A Severed Wasp

Madeleine L'Engle's 'A Severed Wasp' continues the story of Katherine Forrester Vigneras, a concert pianist now in her seventies and a widow. Returning to New York City, Katherine is drawn into the vibrant, yet complex, community of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine when an old friend, a retired bishop, asks her to perform a benefit concert. This seemingly simple request spirals into a journey filled with new friendships, psychological demands, and mysterious dangers, forcing Katherine to confront her past and the imperfections of those around her. The novel explores deep themes of forgiveness, community, and finding purpose in later life, with references to past trauma, including the Holocaust, and moral complexities. While a continuation of 'The Small Rain,' it stands alone as a rich, contemplative novel for mature readers.

Katherine Forrester Vigneras, in a continuation of her story from *The Small Rain*, returns to New York City from Europe to retire. Now in her seventies, she encounters an old friend from her Greenwich Village days who, it turns out, is the former Bishop of New York. He asks Katherine to give a benefit concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This leads to new demands on her resources--human, artistic, psychological, and spiritual--that are entirely unexpected.