Listening for Madeleine: A Portrait of Madeleine L'Engle in Many Voices

Leonard S. Marcus assembles 51 interviews with people who knew author Madeleine L'Engle to create a multifaceted portrait of her life and character. The interviews include family members, friends, colleagues, and others who interacted with L'Engle during her career as a writer and teacher. The structure follows a kaleidoscopic approach, with each person sharing memories and perspectives from their unique vantage point. Their accounts span L'Engle's roles as a mother, grandmother, mentor, teacher at Cathedral School of St. John the Divine, and author of A Wrinkle in Time. The varying - and sometimes contradictory - perspectives reveal the complexity of L'Engle's personality and her impact on those around her. Through these collected voices, a picture emerges of a woman who balanced faith and science, family life and artistic ambition, public success and private struggles. The book raises questions about memory, perspective, and how different people can experience the same person in radically different ways. This oral history format challenges readers to consider the nature of truth and identity.

Readers appreciate how the book provides multiple perspectives on L'Engle through 51 interviews with family, friends, and colleagues. Reviews note the book reveals both L'Engle's complexities and contradictions, showing her as both generous and difficult. Positive reviews highlight: - Comprehensive range of viewpoints - Reveals personal details about L'Engle's life and work habits - Shows growth of her faith and writing career Common criticisms: - Interviews can feel repetitive - Some interviewees seem too focused on themselves - Structure makes it hard to form a cohesive picture - Several readers wanted more analysis and context Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (157 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (31 reviews) "The interview format gives an honest, unvarnished look at L'Engle," notes one Amazon reviewer. A Goodreads reader counters: "The fragments never quite come together into a complete portrait."

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🌟 Though Madeleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time" was rejected by 26 publishers before finding a home, Leonard Marcus interviewed over 50 people who knew L'Engle to create this kaleidoscopic biography. 🌟 The biography reveals that L'Engle often blurred the lines between fact and fiction in her own life stories, leading some interviewees to question her reliability as a narrator of her personal history. 🌟 L'Engle worked as the librarian and writer-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City for more than 30 years, which deeply influenced her spiritual writings. 🌟 The book's structure is unique, presenting unedited, sometimes contradictory accounts from various people in L'Engle's life, including family members, editors, students, and fellow writers. 🌟 Despite her public image as a devoted grandmother, several of L'Engle's grandchildren interviewed in the book describe a complex and sometimes distant relationship with the author, adding depth to her personal narrative.