An Acceptable Time (1989)
Written by: Madeleine L’Engle
Series: Time Quintet #5
Genre: Science Fantasy/Young Adult
Pages: 367 (Paperback)
Publisher: Macmillan
Why I Chose This: My 2018 Resolution Project for Speculative Chic was to read and review both the novel and film versions of A Wrinkle in Time. But I’m a completionist, so it should come as no surprise that I’d have to continue on this magical journey I somehow missed when I was a teenager.
The Premise:
A flash of lightning, quivering ground, and, instead of her grandparents’ farm, Polly sees mist and jagged mountains — and coming toward her, a group of young men carrying spears. Why has a time gate opened and dropped Polly into a world that existed 3,000 years ago? Will she be able to get back to the present before the time gate closes — and leaves her to face a group of people who believe in human sacrifice?
Minor spoilers below!
I really wish that I had liked this book more. I was happy to read about Meg’s daughter Polly and join Polly on her own adventure through space and time, but An Acceptable Time had none of the spark that the previous books in this series did. It took over a month for me to read, off and on, because the story dragged and the characters didn’t grab me. Especially after the reminder of how much I loved Many Waters, this story was an utter disappointment.
It was not poorly written by any means, even if significant sections dragged on. A few main points jumped out at me as particularly problematic, starting with the casual paternalistic racism shown toward the people in the past from Polly, Bishop Colubra, and everyone else in the “present.” This isn’t new for this series by any means, but it jumped out at me more this time.
Speaking of people in the present, I was severely disappointed by Polly’s grandfather, Mr. Murry (and I’m confused why he doesn’t go by “Dr. Murry,” a title he rightly deserves). Isn’t this the guy who had his own significant experiences traveling through time and space in A Wrinkle in Time? He traveled to other planets! He met aliens! And now he has trouble believing in Polly’s own adventures just because it’s a spot of time travel?
But he’s not the biggest problem character. I suppose it was acceptable at some point for a guy in college to romantically pursue a girl in high school, but it was skeevy from a modern reader’s perspective. Even apart from that, Zachary was bad news from the beginning, to the point that his attitude toward Polly became a significant reason that I had trouble continuing the book. Without going into spoiler territory, things only get worse from there, and Polly’s eventual decision about her relationship with Zachary is one of the few things that made reaching the end of the story worth it.
Despite this story having fewer overt religious connections than Many Waters, I felt beaten over the head with the constant references to god/God. Where my biggest complaint about Meg was her histrionics, her daughter Polly goes too far in the opposite direction with circles upon circles of rumination that drags down the tension of scenes during all the time we’re stuck in her head. Bishop Colubra, on the other hand, provided a refreshing view that was easily digestible for even the least religious reader.
In conclusion: This series, which gave us everything from aliens to angels to unicorns, fell flat with its final installment. The decline from high-concept physics and fascinating representations of mystical beings to overwrought Judeo-Christian concepts of sacrifice left me yearning for the previous generation of Wallace children – even Meg.
Featured image via NewEvolution
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