The Love Letters

by Madeleine L'Engle

Book Overview

Past and present collide in this heartfelt novel of love and loss from the National Book Award-winning author of A Wrinkle in Time. After the tragic death of her son and the seeming collapse of her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345306171
• ISBN13: 9780345306173
• Release Date: April 1983
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Madeline L'Engle scores again

It took me two read-throughs to properly appreciate this book. At first, it reads like 60s romance fiction, which is when it was originally written. Upon a second, more careful reading, the true (and very typical L'Engle) message comes through... Life's set-backs can rock us to the core, and we can take time to grieve, but we should not turn our back on Life and Love (of self, of others, etc.) and give in to Nothingness. Also of interest, in typical L'Engle "nepotism," (something I truly enjoy) there are scenes in this book that are referred to in another one of her books, _Certain Women_.

Yet Another Exceptional Book by Madeliene L'engle

I started reading Madeleine L'engle's childrens' books when I was 10. Now that I'm I'm 16, I've started to read her adult books. All of them are excellent, and her work has never dissapointed me. She writes with emotion and beautiful vivid descriptions. I love her books! "Love Letters" is one of L'engle's best books. She portrays human emotions with honesty and compassion. Throughout this book I began to realize that true love wasn't perfect. True love suffers, and true love causes pain, but despite these facts, love it still beautiful. L'engle made me become part of each of the characters in the novel. I had compassion for the nun who found love for the first time, and I absoloutely fell in lvoe with Cotty and Patrick. I began to understand these characters and their individual plights, and how their lives had truely shaped who they were. L'engle shows her readers that people are truely a product of their upbringing. On a final note, a strongly reccomend this book! It completely swept me away!

Passions Will Be Provoked, Inspired & Deeply Saddened.

This is one of my favorite L'Engle books! I'd put it into a category called the "Europe Collection". Also in this collection would be "And Both Were Young", and The Small Rain". Madeleine weaves a mesmerizing tapestry of Sr. Mariana Alcoforado, passionate Portuguese nun, and Cotty, frightened American changeling. A companion resource to this novel should be "The Letters of a Portuguese Nun," now out of print, but contains original artwork by Pablo Picasso. Mariana's story will catch our stomachs on the verge of somersaults. Tears come to my eyes,three cheers, L'Engle!!!

something to carry with you

I read all of L'Engle's young adult novels before I started with her more obscure novels-- I read this one for the first time when I was nineteen, and found one line in it which I'll carry with me forever. "The heart makes a god of the one who awakens it first." Love Letters is a deep and perceptive novel, and will make you think about your life in ways you haven't thought about it before. I can't think of a higher compliment for a novel.

A great book.

This book single handedly changed my concept of love. Through the characters struggle to understand their life and suffering, you begin to re-evalutate your own views on life. I highly recommend this book to anyone. It's a great read and it will have you thinking about it for months afterwar