The Love Letters

Because I remember L'Engle's "Wrinkle in Time" so fondly, I keep expecting that I'll like anything she writes. Wrong. I had forgotten how strongly she is into Catholicism.
This book has a lot of internal agonizing over love relationships, twining 2 separate tales: that of a Portugese nun several centuries ago who has an affair with a soldier and that of Charlotte, a modern 20-something mother who has not been able to relate to her husband since their son was killed in an accident. Charlotte was raised mainly in convent schools, so can relate to the nun's experiences. We wade thru a lot of jealousies or conflicts between various women in the Portugese convent community.

What an odd reading experience. I procured this book at some point with an aim of completing my Madeleine L'Engle collection, and the description discouraged me from attempting it until now; I possibly should have listened to my instincts.

The book switches between the stories of Charlotte, a young "modern" ('70s?) New York woman grieving the loss of her five-year-old son; and Mariana, a 17th century Portuguese nun having an affair with a French soldier. (It turns out she may be real, or may be an invention, but anyway is not L'Engle's invention.) We're supposed to find a lot of parallels between the two women's lives, but the whole thing is a little bit forced. There are a number of ideas and themes that were more thoroughly explored in show more her other books; it doesn't quite all come together here. I would have thought this was an early book, but in fact it was written significantly after some of her other works that I enjoyed a lot more.

Written in L'Engle's typical emotive style, this was easy enough to get through, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you've feeling particularly completist. I'm also looking sideways at the ending, in which Charlotte decides to go back to her husband, after he raped her and accused her of adultery?! And we're supposed to think this is a good decision?!?! show less

Once again Madeleine does not disappoint me. I think if I am truthful part of the reason I did not finish this book when I initially started it was because I wasn't really ready for it. This has happened with me before. I pick up a book, find that I am bored by it and I put it away waiting for the time when I'll pick it up again and will no longer be bored for it. This time finally came this summer.

I think what I loved about this is definitely the aspect of it that is fairly unique - the two interwoven stories and the messages that are captured within each one. As we read through Mariana's story we are pulled into the present by Charlotte's story running parallel to Mariana's. I think it's the range of the emotions that moved me into show more the story and perhaps too simply the reminders of what is important in life.

Madeliene L'Engle reminds me in nearly every book of hers that I pick up how I want to live. I somehow generally come to the conclusion that there is a form of Christianity that comes through within her writing that is so basic and essential that I do not really want to try anything else. It's the same Christianity discussed in The Celtic Way of Prayer and I am drawn to the simplicity of thinking and yet realise that it is not truly simplistic and that to live with that inner peace and calm throughout all of the difficulties, uncertainties, and discrepancies that life may throw at you is anything but simple. I believe it's referred to in The Celtic Way of Prayer as peregino (I'm not certain I've got that spelled correctly but I don't have the book on hand to reference and spell check) a type of journeying that requires a calm inner core.

Madeleine L'Engle refers to this some in Love Letters, pulling back around to it as the book reaches the end and as I read this I was reminded once more of my own goals for my life.

Although this title is not perhaps as dynamic or showy as some of L'Engle's works, it is beautifully done and portrays amongst everything else L'Engle's ideas on marriage and love, which is something I can deeply appreciate. There is much in it that I agree with. show less

Uneven with generally unlikable characters.

Here's what I wrote in 2008 about this read: "Struggling to remember the gist of this novel/book; something about Spain, nuns, a hurt young woman. Amazon.com does not have info, although does have a cover picture that jogs memory and simply fantastic information about L'Engle: letters and comments from here, her history, etc. Very interesting woman who is apparently still living among us (born 1918).". Well she did pass in 2007, so wasn't still among us even then AND she is a very interesting woman. And the setting was Portugal.