of reality was disturbing.

Poorly written melodrama
I, too, am surprised by how many 5 star reviews this book got.It's mildly entertaining, and I did actually finish it, but it reads like Sydney Sheldon read *Camilla* and decided to write a sequel.The style was overly-simple, with constant short segments with clunky transition phrases (like Sheldon's writing, but I expect less from him), and the whole story was contrived and soap-operatic.The characters seem flat as well.Usually L'Engle's characters walk off a page, but I never got a real sense of Mac or Taxi or any of the main characters in the story.

Moreover, the Camilla in this story doesn't seem to resemble her counterpart in *Camilla.*(I never would have thought she'd have stayed friends with Luisa Rowan in a million years, for instance.)And the melodramatic aspects of this book seem to do disservice to the characters created in the original book.Rose Dickinson comes out in this book as a more simplistic charcter than she does in *Camilla.*I consider this book non-canonical, whereas I accept and like L'Engle's character crossovers in other books.

That this was written by one of my favorite authors makes it all that much worse.

Wonderful! A Must Adult Read
Madeleine L'Engle is most known for her young adult award winning titles. Her adult titles are just as well written if not even better.A LIVE COAL IN THE SEA is perhaps the best.If I could only recommend one book, it would probably be this title.It will leaving you gasping.

Did Madeline L'Engle Really Write This Book?
First, a disclaimer to all of the L'Engle fans out there: I, too, adore the writings of Madeline L'Engle.She is one of my favorite two or three authors.I loved the Wrinkle series and her other books for children and young adults, and I was thrilled when I discovered that she also has fabulous adult novels (I've had previous bad experiences with favorite childhood authors who wrote horrible adult books).

I may have given this book three stars, but the fact that this mediocre work came from a woman I consider to be one of the 20th century's most talented and accomplished authors disappointed me tremendously and added to my dislike of the book.I have to admit that I was shocked with all of the five-star reviews granted by readers here at Amazon.

So what's my beef, you may wonder?The writing is abrupt; the language is too common, repetitive and full of clichés; the story is melodramatic and sensational.

I love L'Engle's ability to weave a story through time and places and people in a way that makes me barely realize that I am reading a book rather than watching the world she creates.She can make each page flow together, each part of the story line seem a completely natural progression.She takes complex circumstances and characters and paints a picture with her beautiful, smooth, sophisticated and yet simple choice of words and language.

In "A Live Coal in the Sea," L'Engle puts none of these unique and exquisite talents to use.With this book, it felt like she was trying to force the story and its moral into my head and heart with a sledgehammer.With her other books, it feels like she surrounds my head and my heart with a warm, colorful, intense, soft cloud of air, and by the end of the book the air has warmed me and filled my lungs and become part of me.

Yes, the message of mercy is good and the support for the value of that human trait is established again and again... and again.Yes, the story is original and entertaining and one that you can both relate to and daydream about on some level.But this book is not up to L'Engle's standards, and (especially since I had been saving it for vacation) I was miserable with how much I disliked it.

I wanted to abandon this book about two-thirds of the way through (but couldn't bring myself to do it), whereas with her other books I didn't want them to end (thinking of her "The Small Rain" and "A Severed Wasp," specifically).

My recommendation is to skip this book and delve into the dozens of other masterpieces L'Engle has given us.She remains one of my favorite and most admired authors.
... Read more

Product Description
Despite protests and warnings from friends and family, author Madeleine L’Engle, at the age of seventy-four, embarked on a rafting trip to Antarctica. Her journey through the startling beauty of the continent led her to write Penguins and Golden Calves, a captivating discussion of how opening oneself up to icons, or everyday “windows to God,” leads to the development of a rich and deeply spiritual faith.

Here, L’Engle explains how ordinary things such as family, words, the Bible, heaven, and even penguins can become such windows. She also shows how such a window becomes an idol–a penguin becomes a “golden calf”–when we see it as a reflection of itself instead of God.

With delightful language, insightful metaphor, and personal stories, L’Engle brings readers to a deeper understanding of themselves, their faith, and the presence of God in their daily lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent
This book was my first taste of Madeleine L'Engle and without a doubt, I fell in love with her.L'Engle's writing style is one of transparency and authenticity.Our book club went through this one together, and it sparked a lot of good conversation.

Penguins and Golden Calves
This book was a wonderful affirmation of faith.So many so called "Christian" writers simply spew the same ideas phrases and make those of us who question or search for new truth feel that we are doomed.Madeleine L'Engle shares her insights and faith and helps us see that many of the tired old things we have been taught are simply not true.

Not as good as I remembered
I started reading this book a number of years ago when I was in high school, but only recently did I get the book and finish it.

While I still enjoy L'Engle's writing and craft, her content let me down here. I was disappointed in what I had remembered as a brilliant piece of Christian writing -- though apparently I hadn't read far enough into the book to encounter anything at odds with orthodoxy.

