Is it weird that I liked this book WAY BETTER when I read it now, as an adult, than I did as a kid? I'm thinking that maybe I'm old enough to read fairy tales again, like the dedication to this book says. I read the series when I was in my early teens and just didn't care for them. I've never been a huge fan of allegory, so that was part of it. But I think I was just in the wrong time of life for them, like I was for The Hobbit. Anyway, I totally dug this book this time through! I think I spent less time trying to "solve" the allegory and figure out who represented what, and so on, which I remember getting hung up on as a teen. Instead, I enjoyed the characters and their arcs, and appreciated the artistry of Lewis' storytelling. I didn't expect to say this, but I intend to reread the rest of the series over the next few months.
I did read this one and The Horse and His Boy at least twice when I was younger, and when I was in my twenties, I went to see the movies. So it's not like I was anti-Narnia so much as just not into Narnia. But maybe I'm finally ready to be into it.
I was interested to discover that, as an adult, I still like Edmund best of the Pevensies. I like Lucy too, but she's almost too good to be realistic, you know? And so is Peter. Susan is okay, but not someone I want to be friends with, really. But Edmund... I understand Edmund. I love his character arc, how he stumbles and falls and repents and finds forgiveness -- which is also a big part of why I love Boromir in The Lord of the Rings, actually. I love how both of them are so relatable -- we all are tempted, we all sin, we all need forgiveness. (I also love Boromir because he's wonderful, but that's another post from another time.)
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for some violence and scary moments. Squeaky clean in all other respects.
This is my 22nd book read and reviewed for my second go-round with the Classics Club, and my 8th book for the OldSchool Kidlit Reading Challenge.
And this is my second book read for the Reams of Rereads event!
*clutches heart* MY CHILDHOOD
ReplyDeleteAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I adore this book. And all the Narnia books, of course; but this one is super special because it's the one that started it all off. I was 8 when I read it and it was just like . . . wow this is magic, my whole world is magic, I love it. And then I went and devoured all the other books in like a week. Good times. <3
(Lucy is my favorite. I do like Edmund too though.)
Jessica, that sounds like my son. He started reading them when he was 8, and he's probably read the entire series 7 or 8 times. I was just too old for them, I'm pretty sure. And not old enough.
Delete"Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." I grinned when you referenced that quote :D :D
DeleteI distinctly remember reading the "Dedication" as an 8-year-old and being like, what??? people think they're too old for fairy tales? silly people! Ah, the limited perspective of a child ;-)
Jessica, yeah, I remember thinking that was a weird line when I came across it in my twenties and being like, "Huh, that's an odd notion." And now in my thirties, I'm really getting it ;-)
DeleteHuh, I actually was the opposite! I read it when I was 10 and 11, but I was just reading it for the story, and it was okay, but not my favorite thing ever. I reread them all this May and I was focasing on the allegories, and absolutely loved it! Any way you look at it, C.S.Lewis was an outstanding author. :-D
ReplyDeleteMC, that's fun! I'm just not a fan of allegory, but obviously plenty of people are, cuz allegories are not going away.
DeleteAnd yes, Lewis is just such a good writer.
Just reread LWW a week or so ago. I loved it as a child & I love it now in my 50's. Perhaps even more than when I was a child.
ReplyDeleteGeorge, yeah, I think these books are going to improve as I age. Love that!
DeleteI need to re-read these ones. They are enchanting.
ReplyDeleteSkye, yes, I'm definitely going to reread the whole series! Really looking forward to it now.
DeleteBetter late than never? ;)
ReplyDeleteI grew up loving these. And I love the Focus on the Family Radio Theater adaptations now. The movies are good but... maybe Neflix can outdo them. ;)
Charity, yup, that's what I'm thinking ;-) Glad I love this now, at least.
DeletePeople keep praising the Focus on the Family versions. I'd like to try them, and my library even has them, but my son REFUSES to have anything to do with them because they will not match the voices he has for the characters in his head. He won't watch the movie versions either. Sigh.
Hoping Netflix does these well!
your son is literally me tho
DeleteI am in the middle of reading this right now and I LOVE the stories! They are so...well, I don't know really how to describe it, you just get such a..a cozy feeling from it. It's enchanting, really.
ReplyDeleteI agree about Edmund. In the first, he was pretty mean and to me a little annoying, but I loved him later. He is really my favourite!
I think C.S. Lewis was right, that you read fairytales when you're younger and love them and then read it when you're more grown-up and then love it still.
I haven't read it when I was young, this is my first time, but I think this is the kind of book you can read to your kids and they start to love books because of that fairytale.
I know this was the deal with me, only with Little House on the Prairie, which my mom used to read, instead of The Chronicles of Narnia.
Ruth, how cool you're also reading these! I know just what you mean about the cozy feeling.
DeleteC.S. Lewis was totally right. You can outgrow fairy tales... but you can grow back into them again.
I like the sound of the Reams of Rereads event! That's pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since I reread LWW, but I reread Silver Chair a while back and really enjoyed it. Something about it really clicked this time around.
RM, it's a fun event! And almost over, but I'm hoping she'll host it again next year.
DeleteSounds like you've also grown back into these, then!
OHMYGOSH!! I first read this in my teens, and fell in love with the story. Same goes for the film adaptation.
ReplyDeleteLucy is my favorite. ;) She has SUCH a pure heart and faith, and this is what I love most about her.
I'm excited about the Netflix adaptations, too, and now that I know there's more adaptations coming, I'm realizing I have to finish the series! (I read the three books that were made into films.)
Rissi, very cool! I haven't seen the movie since it was in theaters, so I want to revisit it.
DeleteI do hope the Netflix show turns out well! Have fun reading the rest of the series :-)
I have never read any of the Narnia book and I have this one on my list for the Classics Club. I'm saving it to read in December and I'm very looking forward to all its magic :)
ReplyDeleteIrene, oooooh, that's fun that you have it on your December TBR list! It'd be great to read when it's actually winter. Enjoy!
DeleteThe Land of Aslan
ReplyDeleteI believe as we get older, our imagination can still grow and be part of everyone’s everyday life, and C.S Lewis shows us how that is done, throughout his book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. “Leading them uphill across some very deep, springy moss in a place where only tall trees grew wide apart.” (C.S Lewis). “A wonderful pavilion it was especially now when the light of the setting sun fell upon it with sides of what looked like yellow silk and cords of crimsoned tent-pegs of ivory.” (168). These lines in the book, are just one example of how C.S Lewis portrays, how truly magical and beautiful Narnia can be, even in darkest of times to the audience, with only his words. This scene is very important, because it gives the children a sense of hope, that one day Narnia will be restored with their help. The word choice used, creates deep emotion and feelings from within, to create a perfect mind image of what’s being read. It’s as if closing your eyes, breathing in the fresh spring air, and really seeing the sun rising. Aslan’s kingdom of warriors, living safely in the depths of Narnia, where spring still exists, and all is equal in this beautiful safe-haven of Aslan’s Camp.
Works Cited
Lewis, C. S., and Pauline Baynes. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Harper, 2009.
Thanks for sharing, Lacey!
DeleteI just finished reading this one for my Classics Club list as well. It was the first time that I read it (and the very first time I read anything by C.S. Lewis) and I really enjoyed it. I think my favourite character was Lucy because she's so innocent, truly like a child. But I totally get your point that she is too good to be true - children are hardly ever so thoughtful and mind everyone else even before themselves.
ReplyDeleteIrene, how cool that you got to read this for the first time! I do like Lucy a lot, don't get me wrong -- she's very sweet and beautiful. But I like Edmund better.
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