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Love Letters
Charlotte Napier has much to learn about herself, her faith, and her marriage. She flees to Portugal, desperately looking for comfort after the death of her son and, she thinks, her marriage. There she finds solace in the letters of a 17th century nun who struggled with temptation and sin. As Charlotte achieves a clearer focus on her own pain, she gains a powerful sense of the rigorous and demanding nature of real love.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1966
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1316 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine L'Engle
175 books9,234 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 86 reviews
November 27, 2024
I am a huge L'Engle fan and I've read almost her entire body of work. She has been a formative influence for me and she is my all-time favorite author. Yet this book was difficult for me to read.
There are two main reasons for this: 1) Style and 2) Substance. Which is to say - everything. First of all, style. The story flips back and forth to tell two parallel stories of two different women. One is a "present day" (early 1960's, when she was writing the book) New York wife, and the other at 17th century Portuguese nun. Present-day Charlotte is reading the publicized letters of the nun, and seeking to learn about herself and gain perspective on her own situation through the story of this nun, who had fallen in love with and then been betrayed by a French soldier. Perhaps this is simply a product of the time at which the book was published (I was reading a 1st edition copy), but the format of the book makes it difficult to follow the switch between stories. They fade in and out of each other, with no more separation than a couple skipped lines on the page, and often the last sentence of one story is the beginning of the first sentence of the other story. Stylistically, I believe this was an attempt to blur the lines between the two women, but not only was it confusing, it seemed a bit contrived, for even the characters themselves ultimately realize that Charlotte is nothing like Mariana, the nun, and she has very little to learn about love from Mariana's experience. Furthermore, we see Mariana's story first-hand, but Charlotte is only reading Mariana's correspondence to her lover via her first-person letters. Thus, the reader actually knows more about Mariana than Charlotte does, and it is difficult to understand what Charlotte knows, since we never see the letters. It is just a lot of mental hoops that could have been simplified, I feel.
But the thing I had the most trouble with was Charlotte's attitude, and the attitude of the other characters, about the nature of love, forgiveness, and marriage. L'Engle, like any good writer, knows how to write flawed characters. Charlotte is definitely flawed, but her flaws in this story are cast as her strengths, and when she actually shows strength, it is portrayed as a flaw. Charlotte - and SPOILER ALERT here - comes to the conclusion that she must return to her husband whom she has left. Her husband -the only man she has ever dated, who has cheated on her repeatedly; who raped her when he figured out that she had had the opportunity to cheat on him, BUT HAD NOT; who shoved her to the floor on multiple occasions; who was so distant and uncomforting after their 5 yr old son was killed that Charlotte had been left entirely alone - emotionally and physically - to deal with her own grief; who yelled at her during the birth of this same child for taking so long and for having such a difficult time; who since their very first encounter had treated her and her mind as that of a child. Her character development arch in this story takes her from a young woman who has left this miserable life and is beginning to question what else she can be BESIDES a mother and wife, backwards to a woman who believes that marriage vows are so concrete and holy that she her fleeing from this marriage was an act of selfishness and cowardliness. She "learns" that true love means loving her husband, Patrick, as he is (i.e. an abuser and a horrible person) instead of demanding better of him. She "learns" that she apparently been asking too much of him; asking for things he cannot give, by expecting him to treat her any other way after the death of their son, and that she is an adulterer equal to him for merely having the desire to sleep with other men, yet not actually ever acting on it.
Yes, I am reading this very old book through 3rd wave feminist eyes, but I still find this book so out of character for all else L'Engle has written. Every other married couple she has presented in her work - real and fictional - have appeared as model partnerships based on equality and true admiration and respect for one another. I am having trouble reconciling this story with the Madeleine L'Engle I have admired for so many years. What does this book say about the person, Madeleine L'Engle and her values? Did she go through a period of her own growth where she shed some of these old-world perspectives? Is this book nothing more than the product of a young writer in an older time?
L'Engle remains my favorite author, because one book cannot undo everything else she has said or written, against which this particular book is anathema. I am still glad to have read the book, because, as L'Engle herself taught me when I was young - it is never a good idea to place any person on a pedestal, for they will certainly one day fall off of it, and you will be the only one hurt or to blame for that hurt. If this is where L'Engle started, I am happy to know it.
There are two main reasons for this: 1) Style and 2) Substance. Which is to say - everything. First of all, style. The story flips back and forth to tell two parallel stories of two different women. One is a "present day" (early 1960's, when she was writing the book) New York wife, and the other at 17th century Portuguese nun. Present-day Charlotte is reading the publicized letters of the nun, and seeking to learn about herself and gain perspective on her own situation through the story of this nun, who had fallen in love with and then been betrayed by a French soldier. Perhaps this is simply a product of the time at which the book was published (I was reading a 1st edition copy), but the format of the book makes it difficult to follow the switch between stories. They fade in and out of each other, with no more separation than a couple skipped lines on the page, and often the last sentence of one story is the beginning of the first sentence of the other story. Stylistically, I believe this was an attempt to blur the lines between the two women, but not only was it confusing, it seemed a bit contrived, for even the characters themselves ultimately realize that Charlotte is nothing like Mariana, the nun, and she has very little to learn about love from Mariana's experience. Furthermore, we see Mariana's story first-hand, but Charlotte is only reading Mariana's correspondence to her lover via her first-person letters. Thus, the reader actually knows more about Mariana than Charlotte does, and it is difficult to understand what Charlotte knows, since we never see the letters. It is just a lot of mental hoops that could have been simplified, I feel.
