An Acceptable Time (Time Quintet, #5) (Hello Reader! (Do Not Use, Please Choose Level and Binding))

by Madeleine L'Engle

[ladygrey]

I liked this book because it's [a:Madeleine L'Engle|106|Madeleine L'Engle|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1198342840p2/106.jpg]. It referenced several characters and elements from the time series, which is fun and also appropriate since it's technically a part of that series. But it wasn't my favorite.

I couldn't find the point in all of it. In the other four books there is an objective, something distinct they are working toward whether they understand it or not. Even in [b:Many Water|151370|Many Waters (Time, Book 4)|Madeleine L'Engle|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172228189s/151370.jpg|1575861] when Sandy and Denny happen into the past they discover what needs to happen. [b:An Acceptable Time|24761|An Acceptable Time (Time, Book 5)|Madeleine L'Engle|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198971646s/24761.jpg|1219592] lacked that cohesive focus.

Possibly as a result, not a lot really happens. There's lots of theology and philosophy and some science, but it's not woven into the plot as subtly as the other four books. It's completely overt and I found that I liked that less.

Oh, and some of the dialog was just painful. Zachary, in particular, spoke as if he was from another age, something half Victorian trying to be shoehorned into the modern era. Some of the things he said and the bluntness with which he said them were just awkward.

Still, even when [a:Madeleine L'Engle|106|Madeleine L'Engle|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1198342840p2/106.jpg] is at less than the top of her game, she's still a good author. The world is well constructed, the characters have depth and are well formed. It's not a bad book, but it's certainly not her best.