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The Ordering of Love
Madeleine L’Engle’s writing has always translated the invisible, quiet corners of our hearts into a vivid, stunning experience. Her fiction invites readers into new universes while her spiritual memoirs unveil the tenderness and resilience of the human spirit.
In her poetry, L’Engle’s craft proves just as striking, as she traverses the full breadth of the soul with her words, intimately exploring the contours of hope, doubt, and love. “It is written out of pain, joy, and experience too great to be borne until it is ordered into words,” she says of her poetry. “And then it is written to be shared.” Open-hearted and vulnerable, The Ordering of Love is a meditation on beauty, loss, faith, and devotion.
“A prayerful and powerful portrait of a writer who served her work, and served it well. May we strive to do the same.” —Sarah Arthur, from the Foreword
In her poetry, L’Engle’s craft proves just as striking, as she traverses the full breadth of the soul with her words, intimately exploring the contours of hope, doubt, and love. “It is written out of pain, joy, and experience too great to be borne until it is ordered into words,” she says of her poetry. “And then it is written to be shared.” Open-hearted and vulnerable, The Ordering of Love is a meditation on beauty, loss, faith, and devotion.
“A prayerful and powerful portrait of a writer who served her work, and served it well. May we strive to do the same.” —Sarah Arthur, from the Foreword
345 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2005
86 people are currently reading
3427 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine L'Engle
173 books9,222 followersMadeleine 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
April 20, 2011
This book has a poem called The Pharoah's Cross which starts like this;
It would be easier to be an atheist; it is the simple way out.
But each time I turn toward that wide and welcoming door
it slams in my face, and I- like my forbears- Adam, Eve--
am left outside the garden of reason and limited, chill science
and the arguments of intellect.
Who is this wild cherubim who whirls the flaming sword
'twixt the door to the house of atheism and me?
Sometime in the groping dark of my not knowing
I am exhausted with the struggle to believe in you, O God.
Your ways are not our ways. Your ways are extraordinary.
You sent evil angels to the Egyptians and killed;
you killed countless babes in order that Pharaoh,
whose heart was hardened by you (that worries me, Lord)
might be slow to let the Hebrew children go.
You turned back the waters of the Red Sea
and your Chosen People went through on dry land
and the Egyptians were drowned, men with wives and children,
young men with mothers and fathers (your ways are not our ways)
and there was much rejoicing at all this death,
and the angels laughed and sang, and you stopped then, saying,
"How can you sing when my children are drowning?"
It continues from there and speak the language of my doubt and faith in a way that makes me feel known.
Many of her other poems do the same.
I love this book.
October 29, 2020
This lil cutie book of poems was refreshing to read. Pros: I liked the way some of the poetry would enter into the minds of Biblical characters. It felt like I got sneak peaks into the mind of what Abraham, Sarah or the Woman at the Well were thinking/feeling. Con: I’m sure this is just a stylistic choice but I thought a lot of them were super rhymy. She also used the word twixt a few times which I just think is hilarious and makes me want a candy bar.
Here’s a poem I liked (buckle up it’s long)
The Woman (Jesus, to the woman taken in adultery: Go, and sin no more)
It is not
What it was
Or could have been
Or might have been
Or should have been
Or what I thought it would be
Or dreamed about
Or expected
Or longed for
Or prayed for.
It is what is.
Nowhere else but
Here. Now.
Only in the is
(Not the ought)
Does love grow-
Is joy found.
Never in vain hopings
In vanity
In vaunting
Or wishing or pretending
Or dreaming
But here. Now.
Never in saying
It was not my fault
It shouldn’t have been
I couldn’t help it
But I meant
But he didn’t
But you don’t understand.
Never
There.
Only here
In the painful light
Of my own sin
Accepted
Seen in its ugliness
Repented
Forgiven
(Forgiveness hurts)
Let me turn
Seeking nothing
Asking nothing
Here
Only here
Is the longed for
Word.
Only now can I say
I love you.
Here’s a poem I liked (buckle up it’s long)
The Woman (Jesus, to the woman taken in adultery: Go, and sin no more)
It is not
What it was
Or could have been
Or might have been
Or should have been
Or what I thought it would be
Or dreamed about
Or expected
Or longed for
Or prayed for.
It is what is.