But the thing I had the most trouble with was Charlotte's attitude, and the attitude of the other characters, about the nature of love, forgiveness, and marriage. L'Engle, like any good writer, knows how to write flawed characters. Charlotte is definitely flawed, but her flaws in this story are cast as her strengths, and when she actually shows strength, it is portrayed as a flaw. Charlotte - and SPOILER ALERT here - comes to the conclusion that she must return to her husband whom she has left. Her husband -the only man she has ever dated, who has cheated on her repeatedly; who raped her when he figured out that she had had the opportunity to cheat on him, BUT HAD NOT; who shoved her to the floor on multiple occasions; who was so distant and uncomforting after their 5 yr old son was killed that Charlotte had been left entirely alone - emotionally and physically - to deal with her own grief; who yelled at her during the birth of this same child for taking so long and for having such a difficult time; who since their very first encounter had treated her and her mind as that of a child. Her character development arch in this story takes her from a young woman who has left this miserable life and is beginning to question what else she can be BESIDES a mother and wife, backwards to a woman who believes that marriage vows are so concrete and holy that she her fleeing from this marriage was an act of selfishness and cowardliness. She "learns" that true love means loving her husband, Patrick, as he is (i.e. an abuser and a horrible person) instead of demanding better of him. She "learns" that she apparently been asking too much of him; asking for things he cannot give, by expecting him to treat her any other way after the death of their son, and that she is an adulterer equal to him for merely having the desire to sleep with other men, yet not actually ever acting on it.
Yes, I am reading this very old book through 3rd wave feminist eyes, but I still find this book so out of character for all else L'Engle has written. Every other married couple she has presented in her work - real and fictional - have appeared as model partnerships based on equality and true admiration and respect for one another. I am having trouble reconciling this story with the Madeleine L'Engle I have admired for so many years. What does this book say about the person, Madeleine L'Engle and her values? Did she go through a period of her own growth where she shed some of these old-world perspectives? Is this book nothing more than the product of a young writer in an older time?
L'Engle remains my favorite author, because one book cannot undo everything else she has said or written, against which this particular book is anathema. I am still glad to have read the book, because, as L'Engle herself taught me when I was young - it is never a good idea to place any person on a pedestal, for they will certainly one day fall off of it, and you will be the only one hurt or to blame for that hurt. If this is where L'Engle started, I am happy to know it.
September 26, 2013
NOT a light read. I'm a L'Engle fan from her "Wrinkle in Time" series. This is an adult book. Very deep. Follows two parallel love stories in two different eras, but this is not a romance. No, this is an intelligent discussion of God/purity/marriage/death. Sometimes, I'd have to stop and make sure my brain wasn't going to explode. Fantastic writing. Fantastic story. Melancholy and lovely.
August 31, 2011
Charlotte Napier flees New York after the accidental death of her young son and what she perceives as the breakup of her marriage to Patrick. She hopes to visit her mother-in-law, Dame Violet Napier who is an accomplished concert harpsichordist, in Beja, Portugal. She stays in a convent while she waits to see Violet, and comes across a manuscript of “Letters from a Portuguese Nun,” written by Sister Mariana Alcoforado who lived in the convent in the 17th century. Mariana had fallen in love with a handsome French soldier, a friend of her brother, who secretly visited her cell in the convent each night. After they were discovered and her lover had returned to France, Mariana wrote these heartbroken letters to him, imploring him to return and marry her. As Charlotte reads these letters and also eventually visits Dame Charlotte, she finds the strength to accept herself and Patrick, “not as she would like them to be, but as they are.” I read the 1966 edition of this book; a new edition was published in 2000, with a different ending written by L’Engle. It would be interesting to see the differences; L’Engle said she was never satisfied with the earlier ending. An Amazon review says, “In her depiction of these two women who experience great love and loss, L’Engle makes observations that apply to everyone who has ever experienced or questioned what love is supposed to be.”
January 14, 2014
What an odd reading experience. I procured this book at some point with an aim of completing my Madeleine L'Engle collection, and the description discouraged me from attempting it until now; I possibly should have listened to my instincts.
The book switches between the stories of Charlotte, a young "modern" ('70s?) New York woman grieving the loss of her five-year-old son; and Mariana, a 17th century Portuguese nun having an affair with a French soldier. (It turns out she may be real, or may be an invention, but anyway is not L'Engle's invention.) We're supposed to find a lot of parallels between the two women's lives, but the whole thing is a little bit forced. There are a number of ideas and themes that were more thoroughly explored in her other books; it doesn't quite all come together here. I would have thought this was an early book, but in fact it was written significantly after some of her other works that I enjoyed a lot more.
Written in L'Engle's typical emotive style, this was easy enough to get through, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you've feeling particularly completist. I'm also looking sideways at the ending, in which
The book switches between the stories of Charlotte, a young "modern" ('70s?) New York woman grieving the loss of her five-year-old son; and Mariana, a 17th century Portuguese nun having an affair with a French soldier. (It turns out she may be real, or may be an invention, but anyway is not L'Engle's invention.) We're supposed to find a lot of parallels between the two women's lives, but the whole thing is a little bit forced. There are a number of ideas and themes that were more thoroughly explored in her other books; it doesn't quite all come together here. I would have thought this was an early book, but in fact it was written significantly after some of her other works that I enjoyed a lot more.
