A Light so Lovely

I could not put this book down. This is a loving but honest tribute to L’Engle and the intense Christian spirituality that permeates her writings, both fictional and autobiographical. I was struck by the portrayal of L’Engle ‘s deep sense of sacramentality present in all of life – an openness to the possibilities of the “both-and” dialectic that finds good in the midst of evil and joy in the heart of sorrow. It made me want to read L’Engle’s journals and writings and her books for adults, as well as to revisit the “Wrinkle in Time” quintet.

3.75 stars. A Light So Lovely by Sarah Arthur is a spiritual biography of author Madeleine L’Engle, tracing how MLE’s faith and outreach changed over the course of her life as well as demonstrating how these qualities affected other Christian writers’ lives and work. An admitted huge admirer of MLE, I found the completely unabashed adoration expressed in some chapters a little worrisome. One subject of MLE’s own writing on multiple occasions was on the differences between idols and icons. And, A Light So Lovely seemed to air on the side of idolization more often than my comfort level could handle easily. There were two chapters near the end of the book that discussed MLE’s troubling issues of “factualizing” fiction to her benefit and her tendency to whitewash. But, they seemed almost tacked on to try to prevent criticism rather than to open discussion.

Several factors motivated me to pick up this book — not just my interest in Madeline L”Engle. The book is aesthetically delightful with its French-fold cover and deckled page edges. I’m glad to have read the book which opened up some windows by which to see God’s light from new and interesting angels. The author admits there are times that Madeleine drifted outside of orthodox theological bounds. Yet she clarifies some of the unfair criticisms that have been leveled at L”Engle. As an author I resonated with the reminder that “the secret sauce to great writing isn’t some magic formula, but rather, it’s perseverance born out of obedience to a holy calling.” (p.130). This book is a worthwhile read whether you are an author or not.

Because Madeleine L’Engle is one of my favorite authors, I couldn’t wait to receive this autobiography. Unfortunately, the author wrote the book for professional writers, not the average reader who enjoys L’Engle’s books. Pretty disappointed.

I bought “A Light so Lovely” because I am a L’Engle fan but I am now a fan of the author of this book which was a delightful gift that I didn’t expect. She obviously has a heart for the subject and shares L’Engle’s Christian faith but her experience in Young Adult literature and her theological expertise makes this book challenging, informative and inspirational.

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