I was excited to read Many Waters, the fourth book in Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quintet series. Before this, I read all the other books in the series and loved them a lot, especially A Wrinkle in Time. In Many Waters, the story is about Sandy and Dennys Murry, who we didn’t see much of in the other books. This was a surprising choice by the author, but I was really curious to see what their story would be like.
This book is different from the other books in the series. The first books mostly talked about big fights between good and bad guys, using science fiction and magic. But this book, Many Waters, goes in a new direction. It takes Sandy and Dennys, the characters, back to the times of Noah’s Ark, which is a story from the Bible. This is a big change and makes the background of the story really interesting and new. But this change is not just exciting, it’s also a bit tricky for the author, Madeleine L’Engle, and for the readers too.
This time, the story is about the twins, Sandy and Dennys, who accidentally travel back in time to the days before Noah’s Flood. This sets up a story about faith, what’s right and wrong, and how people’s actions connect with God’s plans. But this story feels a bit different from the other books in the series. In the earlier books, science played a big part and made the stories really interesting. But in Many Waters, the focus shifts more towards magical and legendary stuff, and the science part isn’t as strong as before.
The way Sandy and Dennys are shown in the book is really good. In the earlier books, they were just the normal Murry twins, not standing out much. But in this book, they get to be the main characters. We see them grow a lot as they deal with tough situations and learn how to live in a world that’s very different from what they’re used to. Madeleine L’Engle does a great job turning them from characters who were just in the background into the main heroes of the story, each with their own problems and journeys.
However, you might find the pacing uneven. The book, while rich in detail and atmosphere, occasionally gets bogged down by its own descriptive passages, leading to a narrative that sometimes feels sluggish. Additionally, the treatment of the biblical characters and the blending of the fantastical (such as unicorns and seraphim) with the biblical narrative might not resonate with all readers, especially those expecting a more straightforward science fiction or fantasy story. expand this using easy words
Madeleine L’Engle’s writing is still beautiful and powerful in Many Waters. She’s great at using words to create clear and vivid images in your mind. She also brings up some big questions about life and what’s right or wrong, which can really make you think. These questions are a bigger part of the story than in her previous books. Some people might like this because it makes you think deeply, but others might not enjoy it as much.
Many Waters is a different and bold book in the Time Quintet series. It gives us a closer look at the Murry twins and takes us on an interesting journey, even though it’s a bit different from the other books in the series. It might not have the same kind of magic or fast-moving story as A Wrinkle in Time, but it shows how creative Madeleine L’Engle is and how she likes to try new things in her stories. For people who like the series, it’s a good book to read, but it takes you into a more thoughtful and unusual kind of story.
