A Ring of Endless Light

Vicky Austin knows that this will be her last summer on Seven Bay Island with her beloved grandfather, because the scholarly retired clergyman is dying of a fast-moving form of leukemia. 15-year-old Vicky stands on the dividing line between childhood and adulthood. As a budding poet, she promises to retain childhood's heightened and sometimes painful sensitivities even after she crosses that border. That's a bond she shares with her grandfather, but not with the rest of her loving yet far more scientifically inclined family.
Complicating this already trying time for Vicky are three young men. Leo, a lifelong friend of her family, wants more from her than the companionship and sympathy she is ready to offer him. Zachary, a severely troubled and wealthy youth who was her first real boyfriend, follows her to Seven Bay Island and alternately charms and frightens her with attentions that her family would prefer she didn't accept. And Adam, her older brother John's friend from MIT, assumes an important place in her life when he discovers that Vicky's extraordinary (and unexpected, and unexplained) ability to communicate with dolphins can transform his summer project at the Island's oceanographic research station.
While Vicky's romantic and other feelings for this trio are central to the story, this is not a conventional tale of young love in which the girl's choice of suitor is the whole point. Vicky Austin is a complete person, and not about to treat romance at age 15 as the be-all and end-all of her life so far; nor as the defining influence on her future. Until now she has been something of a misfit, with her physician father and scientifically inclined older brother and younger sister tech-talking over her head. This summer, finally, "dreamy Vicky" who often slips away to write verses comes into her own. Which, as so often happens in real life, can only occur as she is tested by life. And by death, and by her responses to both.
L'Engle at her finest! Although I'm of grandmotherly years now, "A Wrinkle in Time" was among my own girlhood's defining books. I must now go out and find the rest of the Austin books. This writer's works have something to offer any reader, not just youthful ones.
--Nina M. Osier, author of "Love, Jimmy: A Maine Veteran's Longest Battle"

Lloyd in Space. Kim Possible. Except for a few cartoons, I veer between Cartoon Network and Nick, not stopping at the Disney Channel. A big exception, though,was A Ring of Endless Light, a recent Disney Channel TV movie. Given that the books are always better, in my opinion, this film compares favorably with the book. It's enjoyable to see the dolphin sequences "come to life," as it were, after their vivid portrayl in the story.
Like many readers, I came to L'Engle through the "increasingly inaccurately titled" Time Trilogy (now up to five books). I was amazed at how her story-telling skill transferred effortlessly from the O'Keefes to the Austins, even without tesseracts, Proginoskes and kything.
Having said that, I think that L'Engle is one of the most delightful authors to read. Her writing is deceptively simple, but every page something new subtley draws you in. Somehow she also seems to understand adolescence. She doesn't write down to teens or fob off some contrived formula (as a great many recent films seem to do); maybe her inner teen is writing these books.I'm likely not the only one who'd like to see L'Engle's books get the Harry Potter treatment on the big screen, but this Disney Channel movie is certainly a good start.

I really loved this book, it was my favorite. I read A Ring of Endless Light last year. This is the only book I have ever read from Madeleine L'Engle. But after reading this one, I just know all the others will be good. I hope to read all the other stories about the Austins. Anyway, this book was about a 15-year-old girl named Vicky Austin. She has to go to New York with her family to stay with her grandfather, who is sick with Leukemia. Soon after she gets there, she meets up with her old love, Zachary. He has many problems, and just before, had tried to commit suicide. Vicky also meets one of her older brother's friends, Adam. He is a marine biologist and works with dolphins. She starts to like him and he is very close with her also, but treats her like a little kid at times, and she really hates that. She gets to go out into the ocean with him and meet a dolphin, Bazil. While all this is happening, Vicky's grandfather is slowly dying, and Zachary is very depressed and constanly wanting attention from her. She faces many complications along the way, but learns from all of them. If you like dolphins, this is a wonderful book for you. Also, I recommend it for all ages, disregard the age range listed. This book made me cry, I loved the ending, but throughout the entire book, it kept me wanting to read. I have never been this excited about reading a book before, and I am certainly not someone who reads a lot. I hope anyone who reads A Ring of Endless Light enjoys it as much as I did.

