A Ring of Endless Light

Author: Madeleine L'Engle

Title: A Ring of Endless Light1

Series: Austen Family

Number of Pages: 324

First Publication: 1980
Genre: Young Adult
Synopsis: "This wasn't the first tie that I'd come close to death, but it was the first time I'd been involved in this part of it, this strange, terrible saying goodbye to someone you've loved. These are Vicky Austin's thoughts as she stands near Commander Rodney's grave while her grandfather, who himself is dying of cancer, recites the funeral service. Watching his condition deteriorate over that long summer is almost more than she can bear. Then, in the midst of her struggle, she finds herself the center of attention for three young men. Leo, Commander Rodney's son, turns to her as an old friend seeki comfort but longing for romance. Zachary, whose attempted suicide inadvertently cauesd Commander Rodney's death, sees her as the one sane and normal person who can give some meaning ot his life. And Adam, a serious young student working at the nearby marine-biology station, discvoers Vicky, his friend's little sister, incipient telepathic powers that can help him with his experiments in dolphin communications. Vicky finds solace and brief moments of peace in her poetry, but life goes on around her, and the strain intensifies as she confromts matters of love and of death, of dependence and of responsibility, universal concerns that we all must face. The inevitable crisis comes and Vicky must rely on openness, sensitivity, and the love of others to overcome her private grief. Once again, Madeleine L'Engle has written a story that reveals in the drama of vividly portrayed characters and events the spiritual and moral dimensions of common human experiences."

I promise that this is the last of my Madeleine L'Engle reviews for awhile. I really did enjoy this book, but it was also such a sad read. With the death of the commander and how her grandfather is slowly dying and then there's what happens near the end of the book at the hospital. Other then a few very sad points it’s definitely one of my favorite read, but that seems to be the general case with all of her books.
One of the things I really liked about A Ring of Endless Light would have to be the characters; I liked all of them except for... Zachary Grey. Who also shows up in some of the O'Keefe books. Of the two characters that cross-over between the Austin and O'Keefe books my favorite would have to be Adam Eddington.
Another thing I liked was how the MC wasn't always the center of attention and that her family and friends didn't seem to only appear in the book as filler.
It's hard to say what my favorite part of the book was. Least favorite part would have to have been when Zach wigged out and left Vicky alone at the hospital sitting with Binnie. I just wanted to kick and or strangle him through out the entire book.
Vicky was ok, but at times a bit frustrating.
A Ring of Endless Light is a great book with depth and great characters and an interesting story.

A Ring of Endless Light earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.

Orchid2

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1. A Ring of Endless Light is part of my personnal collection.

2. I'm hoping to catch up on some of my late reviews this month. A Ring of Endless Light was read in April of last year.