A Ring of Endless Light (Austin Family) (urspr publ 1980; utgåvan 1981)

This is one of my all time favorite books, I have a very loved, very used, and many times read copy, one of the few I grace with pencil underlines for my favorite quotes, of which there are many. Any time someone is looking for a book to read, this is the first recommendation out of my mouth. It always puts things into perspective, and it's my go to when things are tough and/or I need to contemplate life. ( )

This is one of those books that I come back to every few years or during times where I need to recapture that feeling of light and joy in the face of mourning and sorrow which L'Engle describes so elegantly in this novel. It is, perhaps, a "comfort food" sort of book for me.

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I finally obtained a copy of the hardcover with this lovely cover art. Though this book is a little dated, it has held up better than some others of the same time period. The pace is a bit slow, and the romance is subtle rather than blatant, which may deter some readers. However, the sweetness of the story remains true, and the lead characters’ struggle with understanding death and mourning will still resonate with readers. ( )

L'Engle knows how to braid the beautiful, scientific, and unearthly together like no other, and this book is no different. Vicky's special relationship with dolphins mingles with a hard summer of facing her grandfather's failing health and confusion over boys. One of my favorite L'Engles ever. ( )

4.5 stars ( )

This book, fourth in the Austin family series, is both sombre and thought-provoking in a way that's unusual in teenage fiction. Vicky, who narrates, is almost sixteen. Her grandfather is dying, and she has three very different young men asking her out on dates. She becomes involved in a project related to dolphin communication....

The book is character-based, and beautifully written in my opinion. There's a Christian theme, but no preaching; questions are asked about dying and what happens afterwards, but no 'answers' pushed. The romance theme is quite positive, showing Vicky confident in saying 'no' to pressure from dates to kiss (or more) or to drink alcohol under age. It's seen as a strength that she sticks by her principles, and is aware of her comfort zone.

Very highly recommended to teenagers and adults. All I could feel, when I had finished, was 'Wow!'

I wrote a much longer post about this on my book reviews blog here: http://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-ring-of-endless-light-by-madeleine... ( )