Written in L'Engle's typical emotive style, this was easy enough to get through, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you've feeling particularly completist. I'm also looking sideways at the ending, in which
July 18, 2020
A theological treatise disguised as a romance novel.
did-not-finish
December 7, 2023DNF. Rwad about a quarter and skimmed another quarter. I don't think this is something I'm interested in. The prose itself is good, and flows well - it's l'Engle. And I think it might be an in interesting book, but it is not an enjoyable one. It's also a bit dated, and I'm not wild about the themes. Overall, I think I'm not in the mood I'm not enjoying. This just feels... bleak.
November 23, 2024
4.5/5, rounded to a 4/5. really really pulled me in about a hundred pages in. need to sit with it more to think about if I agree with it, but it was definitely done well
December 24, 2022
Wanted to read some more Madeleine L'Engle, so I picked this off the shelf at my library.
I wasn't sure how I felt about the unique transitions in this book, but after a little while I grew to like them a lot. The stories of Charlotte and Mariana were woven together nicely. The only problem was that I didn't always have clear places at which to pause reading, and although it was good, it wasn't an "I-can't-put-it-down" book if you know what I mean.
The themes in this book really gave me a lot to think about, and have stayed with me even after I finished reading. It has important messages about the nature of love, but doesn't come across as "preachy", but more like one person's ponderings on the subject. Sometimes I paused reading for a few minutes just to think about the ideas for myself.
Overall, I found this book a good escape from the rest of life for a while, which is something we all need now and then. I have the feeling that this one will stay with me.
I wasn't sure how I felt about the unique transitions in this book, but after a little while I grew to like them a lot. The stories of Charlotte and Mariana were woven together nicely. The only problem was that I didn't always have clear places at which to pause reading, and although it was good, it wasn't an "I-can't-put-it-down" book if you know what I mean.
The themes in this book really gave me a lot to think about, and have stayed with me even after I finished reading. It has important messages about the nature of love, but doesn't come across as "preachy", but more like one person's ponderings on the subject. Sometimes I paused reading for a few minutes just to think about the ideas for myself.
Overall, I found this book a good escape from the rest of life for a while, which is something we all need now and then. I have the feeling that this one will stay with me.
July 20, 2011
I'm due to read this again but as a teen obsessed with all things by Ms. L'Engle this book was a pleasant surprise from the Time series. The story focuses on a woman who has suffered loss and heartache and she goes on a vacation to make sense of her world. While on vacation she stumbles upon love letters written by a nun who struggled with her duty and temptation. It's an easy read that is gently passionate and romantic without dissolving into a classic cheesy bodice ripper.
March 15, 2021
I really liked the set up of this book and it's insight. However, it could have been more concise and it was such a downer- so many different heartaches.
June 2, 2020
took me all day to write a review of this book — it’s just so good. a love story but not necessarily romantic. a lot about the parallels & contrast between divine love and human love. so light and easy and captivating but so many beautiful pieces of wisdom!!! i didn’t want it to be over when i finished
“I can love him now that I see Christ in him. Before, I saw only myself, only gratification of my own self will. Now I can love him within God’s will. If God will.”
“I can love him now that I see Christ in him. Before, I saw only myself, only gratification of my own self will. Now I can love him within God’s will. If God will.”
May 19, 2022
I was a little disappointed because of how much I've loved her other work. Seemed like it was trying too hard to be it's own genre, and didn't ring as true and deep as the topics could have.
February 27, 2021
I think it is very telling that it took me close to ten minutes to even find this book on goodreads, so I could write the review! I need to do some online probing into L'Engle's life, but I think this may be her first published novel, and an obviously not very popular one. The edition I have is a first edition too.
It is not hard to grasp why this book is so obscure, despite being by an author so famous.
Forgiveness over sin, as it applies to a modern marriage relationship and also in the perspective of a 16th-century Portuguese nun for sexual sin, and trying to understand the paradoxically ways of God...are not exactly popular or "trending now" topics.
I love L'Engle because in her writing I glimpse the tortured, spiritual, yet hopeful soul that she must of been in life.
I came across this book while looking for her memoir, A Circle of Quiet, at a used book barn {yes, I said barn, that is what it is, complete with multiple cats crouching in dimly lit corners} and the elderly, eccentric owner recommended I read this instead.
This book is very wise, and deep. You have to get passed the first impression this novel gives you, that one thinks is going to be a typical ho-hum love story. I mean a nun and a French soldier who have an affair, really?...sounds like Harlequin romance rubbish.
Keep with it. The stories of the two women, Charlotte in the 20th century and Sister Mariana 500 years earlier are told simultaneously. It is actually very interesting that "the love letters" the novel is named for are real letters that were actually published during the real nun's life.
In the year 2019, staying with a husband who has sinned against you,{even using the word "sin" for that matter} and casting priests in a positive light is not very politically correct. The point of this novel is not to make a large sweeping statements of "thou shall not divorce!" or that the Catholic church is the only true religion. It is all about trying to understand how, when people we love hurt us, to proceed. Does blindly, automatically "do the right, and forgiving" because we know we are supposed to, actually cheapen grace? Does it cheapen ourselves? How can we not get bitter? Does it harm the one who sins by trivializing the sin? Often no matter what we do, it is going to hurt, it is going to seem wrong, so how does one proceed?
