A Light So Lovely - The Spirirtual Legacy of Madeleine L'Engle by Sarah Arthur - Book Review

"We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it." ~ Madeleine L'Engle




The quote above, is this very book claims, the "crux of this book." Madeleine L'Engle was not afraid to shake up the status quo. She was an only child, and also often a lonely child, as her parents frequently left her at home , while they went out to attend various events. At one point, they brought her to a boarding school and dropped her off, without having told her before doing so. Claiming that she was unliked by her peers as she would later recall, she poured herself into her writing.

She is probably known best for her book, "A Wrinkle In Time", but interestingly enough, she was rejected somewhere around 30 times before being picked up. That book, banned in many libraries, didn't seem to fit into one particular category, and this book suggests that the same can be said for the author herself. It is said that she had an impressive presence, being tall, and exuding confidence.

A Light So Lovely, is a fascinating book to read. I always enjoy a good biography. I'm interested in hearing a person's story. Madeleine L'Engle seemed to be such a complex personality, but what I really get from this book is that she was authentic. She appears to have been open about the doubts that at points in her life, she struggled with regarding spiritual things. A passage that popped out at me was a section where a young lady who was in a group that L'Engle was leading felt that she didn't belong. She said that L'Engle not only made her feel at home, but that she had a gift for understanding the pain that people carry.

That is really the theme of the book, the struggle, the back and forth that L'Engle often engaged in throughout her life, as she worked out her beliefs. She managed to stir up quite a bit of controversy among the Christian community along the way. She seemed to put her whole self into her work, and allowed the public inside to catch a glimpse. I found that this book had me really thinking. This was an easy read though, and fans of this author will find it a good one, I'm sure.