I've been in my apartment for 23 days now and although this is a hard time for many, I noticed something beautiful- people are playing! Adults are getting outside walking, running, or biking. They are gathering creatively by hosting happy hours, book clubs, and author events online. And, this is what is most interesting to me, they appear to be returning to things that brought them comfort in childhood- playing The Sims, creating art, and re-reading favorite books.

I too have been engaging in more play lately and can spend entire days lost to the outside world while being fully present in the world of stories, writing, and thinking. I also make time for yoga daily at noon. This week I rediscovered Madeleine L'Engle or rather, I discovered her for the first time- the woman behind the book. 

"The concentration of a small child at play is analogous to the concentration of the artist of any discipline. In real play, which is real concentration, the child is not only outside time, he is outside himself."

Long ago I read A Wrinkle in Time, but receiving a copy of her new book of short stories, A Moment of Tenderness, is what launched me into my current exploration of the writer who passed away in 2007. 

A Moment of Tenderness is a collection of short stories discovered by her granddaughter in The Tower- the space above the garage where Madeleine used to write. The stories start with young protagonists and progressively advance in age the further you get through the book. I was impressed by Madeleine's skill in so many genres and learned about her annoyance that some of her books were marketed toward children. She felt she wrote for people and literature should not be put into limiting boxes. A Moment of Tenderness will be released on April 21st so please consider buying it from your local bookstore.

Reading these stories caused me to want to re-read A Wrinkle in Time which I enjoyed even more as an adult. I noticed things I hadn't before- science, religion, messages of love and human connection. Posting about my re-read on Facebook brought about more comments than I'm used to. I look forward to reading the rest of the series- books I hadn't gotten to as a child.

"The good writer seems to be writing about himself, but has his eye always on that thread of the universe which runs through himself and all things." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Finally, I started reading her memoirs and that is where I really found connection. A Circle of Quiet made me feel understood while challenging me to continue becoming. In the memoir created by looking back at her journals, Madeleine writes about writing, reading, relationships, religion. I loved her discussion of language and how it sets us free to think because are thoughts are limited when we do not have words to describe our thinking. Reading this gave me pages and pages of quotes that touched my soul. 

What are you rediscovering?

I’m coming in to this book having never read anything by this author. I know some of these short stories were reworked and became novels, but reading this selection without having read other finished works, that just how a few of them felt—unfinished.
I loved several of these stories, others were just not for me, but the writing is still exquisite throughout and I enjoyed the timelessness.

I name Madeleine as my favorite author more or less out of habit; I'm not as gaga for her as I was in middle and high school. But even so, there was no chance I wouldn't pick up this collection of short stories, most of them previously unpublished. Overall, it's a good, though not great, collection. Its strength for me lies in its breadth of genres: typical L'Engle philosophical talk; science fiction; fantasy; coming-of-age; slice of life. Its greatest weakness, of course, is Madeleine's typical heavy-handedness in her morals, and the ways in which some of the stories gloss over too much or end too suddenly. (This may be because they were unedited and perhaps unfinished, though even two that were published, "Madame, Or..." and "Please Wear Your Rubbers," have this problem.) It's a good book for exactly the only people who will pick it up: L'Engle fans who will read anything they can of hers, and who can put up with her sometimes repetitive plots and ideas. Overall 3.5/5, rounding to 4.

Lovely, just lovely. A collection of short stories. Lyrical, and memorable. Deeply moving. L'Engle's prose is remarkable...and still resonates to this day.

Fans of Madeleine L'Engle will enjoy this collection of short stories. It's compiled chronologically. The first few stories are a bit melancholy and might put off readers who are unfamiliar with L'Engle's work or expecting something different. The collection is worth reading and as always, I enjoyed L"Engle's unique style.

Lovely collection of L’Engle stories; we all know and love A Wrinkle in Time but I enjoyed reading some lesser known works.

This is a collection of 18 short stories that were found by the granddaughter after Madeline L'Engle died in 2007. They are arranged mostly in chronological order from when they were written. They are beautifully written, full of imagery and interesting characters. I was excited to be able to read more by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This lovely book is chock full of Madeleine L’Engle’s previously undiscovered short stories, full of vivid characters and many touches of that very special spirit that flows through all of her writing.

Thanks to NetGalley, the editors and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I recommend any work by Madeline L’Engle and would gladly add this book to that list. The author wove life and beauty into prose — as she always did. Please enjoy.