The following three passages are my favorite and I think get to the heart at what L'Engle was trying to say:
"Love me for what I am Charlotte, not for what you would like me to be. That is how you must love Patrick. You must love him for what he is. And you must love him for no reason. You must love him simply because you love him. It is an act of commitment".
"Whom do you magnify Mother Brites?" he, the priest asked her. "Do you magnify your works? Or do you magnify the One who called you to your work? Sometimes we Christians tend to magnify men's sins whereas we should magnify God's forgiveness?
"Yes", she said, her head still bowed. "It is difficult for me to accept that he can and he does forgive where we can't."
"I came away to get perspective, to try to understand. But I seem to get more and more deeply into confusion. If I understand anything at all it's only by paradox. I wish I knew more about paradox, but I suppose if one did then it wouldn't be paradox. I am coming more and more to feel that this is the only way one ever understands anything at all. Never directly".
That last quote in particular is such good medicine for our times.
Consider how angry, self-righteous, and polarized Americans have become. If God is obsolete than human intellect is supreme. Then our understanding and values are supreme, but our understanding is pretty puny, and our values are constantly shifting without an anchor of absolute truth.
Again don't read this to come away with a broad stroke ideology of one size fits all value system when it comes to marriage and religious expression. Read to get a broader understanding of the complexities of humans and love and God. That in the end, it is worth it, because God is good,though on some levels unknowable, and our human relationships will never be perfect, but can be very good and joy giving.
It is not hard to grasp why this book is so obscure, despite being by an author so famous.
Forgiveness over sin, as it applies to a modern marriage relationship and also in the perspective of a 16th-century Portuguese nun for sexual sin, and trying to understand the paradoxically ways of God...are not exactly popular or "trending now" topics.
I love L'Engle because in her writing I glimpse the tortured, spiritual, yet hopeful soul that she must of been in life.
I came across this book while looking for her memoir, A Circle of Quiet, at a used book barn {yes, I said barn, that is what it is, complete with multiple cats crouching in dimly lit corners} and the elderly, eccentric owner recommended I read this instead.
This book is very wise, and deep. You have to get passed the first impression this novel gives you, that one thinks is going to be a typical ho-hum love story. I mean a nun and a French soldier who have an affair, really?...sounds like Harlequin romance rubbish.
Keep with it. The stories of the two women, Charlotte in the 20th century and Sister Mariana 500 years earlier are told simultaneously. It is actually very interesting that "the love letters" the novel is named for are real letters that were actually published during the real nun's life.
In the year 2019, staying with a husband who has sinned against you,{even using the word "sin" for that matter} and casting priests in a positive light is not very politically correct. The point of this novel is not to make a large sweeping statements of "thou shall not divorce!" or that the Catholic church is the only true religion. It is all about trying to understand how, when people we love hurt us, to proceed. Does blindly, automatically "do the right, and forgiving" because we know we are supposed to, actually cheapen grace? Does it cheapen ourselves? How can we not get bitter? Does it harm the one who sins by trivializing the sin? Often no matter what we do, it is going to hurt, it is going to seem wrong, so how does one proceed?
The following three passages are my favorite and I think get to the heart at what L'Engle was trying to say:
"Love me for what I am Charlotte, not for what you would like me to be. That is how you must love Patrick. You must love him for what he is. And you must love him for no reason. You must love him simply because you love him. It is an act of commitment".
"Whom do you magnify Mother Brites?" he, the priest asked her. "Do you magnify your works? Or do you magnify the One who called you to your work? Sometimes we Christians tend to magnify men's sins whereas we should magnify God's forgiveness?
"Yes", she said, her head still bowed. "It is difficult for me to accept that he can and he does forgive where we can't."
"I came away to get perspective, to try to understand. But I seem to get more and more deeply into confusion. If I understand anything at all it's only by paradox. I wish I knew more about paradox, but I suppose if one did then it wouldn't be paradox. I am coming more and more to feel that this is the only way one ever understands anything at all. Never directly".
That last quote in particular is such good medicine for our times.
Consider how angry, self-righteous, and polarized Americans have become. If God is obsolete than human intellect is supreme. Then our understanding and values are supreme, but our understanding is pretty puny, and our values are constantly shifting without an anchor of absolute truth.
Again don't read this to come away with a broad stroke ideology of one size fits all value system when it comes to marriage and religious expression. Read to get a broader understanding of the complexities of humans and love and God. That in the end, it is worth it, because God is good,though on some levels unknowable, and our human relationships will never be perfect, but can be very good and joy giving.
June 15, 2011
Every time I read a Madeleine L’Engle book, I feel compelled to immediately go out and buy it. It’s frustrating that most people only associate L’Engle with the Time Quartet and are never even aware that she wrote stand-alone novels – some of them much better than the Time Quartet as they struggle more universal issues.
This book tackles that one universal emotion we as a race revere the most – love. The basic plot of the novel is split in two. The modern day story of Charlotte Napier, who has run away from her husband after he has hurt her deeply. Charlotte has, oddly enough, run to Portugal to her mother-in-law’s house in an attempt to understand what’s happened to her marriage and her life. While there, Charlotte stumbles across a book of love letters – which introduces the second plot. Sister Mariana is a nun who lived in Beja, Portugal during the seventeenth century and has become involved with a French officer. The letters of passion and anguish strike a sore spot in Charlotte’s heart and although there are only five of them, she reads them and talks with those who are studying Mariana in hopes of a chance at healing.
