Light So Lovely, A

Short Review: It is surprising that there are not more biographies of Madeleine L'Engle. There is a children's biography by her granddaughters, a book of remembrances by a variety of people, but that is about it. A Light so Lovely is biographical, but not really a full biography. It is more an exploration of her work and her influence on others, especially writers and artists that have been impacted by L'Engle's work in the arts.

Most of the chapters are about tensions in L'Engle, tensions that she wanted to be both/and not either/or, Science and Faith, Art and Religion, Icon and Iconoclast. There are also many remembrances and comments about her influence.

All of that to say, don't go into this expecting a detailed biography, this isn't that kind of book. But it is well worth reading because L'Engle is fascinating and influential and important.

I have been reading a number of biographies and memoirs particularly to mine spiritual wisdom. Her Crosswick Journals were some of my favorites last year. And I was glad to have the story of her life complicated here. I suspected as I read the Crosswick Journals that her vocation as a novelist led her to complete stories and simplify them in ways that others around her would not.

This is well worth reading if you have been influenced by L'Engle, especially if you are an author, artist or book lover.

My longer review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/light-so-lovely/