The Wrinkle in Time Quintet Boxed Set (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, An Acceptable Time)

Taken as a whole, this is a fascinating look at love in its many forms as well as people finding the courage to do the right thing. ++ It has been years since I read A Wrinkle in Time and it still holds up well on re-reading it. I care about Meg and her fierce love of her family. Calvin is there, steady and rock-fast. And Charles Wallace is so well drawn, with his intellect and his love. As I read the book as an adult, this quotation caught my mind: “You mean you’re comparing our lives to a sonnet? A strict form, but freedom within it?” “Yes.” Mrs. Whatsit said. “You’re given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you.” I do like the message there and the message in the book. While written for young adults, the book is worth visiting or revisiting as an adult. ++ A Wind in the Door had me in tears by the end. There was both sorrow and joy alike. There were many layers and messages to be explored. As is typical with this series, love is important. To that end I think this concept may be the most important: "Love isn't how you feel. It's what you do." Older now than when I first read the book, this quotation resonated now: "The temptation for farandola or for man or for star is to stay an immature pleasure-seeker. When we seek our own pleasure as the ultimate good we place ourselves as the center of the universe. A fara or a man or a star has his place in the universe, but nothing created is the center." There is much to enjoy and much to think about in this book. ++ Never think that adults cannot learn from books such as A Swiftly Tilting Planet, or be reminded of truths. The book is especially appropriate for now with so much public posturing of brother against brother, love of power, and greed being portrayed. Lesson learned: “Hate hurts the hater more'n the hated.” Would that the power in these words would ease the hatred: At Tara in this fateful hour, I place all Heaven with its power, And the sun with its brightness, And the snow with its whiteness, And the fire with all the strength it hath, And the lightning with its rapid wrath, And the winds with their swiftness along their path, And the sea with its deepness, And the rocks with their steepness, And the earth with its starkness: All these I place, By God's almighty help and grace Between myself and the powers of darkness! ++ Many Waters suffers by comparison with the other books in The Quintet of Time series. Any reader familiar with the story of Noah knows the framework of the novel. Still, these themes are timeless: choices made have consequences, evil fears and tries to destroy good, love is essential, and doing good things is necessary to stem evil. This quotation stuck with me: Goodness has never been a guarantee of safety. And I think this quotation sums up the book: Many waters cannot quench the thirst for love, nor can the floods drown it. ++ I would suggest reading the O'Keefe series (The Arm of the Starfish, Dragons in the Waters, and A House like a Lotus) between the previous book and this one. An Acceptable Time is another good book by L'Engle. Polly is still one of my favorite characters and she slips easily into this series from A House like a Lotus. I wonder about Zachary's eventual fate after this book; I am glad that Polly makes the decisions she does. Favorite quote: "Whatever we give, we have to give out of love. That, I believe, is the nature of God.” I am glad I read this series again as an adult. While appropriate for children and young adults, there is so much depth in these novels that I now have the maturity and wisdom to understand.

The 'Time Quintet' has been one of my favorites for many years. This set was actually purchased as a gift for my 10 year old niece. I read these books often enough since I was younger than she and have actually had to replace my collection four times. The books are well written, and quite imaginative, with descriptive, fantastical settings and genuine characters. Even though this is a series - each book is perfectly capable of standing alone. I think that the final book in the quintet could also be considered part of the O'Keefe family saga which goes continues the adventures of Meg, Calvin and their children, particularly Polly, in "The Arm of the Starfish", "Dragons in the Waters", and "A House Like a Lotus". While those three don't concern the time travel that is included in this collection - they are still wonderful stories full of adventure and suspense. I won't go into the details of each story - other reviewers here have already done that, but I will say that my niece is already through the second book and has started the third. She told me the other day that she was, "intrigued the moment," I told her that this was one of my favorite series as a child and that she has fallen in love with them as well. (This is the second niece I have turned onto this series BTW - and I have many more who I am just waiting to get old enough to be able to read and understand the books!) This set, (which is the same set that I currently own,) is a nice set, well bound and the box helps to keep them together. While I miss the cover artwork of the older editions that I used to have, I'm still happy that I have these in my 'library' and that I have been able to share my love of this series with the future generations of my family!

I read A Wrinkle in Time about thirty years ago for the first time and I guess didn't realize there were more books in the series. I remember thinking it was a good book, but couldn't remember much about it. I also, going into this...when thinking of a quintet, was more expecting something akin to Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Quintet. So, I guess I was slightly disappointed when it was more of a "continuing adventures of..." as opposed to a linear story over five books. Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by the series as a whole. A Wrinkle in Time is the best of the bunch in my opinion, with Many Waters and An Acceptable Time being the weakest. Having said that, all five books are great in their own right. I didn't think I was going to like A Swiftly Tilting Planet when I first started it, but it won me over part way through. I apologize for how random this review is maybe being presented. I am just trying to give my impression of the series and books in general as opposed to breaking it down individually. They are all good book in their own rights as I stated, and I am glad I read them. Not sure why I waited so long to tear into these, but it's good for young adults, adults, and everyone in between. The main characters are believable enough to remind you of someone, in some cases yourself. This is definitely worth the read.

Did you read this as a kid? In the 70s like I did or in another decade? I suggest a re-read of this is a worthwhile gift to yourself. I actually only read the first 3 in this quintet 50+ years ago in high school and the last two were new for me. All were enjoyable. I did find myself looking up words, terms, and names while reading but it was something that I did back then too. It is just so much easier now.

