The Irrational Season
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
I love Madeleine L'Engle. But this was probably the first book of hers that I've read that I couldn't really get into. It's a deep meditation on faith, and there weren't certainly meaningful parts that made me contemplate. But in general, it was plodding and didn't connect with me.
Wonderful...like having a breakfast nook or walk through the woods talk with Madeleine–the talk began about the liturgical year as delineated in the Book of Common Prayer, but has delightfully swerved back and fro to physics then troublesome Bible stories to family politics then the place in our society for the very young and the very old...
The coffee grows tepid, the dog bashes ahead in the brush. The talk continues and weaves and braids. There is always more coffee, and the dog knows the way, and is only following his nature. All is well.
Short Review: I really love this series. It can be more than a little meandering. But the organization isn't the point. The point is the exploration of life and the wisdom that can be gained from it. This third book in the series of memoirs is roughly organized around the Liturgical year. It is very rough. Some of the connections are pretty tenuous. But again, that isn't really the point.
This also fits in with a lot of the resurgent thought recently about the liturgical year, the importance of repetition of the liturgy in general and the importance of regular seasons of grief, joy, celebration, introspection and ‘ordinary time'.
One more of the memoirs to go, the last one is on her marriage.
My fuller review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/irrational-season/