Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L'Engle

More info*

Publication date: 1980 (original); 2016 (this edition)
Publisher: Convergent
Pages: 190
My rating: 4 stars
Ages: 15+

In an attempt to explain "Christian art;" L'Engle wrote this treatise on how all art is religious, if done well. If story is truth, there is religion in it, even if not written by a religious person.

I first read A Wrinkle in Time when I was in elementary school. And I remember reading it again in sixth grade with the class and I got upset when I was asked to read the part of one of the Mrs. and my teacher said I was reading it wrong. I pictured her with an ethereal, echoing kind of voice, but my teacher said it was a stutter. Anyway, that's off topic.

I read it again sometime in the last two years and I was struck by what a big part religion had in it. I loved it, because it showed what I believe, which is that God and science are not separate, but work together. Reading this book, I learned that L'Engle believed the same.

This book spoke to me as a writer, as a Christian, and as a "Christian writer." It felt so multifaceted and there was so much that spoke to me on all of these levels. At first I was marking passages with sticky notes on the page, but realized that I was marking nearly every page, so I switched to a highlighter. Advice on how to write, quotes on art or religion, facts or stories that spoke to me on some sort of level--these were all marked and I hope to look back over them when I need to.

There were times when I felt that I just couldn't keep up with L'Engle, her writing was so intelligent and high level. I couldn't understand it, but I know what it was about (something she says a reader told her about the first time she read Wrinkle).

Great and interesting read which shows just how talented and amazing L'Engle was.

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.