Book Review: An Acceptable Time (Time Quintet #5/O'Keefe Family #4) by Madeleine L'Engle

The final book in the Time Quintet series deals with Meg and Calvin's daughter Polly.  It is also book four in the O'Keefe Family series.  I have not read the first three books in that series and do not feel I missed anything to carry this story along.  Polly mentions things that probably took place in previous novels, but nothing felt spoiled if I plan on reading that series.  As this story deals with time travel akin to the four previous Time novels, it accurately fits in the quintet.


Polly comes to her grandparents' place for schooling.  She has lived with her parents and siblings on a small island and they decide it is time for her to get a better education.  Perfect.  What better place to do some time traveling than around the star gazing rock and the fields that created time travel for Meg, Charles Wallace, Sandy, and Denys?

Walking around the Murry land Polly visions a man and his dog near a tree.  Later, when she's swimming in the Murry's new (since the last book) pool, she recieves a visit from a girl.  At one point she accidentally visits the time of the man and the girl.

Dr. Louis is a friend of her grandparents.  Currently living with her is her brother, Bishop Nason Colubra.  He has made trips 3000 years into the past, the time of the people Polly has seen.   No one really believes Bishop and Polly, but they do not want Polly time traveling.

A friend of Polly's visits her and lays upon her some bad news.  This news makes him want to go back in time himself.  Polly has promised that she would not go, but she follows her friend for an adventure.

I love how the story mixes science and Christianity.  It doesn't ignore one for the other.  Neither seems more important or dominant.  They work together.  I love that about the series.  This doesn't make the series Christian fiction or anything like that.  It just, in my opinion, makes it real.  Science and Christianity can and do work together whether we realize it or not.

I read this book for pure pleasure.  All opinions are my own.  I recommend reading this series.  It took me until I was an adult to read the stories for no real reason, but I think it's great for older elementary and middle school children to enjoy.