Nowhere else but
Here. Now.
Only in the is
(Not the ought)
Does love grow-
Is joy found.
Never in vain hopings
In vanity
In vaunting
Or wishing or pretending
Or dreaming
But here. Now.
Never in saying
It was not my fault
It shouldn’t have been
I couldn’t help it
But I meant
But he didn’t
But you don’t understand.
Never
There.
Only here
In the painful light
Of my own sin
Accepted
Seen in its ugliness
Repented
Forgiven
(Forgiveness hurts)
Let me turn
Seeking nothing
Asking nothing
Here
Only here
Is the longed for
Word.
Only now can I say
I love you.
dnf
September 16, 2019I have a difficult relationship with poetry, and while there were a few poems (or more like, a few lines) in here that I really liked, I don't feel like wading through all the parts that feel generic in order to find a few more lines I like. Maybe I'll feel more inspired to try another time...
December 20, 2011
I read Madeleine L'Engle once in junior high and thought she was ok.
I am not a big fan of poetry.
But I kept reading blogs that referred to her writing, so I thought the least I could do was try something short and sweet.
And she changed my life.
Madeleine's style is deep and theological, yet short and sweet. Most of the items in this book were sonnets, which are contained to a formulaic length. She packs a punch in few words, and leaves you pondering sentence fragments for hours to come.
And most of all, her writing makes ME want to write. I thought it was just me, but I saw other reviewers on Amazon had said the same.
One of the biggest things I love is that she writes from the perspective of Biblical characters. This is something I spend lots of time thinking about (what were they thinking? Was it hard for them to trust? Were they ever angry at God? etc.) and she puts it into words and word pictures. Brilliantly.
I highly recommend this book. There are some especially good ones for reading during Advent and the Christmas season.
I am not a big fan of poetry.
But I kept reading blogs that referred to her writing, so I thought the least I could do was try something short and sweet.
And she changed my life.
Madeleine's style is deep and theological, yet short and sweet. Most of the items in this book were sonnets, which are contained to a formulaic length. She packs a punch in few words, and leaves you pondering sentence fragments for hours to come.
And most of all, her writing makes ME want to write. I thought it was just me, but I saw other reviewers on Amazon had said the same.
One of the biggest things I love is that she writes from the perspective of Biblical characters. This is something I spend lots of time thinking about (what were they thinking? Was it hard for them to trust? Were they ever angry at God? etc.) and she puts it into words and word pictures. Brilliantly.
I highly recommend this book. There are some especially good ones for reading during Advent and the Christmas season.
April 1, 2022
Poetry has the ability to transport a reader into the heart of the author, a situation or experience and Madeleine L'Engle in her compiled poetic work entitled “The Ordering of Love” adds faith to that list, allowing that poetry has a place in our relationship to the divine.
“The Ordering of Love'' is not for everyone. First because it is poetry, but secondly and perhaps more importantly because it is heavily Christian faith based poetry. I am a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and I found this compilation of poetic work an interesting and often time enlightening dive into the Christian faith. L’Engle offers reflections, rewrites and interpretations of biblical story and character as well as insight into her own wrestling with faith and God through various life circumstances.
L’Engle’s poetic voice is clear, concise and the reader is brought alongside and offered a particular perspective. The poems reach beyond the expected boundaries of Christian faith and entrenched understanding of our relationship to God. At the same time, much of what she was excavating during her time has been present throughout my life, so it wasn’t particularly illuminating in my personal journey, though I appreciated her words as a woman of faith in her own time.
Her Sonnets though. Her Sonnets were a beauty to behold. They appeared towards the end of the book and from later in her life. They were five star poems. Every. Single. One. They offered such depth and honesty from her experience of grief over her life partner’s death. Each poem offered a poignant glimpse into the kaleidoscope of emotions swirling around someone aching to find life after death.
For pastors and others who work in faith traditions this is an excellent resource to have on your shelf and for those who work with those in grief I highly recommend L’Engle’s Sonnets. For the more casual reader, I am not sure this book in its entirety will connect, but I am sure you will find gems in the honest poetry of Madeleine L'Engle.
