Customer Reviews

A Winter's Love (Wheaton Literary)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is notable for several reasons: in typical L'Engle "nepotistic" style, it features the younger version of characters who appear in later books (Virginia Porcher, _House Like a Lotus_, and Mimi Oppenheimer, _A Severed Wasp_); and it features characters who obviously evolved into two important characters of her more recent Young Adult fiction, Zachary Gray and Max Horne. While a fascinating read, this book does not have the maturity of writing that Ms. L'Engle developed in her more recent adult fiction.

Do you know how awful it is that this book is out of print? I found a copy at the library, and read it in one night -- it's wonderful! The writing style is definitely early L'Engle, reminiscent of The Small Rain. The theme isn't quite as evident as it is in later novels . . . but it's still a delightful read.

The characters are interesting -- both the "younger incarnations", Virginia Bowen Porcher and Mimi Oppenheimer (wasn't there a Renier in there somewhere?), and the characters whom we haven't seen before: Emliy Bowen, Abe Fielding, Kaarlo . . .

The plot in brief: Emily's husband Courtney used to be a professor at a university, and he resigned. They're spending the winter holidays in France, not many years after World War II ended. From there, it's the usual L'Engle family-in-conflict. Vee, their daughter, is also struggling with adolescence and that whole L'Engle-style conflict . . .

It combines the best of many of her novels: the adult conflict and the children's conflict. Not that this is exactly a book for children: it's as heavy as anything else she writes. But in this book I see beginnings of most of the novels that came after it, both for adolescents and for adults.

Highly recommended! That is, if you can find it . . .

I really enjoy L'Engle and this was one of the few works of hers that I had not yet read. It was an interesting book and the movement between plot story lines kept me engaged. However, I wouldn't say that I truly "enjoyed" it, perhaps because there weren't any characters that I truly liked. Emily, the protagonist, is an interesting character, but struck me as immature and selfish. She also doesn't seem to really grow and develop through the book the way that other L'Engle protagonists do. I did enjoy the glimpse into the life of Mimi and Virginia as adolescents, but I appreciate the deeper character development of L'Engle's later works.