A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time

Hardcover - USA - 1st edition.

Author Madeleine L'Engle Published 1962-??-?? Type Fiction Genre Science Fiction Themes Adventure, Horror, Science fiction, Time travel Age Group Teen

A Wrinkle in Time is a young adult adventure book by Madeleine L'Engle published in 1962. It is the first book in A Wrinkle In Time series and was followed-up by A Wind in the Door. The book is frequently challenged in public libraries, though I'm not sure why.

The plot centers on an outcast schoolgirl Meg Murry who is depressed about her father's disappearance. She and her unusual family is visited by an even more unusual trio of seemingly supernatural women who desire to help her recover her lost father.

There is an audio book read by the author which is always nice because you get to hear the proper pronunciation of all the names and where emphasis on certain words was intended, but L'Engle has a bit of a lisp which is distracting.

Personal

Own?	Mass-market paperback by Laurel-Leaf.
Read?	Mass-market paperback / audiobook read by Madeleine L'Engle.
Finished	Mid-1990s / 2017-10-04.

My first encounter with this book was in the early 1990s from episode 10 of Storybound where Jim Robbins drew illustrations of exciting parts of the book while reading them. After seeing this, my brother read the book, told me it was good, and I eventually read it myself in the mid-1990s. I've read it a couple other times since then.

Review

Overall:

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• I've read this book several times because it's a wonderful heart-warming read. Girl rescues family, boy and girl become close, and outcasts realize they're not so different after all. It displays growth and triumph over evil and adversity.
• There is a fair amount of science involved, and though it's only glossed over, it's fun to read about it.
• All the characters, even the evil ones, are really interesting and human.
• I like the fact that there are so many strong female characters.

Bad

• There are a few dull parts near the end, but nothing too much.
• Some of the science drifts into woo-woo territory, but the author doesn't ruin the book with it.
• There is a too much spirituality in it for my taste. While it's fairly centered around Christianity, it isn't too forceful.

Ugly

• Nothing.

Media

Covers

• 

  Hard cover, USA, first edition. Pretty dull, but kind of gets across the 2D elements.

• 

  Mass market, USA, Laurel-Leaf by Richard Bober. The man with the red eyes is certainly creepy, but so is the benevolent centaur. My favorite cover art.

Fan Art

• 

  Illustration by Tiffany Turrill.

• 

  Fan art by Warlord-of-Noodles.

Representation

Strong female character?	Pass	Meg Murry is particularly strong and grows through the story. Her mother and the three old ladies are also strong.
Bechdel test?	Pass	There are numerous conversations between the various women.
Strong person of color character?	Fail	All the humans in the book are white.
Queer character?	Fail	There are no queer characters.

Adaptations

The book has been adapted to film twice, one with Katie Stuart playing Meg which is good, another with Oprah, which is bad.

Episode 10 of Storybound has Jim Robbins illustrating some scenes from the book.

The book has also been adapted to stage four times. I've seen a children's stage performance at the Flint Youth Theatre, though I don't remember which version it was.

Links

     

• wbur.org/endlessthread/2023/09/01/artist-known-wrinkle - Tracking down the green cover artist.