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83 reviews for:
Narnia Omnibus: The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy
C.S. Lewis
3.94 AVERAGE
83 reviews for:
Narnia Omnibus: The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy
C.S. Lewis
3.94 AVERAGE
The latest readaloud with my kid and the next in the Narnia series for us (I am a traditionalist! No chronological reading order for us!) The Horse and His Boy was notable for several reasons: it’s the only book in the series that there is no travel between Narnia and our world; the characters are all Narnians (Archenlanders? Calormenes? The demographic make-up of this made-up world was greatly expanded in this book. Also confusingly. It seems that Narnia is the name of only one of the countries, so what do we call the whole world?) Also, notably, this is the perhaps the most racist of all the Narnia books, being a not-very-subtly conflict between the good (white, fair) Northern countries and the evil, dishonorable, (dark skinned, not very subtly disguised Arab-analogue) desert country. But what about Aravis, you say. I don’t think that giving us one beautiful, brave, good Calormene woman who is trying to escape from a forced marriage at all softens the rigid depiction, in fact it makes it much worse.
Of course, the problem with the above is that my kid probably barely noticed the racism. He was paying attention to the admittedly gripping story of Shasta and Bree’s escape, their meeting with Aravis and Hwin, and their adventures across the desert. Lewis again shines when depicting the dirty, uncomfortable side of adventuring, and how he lets his child characters show weakness and collapse from exhaustion and despair, be terrible fighters because after all, they’re just kids, and be petty and selfish before turning around to save each other from lions. And so that's the problem right there: either I point out the racism or I allow it to be unchallenged and let it become just another layer that builds up over time, unconscious and paper thin, to be added to over time until quite before we realize it, there’s a thick crust of prejudice, hard to dislodge and even harder to excavate to determine its sources. So I tried to gently draw attention to how Lewis described all the Calormenes versus the Narnians, the terms he chose. I don’t think I was entirely successful in making him see what I wanted him to see and probably killed some of his happy buzz about the book, but I hope in the end I put down another different layer of awareness and critical thinking, which is definitely compatible with reading about talking lions.
Of course, the problem with the above is that my kid probably barely noticed the racism. He was paying attention to the admittedly gripping story of Shasta and Bree’s escape, their meeting with Aravis and Hwin, and their adventures across the desert. Lewis again shines when depicting the dirty, uncomfortable side of adventuring, and how he lets his child characters show weakness and collapse from exhaustion and despair, be terrible fighters because after all, they’re just kids, and be petty and selfish before turning around to save each other from lions. And so that's the problem right there: either I point out the racism or I allow it to be unchallenged and let it become just another layer that builds up over time, unconscious and paper thin, to be added to over time until quite before we realize it, there’s a thick crust of prejudice, hard to dislodge and even harder to excavate to determine its sources. So I tried to gently draw attention to how Lewis described all the Calormenes versus the Narnians, the terms he chose. I don’t think I was entirely successful in making him see what I wanted him to see and probably killed some of his happy buzz about the book, but I hope in the end I put down another different layer of awareness and critical thinking, which is definitely compatible with reading about talking lions.
This book... I can’t even express how much I love this story and how much I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to experience it. It’s a world filled with love and trust and honesty.
I grew up with Narnia since I was 7 years old, which was the first time I ever watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It struck something in me, to see that world and see those characters whom I have grown to love so immensely.
The writing style was difficult to get used to, since it is a 1950s book, but I loved it nonetheless.
I grew up with Narnia since I was 7 years old, which was the first time I ever watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It struck something in me, to see that world and see those characters whom I have grown to love so immensely.
The writing style was difficult to get used to, since it is a 1950s book, but I loved it nonetheless.
I love this book. I first read it around age 9 and it cemented my love for fantasy fiction. All of the elements are here: a magical portal to another world where animals talk and kings and queens are made in the midst of a land that needs to be rescued from an evil queen who freezes everything and hands out this mysterious candy called Turkish Delight. The beauty of Lewis’s Narnia, however, is that while it contains morals within it, those morals are in service of the plot, so Edmund’s betrayal of his siblings and his later redemption comes across organically, not preachy or patronizing. The latter is the cardinal sin of so many books intended for young readers, who may not be sophisticated readers, but they can immediately sense when you are insincere. Lewis, wholeheartedly, was a sincere writer.
I understand the Christian underpinnings of these books now, and how some find that a problem, but I’ve never had an issue with it, perhaps because I was brought up in that tradition. And, without subtext, this work would be less. As it stands, it’s a classic for good reason: imaginative, clear prose, and a very exciting plot that begs you to turn the page.
I understand the Christian underpinnings of these books now, and how some find that a problem, but I’ve never had an issue with it, perhaps because I was brought up in that tradition. And, without subtext, this work would be less. As it stands, it’s a classic for good reason: imaginative, clear prose, and a very exciting plot that begs you to turn the page.
It was a lot better than I anticipated. It did start of slowly and some of the characters were annoying, but they improved as it went along.
This was OK. I would have loved it as a child, I'm sure, but as a grown-up I wasn't all that in to it.
Reading books is so inherently subjective. Books I have loved fall flat for my friends; ones they enjoy strike sometimes strike no chord in me. Sometimes it has everything to do with what is going on my life when I'm reading, or even what type of mood I'm in. When I write reviews, I try to keep that subjectivity first and foremost in my mind, explaining what about the book struck me in such a particular way as best I can.
This is heightened when writing about books that are, in many ways formative. And so, with that in mind, sit down a while and let me tell you about The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and me. This isn't a book that I can possibly separate from how much I loved it when I was young, and that, while I have grown, continues to be a very favourite.
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
This is heightened when writing about books that are, in many ways formative. And so, with that in mind, sit down a while and let me tell you about The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and me. This isn't a book that I can possibly separate from how much I loved it when I was young, and that, while I have grown, continues to be a very favourite.
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Pretty enjoyable! I remembered a lot of it. As an adult it seemed a bit shallow but as a child I remember it being enthralling and very emotional.
Hey what's the deal with giving Susan a magic bow and arrows when she never uses it? Maybe in one of the later books?
Hey what's the deal with giving Susan a magic bow and arrows when she never uses it? Maybe in one of the later books?
In 1995, I blew my Scholastic book fair budget on The Chronicles of Narnia boxed set. I read the first few books in the series (over and over), but this year, nearly 25 years later, I’m finally reading the whole series.
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I finished The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe this weekend for my second #thereadiscoverproject book. I’m opting to read the series in the written order. It should be no surprise; I fell in love with the story all over again.
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“And so for a time it looked as if all the adventures were coming to and end; but that was not to be.”
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I finished The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe this weekend for my second #thereadiscoverproject book. I’m opting to read the series in the written order. It should be no surprise; I fell in love with the story all over again.
.
“And so for a time it looked as if all the adventures were coming to and end; but that was not to be.”