This is just in response to another review that mentioned the Disney remake of this book. It was horrendous and unrecognizable. Disney slashed characters and trivialized the entire book. The powerful impact of Vicky's inner turmoil about her grandfather and life in general is replaced with a stupid boy interest that doesn't come close to the Adam in the book.

Side note: I've reread this book countless times and it remains one of my all-time favorites. It never fails to brighten my mood. Great characters and a family that seems too-good-to-be-true and real at the same time.

DO NOT I repeat DO NOT read this book if you are NOT a girl under 16 years old. I am a 35 year old man and I read this book and thought it was a parody but it isn't. If you are some kind of sicko and like books marketed to the secret adolescent sensuality of girls in the school of things like unicorns and horses, then buy all means, read this book and then seek professional help. Otherwise take my advice and stay far far away.

Madeleine L'Engle has been honoured by the Newbery Award twice. As many know, she won the 1962 honour for her classic "A Wrinkle in Time". Her second honour came as an honourable mention in 1980 for "A Ring of Endless Light". Reading this book, the only surprise to me is that it did not win the Newbery Award outright. It certainly deserved to.
"A Ring of Endless Light" is a deep and complex book about death and its place in life. It is so good that it overshadows the rest of the Austin Family series of novels, particularly "Troubling a Star", which follows it in the series. Madeleine is very at home here with the characters of the Austins and tells a compelling story of their last summer with their grandfather, who is dying of leukemia.
Fifteen-year-old Vicky carries off the story very well as the narrator, getting the reader deeper and more personally involved with the characters. The story of her summer is alternately funny, touching, uplifting and very sad. "A Ring of Endless Light" will hit anybody in the gut who can remember losing their own grandparents. The weight that's placed on Vicky's shoulders throughout the book makes my heart ache.
This ache is emphasized by the other events of that summer, with the normally lovelorn Vicky (quite to her shock) finding three men in her life. Not only is she pursued by the staid but sympathetic Leo and the fascinating but dangerous Zachary, but she develops strong feelings for the distant Adam Eddington, a scientist friend of her brother John who enlists her help with his project on communicating with dolphins, and who finds himself being emotionally drawn towards this interesting young woman.
Some may think the premise of communicating with dolphins and learning from their spiritual sides to be silly, but Madeleine has the guts to pull it off. Those readers should find more to like, anyway, in Vicky's rapport with Adam, and the shocking personal climax she faces in the final chapters.
This book is highly recommended, and one which I'm sure many will cherish.

I will always have Madeline L'Engle to thank, to some degree, for my love affair with reading. This book in particular, though, has been one of my dearest favorites of hers; it fits in neatly with the Emily of New Moons and the Little Women categories of young writing women who enlighten the rest of the world with their inimitable take on life.

Time spent with Vicky Austin as she navigates being 15, a writer, and seemingly surrounded by death and change would initially seem to be overwhelming; but it is such a life affirming book throughout that you can't put it down. The mystical charm of the dolphins, the great family relationships, and the great use of poetry and prose makes reading the book a welcome pleasure.

The most important thing is that she digs out all of the amazing things about being a teenager that are so hard to see--the deep insight, soul-searching power, the incredible hope, the blooming intelligence--everything that we tend to bury in the moodiness, anxiety, and pain that comes with going through this stage. It makes adults remember the amazing powers that come with that age, and lets teenagers see, in a way that we don't frequently remind them, that being a teenager can be an incredibly productive time of life.

Another great book by an amazing writer.

I first read this book as a teenager. As an adult, I still re-read it whenever I need to be uplifted or comforted. It is among my favorite books. It is very definitely young-adult fiction, but it has appeal for adults as well, though it will almost certainly appeal more to women than men. This is a book about triumph and tragedy, pain, loss, love and growing up. It is life-affirming even though it deals with sadness and anguish - a trademark of L'Engle's work. Vicky is a heroine everyone who ever was, is or will be a teenage girl can relate to - particularly anyone who has ever lost someone to death or betrayal. Beautifully written, as all of L'Engle's work is, but this one stands out as something special. It is one of my two all-time favorites of L'Engle's work, and that is saying something because I have read most of her work and virtually all of her novels (the only one I don't own is virtually impossible to find). There is an element of the "supernatural" in that Vicky has the ability to communicate telepathically with dolphins, and it was originally written long enough ago that some of the pop culture references are a bit dated, but other than that, this book is as real as it gets when it comes to dealing with first love, friendship, death, tragedy, anguish and growing up.

