Friends for the Journey: Two Extraordinary Women Celebrate Friendships Made and Sustained Through the Seasons of Life

by Madeleine L'Engle, Luci Shaw

Born of a friendship spanning a quarter of a century, Madeleine L'Engle and Luci Shaw's Friends for the Journey considers the golden quality of deep and lasting friendships, showing that the common ground of love for God transcends even separation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Friendship

271 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1998

About the author

Madeleine L'Engle was an American writer of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time. Her works reflect both her Christian faith and her strong interest in modern science.

Reviews

[Jaslyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Madeleine and Luci's friendship and I loved reading about them in this book! And was surprised to find so much on art, the sacraments, and marriage in here, too.

Bits I want to remember and journal about later:
- Madeleine's own Inklings circle was called the Chrysostom Society, which is SUCH a cool name
- I loved reading about their family traditions, such as reading Psalm 103 together
- "Solitude and loneliness - though outwardly they may look the same - come from different kinds of fasting. Solitude is the chosen fast, while loneliness is the unbidden hunger. Solitude brings a deeper kind of living. Loneliness brings a kind of death."
- comparison between Judas and Peter: "You knew where you stood with Peter... He wore his heart on his sleeve... Judas was more complicated, had a divided heart... the other part [of his heart] was secretly reserved for Judas alone"
- "It's like the Russian Orthodox church services which are very, very long, and it's understood that nobody is going to be focused on what's going on all of the time. It's impossible. But somebody there is always focused, always praying, and so the focus is unbroken. I always know that when I can't pray, others can. And sometimes when they can't pray, I can. So the circle of prayer is not broken."
- "Luci said, 'The body and blood of Christ is the supreme nourishment for the spirit. Without it we are really impoverished. Remember what Gerard Manley Hopkins said, 'To go to Communion worthily gives God great glory, but to take food in thankfulness and temperance gives him glory, too'."
- "Don't be afraid of making the sign of the cross," an Anglican monk once told me. "All it means is: God be in my thoughts, in my heart, in my left hand, in my right hand, all through this day."
- "[Jesus] told them the truth, called himself a servant, talked about giving up power, and his disciples were constantly seeking for power and more power, even at the Last Supper. Perhaps that was why Jesus had such close friendships with Mary of Magdala, with Mary and Martha of Bethany, because women in his day were powerless, and were therefore more capable of understanding what he was talking about."

[Tamara Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet look at the friendship of women, specifically Luci Shaw and Madeleine L'Engle. Reading back and forth -- each chapter from one or the other and a few written as actual transcribed conversations -- felt as if I were sitting at a meal with them, listening in and learning. I'd pulled this book off the shelf to finally read because I was trying to write a poem for one of my own dear friends before she moves across the world. I can only hope our journey together is as rich and long-lasting as Luci and Madeleine's.

[Emily Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrow from me for a dose of sunshine.

[Magdalene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is what being friends is all about, a beautiful telling of two friends by two friends and not to mention one really scrumptous hot milk sponge cake recipe!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loaned by a friend made it a sweeter read, and I felt some pages to be holy. Still it's a scramble of chapters, and I read it more like a cookbook.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really respect both of these women, so it was good to get a glimpse into their friendship. Madeleine L'Engle is one of my favorite authors, and Luci Shaw became her publisher and friend later in life. The book was much more poetry and meditations on friendships itself, and less on their individual viewpoints or examples of friendship, but it was an easy, short book to pick up and read a few pages every day. Reading it made me want to do more research into their personal stories.

[Kelly Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luci and Madeleine are generous to share their friendship and journey together. They give voice to so many facets of long-haul friendships. It reminds me of so many wonderful women I’m so grateful to know & love & walk alongside.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected to love this little book more than I did. I enjoyed the peek into the decades long friendship of Madeleine L'Engle and Luci Shaw, though it was briefer than expected. I guess I thought the book would be more the story of their friendship specifically rather than the meditations, poems etc about friendship in general. Still a pleasant little read.