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meduse_jalouse 's review for:
Greenwitch
by Susan Cooper
Ok so here's my problem with The Dark is Rising (and with Narnia, and with Lord of the Rings for that matter): it's all just too Calvinist for me.
Everything is predetermined and there isn't a whole lot of room for free will, even though people talk about it an awful lot. Everyone has a part to play and he or she has very little choice in the matter; you are good or you are bad, but that is something that you cannot change (even though the narrative alludes that it is possible, I've never seen it happen). And, most infuriatingly, if you aren't one of the special powerful all-knowing godlike powers of the Light, you aren't allowed to ask questions or know anything useful because your "superiors" have deemed that this information is not for you.
While "obey your elders" and "don't ask questions of your betters" and "don't overstep your position in life" are excellent lessons for children growing up in feudal societies, I do wonder what this outdated fairy tale morality is doing in a modern children's series. (Admittedly, this book was written several decades ago, but still.)
I think this is where I part ways, mostly amicably, with The Dark is Rising. One of my New Years resolutions is not to finish books I don't like; I think this goes for series as well.
Everything is predetermined and there isn't a whole lot of room for free will, even though people talk about it an awful lot. Everyone has a part to play and he or she has very little choice in the matter; you are good or you are bad, but that is something that you cannot change (even though the narrative alludes that it is possible, I've never seen it happen). And, most infuriatingly, if you aren't one of the special powerful all-knowing godlike powers of the Light, you aren't allowed to ask questions or know anything useful because your "superiors" have deemed that this information is not for you.
While "obey your elders" and "don't ask questions of your betters" and "don't overstep your position in life" are excellent lessons for children growing up in feudal societies, I do wonder what this outdated fairy tale morality is doing in a modern children's series. (Admittedly, this book was written several decades ago, but still.)
I think this is where I part ways, mostly amicably, with The Dark is Rising. One of my New Years resolutions is not to finish books I don't like; I think this goes for series as well.