I was extremely disappointed in the movie, so I will add my voice to those who have said that if you've seen the movie, don't expect the same from the book - the book is infinitely better and completely different. In my view, the movie both missed the point and gutted the story of the book. Some change is necessary when adapting a book, but this was one of those cases where, with the exception of a handful of character names, a poem, the title and maybe half a dozen lines of dialog, the book and the movie bore no relationship to one another - and the movie suffered for it. It was a perfectly adequate movie, but it was NOT "A Ring of Endless Light" and they ought not to have called it that - though if it gets kids who saw it to read the book, I suppose some good can come from it. If you liked the movie - read the book to find out what REALLY happened to Vicky, Adam & Zachary (oh and that guy they left out of the movie entirely - Leo). And if you haven't seen the movie - skip it and read the book!

Few books, adult or juvenile, successfully portray death without becoming trite. _A Ring of Endless Light_ is one of those books. It's the story of Vicky Austin's summer, as she struggles with her grandfather's illness, her budding romances, and her friend's death. While it addresses the pain of death, it also celebrates life in the young (Vicky, Rob) and the old (Vicky's grandfather). Vicky is an appealing character; it's easy to identify with someone who, while not necessarily pretty or brilliant, is a daughter and a sister and a teenager. Adam Eddington, who also appears in _The Arm of the Starfish_, is one of my favorite L'Engle creations; he plays a large role in this book.
When I read this book, I enjoyed the story and the snatches of poetry that L'Engle quotes. The book is a great introduction to the poetry of the metaphysics (Henry Vaughan, George Herbert, etc). In fact, the title comes from Vaughan's poem "The World."

In Madeline L'Enlgle's A Ring of Endless Light, 15-year old Vicky goes out to visit her sick grandfather to spend some time with him. During her stay, an old family friend, Commander Rodney, dies because he was trying to save another person from dying. On top of this, three young men are trying to get her adornment. Leo, Commander Rodney' son, is the nervous and puppy like young man who needs Vicky's attention. Although he may be nice, Vicky just wants to be his friend. Adam, a young man working at the marine biology center, confuses Vicky because he likes her, but pushes her away at the same time. Zachary, the rich, young man Commander Rodney died saving, wants Vicky back and claims that he needs her. Even though she has to deal with her love life, she has to help her grandfather, and other family members. During this vacation, she learns a lot about herself, death, life, her friends and family.

I really liked this book because it is very insightful. It gives me a lot of insight about living life. I want to live my lifelike Vicky and think like her because she lives her life to her fullest poetical and is moral, unlike me. She put phrases and lessons to heart and has a way of putting things into the right words. I liked how the author also wrote about death because I know that everyone is confused about tins subject. Some people firmly believe in one thing while other people are confused and wobbling. I remember what the Madeline L'engle writes about death whenever I come across one because her words sooth and help the soul.

I dislike the fact that the characters are a bit to perfect. The Austins are a bit like robots. There is the housewife mom that loves her husband and doesn't seem to have any arguments are all with him. The father is a strong man that supports his whole family. The oldest brother, like his father, is strong and smart. The youngest sister is beautiful and smart. The youngest brother is cute and innocent. Although Vicky seems more human than her family, she is still robotic. She always tries her hardest and it seems that everyone is drawn to her. Everyone trusts her with his or her secrets and everyone in the story has a longing to be with her. She is the person that people always want to be.

My favorite part of the book is hard to decide, but I think that my favorite part is when Vicky goes and visits the dolphins. I think that this is really interesting because Vicky learns that she can communicate with dolphins. In the beginning, she is really scared, but then she realizes that there is nothing to be afraid of. Soon, she feels comfortable with Basil. She can play with the dolphin and communicate freely. Even though people can't communicate with dolphins, Vicky can because her mind is somewhat childish, open, and free. I think that this is my favorite part because Vicky's relationship with Basil is much like my relationship with my friends. When I first made my friends, we were scared and shy, but once we knew each other, we had a lot of fun. When I am with my friends, I become childish, open and free, just like Vicky.