Books

Sons and Lovers

A young man works through relationships with the women in his life.

This book lands right in the sweet spot for me. It's ahead of its time, so it's open and direct about the stuff that goes on in the lives of real people. But it's old enough that it's not burdened with all the goofy affectations of modernism.

The prose is strong, it's not shy about its subjects, and the characters are deeply and lovingly portrayed. It feels fresh, vibrant, authentic, and accessible even a century and change after it was written. I will never get tired of reading stories about people and their relationships.

Strongly recommended for all.

A Wrinkle in Time 

A young girl comes of age on an adventure to rescue her father from fantastical forces of evil. 

I found this insufferable. It takes itself so seriously but offers so little to enjoy. A lot of the fantasy felt like tennis without a net. The whole book felt like a cargo cult version of what it attempted to be. 

My 6yo and 4yo enjoyed it, though. 

Not recommended for anyone. 

In before “hey, I loved this as a kid!” Yes. You also loved chicken McNuggets and Kangaroo Jack. I’ll only accept gripes from people who have read it in the last five years.

Yeah it doesn’t really stand the test of time IMHO.  It’s the plot and characters, I just don’t believe it/them.

It’s a shame because L’Engle’s prose is actually quite good.  It has an elegance and descriptiveness that allows you to feel the setting.  She uses this to great effect in another piece of her writing (with the same characters!) A Swiftly Tilting Planet.  It has similar issues with this book but I actually think it stands up better to time.

Startup artist seeking inspiration.  Champion of /bcard

I read this for the first time a few years ago, somehow escaping it as a kid. Like you say, I liked the writing more than the story itself. There were enough interesting segments to keep me going but not strong throughout.