A Circle of Quiet

The Crosswicks Journals, Book 1

By: Madeleine L'Engle

Narrated by: Pamela Almand

The beloved author of A Wrinkle in Time takes an introspective look at her life and muses on creativity in this memoir, the first of her Crosswicks Journals.

Every so often I need OUT.... My special place is a small brook in a green glade, a circle of quiet from which there is no visible sign of human beings.... I sit there, dangling my legs and looking through the foliage at the sky reflected in the water, and things slowly come back into perspective.

Set against the lush backdrop of Crosswicks, her family's farmhouse in rural Connecticut, this deeply personal memoir details Madeleine L'Engle's journey to find balance between her career as a Newbery Medal-winning author and her responsibilities as a wife, mother, teacher, and Christian.

As she considers the roles that creativity, family, citizenship, and faith play in her life, L'Engle reveals the complexities behind the author whose works - honored with the National Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and countless other prizes - have long been cherished by children and adults alike. Written in simple, profound, and often humorous prose, A Circle of Quiet is an insightful woman's elegant search for the meaning and purpose of her life.

©1972 Crosswicks, Inc. (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Thoughtful and Thought Provoking

Excellent writing, insight into human nature, family life, thought provoking parallels, allusions, metaphor; simply good writing. I will read it again and again for enjoyment of the language and L’Engle’s skill in using it.

Absolutely wonderful!

Where have I been all my life! Madeline L’Engle is superb in every way and she I believe will go down in history as a great artist, writer, thought leader!

Thank you!!

I am so thankful to Madeleine for her vulnerability, her honesty and her recognizing, and acknowledging the mystery of the Love incarnate. Pamela‘s narration is exquisite and expressively reveals Madeleine’s personality through her voice.

A refreshing and life giving read.

I read this book back in 1986 and swore if I ever had a little girl I would name her Madeline because of L’Engle’s wisdom. How delightful to read this again as an audio book. Her love for others, generosity, and honesty written in the early 1970’s still holds true, if not even more so in our day-and-age. For a read in the spirit of Annie Dillard, or contemporary writers like Elizabeth Gilbert or Anne Lamont, “A Circle of Quiet” certainly delivers. If you need a little hope, a little joy, or words of an honest friend, grab a cup a coffee or go for a walk and give this a listen.

The woman reading did a lovely job. The only odd thing is the numbering of the chapters in the audio book is wrong (you go from being I believe in the teens to back to “one” again... several times). Don’t let it throw you.

Just What I Needed

Have you ever read just the right book at just the right time? That’s what this was for me. I honestly wasn’t thrilled about reading a memoir, but I had it and I needed something to listen to. Suddenly I realized it was hard to stop listening. Mrs. L’Engle’s wisdom was speaking so much truth to my soul.

With age I think there becomes a greater ability to let down one’s guard and tell it like it is. There is less fear of how one might come across or what others think. It is in this rawness that I learned so much. I find myself struggling with many of the balances Mrs. L’Engle as I try to balance my roles as an artist and mother. It has seemed like a lonely path, but after listening to this book I feel like maybe I’m not so alone, not so odd as I thought I might be.

I’m eager to read more of her memoirs.