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.

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. 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.

Remember the classics, man. That's all I'm saying. (And yes, it's probably an age thing, 'cause "remember the classics" is something old guys say.)

Thanks for your great comments, Claude.

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. 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 disagree with several of your notions of what would make it more than a kids book,

such as?

but I'm just glad you read it and seemed to like it.

I mean I'm glad too, but it's not like it's a cultural touchstone like LotR or better yet Harry Potter (whatever people make think of any of those books), ultimately it doesn't matter if you've read it or not, unless you do something like make a thread mockingly asking if a multi-million-dollar game is ripping off a fucking children's book.

It was a cultural touchstone for me and many people I know. I don't think of it as an effing children's book.

I'm pretty sure this is just an age thing. It wasn't like other things I'd read when I read it (as a young adult), but today it's pretty tame, both in terms of actual content and more abstract themes.

This is what I was talking about, yes.

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.

Good artists copy. Great artists steal.

I mean I'm glad too, but it's not like it's a cultural touchstone like LotR or better yet Harry Potter (whatever people make think of any of those books), ultimately it doesn't matter if you've read it or not, unless you do something like make a thread mockingly asking if a multi-million-dollar game is ripping off a fucking children's book.

Jason Jones has always drawn super heavily from literature for themes and plot points. Someone like Eric Trautmann goes so far as to say ripped off in the case of early Halo. It wasn't that offensive of a question to wonder what similarities there were.

Remember what Picasso allegedly said?

I disagree with several of your notions of what would make it more than a kids book,

such as?

but I'm just glad you read it and seemed to like it.

I mean I'm glad too, but it's not like it's a cultural touchstone like LotR or better yet Harry Potter (whatever people make think of any of those books), ultimately it doesn't matter if you've read it or not, unless you do something like make a thread mockingly asking if a multi-million-dollar game is ripping off a fucking children's book.

It was a cultural touchstone for me and many people I know. I don't think of it as an effing children's book.

I'm pretty sure this is just an age thing. It wasn't like other things I'd read when I read it (as a young adult), but today it's pretty tame, both in terms of actual content and more abstract themes. 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.)

I disagree with several of your notions of what would make it more than a kids book,

such as?

but I'm just glad you read it and seemed to like it.

I mean I'm glad too, but it's not like it's a cultural touchstone like LotR or better yet Harry Potter (whatever people make think of any of those books), ultimately it doesn't matter if you've read it or not, unless you do something like make a thread mockingly asking if a multi-million-dollar game is ripping off a fucking children's book.

It was a cultural touchstone for me and many people I know. I don't think of it as an effing children's book.

Why do you write all your post subjects in Title Case, and why do you capitalize words that shouldn't be capitalized even in title case (like "our")?

What I find funny is that you are questioning their capitalization and yet you never even bothered to fix yours :-P

I disagree with several of your notions of what would make it more than a kids book,

such as?

but I'm just glad you read it and seemed to like it.

I mean I'm glad too, but it's not like it's a cultural touchstone like LotR or better yet Harry Potter (whatever people make think of any of those books), ultimately it doesn't matter if you've read it or not, unless you do something like make a thread mockingly asking if a multi-million-dollar game is ripping off a fucking children's book.

Why do you write all your post subjects in Title Case, and why do you capitalize words that shouldn't be capitalized even in title case (like "our")?

What I find funny is that you are questioning their capitalization and yet you never even bothered to fix yours :-P

The big takeaway from this thread to me is that you all come across like cultural buffoons. A Wrinkle in Time is one of the greatest young adult novels of all time, and you don't really need the "young adult" classification.

I was gobsmacked that Cody hadn't read it, but just as gobsmacked by the ongoing discussion by some of you.

It is a great book but it's solidly a kids' book, not even young adult, it's for kids. No one dies or suffers permanent injury despite it being what you would expect from the circumstances, several characters and places act as what you might call "silliness relief" (where something being weird and irrelevant is used to lighten the tension in a similar way to comedy relief), and of course the main character is 13, and her brother and friend who tag along are also children. Yes it gets into fourth-dimensional geometry but it also does it as simply as it can, takes half a chapter just to explain it, and even includes an illustration or two to help. Yes it touches on child abuse and parental abandonment but it only touches on them, at no point does it really examine them. Yes it has religious overtones but IMHO they make the book strange more than they make it adult.
It's a great book to introduce kids to science fiction, or help them towards more out-there science fiction, but it's not very "grown up". Not every good book needs to be "grown up".
No idea on the "girls read it" thing, I encountered it because it was required reading in 4th or 5th grade (sounds like a kids' book, yeah?).
As for Cody having not even heard of it, I'm surprised enough to think he might be lying, but at the same time he's one of those weird people that seem to have somehow gone through life without experiencing all the things people normally experience and then come to them later with too much emotion and scrutiny (but then, he approaches lots of things with too much emotion and scrutiny).

I disagree with several of your notions of what would make it more than a kids book, but I'm just glad you read it and seemed to like it.

The big takeaway from this thread to me is that you all come across like cultural buffoons. A Wrinkle in Time is one of the greatest young adult novels of all time, and you don't really need the "young adult" classification.

I was gobsmacked that Cody hadn't read it, but just as gobsmacked by the ongoing discussion by some of you.

It is a great book but it's solidly a kids' book, not even young adult, it's for kids. No one dies or suffers permanent injury despite it being what you would expect from the circumstances, several characters and places act as what you might call "silliness relief" (where something being weird and irrelevant is used to lighten the tension in a similar way to comedy relief), and of course the main character is 13, and her brother and friend who tag along are also children. Yes it gets into fourth-dimensional geometry but it also does it as simply as it can, takes half a chapter just to explain it, and even includes an illustration or two to help. Yes it touches on child abuse and parental abandonment but it only touches on them, at no point does it really examine them. Yes it has religious overtones but IMHO they make the book strange more than they make it adult.
It's a great book to introduce kids to science fiction, or help them towards more out-there science fiction, but it's not very "grown up". Not every good book needs to be "grown up".
No idea on the "girls read it" thing, I encountered it because it was required reading in 4th or 5th grade (sounds like a kids' book, yeah?).
As for Cody having not even heard of it, I'm surprised enough to think he might be lying, but at the same time he's one of those weird people that seem to have somehow gone through life without experiencing all the things people normally experience and then come to them later with too much emotion and scrutiny (but then, he approaches lots of things with too much emotion and scrutiny).

Wow. A trailer for A Wrinkle in Time came out today, and seeing that it was based on a book I looked it up. Looks like Destiny drew some inspiration…

-Themes of dark vs light
-A darkness the main characters have to fight
-Earth is a "shadowed" planet, in which the darkness surrounds it, but has not conquered it.
-There is a character (Mrs. Whatsit) which is hinted to be a star that sacrificed itself in fighting the darkness, but was not totally destroyed.

Sound familiar? Lots of parallels. Who has read the books? How similar is it?

I can't tell how sarcastic you're being and I don't care because even you should be above this.