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| Review Summary |
The heroine in this story is Polly O'Keefe, daughter of Meg Murry and Calvin O'Keefe, a time travelling family, whose adventures started with the famous first book of the Time Quartet series, 'A Wrinkle In Time'. Polly is visiting the old New England family home where the two doctors Murry now live in retirement, and are none too keen to have their grandchildren or friends undertake the dangers of time travel. But of course their house is built at the intersection of ancient lay lines and is a place of power still, as it was thousands of years ago. For their distant ancestors, part American Indian, part British Celtic druid, who lived 3000 years ago in that very location, it is a time of great need. The rains have failed and the two Tribes of the Lake are going to war over land for crops, a matter of survival. They have the power to communicate across time circles and call for such help as they need in time of crisis, be it for blood sacrifice or guidance - who can say until the drama is played out? So it is that their timelines cross and they are drawn into the far past: Polly, her boyfriend, the bishop, and Louis the Larger, a snake of terrible aspect but benign powers.
This story is more personal and more complex than the others, aimed at an audience that has grown up with, or at least read the earlier Time Quartet. Many actors are pulled into the story: the healers of the tribes, the warriors, the chieftains, and their followers. The characters are deeply enganged in the attempt to understand the powers at work, see patterns in the circumstances and events, and the common meaning in the ancient faith and rituals and the Christian understanding that the moderns bring to it. There is more debate and less action than usual; the ideas are more complex and the discussion deeper; more concepts are touched upon than answers given. A good book for those who like a stimulus to further thinking.
Michael JR Jose, Resident Scholar
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Polly is sent to live with the Murry's, her wonderfully strange and brilliant grandparents, to study, but when she is transported back in time 3000 years into the middle of a couple skirmishing tribes, both of which at one point or another want to sacrifice her to bring
rain, even the space traveling and Nobel prize winning Murk's have do not know what to
think of her particularly odd situation. With much joy and fluidity L'Engle tells this story
of time travel, love, understanding, and redemption.
Joe, Resident Scholar
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| Detailed literary breakdown of An Acceptable Time |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 50%
Tone of book
- sensitive (sigh....)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- fantasy world/fantasy past
Time Travel:
- largely backwards/past
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Kid's book (ages 7-14)
Time Travel story?
Yes
Religious overtones?
Yes
Cultural problems, alien culture
Yes
Culture clash-
- one human from different culture of other humans
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Has magical/special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- teleportation
- healing
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
- society
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- student
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
- an average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- physically sick
Setting
Terrain
- Water
- Mountains
- Forests
Earth setting:
- 20th century
- general past
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- some scientific explanation
How much dialogue?
- mostly dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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