A Wind in the Door

By: Madeleine L'Engle

Narrated by: Jennifer Ehle

Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

Meg Murry can't help but be worried when her six-year-old brother, Charles Wallace, announces there are dragons in the vegetable garden. He's so bright, and so different from other kids, he's getting bullied at school, and he is also strangely, seriously ill. 

But Charles Wallace is right about the dragons - actually a friendly entity who has come to help Charles Wallace fight his sickness, and to take Meg and her friend Calvin O'Keefe on a terrifying, wonderful journey into galactic space - where they must battle the force of evil to save Charles Wallace, and themselves. 

©1973 Crosswicks, Ltd (P)2011 Random House Audio

A wonderful adventure

Although it might seem like a story for children, the book goes deeper into a fantasy land suited for adults as well. I very much enjoyed the plot and also the narrator.

by Julian, 8 years old

What did you love best about A Wind in the Door?

The thing I liked best was how Madeleine L'Engle describes some moments and twisted the story downhill; and when you think the story is lost, it goes back up.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Wind in the Door?

One of the most memorable moments for me was a rather scary part. It was when the main character, Meg went into her twin brother's garden at night, and she discovers a villain, but she does not know the true, evil nature of this villain.

What about Jennifer Ehle???s performance did you like?

I liked the performance because Jennifer Ehle describes every moment so well with her voice, I feel like I'm actually in the story for a second, in parts where it's wonderful, in parts when it's sad, in parts when it's VERY scary, I always feel I'm there.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Sometimes, this book made me loose hope in the main character. In a part near the end, I felt very, very sad that evil might take over and that no one could stop it.

Any additional comments?

The only one thing that was not as good as I wanted it to be was that they did not talk about their early adventures from the first book in this series,

Couldn’t get passed the first chapter.

I wanted to like this book. I paid for it, after all. But I tried on three separate occasions to listen and just couldn’t.

The performance was boring. Or maybe it was the writing. I think both. The author spent far too much time going on and on about mitochondria and how different the characters were in a mostly repetitive manner.

And then I kept getting the feeling that I had missed something. Thinking I hadn’t been paying attention, I rewinded, listened again, only to realize that I hadn’t missed anything at all: The proper context was never there to miss.

I feel bad because maybe the story picks up and ends strong. But I RARELY put a book down that I’ve started, and I just had to put this one down.

Fantasy, Sci-fi, and Spirituality Tied In A Bow

If you could sum up A Wind in the Door in three words, what would they be?

Thoughtful, Revealing, Loving

Who was your favorite character and why?

Meg is the heroine of the novel and my favorite character. Meg has the opportunities/frustrations/successes of experiencing new knowledge firsthand while giving the reader a glance into what it might feel like to have the ability to speak across the heavens or synapses (size doesn't matter, you see).

Which scene was your favorite?

I thoroughly enjoy the scene when Meg connects (or "kives") with other individuals without the need for a vision to accompany the action. She perceives the essence of the individual's spirit and learns that love really isn't an emotion. I'm not going to spoil the book, so you'll have to listen to find out Madeline L'Engle's take on "love".

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I usually find myself in tears near the end of the book as all of the newfound skills in communication and understanding heal little brother, Charles Wallace.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended. It's for all ages, especially if you find yourself seeking some spiritual inspiration that is beyond religion.

It's only okay....

This storyline was only okay for me. The story was just really strange, not a very good imagination story. I am not a huge fan of the narrator either, she lacks the ability to do multiple character voices, so it continues to be cringe worthy in this book. I will move on to book #3, but I fear that this may be a series that should have stopped at book #1, sorry. :/

Good reading performance .. if you're a 7-year-old

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator emoted in a way that would have been great if this were a simplistic tale for elementary school children. A Wind in the Door is much too subtle and nuanced for that. I would have liked something that better matched the complexity of the book.

Powerful and entertaining. Also a little out there

I wish that this book was required reading for every single kid in school. I don’t think a book could mirror the current political climate anymore and I such a healthy way. With lessons of growth, change, and transformation mix into the importance of maturing and doing what is right over what is comfortable and easy, it very lovingly urges every reader to be more wise, kind, and loving. Even though the plot and world was a little out there and very metaphysical, the author managed to ground it in such a way that made it feel very real. Trust me, you want to read this book, and you want to listen to this audible version.

Great story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

An author I'd not come across before. I've been indulging in children's stories recently and I really enjoyed this.

What did you like best about this story?

I like fantasy stories when they are based around real life and this fits the bill.

Have you listened to any of Jennifer Ehle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've never heard Jennifer Ehle's narration before. I only know her from Pride and Prejudice and The Camomile Lawn on TV and thought she was English!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I thought it was really touching to see the close relationship between family members.

Any additional comments?

Worth a listen.

Not as good as the first, or the third books.

A Wrinkle In Time was a part of my childhood in the 80s; I owned the book and read it cover to cover every few months. I only recently learned that it was part of a series, and eagerly downloaded the whole set (including the first, for a quick refresher). This one was a huge disappointment. I'd hoped it would be some type of continuation of A Wrinkle In Time, but it almost had nothing to do with the first one whatsoever. Also, I was disappointed in Jennifer Ehle's narration; Hope Davis did absolutely amazing in A Wrinkle In Time, and I'm puzzled as to why she was not used again. While Jennifer Ehle's voice itself is pleasant enough to listen to, she does not vary between different voices (except for a poor British? accent she attempted for the cherubim, which would fade in and out) and it was very confusing whenever there was a lot of back-and-forth dialogue. Also, fantasy/sci-fi aside, some parts were simply unbelievable (we were supposed to be convinced that a decorated Nobel-prize-winning scientist and a gifted doctor/"teacher" would feed cocoa to a dog and not realize that chocolate is toxic to dogs?). I realize that the author was very religious, but you will not find many religious scientists in reality, so some of the more "holy" parts stretched past the point of my imagination and it became a little ridiculous. I've just begun the third part in this series and it's already better than this one, although I'm still disappointed that they didn't get Hope Davis to read the entire series.

I loved this book!

the characters, language, and concepts were all very engaging. deep wisdom communicated very creatively. my only gripe is that the ending is a lot like the first book, but it still deserves 5 stars

GOOD

The voices of the characters are be

The voices of some characters are very similar but I liked it

Excellent performance

This book is very entertaining and well read. There are occasional moments in the story where Meg can be a little grating, but otherwise a great read, and Jennifer Ehle is fantastic.

Interesting ideas but a little slow

Interesting ideas but the story was a little slow. It was good to have development of the characters.