While at first I struggled with reconciling Mariana and Charlotte’s stories, or even finding a point to the entire novel which I knew L’Engle would have – the book was still completely inescapable. I could not put the book away, there was always one more section I felt I needed to read. If you’ve ever read a L’Engle story, you won’t find this surprising.
One of the wonderful things about this story, is that “Letters of a Portuguese Nun” is a real book, Mariana Alcoforado was a real person, and while there is speculation that she is, indeed, the author, L’Engle’s fictionalization of Mariana’s story could be very close to what actually happened. So even if you don’t allow Charlotte’s story to affect you, it’s hard not let Mariana’s.
As with most of L’Engle’s novels, (as I mentioned earlier) it’s sometimes hard to find a point to the story when you first begin. You know the author is trying to say something, you may just have a hard time grasping what it is. My favorite L’Engle novel is “Certain Women” but this book contains a very similar and equally strong punch when you near the end and she begins to resolve to two stories and reveal the outcome and lessons learned. If you have never read one of this wonderful woman’s novels, I strongly urge you to remedy that problem.
This book tackles that one universal emotion we as a race revere the most – love. The basic plot of the novel is split in two. The modern day story of Charlotte Napier, who has run away from her husband after he has hurt her deeply. Charlotte has, oddly enough, run to Portugal to her mother-in-law’s house in an attempt to understand what’s happened to her marriage and her life. While there, Charlotte stumbles across a book of love letters – which introduces the second plot. Sister Mariana is a nun who lived in Beja, Portugal during the seventeenth century and has become involved with a French officer. The letters of passion and anguish strike a sore spot in Charlotte’s heart and although there are only five of them, she reads them and talks with those who are studying Mariana in hopes of a chance at healing.
While at first I struggled with reconciling Mariana and Charlotte’s stories, or even finding a point to the entire novel which I knew L’Engle would have – the book was still completely inescapable. I could not put the book away, there was always one more section I felt I needed to read. If you’ve ever read a L’Engle story, you won’t find this surprising.
One of the wonderful things about this story, is that “Letters of a Portuguese Nun” is a real book, Mariana Alcoforado was a real person, and while there is speculation that she is, indeed, the author, L’Engle’s fictionalization of Mariana’s story could be very close to what actually happened. So even if you don’t allow Charlotte’s story to affect you, it’s hard not let Mariana’s.
As with most of L’Engle’s novels, (as I mentioned earlier) it’s sometimes hard to find a point to the story when you first begin. You know the author is trying to say something, you may just have a hard time grasping what it is. My favorite L’Engle novel is “Certain Women” but this book contains a very similar and equally strong punch when you near the end and she begins to resolve to two stories and reveal the outcome and lessons learned. If you have never read one of this wonderful woman’s novels, I strongly urge you to remedy that problem.
January 20, 2015
Madeleine L'Engle has been my favorite author since grade school when I read "The Time Quartet", then I found other children's books of hers and felt kinship with the characters, the far-flung places Madeleine created, the fun storylines and so on. My favorite book of hers is 'The Severed Wasp", a continuation of one of the children's books, the adults all grown up in a new and interesting storyline, one I could identify with on some level.
I came across "The Love Letters" at a used bookstore on their dollar 'tree' display in the basement. I've read some of her other adult books, "A Live Coal in the Sea" and "Certain Women" and loved them. I snatched up this book and was not disappointed! That it was based on real live letters from a Portuguese Nun from the 17th century was certainly intriguing and certainly not disappointing!
The story intertwines a modern day Charlotte who's husband had cheated on her, causing her to question her marriage vows and her place in life. She find the agonizing, beautiful centuries old letters of a Nun having her own 'crisis of faith', literally, as she describes her love of a soldier, questioning her vows of her order.
Madeleine L'Engle beautifully describes the hurt, the hunger of a lost love, the feelings of desperation and so on. I do question the ending of the novel but that does not take away from the descriptions of the convent, the countryside, the travels and so on.
I would give two enthusiastic thumbs-up and a 5-star rating!
I came across "The Love Letters" at a used bookstore on their dollar 'tree' display in the basement. I've read some of her other adult books, "A Live Coal in the Sea" and "Certain Women" and loved them. I snatched up this book and was not disappointed! That it was based on real live letters from a Portuguese Nun from the 17th century was certainly intriguing and certainly not disappointing!
The story intertwines a modern day Charlotte who's husband had cheated on her, causing her to question her marriage vows and her place in life. She find the agonizing, beautiful centuries old letters of a Nun having her own 'crisis of faith', literally, as she describes her love of a soldier, questioning her vows of her order.
Madeleine L'Engle beautifully describes the hurt, the hunger of a lost love, the feelings of desperation and so on. I do question the ending of the novel but that does not take away from the descriptions of the convent, the countryside, the travels and so on.
I would give two enthusiastic thumbs-up and a 5-star rating!
May 3, 2009
Full Review:
http://ibeeeg.blogspot.com/2009/02/lo...
Charlotte - Who is she? Why is she deeply saddened? What happened between her and her husband?
I want to know.
The letters of Sister Mariana were very moving - they were full of love - they are deep. Yet, are the letters an unselfish love? A proper love?
As we (the reader) learn more of Charlotte and her life we learn much more of Mariana. Their lives paralleled each others even though Mariana lived back in the mid-17th century.
