Madeleine L'Engle Books

SOLD INTO EGYPT, the third in Madeleine's Genesis trilogy may be the weakest, but it is still a good read and contains some glimpses of truly profound thoughts on pain and suffering, especially with the loss of a loved one.

A STONE FOR A PILLOW and AND IT WAS GOOD, the two excellent books prior to this one, make up the trilogy and are far more advanced when it comes to not only spiritual depth but biblical depth as well.

This was still a good read though, so if you liked the first two in the triology, don't be discouraged to not get this one. It's definitely very different, but still worth the time it takes to read it.

In this analysis of the Old Testament's Joseph and his eleven brothers, one of my favorite authors from childhood (A Wrinkle In Time) has pursued a line of questions worthy of a family therapist. L'Engle essentially explores the patriarchal legacy of Jacob and his sons on a level that blurs the line between spiritual and psychosocial development. She expresses faith that God knows where He is headed with Joseph, yet allows plenty of room for us to enjoy how much these biblical characters resemble our own families. Jealousy, murderous intrigue, envy, revenge, retribution, redemption, and forgiveness all are present. Sexual politics in a two-wife family (not so different from today's divorced, blended, and/or affair-tainted marriages) and the complicated half-sibling relationships that result are clearly presented. L'Engle intersperses her commentary on Joseph with autobiographical material regarding her widowhood and changing sense of family after the death of her husband. At one level, this makes for a rambling and almost chatty work; at another level, it adds intimacy and makes for a sympathetic (rather than judgemental) reponse to the foibles of Joseph's family. Like an old favorite aunt, L'Engle sometimes repeats herself, overgeneralizes, or wrongly assumes that her faith is the same as ours. Oh, but would that we all had a favorite aunt with this much compassion for the human condition to which this epic story speaks! My spiritual journey has been enriched.

Grown-ups (and older children) who are fans of MadeleineL'Engle's Austin family books will love this short Christmas story.

It is a picture book, but it really isn't a children's story in the same sense as L'Engle's _The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas._  For one thing, Full House is told (in the first person) from Mrs. Austin's perspective rather than 7 yo Vicky's.  It takes place a few years after _24 Days_.   Rob is no longer a baby, and Suzy is 8.   In the story, Mrs. Austin, her father, and the children come home from Christmas Eve service to find their former babysitter huddled on the doorstep.  It turns out that Evie is pregnant.  Here is an excerpt:

"I remembered hearing that her father seldom came home without stopping first at the tavern, and that her mother had the reputation of being no better than she should be.  And yet I knew that their response to Evie's pregnancy would be one of righteous moral indignation..."

Not typical picture-book text, and while I loved it myself, it's probably not something I would read to my 6 and 8 year olds.

BTW, the ENTIRE text of the story is also found in the grown-up book A Miracle on Tenth Street, which is a collection of short stories, essays, poems, journal entries, etc...mostly about Christmas.  (It also includes the text of 24 Days.)