Madeleine L'Engle Herself: Reflections on a Writing Life

A writer's dream of a book that could only come from Madeleine L'Engle herself! This collection comes mostly from L'Engle's nonfiction books and since I happened to have most of them, much of this book seemed a little redundant and like I've read it all before. But, it would be the perfect gift for any serious writer who takes characters, words and story as seriously as they should be taken. A wonderful gem of a book that no working writer or struggling writer or unpublished/published writer should be without. Trust me on this one.

Not so much of a memoir as a collection of thoughts. I read it a section at a time, front to back, while keeping a reading journal at the same time. Madeleine L'Engle has some striking and moving ideas that reshaped my vision of myself as a writer and as a Christian. She's a remarkable woman, and this is sort of a 'best of' collection.

As a writer, I am challenged and encouraged by L'Engle's storytelling. She evokes emotion and images, fantasy and reality...all with a seeming effortlessness.In "Reflections on a Writing Life," we see into the heart and mind of this incredible woman. We discover the amount of work that goes into her writing, and, along the way, we realize that this 'work' is really a process of letting go.Each section can be read in a minute and mulled over for days. This is deep and rich food for thought. Artists and creative people of all sorts can find enrichment in L'Engle's shared wisdom. I recommend heartily this mine of daily gold.

The compiler (a fine writer herself), Carole F. Chase, knows Madeleine's work like no other. The reading selections collected and brilliantly edited here will inspire and motivate anyone who writes. Besides her own substantial corpus of work (more than 40 books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction), L'Engle is widely known for her writing seminars and workshops -- she has lived the writer's life for more than 60 years; always working to 'serve her gift'. But, she has also laboured long and hard to help others serve their gifts as fruitfully. Chase, L'Engle's best biographer, met the famous author years ago and knows her teaching on writing well. The selections which make up this great book come from many unpublished sources and constitute the best of L'Engle's teaching/coaching/mentoring on good writing and the writer's life. I have shared this book with several of my writing friends and have yet to encounter a less than enthusiastic response. My five-star assessment comes from rigid standards and sober contemplation. Quite simply, the book EARNS it. Besides Julia Cameron's THE ARTIST'S WAY, and Rilke's LETTERS TO A POET, this is the most significant writing book on my shelves.

If you are a writer in need of a spiritual and creative lift, this book is for you. Madeline L'Engle has been through it all, and these short, inspiring passages give you something to think about--and think about again. It is definitely the type of book you will read over and over, and it will give you a whole new outlook on your own writing life.