Destiny and Wrinkle in Time (Destiny)

by General Vagueness , The Vault of Sass, Tuesday, July 25, 2017, 14:22 (2765 days ago) @ Claude Errera

I don't think GV is looking at it from a historical context, I think he's looking at it as it was presented to him. (Same with other under-30s in this thread.)

What's the context I'm missing? the communism allegory? I picked up on that not long after I first read it and honestly I found it kind of obtuse but also ham-handed, but that's kind of what I expect from a kids' book.

First off, kids books are rarely obtuse; that's usually saved for older audiences. :)

But the context you're missing is that those themes that you found common, the things you've seen a bunch of times - they were new when L'Engle wrote about them. She was a trailsetter, and I think she deserves credit for that. (Those themes include the sci-fi stuff, but also a look at politics - the cold war, what happens when a country loses its way - things that aren't often included in children's books.)

::shrug:: Not all books resonate with all readers. If you didn't like it, or weren't impressed with it, fine.

Actually it's one of my favorite books, that's why I feel so strongly about it, I just think of it as a kids' book.
You have a point about being obtuse, but the thing is I still don't know the point or purpose behind some of it, so it feels like it's being silly or strange just for the sake of it. On the other hand, I wasn't referring to "things that are commonplace" because I'd only read like 3 or 4 sci-fi books up to that point and watched about as many movies in the genre.

I was simply pointing out that a lot of your lack of interest might come from the fact that she wrote about things you find trite, except they weren't trite when she wrote about them. It's definitely not a 'children's book', imo.

I don't think it's trite, I just think it's basic.
I don't know, maybe I should read it again.