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“The Ordering of Love'' is not for everyone. First because it is poetry, but secondly and perhaps more importantly because it is heavily Christian faith based poetry. I am a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and I found this compilation of poetic work an interesting and often time enlightening dive into the Christian faith. L’Engle offers reflections, rewrites and interpretations of biblical story and character as well as insight into her own wrestling with faith and God through various life circumstances.
L’Engle’s poetic voice is clear, concise and the reader is brought alongside and offered a particular perspective. The poems reach beyond the expected boundaries of Christian faith and entrenched understanding of our relationship to God. At the same time, much of what she was excavating during her time has been present throughout my life, so it wasn’t particularly illuminating in my personal journey, though I appreciated her words as a woman of faith in her own time.
Her Sonnets though. Her Sonnets were a beauty to behold. They appeared towards the end of the book and from later in her life. They were five star poems. Every. Single. One. They offered such depth and honesty from her experience of grief over her life partner’s death. Each poem offered a poignant glimpse into the kaleidoscope of emotions swirling around someone aching to find life after death.
For pastors and others who work in faith traditions this is an excellent resource to have on your shelf and for those who work with those in grief I highly recommend L’Engle’s Sonnets. For the more casual reader, I am not sure this book in its entirety will connect, but I am sure you will find gems in the honest poetry of Madeleine L'Engle.
Want more book content? Follow me at thebookwar.com
December 2, 2024
I have learned that I will only enjoy poetry when I read it with no hurry to add the collection to my "read" shelf. I have tried to read this several times, but it's worked best on my nightstand, reading one or two poems every few nights.
I admit that I mostly wanted to read this for "After Annunciation" (the one Madeleine L'Engle poem just about everyone knows, where the title for one of her memoirs, The Irrational Season comes from), but there were many other great poems in here - many with Biblical themes, but definitely not all. Some of her love poems are very frank and beautiful. The poems that struck me the most were a set a sonnets, uncollected before this book, most of which seem to have been written just after her husband died. The palpable grief and love together from these remind me of both Nicholas Wolterstorff's Lament for a Son and Julian Barnes' Levels of Life.
I admit that I mostly wanted to read this for "After Annunciation" (the one Madeleine L'Engle poem just about everyone knows, where the title for one of her memoirs, The Irrational Season comes from), but there were many other great poems in here - many with Biblical themes, but definitely not all. Some of her love poems are very frank and beautiful. The poems that struck me the most were a set a sonnets, uncollected before this book, most of which seem to have been written just after her husband died. The palpable grief and love together from these remind me of both Nicholas Wolterstorff's Lament for a Son and Julian Barnes' Levels of Life.
March 30, 2018
An extraordinary collection of both poems and free verse around diverse topics, including Faith, Easter, the Cross, the loss of her husband, motherhood, etc.
The collections include:
From Lines Scribbled on an Envelope(1969)
-Abraham’s Child, The Promise, Testament, People in Glass Houses, Moses, Act II Scene ii, Tree at Christmas,
Within This Strange and Quickened Dust
The Irrational Season (1977)
-Who Shoved Me into the Night?, How Very Odd It Seems O Lord, Love Letter Addressed To
The Weather of the Heart (1978)
- David, God’s Beast, Temper My Intemperance, Love Letter
A Cry Like a Bell (1987)
-David From Psalm 32, Mary Speaks: from Ephesus, And Nicholas
Uncollected Poems (circa 1966)
-Lines After Hymn 456, The Donkey
Some powerful insights and beautiful devotional thoughts!
The collections include:
From Lines Scribbled on an Envelope(1969)
-Abraham’s Child, The Promise, Testament, People in Glass Houses, Moses, Act II Scene ii, Tree at Christmas,
Within This Strange and Quickened Dust
The Irrational Season (1977)
-Who Shoved Me into the Night?, How Very Odd It Seems O Lord, Love Letter Addressed To
The Weather of the Heart (1978)
- David, God’s Beast, Temper My Intemperance, Love Letter
A Cry Like a Bell (1987)
-David From Psalm 32, Mary Speaks: from Ephesus, And Nicholas
Uncollected Poems (circa 1966)
-Lines After Hymn 456, The Donkey
Some powerful insights and beautiful devotional thoughts!
