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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
I'm torn on rating this. I would actually like to gve it 3.5 stars but alas that's not possible andit's just not worth 4 in my opinion. I really wanted to like this book but it just fell short for me. If you're not used to 19th century style writing I do not recommend reading this. I have studied 19C writing quite extensively and I still found a few places thatI had to slow my pace in order to get want what being said. It's a great story but it is overly drawn out and rather repetitive which is what for me knocked it down a star. Don't get me wrong some of my favorite books are well over 1000 pages long but they stories that take that longto tell whereasI believe this one could have been told in quite a few less pages than it was. It was definetly very interesting and great at forcing the reader to open their mind to some many possibilities. I can see how many of the books I have read of the years have been either directly or indirectly influenced by this piece which is really awesome.
For reasons unknown, the back blurb of the copy I read belonged to a different book, and the whole experience was a lot more bewildering than it had to be.
Christian allegories (if you can call it an allegory when Adam and Eve are actually in it) are not my favorite by a long shot, and MacDonald seemed unable to end a sentence with something other than an exclamation point or a question mark, but it was interesting to read a very early example of fantastical literature.
Christian allegories (if you can call it an allegory when Adam and Eve are actually in it) are not my favorite by a long shot, and MacDonald seemed unable to end a sentence with something other than an exclamation point or a question mark, but it was interesting to read a very early example of fantastical literature.
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Amazing book. I picked it up for a couple bucks second-hand and it was very very worth it. George MacDonald is a master and it's easy to see where CS Lewis draws his inspiration from. However, this is very different from previous books of his that I have read, much darker and (initially) harder to get into. The beginning everything is rather complicated and difficult to muddle through, but by the end all becomes clear. Part of the intrigue of the book, for me, was not being entirely sure of the character's situation and those he was meeting, whether they were good or evil. It was tricky to decipher at first, everything was deceiving, but well-written so. A bit psychedelic but so so good. Seriously an amazing book.
I have always wanted to read George MacDonald. Today I finished my first book by him. I was not disappointed. What a way to end the year and head into the new year. This book covers the darkness of humanity and explodes into the hope of a new heavens and new earth. Check back with me in 2023 as I plan to read more MacDonald.
George MacDonald offers a wonderful storytelling ability with a moral purpose that is much less grim than Grimm. He was writing in the 1890's and the language is a bit difficult to get around. I gave up on some of the vocabulary. It would have been a noble purpose to look up all those words that I believe now would be considered archaic (but I might be fooling myself). Nonetheless, he writes a really good story. Take a Hebrew legend of the first wife of Adam, a real bad ass, and provide her an opportunity for redemption. There were moments when I wanted to cough but the message is a genuine and sincere Christian morality tale that should not be missed. An original voice from a want-to-be man of the cloth, one that the Church wasn't ready for. If he is admired by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien then has something to say worth reacquainting ourselves.
medium-paced
I am growing to ever love the way MacDonald writes and his controversial ideas. "Our life is no Dream, but it may and will perhaps become one." (Novalis)
I've read this book at least 12 times and I love it, still. It's easy to see where C.S. Lewis got some ideas for The Chronicles of Narnia within this story. There is also significantly less description of heathery moors than commonly found in a Scott's writing.