A Circle of Quiet

Set against the lush backdrop of Crosswicks, her family’s farmhouse in rural Connecticut, this deeply personal memoir details Madeleine L’Engle’s journey to find balance between her career as a Newbery Medal–winning author and her responsibilities as a wife, mother, teacher, and Christian.

As she considers the roles that creativity, family, citizenship, and faith play in her life, L’Engle reveals the complexities behind the author whose works—honored with the National Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and countless other prizes—have long been cherished by children and adults alike. Written in simple, profound, and often humorous prose, A Circle of Quiet is an insightful woman’s elegant search for the meaning and purpose of her life.

Originally published in 1972.

Genre: Memoir

Other Books in the Series

A Circle of Quiet

Audio Excerpt

Reviews

“Fans will enjoy meeting the people, the cultural passions, the real-life situations that are transformed into loving husbands, large happy families, artistic adolescents, prescient children, and illuminating vignettes in L’Engle’s books.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“[L’Engle provides] ‘glimpses on the other side of intellect’—of love, creativity, awareness, joy, compassion.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“All kinds of truth.”
—Kwame Alexander, author of The Crossover

Articles

“Madeleine L’Engle Coming to her Real Self”
Polly Longsworth, 1972 / The New York Times