August 22, 2020
“Poetry, at least the kind I write, is written out of immediate need; it is written out of pain, joy, and experience too great to be borne until it is ordered into words. And then it is written to be shared” - Madeleine L’Engle
This quote is on the back of the book, and boy does it feel absolutely true of her heart-expressions in this collection of poetry. Within, I saw her grapple with faith in a God who both hardened Pharaoh’s heart and sent His son to die on a cross. I saw her grapple with the loss of her husband. Many of my questions and doubts were given voice through her poems, and I learned so much about my faith through hers. I am better for having read Madeleine’s poems, and I know that I will return to them for many years to come.
This quote is on the back of the book, and boy does it feel absolutely true of her heart-expressions in this collection of poetry. Within, I saw her grapple with faith in a God who both hardened Pharaoh’s heart and sent His son to die on a cross. I saw her grapple with the loss of her husband. Many of my questions and doubts were given voice through her poems, and I learned so much about my faith through hers. I am better for having read Madeleine’s poems, and I know that I will return to them for many years to come.
July 22, 2023
Easily my favorite book I’ve ever had the joy of reading. Elegant and moving, these poems find power in that every Christian (and really, every person) can relate to their expressions of despair, weakness, and hope in the face of suffering. My copy of this book is quite beat up and very well-loved; it comes with me most places I go. It is a beautiful book.
December 22, 2025
This book was a great introduction to the poetry of Madeleine L'Engle. I had read a good deal of her fiction and non-fiction before, so this collection of her poetry was grand to read. Some of these poems convey the beauty of the natural world, the importance of science, the gift of life, the complexity and joy of being human, and existential doubt and faith.
September 18, 2017
I love poetry and there are many poems within this collection which I adore, but there are also so many which were so religious or Biblical that I almost felt like the book should be labeled as religious material.
November 3, 2018
Beautiful, intelligent poems, retelling Bible stories from different perspectives and examining the nature of love and the divine. The sonnets, including a sequence from the perspective of a new widow, are standouts.
March 18, 2021
I read a poem or three a day everyday for nearly a year from this collection of Madeleine’s poetry. I loved them all. From mundane to sublime, she doesn’t flinch from the complexity of faith and life.
October 1, 2023
I think if I had read the works separately and not as a completed works this would have been a 5. The mix of poetry about love, human suffering and faith had me lost at times. The poets work was incredible and kept me drawn in.
July 6, 2017
This was not quite what I expected, although the poems are solid and well-written. Worth a selective read, though.
September 29, 2017
These poems are so well written and touch on raw emotion. While spiritual in nature, they go beyond just some poetic rendering of bible stories. They are honest and lovely.
December 17, 2017
10 stars! More than excellent!
September 30, 2018
The Ordering of Love has a permanent place on my nightstand.
May 25, 2019
Beautiful, real, touching and sometimes hysterical poems, still on my shelf with very worn pages.
November 3, 2019
I love her- she is a huge influence on my work, but poetry is not her best suit. Occasional flashes of beauty.
May 1, 2020
Clearly, I wasn't the right audience for it ..
May 29, 2020
Lovely and spiritual poetry.
October 12, 2020
Fully exercising a spiritual imagination.
October 18, 2020
CW: Grief, animal death
May 14, 2022
this book just #blessed me
“When is the time for love to be born?
The inn is full on planet earth,
And by a comet the sky is torn—
Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.”
“When is the time for love to be born?
The inn is full on planet earth,
And by a comet the sky is torn—
Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.”
July 20, 2022
Some poems are to savor and read again and again. Others, not. But the good is gold.
March 18, 2023
A sweet collection of poems.
Some of my favorites
How very odd it seems, dear Lord
Primate
The Phoenix
Basically the entire “From the Irrational Season 1977”
The Woman
Some of my favorites
How very odd it seems, dear Lord
Primate
The Phoenix
Basically the entire “From the Irrational Season 1977”
The Woman
January 31, 2024
Madeleine L'Engle's poems are so simple and yet speak volumes to me. I love how most revolve around faith or people in the Bible. My favorite are almost all her poems on Mary.
March 4, 2024
A brilliant, beautiful collection. Refreshing and incredibly rich verse, deep intimate insights, imagery. Thank God for Madeline L’Engle.
July 24, 2017
L'Engle's poems open my eyes to the personality behind the people of the Bible; through her pen, they transform from 2D characters into real-life, flesh and blood men and women. She crafts such beautiful, lyrical prayers to God.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews