Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by nikkis_reads
Calul şi băiatul by C.S. Lewis
3.0
I do remember this being my least favorite book in the series and even now, as a re-read it is still my least favorite.
The story follows a boy named Shasta who befriends a talking horse Bree and together they decide to run to the land of Narnia. On the way they meet a girl, Aravis, who was a talking horse as well named Hwin, who too are running away to Narnia.
Now, I do not want to talk ill of this series as 10-11 year old Nikki would be very mad, but now I see all the religious undertones Lewis has in this. The characters make these what is perceived as sinful mistake and must apologize for them at the end, even though they are logical assumptions and reactions, such as Aravis not trusting and not wanting to travel with Shasta. These small events and thoughts are treated as life changing events, but in real life they are not.
At the same time, good exists in its purest form. The heroes are merciful and just, and the villain Rabadash is punished through magic and people find his punishment amusing. I found it disturbing and humiliating.
The writing style is simple and juvenile, a bit too much even for a child's tale. The knot of happy ending is tied to tight on this book and I even found it frustrating at times. Still, I can see again what 10 year old Nikki liked it them, these books give you a small taste of what fantasy should taste like. It's this tiny spoon of adventure and it leaves you with the desire for more. While I believe that The Chronicle of Narnia were not the root of my love of fantasy, it most certainly played a key role in my growth as a reader.
The story follows a boy named Shasta who befriends a talking horse Bree and together they decide to run to the land of Narnia. On the way they meet a girl, Aravis, who was a talking horse as well named Hwin, who too are running away to Narnia.
Now, I do not want to talk ill of this series as 10-11 year old Nikki would be very mad, but now I see all the religious undertones Lewis has in this. The characters make these what is perceived as sinful mistake and must apologize for them at the end, even though they are logical assumptions and reactions, such as Aravis not trusting and not wanting to travel with Shasta. These small events and thoughts are treated as life changing events, but in real life they are not.
At the same time, good exists in its purest form. The heroes are merciful and just, and the villain Rabadash is punished through magic and people find his punishment amusing. I found it disturbing and humiliating.
The writing style is simple and juvenile, a bit too much even for a child's tale. The knot of happy ending is tied to tight on this book and I even found it frustrating at times. Still, I can see again what 10 year old Nikki liked it them, these books give you a small taste of what fantasy should taste like. It's this tiny spoon of adventure and it leaves you with the desire for more. While I believe that The Chronicle of Narnia were not the root of my love of fantasy, it most certainly played a key role in my growth as a reader.