"...I've never rejected you..."
"There is always one who is more..."
The Love Letters is a deeply moving book about a woman's struggle to learn to accept herself, forgive herself. A story about learning to move away from oneself to truly love another.
Yes, this is a story about love and acceptance - forgiveness.
http://ibeeeg.blogspot.com/2009/02/lo...
Charlotte - Who is she? Why is she deeply saddened? What happened between her and her husband?
I want to know.
The letters of Sister Mariana were very moving - they were full of love - they are deep. Yet, are the letters an unselfish love? A proper love?
As we (the reader) learn more of Charlotte and her life we learn much more of Mariana. Their lives paralleled each others even though Mariana lived back in the mid-17th century.
"...I've never rejected you..."
"There is always one who is more..."
The Love Letters is a deeply moving book about a woman's struggle to learn to accept herself, forgive herself. A story about learning to move away from oneself to truly love another.
Yes, this is a story about love and acceptance - forgiveness.
October 25, 2019
The Kindle version of this book has many mistakes in it.
I ordered this book because I have enjoyed L'Engle's other works.
This one, however, had just too many odd coincidences in the beginning. (A woman going to Portugal to work out marital issues, runs into 200-year-old letters from a nun, whose situation feels a lot like her own...)
The whole thing felt kind of bogged down and I gave up early on. Maybe other people would enjoy it. I'm only posting this review to remind myself that I don't want to try the book again.
I ordered this book because I have enjoyed L'Engle's other works.
This one, however, had just too many odd coincidences in the beginning. (A woman going to Portugal to work out marital issues, runs into 200-year-old letters from a nun, whose situation feels a lot like her own...)
The whole thing felt kind of bogged down and I gave up early on. Maybe other people would enjoy it. I'm only posting this review to remind myself that I don't want to try the book again.
May 15, 2012
This book made me think, a tale with concepts that isn't dated. I enjoyed the flow between the two intertwined stories... And while I know Marianna's fate, I find myself wondering how Cotty is doing...
May 28, 2025
39th book read in 2025
I had a hard time getting through this novel by Madeleine L’Engle and an even harder time deciding what to say about it. I have read many L’Engle books and loved most of them. I have read A Wrinkle in Time three times during various periods of my life.
In The Love Letters she visits several of her usual themes: young girls overlooked by parents or losing parents, being sent to boarding schools (in this case Catholic convent schools), young women in love or losing love, fathers and artists.
Charlotte has experienced all the above, has run from her New York husband to Portugal, where she finds herself in another convent/pension. While she waits to visit her mother-in-law, she finds a book of love letters written by a nun from the 17th century to a young soldier who caused her to disobey her vows and then deserted her.
I had problems with the two timelines, with a comparison of love in the 1960s vs the 1600s, with New York City life compared to the customs and attitudes of convent life.
I could not imagine going to my mother-in-law if I was having problems being married to her son.
I felt the “solution” to Charlotte’s abusive marriage was as bad as what my first mother-in-law said to me: “you made your bed, now lie in it.” Charlotte decided she should be more understanding of her husband’s issues but did not decide to have more agency herself.
At least that is what I took away and I felt a bit betrayed my Madeleine L’Engle. She crossed some fine line between relying on love to get through relationships and letting one’s partner get away with abusive behavior.
I had a hard time getting through this novel by Madeleine L’Engle and an even harder time deciding what to say about it. I have read many L’Engle books and loved most of them. I have read A Wrinkle in Time three times during various periods of my life.
In The Love Letters she visits several of her usual themes: young girls overlooked by parents or losing parents, being sent to boarding schools (in this case Catholic convent schools), young women in love or losing love, fathers and artists.
Charlotte has experienced all the above, has run from her New York husband to Portugal, where she finds herself in another convent/pension. While she waits to visit her mother-in-law, she finds a book of love letters written by a nun from the 17th century to a young soldier who caused her to disobey her vows and then deserted her.
I had problems with the two timelines, with a comparison of love in the 1960s vs the 1600s, with New York City life compared to the customs and attitudes of convent life.
I could not imagine going to my mother-in-law if I was having problems being married to her son.
I felt the “solution” to Charlotte’s abusive marriage was as bad as what my first mother-in-law said to me: “you made your bed, now lie in it.” Charlotte decided she should be more understanding of her husband’s issues but did not decide to have more agency herself.
At least that is what I took away and I felt a bit betrayed my Madeleine L’Engle. She crossed some fine line between relying on love to get through relationships and letting one’s partner get away with abusive behavior.
March 11, 2020
This book really resonated with me, as the author tells the story of a young woman, lost in grief, guilt, and confusion after the death of her small son. As usual, Madeleine L'Engle writes beautifully and gives us much to think about in her wise telling of the story.
"Pray all you like, ask anything you want, but don’t forget that he never promised he’d say yes. He never guaranteed us anything. Not anything at all. Except one thing. Just one thing . . . .
That he cares . . . That is all. Nothing else.”
"But my poor Charlotte, loneliness is the natural state of humankind. It is what distinguishes man from beast. An animal can be solitary and live, but in loneliness it dies. But we: we live in loneliness. There is nothing else...."Were you lonely when--your wife was alive?" A feeling of tension came into the room, but his voice, as always, was courteous, controlled.
"It was easier to bear. That's all." Then she said eagerly, "then maybe that's what I mean. It's--I can't bear the loneliness right now. I'm torn in two by it."....
