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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I just keep falling morei n love with Narnia! I loved every bit of this story and its new characters. I also appreciated the continual Aslan-as-God metaphor, especially when he reveals all his actions to Shasta, demonstrating how all good and bad events have a purpose!
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Slow start for sure, it took me about 180 pages to really grasp the storyline but once I did it was a fast and strong finish. A few surprises, some convicting truths, and a redemptive narrative
I really enjoyed this side story in Narnia! It was significantly less magical than many of the other books in the series, so it was easier for me to follow along with the plot. The characters stole the show for me and the atmosphere that Lewis created with his descriptions was wonderful. The resolution was not my favorite, but still a worthwhile read! And lots to ponder from this one which I appreciate.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
This was a fun read, as an adult, not quite like I remembered it as a kid though. Still I feel there are way better children’s classic books out there. I felt like the characters though noble, lacked depth and were too predictable. And even though I know children’s literature can be simpler on this aspect, what Im trying to say is this: the characters didn’t feel like friends. And I believe that for good children’s literature characters aught to become your friends in the span of the book. Still it was overall entertaining. My favorite parts were when Aslan was present. Ily Aslan, the only palpable character in this story.
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
Used to be my favorite when I was younger and is still very lovely
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
We're reading the Narnia series as our family's read aloud books right now. I've already mentioned that the shove-it-down-your-throat allegory has never been my favorite. This one has some of that that too (although The Magician's Nephew was the worst of them . . . either that, or we weren't yet braced for it, which made him beating us over the head with it more grating for my husband and me).
In this one, Aslan has some abusive tendencies that aren't exactly endorsements for God (or the Son of God, depending on how you want to frame it). Turns out that with adult eyes, beating and terrifying his creatures to get them where he wants them feels manipulative and icky to me.
I also deeply dislike the portrayal of Middle Eastern culture as barbaric, and Narnia (more Western culture) as refined, genteel, natural, and pure. Lewis's biases are pretty overt, and I feel a little gross reading it. I also think it's interesting that it's not discussed more when Narnia comes up in conversation.
I will say that Lewis does write strong girl characters. There is sexism in his books between the characters occasionally, but the way he portrays his female main characters is smart, thoughtful, complex, and action-oriented.
One thing I thought was interesting was that Aravis was such a wonderful character, but her female foil was a character who fit all the values of the culture she was raised in. It made me think of a feminist text, I think it was the writings of Mary Wolstonecraft, where she points out that you can't really expect depth from women if you don't allow them access to deep thinking and you place their value on things that you consider frivolous. It made it feel as though Lewis had created Aravis as a "not-like-other-girls" character, which was interesting and distasteful.
In this one, Aslan has some abusive tendencies that aren't exactly endorsements for God (or the Son of God, depending on how you want to frame it). Turns out that with adult eyes, beating and terrifying his creatures to get them where he wants them feels manipulative and icky to me.
I also deeply dislike the portrayal of Middle Eastern culture as barbaric, and Narnia (more Western culture) as refined, genteel, natural, and pure. Lewis's biases are pretty overt, and I feel a little gross reading it. I also think it's interesting that it's not discussed more when Narnia comes up in conversation.
I will say that Lewis does write strong girl characters. There is sexism in his books between the characters occasionally, but the way he portrays his female main characters is smart, thoughtful, complex, and action-oriented.
One thing I thought was interesting was that Aravis was such a wonderful character, but her female foil was a character who fit all the values of the culture she was raised in. It made me think of a feminist text, I think it was the writings of Mary Wolstonecraft, where she points out that you can't really expect depth from women if you don't allow them access to deep thinking and you place their value on things that you consider frivolous. It made it feel as though Lewis had created Aravis as a "not-like-other-girls" character, which was interesting and distasteful.