Ironic that such a timeless classic begins with the old opener "it was a dark and stormy night", but seldom has it been better used than to spit Mrs. Whatsit into the Murrys' kitchen. The perfect way to begin, and "speaking of ways, pet, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract." Bottom line, Dad and I realized one dark and clear night that it had been an appalling number of years since we even thought of rereading this one of Fantasy's oldest and most beloved masterworks. So naturally we corrected that oversight and found its glory equal if not superior to our memories. The real shock was realizing again how short it is! Even by the standards of Diana Wynne Jones and Patricia A. McKillip, Madeleine L'Engle squeezes a stunning amount into so marvelous and heartfelt a book. Not a line wasted, not a character unimportant even if in only a small way. Indeed, the only thing we felt was missing was a line acknowledging Mr. Murry's almost preternatural strength of will in managing to resist IT for years.
I will not say goodbye since the classics are forever reread. Merely a pleasure as always and until next (wrinkle in) time, Meg and Calvin, Charles Wallace, Mrs. and Mr. Murry, the Happy Medium, Aunt Beast, and of course Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which.
No comments:
Post a Comment