"But nobody can bear it for you," he told her. "Even when you love, and are loved, you have to bear it yourself." "But when you're loved it's easier. You said it yourself."
Although I have one reservation about the book...Charlotte's husband seems to be an abusive, selfish man...but in the book, Charlotte decides she's been too hard on him, expecting too much, so decided to return and love him more thoroughly and more maturely. I am not altogether comfortable with that approach.
"Pray all you like, ask anything you want, but don’t forget that he never promised he’d say yes. He never guaranteed us anything. Not anything at all. Except one thing. Just one thing . . . .
That he cares . . . That is all. Nothing else.”
"But my poor Charlotte, loneliness is the natural state of humankind. It is what distinguishes man from beast. An animal can be solitary and live, but in loneliness it dies. But we: we live in loneliness. There is nothing else...."Were you lonely when--your wife was alive?" A feeling of tension came into the room, but his voice, as always, was courteous, controlled.
"It was easier to bear. That's all." Then she said eagerly, "then maybe that's what I mean. It's--I can't bear the loneliness right now. I'm torn in two by it."....
"But nobody can bear it for you," he told her. "Even when you love, and are loved, you have to bear it yourself." "But when you're loved it's easier. You said it yourself."
Although I have one reservation about the book...Charlotte's husband seems to be an abusive, selfish man...but in the book, Charlotte decides she's been too hard on him, expecting too much, so decided to return and love him more thoroughly and more maturely. I am not altogether comfortable with that approach.
August 6, 2023
I read this when I was too young to understand completely some of the themes Lengle employed. But I remember the way it made me feel and who deeply I feel into the story itself. So picked it up for a much due reread. But I came out of it both uncertain and appreciative. This book was originally published in 1966 and it’s the version I prefer, not the new ending but the old. Mariana’s story still held sway over me as it has the first time. It was Charlotte’s I struggled with. Set earlier than the 60s I believe, the messages from Violet and the Doctor about having to return to Patrick after what he’d done disturbed me. Why should she? And who where they so presume she left him because of too much grief or a simple spat?
But perhaps that is part of the ambiguity of the ending and what Lengle was trying to show. Love has to be given and received, despite both Charlotte and Mariana’s conclusion that they can love one sided - Mariana her lying French soldier, and Charlotte her abusive husband.
So, this book confounds me. It’s gorgeously written, thematically and theologically dense and yet. And yet.
I’m stumped. Uncertain. The narrative says one thing. The characters another. And the ending is not at all hopeful or conclusive. But neither are lives neatly wrapped in a bow. It’s something I’ll have to ponder.
Would recommend for anyone who doesn’t like the romance genre but wants something packaged like romance that packs an intellectual punch.
TW: Death of a child, depression, abusive relationships
But perhaps that is part of the ambiguity of the ending and what Lengle was trying to show. Love has to be given and received, despite both Charlotte and Mariana’s conclusion that they can love one sided - Mariana her lying French soldier, and Charlotte her abusive husband.
So, this book confounds me. It’s gorgeously written, thematically and theologically dense and yet. And yet.
I’m stumped. Uncertain. The narrative says one thing. The characters another. And the ending is not at all hopeful or conclusive. But neither are lives neatly wrapped in a bow. It’s something I’ll have to ponder.
Would recommend for anyone who doesn’t like the romance genre but wants something packaged like romance that packs an intellectual punch.
TW: Death of a child, depression, abusive relationships
September 22, 2025
This book was incredibly boring. It is about “love” whether spiritual, familial, marital, parental, theological, or self-love or love for community or friends.
I liked the historical fiction story based on the true story of a Portuguese nun seduced by a French soldier in the 1660s. But the framing device is of a rich American woman in her 20s in a bad marriage dealing with tragedy who flees to her musician mother-in-law’s mansion in Portugal without telling her she’s coming, in the early 1960s. So she’s got flashbacks of growing up with her rich neglectful dad, kind housekeepers, and strict nuns, plus flashbacks of meeting and courting her husband. And the jet lag and the wine and weather in Portugal make her feverish so she identifies with this nun and this story and thinks it can help her. I guess it does, along with some lectures from the Portuguese locals and her mother-in-law.
There are some universal truths in the dialogue but the main beats of the book’s plot just leave me saying, “huh?” This would be a terrific boring movie. I kept picturing the movie “Carol” as I was reading this. I was absolutely committed to finishing it but honestly I would understand your DNF on this book and that’s why it’s a 2 star.
I liked the historical fiction story based on the true story of a Portuguese nun seduced by a French soldier in the 1660s. But the framing device is of a rich American woman in her 20s in a bad marriage dealing with tragedy who flees to her musician mother-in-law’s mansion in Portugal without telling her she’s coming, in the early 1960s. So she’s got flashbacks of growing up with her rich neglectful dad, kind housekeepers, and strict nuns, plus flashbacks of meeting and courting her husband. And the jet lag and the wine and weather in Portugal make her feverish so she identifies with this nun and this story and thinks it can help her. I guess it does, along with some lectures from the Portuguese locals and her mother-in-law.
There are some universal truths in the dialogue but the main beats of the book’s plot just leave me saying, “huh?” This would be a terrific boring movie. I kept picturing the movie “Carol” as I was reading this. I was absolutely committed to finishing it but honestly I would understand your DNF on this book and that’s why it’s a 2 star.
