Books: Mansfield Park & A Wrinkle In Time

At the beginning of last year I set out to read the books on a standard high school reading list and that morphed into reading the classics in the affordable classics section at Barnes & Noble, and then it just became reading whatever I wanted.  I'm fairly pleased with the number of books I was able to finish this year.  21 may not seem like a lot, but its more than I've read in a year in a really long time.  I could have fit more in, but towards the end of the year I kind of petered out for awhile.  I started three or four books that I never could get into.  I did manage to sneak in a couple at the very end.

I only kinda/sorta like "Mansfield Park" by Jane Austen.  I thought Fanny Price was not her best heroine.  I couldn't imagine how she would end up with Edward/Edmund (I don't want to go look up which name is right) even though it was obvious she would.  She just wasn't that likable.  Not that she was a horrible character, she was just kind of bland and her only redeeming qualities were that she was steadfast in her beliefs and knew her own mind.  She wasn't vain or frivolous like her cousins and her neighbor.

Short summary:  Fanny is one of many children in her poor family, so her wealthier relatives decide she would benefit from living with them.  She goes to live with her Aunt Lady Bertram, who has two sons and two daughters.  While the Bertram children are spoiled, Fanny is not.  She isn't treated badly, but she knows she is not one of them.  She forms a friendship with the second son, Edward/Edmund, who is kind and thoughtful towards her.  When they get older, a brother and sister move into the nearby parish home to live with their sister.  They are flirtatious and wreak some havoc with the Bertrams' affections. But all ends as well for Fanny, as is expected.

I have had a copy of "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle since I was probably 11 or 12.  I think I read it once and, even though I'm certain I didn't understand it at all, it has survived book purge after book purge with about 10 other books I've kept as treasures from my childhood.  I pulled it off the shelf just the other day because I was in need of something to read and thought I'd give it another go.

What a wonderful story and I'm glad I read it at this point in my life.  I loved the theme of good conquering evil within ourselves as well as universally.  I loved that Meg, the heroine, was not a typically likable character.  She was awkward and not traditionally smart, with frizzy hair, coke bottle glasses and a temper.  I loved that although at the beginning of the book she had frustrations with her perceived weaknesses, it was those weaknesses that helped her prevail in the end.  I loved her discovery that the love of others and her love for them was the most powerful thing.  I loved the mix of sci-fi and religion.  It was really, truly wonderful and I am so excited to read the rest in the series.

In this book, Meg is called on by three mysterious women to help save her father, who has disappeared.  With help from her highly intelligent 5 year old brother, Charles Wallace, and neighbor boy, Calvin, (each with their own particular gifts), she sets off on a time and space traveling adventure to bring him home.

If you haven't read it (or haven't recently), I urge you to pick it up!  It's a quick read and worth every minute.

*****

I'm going to continue my reading adventures this year.  I'm starting off trying to tackle "Wuthering Heights", which I attempted as a teenager, but couldn't get through.  I'm hoping to persevere.

Happy reading!