Maybe it is growing as a reader or as a Christian or both, but my perspective on this book has changed, and I have to agree with the reader from Ohio that Ms. L'Engle's work here is riddled with contradictions, experience-over-Scripture reasonings, and a few vaguely disturbing conclusions.

I was also surprised and disappointed with the almost one-sided and flat picture she seems to have of God, even while she claims that He is so big and outside of us that we cannot hope to comprehend Him. Scripturally, this is true to a point, however, Scripture also tells us that He has revealed Himself to us . . . in Scripture and through the incarnation of the Word, Christ.

Almost in contradiction to God's revelation, however, L'Engle warns us not to take His Word literally -- leaving me to wonder if she truly believes the Bible is God's Word, that He had anything to do with writing it, or if she reads it as if only human authors are responsible. This seems rather likely, actually, as she at one point considers dismissing part of the Old Testament as simply "wrong" because she doesn't like it and doesn't think it sounds like the God she has formed in her mind.

The only attribute of God she talks about is love. While this is undoubtably an extremely important attribute of God, He has also told us about many other attributes: holiness, righteousness, justice, mercy . . . even righteous jealousy and anger. The only times she speaks of such ideas, tho, is if they support her lovey-dovey amorphous image of God. Otherwise she ignores them.

Though she claims that literalists (she uses this name as tantamount to an insult) limit the character of God by their literalism, it is in fact L'Engle who creates a limited, flat, and powerless God by her completely subjective image of Him.

By ignoring the other aspects of His character that He Himself has revealed in Scripture, she comes up with a God who is at odds with Scripture, particularly the Old Testament. So what does she do with this conflict? She ignores anything in the OT that disagrees with her, almost saying that it has no meaning.

And that "almost" is what I find most difficult about L'Engle. She "almost" says a lot of things. She almost says she has the right to pick and choose which parts of the Bible are real and which aren't. She almost says that experience is more important than special revelation. She almost says that the Bible is really just a big allegory.

Understand me, she doesn't SAY any of these things, at least not in this book. Not being a theologian, I cannot be certain of this, but I am pretty sure she never actually crosses over into heresy . . . she just flits around very close to it.

On the whole, I find L'Engle can be a refreshing reminder of the mystical, experiential, loving side of God -- something that, it is true, the "literalists" (like myself) often forget or are even afraid of. However, she offers little else, and it is dangerous to read her as if she is a student/teacher of Scripture, for she seems quite willing to place her own "God experience" above what God actually says in Scripture.

Ms. L'Engle has mastered the art of self-contradiction!
This book is loaded with positive, faith-filled statements and then retractions on the same subjects of faith!I couldn't believe some of the hypocrisy and thinly-veiled attempts to 'get back' at two Christian women who suggested that her books read more like liberal manifestos than Christian presentations.She suggests that the bible can become an idol when taken literally.I expect Christians to take the words of Christ to heart if this is their religion, whatever does she mean?I read this entire book and came away more perplexed than inspired.Her vague, abstract notions of the spiritual life are disturbing at the very least.Not what I would consider a positive Christian book, but more of a philosophical treatise on how God "should" be like (which happens to be a God who ultimately forgives Satan in the next life--say what?!).She claims to have read the bible many times in her life, which is very good, but her faith is in a God of her experience rather than the God who reveals himself in the bible as a God of Love but also a God who demands obedience.

A good read for Madeleine L'Engle fans
I have read nearly all of Madeleine L'Engle's books and while Penguins and Golden Calves is not her best work, it is interesting and well-written. Like most of L'Engle's non-fiction the book combines Christianity, socialcommentary, personal stories, poetry, and the spark that illuminates somany of L'Engle's books. To L'Engle, Penguins are icons and Golden Calvesare idols. Each chapter focuses on a specific subject and ties it tospirituality. One chapter focuses on the importance of words, another onAbba, and another on Amma. Like always, L'Engle is opinionated, but evenwhen I disagreed with her opinions I still enjoyed the book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Gothic/Horror for those who appreciate literature.
Dziemianowicz does a superb job of assembling an eclectic collection of intense, macabre stories by female authors. Nadine Gordimer, Louise Erdich, Shirley Jackson, Jean Rhys, Doris Lessing, and Susan Sontag are but a few of the writers featured in this book. Each piece is tightly written and peopled with memorable characters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

One of my absolute favorites!
I used several of these poems for poetic interpretation competition during high school (winning quite a few competitions with them) and I wish I could find a good copy at an affordable price in order to refresh my memory.I still have several poems memorized and they are still my favorites.I have enjoyed everything I have read that was written by Madeleine L'Engle as she has always been a favorite author of mine.This book has been on my wish list for quite some time now.

Absolutely Loved It!!!!!!!!
I'm only thirteen and fell in love with Madeleine L'Engel's writing from her poetry to her great novels. If you love poetry you should really check this book out. The way Madeleine writes how she feels is just so breath-taking. ... Read more