Book Review: A Wrinkle in Time By Madeline L'engle

 A Wrinkle in Time 

(The Time Quintet #1)

By Madeline L'Engle 

Published Year: 1962

Page Count: 152 pages 

Medium Used: Ipad air

Genre: Children's Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, SFF, High Fantasy, Action, Adventure. Aliens, 2026-read. 

Rating : 5/5 😀😀😀😀😀

This is a novella but gave me the satisfaction of reading a wholesome and non drawling book of fiction which superbly blended elements of multiple planets, alien creatures, magic and children becoming heroes. The world(s) building is amazing, the characters are super and not complex because they are either budding children or their loving elders. This story tells us the story of a young girl's efforts and journeys to other planets that are either consumed by Darkness(an evil entity that is subjugating all the minds of the world it infests to its control) or are fighting against its encroachment. She saves her father and then her brother, both of whom fall into the snare of the evil Darkness called IT on planet called Comazotz. With a little external help from three witches who themselves cannot face the dark entity, the young girl Meg manages to gain a winning hand against the IT.

Meg is a young girl who is very good at math because her father, a physicist, taught her many shortcuts since childhood. But she cannot do well at school and her teachers are surprised because both her parents are scientists and she is expected to be smart. Her twin brothers are fine but her youngest brother, Charles Wallace, is called dumb. He is super smart with a knack to read thoughts if he concentrates but he plays stupid to hide his intellect and intuition. Their father has been gone for a while and they don't know where he went or when he will return. Their mother is missing him terribly and writes letters to him which go unanswered. At the back of their house, in the woods, there is a haunted house which is occupied by three old, weird, magical ladies whom Charles Wallace befriends. These ladies are Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which. Mrs Whatsit appears dressed preposterously in a man's overcoat, in multiple scarves, stoles and oversized clothing. Mrs who appears dressed in white robes and has big, round glasses. Mrs Which cannot be fully be seen, she is like a shimmering image without distinct features. One stormy night, Mrs. Whatsit visits Charles' house and befriends Meg and their mother. Later when Charles is taking Meg to visit the ladies, they meet a kid Calvin who also has a hunch, to meet the ladies, which he is following. 

The ladies then take them on a visit to multiple worlds. On the first one called Uriel, they show them that a darkness is infesting the planets and is slowing consuming them. Then they visit a foreteller lady who shows them the true identities of the three ladies. Then they are taken to the world which is keeping the children's father captive. They meet the entity IT which takes over control of their minds and independence. This world is really unnatural. The children, parents and everyone on the planet are marching to the beat of the IT entity and Meg's father has managed to resist its overtures so far. They free him and get him out but in the process, Charles Wallace becomes a prisoner. So Meg must make a second visit to the planet and this time extricate Charles from the diabolical clutches of the IT. 

Though this is a children's book, I enjoyed it thoroughly. The world where the four armed, furred, tentacled beasts take care of Meg really shone through and filled me with warmth and intrigue. The Aunt Beast character is so comforting - I wanna read more about her in the next books. Do read this!!