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bishop_504's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My first experience with this book is my mom reading it to me and my siblings on long car rides. She read through the whole series over the years, and she has the best reading aloud voice lol.
I was surprised that I still quite enjoyed listening to the story. It is so whimsical and fun without feeling like there were no stakes. I liked that the story was a group of siblings. (It definitely made it easy to play pretend as the characters with my siblings when I was younger haha) I feel like there aren’t a lot of stories about groups of siblings, so it was fun to see realistic sibling dynamics.
I appreciated Edmund’s character and his story arc throughout this book. He starts off as a jerk middle brother and grows into a hero by the end of the story. Aslan’s sacrifice for him is symbolic of Jesus’s sacrifice for humanity, and having a specific character represent this sinful nature in people illustrated the point really well.
Lucy is fun too, and a clever way of introducing the world of Narnia to the reader. Her friendship with Mr. Tumnus is cute as well.
Peter and Susan don’t stand out quite as much to me, Peter feels a bit like a generic hero (which may be kind of the point to be fair) and Susan gets hardly any characterization at all.
I was a little put off by the gender roles, especially at the beaver’s house, as well as Aslan’s implication that women should stay away from the battlefield. I thought about taking off a star on the rating. (I took off a star on Peter Pan because I just couldn’t get past all the racism and sexism in that book despite how wonderful it was.) However, for its time I believe the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was probably quite forward. Both Susan and Lucy get real weapons despite the instructions to stay away from the battle, and Lucy certainly does not stand in anyone’s shadow in this book. So while I would argue that it is mildly sexist from today’s perspective, I didn’t feel like it warranted a lower review given the time it was written in.
I thought the fact that the children aged up completely to adulthood was a fascinating decision. If I remember correctly, there are stories during this Narnia adult period of their lives as well as more stories of them as children afterwards. It’s an interesting way of giving the writer more options on how to explore these characters!
I’m excited to continue listening to more books in this series. I remember I didn’t like the ending to the whole series as a child, but I’ll try not to think about that now. (My siblings always had me play as Susan)
I was surprised that I still quite enjoyed listening to the story. It is so whimsical and fun without feeling like there were no stakes. I liked that the story was a group of siblings. (It definitely made it easy to play pretend as the characters with my siblings when I was younger haha) I feel like there aren’t a lot of stories about groups of siblings, so it was fun to see realistic sibling dynamics.
I appreciated Edmund’s character and his story arc throughout this book. He starts off as a jerk middle brother and grows into a hero by the end of the story. Aslan’s sacrifice for him is symbolic of Jesus’s sacrifice for humanity, and having a specific character represent this sinful nature in people illustrated the point really well.
Lucy is fun too, and a clever way of introducing the world of Narnia to the reader. Her friendship with Mr. Tumnus is cute as well.
Peter and Susan don’t stand out quite as much to me, Peter feels a bit like a generic hero (which may be kind of the point to be fair) and Susan gets hardly any characterization at all.
I was a little put off by the gender roles, especially at the beaver’s house, as well as Aslan’s implication that women should stay away from the battlefield. I thought about taking off a star on the rating. (I took off a star on Peter Pan because I just couldn’t get past all the racism and sexism in that book despite how wonderful it was.) However, for its time I believe the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was probably quite forward. Both Susan and Lucy get real weapons despite the instructions to stay away from the battle, and Lucy certainly does not stand in anyone’s shadow in this book. So while I would argue that it is mildly sexist from today’s perspective, I didn’t feel like it warranted a lower review given the time it was written in.
I thought the fact that the children aged up completely to adulthood was a fascinating decision. If I remember correctly, there are stories during this Narnia adult period of their lives as well as more stories of them as children afterwards. It’s an interesting way of giving the writer more options on how to explore these characters!
I’m excited to continue listening to more books in this series. I remember I didn’t like the ending to the whole series as a child, but I’ll try not to think about that now. (My siblings always had me play as Susan)
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism
capybara5's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism
ellornaslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Confinement, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood
Minor: Sexism
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
🎧
This was a cute book. It was short and simple, and I can see why it's a classic. The characters were good, the plot was adorable and predictable, and the writing style was easy to follow.
This was a cute book. It was short and simple, and I can see why it's a classic. The characters were good, the plot was adorable and predictable, and the writing style was easy to follow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Sexism
lizziaha's review against another edition
adventurous
3.5
I’ll be the first to admit that my disinterest upon finishing this book is likely colored by my love of the movie (which does many things better than the book). I also dislike Lewis’s treatment of women. The actual world of Narnia is a fascinating sandbox and I wish it had been explored more in the book. I felt as though we were running past things that I wanted to stop and examine.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, War, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
eule's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I thought I would never say that but I enjoyed the movie slightly more than the book…?! Idk, the book kinda seemed to fast paced in the end. There were little to no descriptions of the battle or the travel parts or the nature or the coronation or …
I know this is a children’s book but certain parts simply were missing. The book kinda lacked the magical escape included in the movie. Still it’s a lovely story with a beautiful world to be lost in. I just adore the creation of this wonderful place and its creatures.
I know this is a children’s book but certain parts simply were missing. The book kinda lacked the magical escape included in the movie. Still it’s a lovely story with a beautiful world to be lost in. I just adore the creation of this wonderful place and its creatures.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Blood, and Death
Minor: Sexism
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: War and Sexism
nils_0's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Violence, War, and Sexism
another_dahlia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Sexism
atamano's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, War, and Animal death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Gaslighting