John Podhoretz: “. . . she had about her an almost supernatural grace, suitable to someone who was a very serious churchgoing Episcopalian and the author of several novels for adults about the difficulties and joys of faith.”

Dan Wilt: “We will miss you, Madeleine. May the doors of heaven open to you more gloriously than any of the pictures you painted with words. You’ve been an artful Healer and Tender Of Souls, a Raiser Of Imaginations and Blender Of Worlds. Thank you for giving us your very best.”

Ann Bartholomew: “When I look back on my childhood reading, it’s her books I see stacked on my shelf within easy reach. I read and read and re-read the stories of Meg and Charles Wallace Murry (and, of course, Calvin O’Keefe) more times than I can recall.”

Magistramater: “When something reminds me of Madeleine, I call it L’English. It’s one of the most delightful words in my personal lexicon.”

Sundial Girl: “I come back to the novels at least once a year to pay homage to the woman who opened my eyes to the magic outside the boundaries of this world, who taught me that science and fantasy can exist in one world. She taught me the meaning of words, of names, of the act of naming.”

LD Wheeler: “I appreciated her as a woman of deep (specifically, Christian) faith who acknowledged deep doubts; who saw something almost sacramental in the little things and tasks of life, like cooking a meal or making music.”

Laurel Snyder, Slate: “Nothing was enough for L’Engle. As an author, she danced with demanding philosophical questions and toyed with quantum physics. She wrote about faith with devotion, dabbled in ethics, psychology, myth, art, politics and nature. And she blended everything into stories that describe the crushing complexity of a child’s life in this century.”

Darla D. at Books and Other Thoughts: “As I child I loved to lose myself in stories about the Austin family because it was the kind of family I longed to have, and those books were a safe but stimulating place to think and learn about life.”

BooksforKidsBlog: “Like C. S. Lewis before her, L’Engle brought a hard-headed Christian mysticism to the task of writing for children. She was not afraid to draw upon religious and mythical symbols to tell her stories . . . ”

Jeffrey Overstreet: “On Thursday night, at the age of 88, Madeleine L’Engle made her journey through a wrinkle in time and space. And I feel that I lost a grandmother and a mentor.”

Thom at The Culture Beat: “Her words of wisdom will continue to impact future generations of artists, and no one articulated the relationship between faith and art better than she.”

Left Coast Mama: “Of all the books I own, my Madeline L’Engle Collection is very tired looking and dog-eared. I have lost count of how many times I have re-read all of them.”

Melissa Hart: “Spirituality informs all of L’Engle’s books, but I suspect that she, like her characters, had a horror of the word “pious.” To the people who frequented her books, religion meant something other than showing up at church once a week. It meant living a life infused with gratitude.”

Leigh: “One of the books that most changed my life is Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. (It also, apparently, did so for Sawyer in LOST. Woo!)”

D.W. Congdon: “My favorite works by L’Engle are her books of nonfiction, particularly Penguins and Golden Calves, The Rock That Is Higher: Story as Truth, and Walking on Water: Personal Reflections. These books reward multiple readings. L’Engle’s wisdom and spiritual insight is on full display in these works, as she discusses art, literature, faith, Scripture, worship, and love in ways that are both deeply moving and profoundly theological.”

LivingSmall: “It’s been years since I’ve looked at any of these books, but I remember them vividly as a series that glowed like a beacon, gave me hope that perhaps it was actually possible to live a good life, to raise kids, write, build a marriage, and find some sort of faith that wasn’t blind, but was a faith that required all of one’s intellect.”

Gina at AmoXcalli has more links to media coverage, obituaries, and blogger reaction.

And this discussion of L’Engle’s life and work at Phantom Scribbler isn’t a remembrance; it was posted a year and a half ago. Nevertheless, it’s a good meeting of Madeleine L’Engle fans and readers. I think you’ll enjoy the discussion if you read through the comments.