Madeleine L'Engle is an avid spectator of life. Her word portraits of personalities she includes in A Circle of Quiet reveal a respectable ability to get into the character of another, feeling about until she hits a responsive nerve. (p. 767)

Snatches of A Circle of Quiet keep reoccurring in my memory as I go about the business of daily living. For example, chapters sprinkled throughout the book contain excellent advice for fledgling writers. I find myself explaining how the author uses her journals, or the importance of showing a reader rather than reporting to a reader when writing fiction, or the reality in characterization which comes only from allowing an imaginary character to develop naturally. A thread of irrepressible humor runs through A Circle of Quiet. Madeleine L'Engle has reached a stage in her maturity where she can easily smile at her own foibles. It is wonderfully refreshing...