Many Waters

I enjoyed the way that she brought to life the family and villagers of Noah, and I was intrigued by the way she worked out some of the details.

<em>Many Waters</em> solidified in my mind what makes L'Engle a talented writer, being able to explore Noah's world without feeling as though a religious message was taking the focus from the story.

As with other novels by L'Engle, there was a fair amount of science interspersed with the story, and there were a few pages I found myself either reading multiple times to find some comprehension or skipping after a brief scan to make sure there was nothing major related to the plot that I was missing in the pages.

Even with these moments of science, which distracted me from the important story of Dennys and Sandy (the Murray twins who were only on the sidelines of the other novels of the Time Quartet), the story was still a fun read. An exploration of a world of which they are vaguely cognizant through passed Sunday School classes, the comprehension that reality is defined within the moment of experience, these are the themes I was so in love with.

Yes, the story ends before many of my questions regarding the flood could be answered. Yes, there were some pages that dragged a bit, and the exploration of the names of the nephilim got to be a bit too long-winded for me. Even with these faults, though, <em>Many Waters</em> was perhaps my favorite of the series. I was more at home within the story of the boys out of place within time, more at home within the story of intelligent characters but not super-geniuses.

It took me some time to get into this one, and perhaps because I so identify with Meg in so many ways I never quite got into the story with Sandy and Dennys. Still, the story made me think about things in new and different ways, and I certainly enjoy that in a book. And there's certainly something to be said for giving the twins their own chance at an adventure - I imagine there are many people who identify with them more, who could identify with their need to do something and their uncertainty at what to do. It was also a pleasant read, and there were several times that I didn't want to put it down until I found out what happened next in the story.
Alas, in the end, this one never captivated me the way A Wrinkle in Time did, it never made me weep with joy the way A Wind In The Door did... and the fact that it seems to come earlier in time that A Swiftly Tilting Planet leaves me feeling like this was written almost as an afterthought, which is rather sad. :(
Still, 3.5 stars isn't bad.

now it is the twin's turn the encounter a mishap on their own. their adventure is litterally that of anther world. but the soon find out just how real it is

It's very different from the first three, but I liked the overall concept. This book was more grounded and easier to follow too. Since it was told from Sandy and Dennys' point of view, it was also very refreshing (finally the 'normal' ones of the family are in the lime light!). I especially loved all the science they constantly spouted and the history lesson. :D

I only read A Wrinkle in Time and Many Waters out of this series, and Many Waters was by far the better of the two. The story is a bit odd, but provides plenty of food for thought.

I LOVE this book, from the Time Quartet, and yet much different from the others. This is possibly my favorite of the time quartet books.

This is actually my favorite of her stories of the Murray family, more relatable than 'Wrinkle in Time' and the rest and very different. It is so interesting to see the interaction within history in this story!

An interesting take on the days before Noah and his Family enter the ark, through the eye of the time traveling Murry twins.

I remember this book more than any other work of her's that I've read. My favorite idea in the book is that the boys don't know what is going on and they don't know what to do but they faithfully work in the garden each day.