December 10, 2019
I really don't know how to rate this book; I read it in 1 day because I was sick and off work. I read the 1972 printing and the cover isn't even listed here as an option. I borrowed it from the library after reading a blurb about it on Bookbub, and it sounded intriguing...I like the multiple-time type books. But this was not an easy read, and at times I felt it was heavy to wade through the prose. I see where others have felt like slapping Charlotte, and I understand that, but I was able to give her leeway due to being sick. It's Mariana that I wanted to slap! But I was also very saddened by what the soldier stole from her--her ability to praise God in even the slightest things, like color, breeze, flowers, of her freedom and innocence.
It was an interesting treatise on the fact that none of us lives in a vacuum, even if we don't live in a convent, and what we do affects those around us, even when we don't mean for it to, that there are times that we are so self-absorbed that we can't see beyond how we are affected by an event to notice how others are, also. I was left uneasy by the ending, left wondering, but hoping for the best.
It was an interesting treatise on the fact that none of us lives in a vacuum, even if we don't live in a convent, and what we do affects those around us, even when we don't mean for it to, that there are times that we are so self-absorbed that we can't see beyond how we are affected by an event to notice how others are, also. I was left uneasy by the ending, left wondering, but hoping for the best.
February 6, 2024
My 2006 review: "This is an intriguing, philosophical and sumptuous novel that reeks of all Madeleine L'Engle's favorite literary elements: poetry, history, nature, theology, and heroines who are deep, complex, and troubled. The book switches between a Portuguese nun who falls for a French officer (based on true events) and a modern-day woman reading the nun's letters after running to her mother-in-law in Portugal after just leaving her husband.
The main thing that made me think in the book is the meaning of vows and love. The characters are forced to face the fact that love is not for the self, it does not make demands, and it is never, ever just sexual. [Spoiler:] I totally wanted the nun to hook up with the officer, but she and her convent were a catastrophe once he went overseas and she was found out. My favorite sections were about the modern-day character, Charlotte, being reminded (and therefore reminding me) that easiness (in life, love, relationships), does not equal worth. Loved it!"
The main thing that made me think in the book is the meaning of vows and love. The characters are forced to face the fact that love is not for the self, it does not make demands, and it is never, ever just sexual. [Spoiler:] I totally wanted the nun to hook up with the officer, but she and her convent were a catastrophe once he went overseas and she was found out. My favorite sections were about the modern-day character, Charlotte, being reminded (and therefore reminding me) that easiness (in life, love, relationships), does not equal worth. Loved it!"
November 18, 2019
Maybe 4 stars. I struggled with this book but have enough respect for L’Engle’s work to know that there were deeper meaningful concepts going in that I was missing. I finally searched for some independent blog reviews and found what I was looking for.
One minor struggle was the back and forth jumps in time that are common now in books — but these happened in the middle of sentences and paragraphs! And it was written in 1966 — when books were simpler. Now I understand just how unique this book is.
It’s about forgiveness. And knowing what the point of reference (the guiding star) is.
One minor struggle was the back and forth jumps in time that are common now in books — but these happened in the middle of sentences and paragraphs! And it was written in 1966 — when books were simpler. Now I understand just how unique this book is.
It’s about forgiveness. And knowing what the point of reference (the guiding star) is.
February 16, 2025
Normally I wouldn't read stories with such heavy themes, but this one is worth reading till the end. It is such an unusual way to examine love/grief/forgiveness. Another review said this was a theological treatise disguised as a romance novel. That is an apt description.
Note, there are two parallel stories that jump back and forth. It is a bit confusing until you get down the characters in each. It is a different style, but fits so well. The two storylines are interconnected as Charlotte is able to figure herself out through the storyline - letters.
Note, there are two parallel stories that jump back and forth. It is a bit confusing until you get down the characters in each. It is a different style, but fits so well. The two storylines are interconnected as Charlotte is able to figure herself out through the storyline - letters.
May 5, 2025
L'Engle mastered the dual timeline narrative seamlessly and long before it was the "it" thing in publishing! There are some concerning moments/choices made by the "modern" main character, but I can see how the book still would have been considered edgy and more forward thinking for its time. L'Engle does not hold back on characters' willingness to make self-destructive decisions, and she wrestles with theological dilemmas openly. I appreciate that her characters seldom choose the "right" path yet show growth. Not one I would feel compelled to re-read, but still a solid read.
October 28, 2024
I kept hoping this book would get better. Ultimately, I was disappointed. The format of the book is a dual timeline but it was extremely hard to follow as it wasn’t clearly differentiated and I had to go back and read paragraphs multiple times to understand whether it was a 17th century nun talking about her lost love or a 1960s house wife talking about how her abusive husband was awful to her after their 5 year old child died.
July 1, 2020
An interesting premise, juxtaposing the stories of a 17th-century Portuguese nun with a 20th-century New Yorker dealing with a devastating family circumstance. Neither of the characterizations really worked for me, but I'm glad I tracked down a copy of one of L'Engle's work to see how her writing has developed.
October 3, 2020
The story of a woman in a troubled marriage who has flown across the ocean for counsel with her mother-in-law in Portugal. She is pregnant again after losing her five-year old son to a tragic accident. She is also quite ill with a fever. In the midst of recovering and sorting through her feelings, she encounters "Letters from a Portuguese Nun." The story goes back and forth between the two.
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