This is a classic youth series by Madeleine L’engle. Unlike the recent Disney adaptation, which was pretty terrible, the book version of a Wrinkle in Time is a classic. It was way ahead of its time in terms of trying to bring physics to a youth sci-fi novel. Its main character, Meg Murry, whose family are the protagonists in various ways for the other books, is a young woman who is valued for her character and intelligence. Her parents are both scientists. As a result, the plot lines are refreshing compared with teen Angst dtsropian novels so prevalent today. L’Engle was an Anglican Christian, and those familiar with the Bible will find intriguing references throughout, as well as a portrayal of angels and the dark spiritual world that is creative. Non-Christians may not notice these allusions, and the first book’s popularity indicates that it has huge staying power today, 50 years after its writing. The other books are, in my opinion, not as strong, but very enjoyable. A Wind at the Door introduces youth readers to mitochondria and continues the themes or the battle of spiritual evil and virtuous spiritual beings,. A Swiftly Tilting Planet uses the foil of time travel to examine a political figure possessing nuclear weapons - very relevant today given North Korea. The fourth novel, Many Waters, imagines the world at the of the biblical patriarch, Noah. This one seems to dwell a bit too much on teen love and others issues, and feels as if L’Engle was trying a bit too hard. The last book, An Acceptable Time, uses the time travel foil again but features Meg and her boyfriend then husband Calvin O’Keefe’s daughter Polly, and features a Druid, Paleoindians, and more. Overall, A Wrinkle in Time has the most staying power, but I enjoyed all of them.

I haven’t had the chance to dive into this box set yet, but the delivery experience was excellent. The books arrived quickly and in perfect condition, with no damage at all. I’m so excited to start reading and add these to my collection — they already look beautiful on my shelf!

This box set was just what I was looking for! It contains some of the best of L'Engle's books (as listed). Though the books are written for teen and pre-teen audiences, as an adult in my 30s, I still consider the topics challenging. I have read the first two books so far and am in the middle of the third, and the concepts are difficult to grasp - kything (having a conversation or being with another person through your mind only), good v. evil, and love v. hate are some of the major concepts explored through the guise of scientific discovery. The print is large and the books are short yet they explore some difficult concepts - of course, while throwing in space travel, unicorns, dopplegangers, biology, and even cherubim and seraphim. Buy the set for your teen, save it for yourself! Each book contains in the back a Q&A with the author (very interesting read) and a family tree of all characters in all L'Engel's related books, which is helpful as you go farther into the set and meet new characters. The cover art is also quite beautiful.

I read this series many years ago, in seventh grade. I really enjoyed it but haven't read it since then. I have been meaning to reread it but keep putting it off because, like most readers, my To Read list is quite long and just keeps on growing. For that reason, my review will focus on this particular set of books (Square Fish paperback box set, 2007). I had purchased the first four books of the series (different edition) a few years back at the local used book store and was looking the complete the series. I was having trouble finding the correct edition of the fifth book to match my set when I saw this complete set for sale on Amazon. I've had it on my wish list for a while and had almost purchased it several times. I noticed that the price was at $10.99 and thought that was a great deal but I hesitated for a day or two and the next time I checked, it was up to $23 (still, technically, a decent price considering that each of these books costs over $5, individually). I was angry with myself for not jumping at the super low price, so I kept checking back. Well, a day or so later, it went back down to $10.99 and I went for it. It would be foolish NOT to, right? So, what I got is a VERY nice set of paperbacks. Normally, I try to get hardcover but I preferred the colors and artwork on these. They really are beautiful and I love the case, which is made of sturdy, glossy cardboard and has some of the same artwork from the covers. I had this delivered to my work and all of my coworkers and boss commented on what a nice set it was. The only drawback is that the case is a little tight. I can't just pull a book out while it's sitting on my shelf. I have to take the whole case out, turn it upside down and shake it a bit to pry a book out. (I am posting pictures to show which edition I am talking about because I've seen reviews from different editions get combined on one page. I am also including a picture of the set on my shelf to show size in relation to other books.)

Está muito bem embalado. Em perfeitas condições.

I read the first 3 books way back, and absolutely loved them. I'm looking forward to reading them again. I met Madeleine L' Engle after a lecture she gave in Montreal, at McGill University, and had also exchanged a couple of letters with her, having written her through her publishing house. What a lovely lady. She encouraged me to keep up my own writing -- she was one of the great influences in my life as I grew up. I look forward to reading this again and am thrilled that her books are getting the spotlight again -- they're grounded, down to earth, mystical, and elevating all at once. She's a fabulous writer -- one of my all time favourites, next to MacDonald and C.S. Lewis!

A Wrinkle in Time: It is so, so refreshing to read a novel where the women are smart in STEM subjects (e.g., Mom is a researcher in molecular biology whose work also touches on physics), but this intelligence is simply woven into the story and is taken as something so normal that it doesn't need to be commented upon: it just is. Madeleine L'Engle is also has a superb, yet easy to read, writing style. Perfect for a 12 or 13 year old. This book was one of my childhood favourites and it is definitely one that I will pass on to my two girls.

Tolle Geschichte, gute Sammel-Box mit allen Bänden, ich bin begeistert, kann ich nur empfehlen zu lesen! Auch wenn das erste Erscheinungsdatum schon eine Weile her ist vermisst die Geschichte keinerlei Aktualität.

All books are new, the quality is good!