The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
I came to Narnia later than I probably should have, though
there was no one to blame for that but myself. I'd been gifted the
series twice before I finally got around to reading them sometime in
middle school. And even then I was so lacking in a religious upbringing
that the religious allegory went right over my head. I only barely
understood why the humans might be referred to as Sons of Adam and
Daughters of Eve. After learning a bit more about the relationship
between these books and Christianity, I decided to give the series
another read. But that was derailed when I came across Harry Potter. I
always sort of meant to revisit Narnia, but it never happened.
And then we had a March snow day during which I was only half longing for Spring, and I decided it was the perfect time to pick up The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and experience the long, cold winter giving way to Spring at last.
Several things surprised me on this re-read. The first was how short the book was. Given the target audience, this shouldn't have been a surprise at all. But I read the entire thing in about two hours, which puts grants it a spot on the list of books I can read faster than I can watch the movie. (See also: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Hobbit).
I was also surprised by how little winter was actually in this book. For all that the animals are rejoicing at the coming of Christmas and Spring, the Pevensie children experience barely a day of snow before January fades into May. It makes sense, given that the bulk of the story lasts for three days, but I was still taken aback by how quickly everything happened.
The books still have magic in them, of course. They wouldn't still be considered classics without it. And the scene where Aslan is healing all of the statues was particularly well-written and moving. Especially when Lucy and Tumnus are reunited. But most of the magic seems to have leaked out. There was a lot in here that rubbed me the wrong way, mostly Susan is forbidden from fighting even after she receives her special bow. Instead she's rescued by Peter who, frankly, has no more fighting experience than she does.
The story was quick, at least, and a pretty enjoyable way to kill a few hours. Next time I have a free afternoon I may proceed to the next book. Even though I'm torn now between moving on to Prince Caspian and circling back to The Magician's Nephew. I suppose that's a decision for another day.
And then we had a March snow day during which I was only half longing for Spring, and I decided it was the perfect time to pick up The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and experience the long, cold winter giving way to Spring at last.
Several things surprised me on this re-read. The first was how short the book was. Given the target audience, this shouldn't have been a surprise at all. But I read the entire thing in about two hours, which puts grants it a spot on the list of books I can read faster than I can watch the movie. (See also: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Hobbit).
I was also surprised by how little winter was actually in this book. For all that the animals are rejoicing at the coming of Christmas and Spring, the Pevensie children experience barely a day of snow before January fades into May. It makes sense, given that the bulk of the story lasts for three days, but I was still taken aback by how quickly everything happened.
The books still have magic in them, of course. They wouldn't still be considered classics without it. And the scene where Aslan is healing all of the statues was particularly well-written and moving. Especially when Lucy and Tumnus are reunited. But most of the magic seems to have leaked out. There was a lot in here that rubbed me the wrong way, mostly Susan is forbidden from fighting even after she receives her special bow. Instead she's rescued by Peter who, frankly, has no more fighting experience than she does.
The story was quick, at least, and a pretty enjoyable way to kill a few hours. Next time I have a free afternoon I may proceed to the next book. Even though I'm torn now between moving on to Prince Caspian and circling back to The Magician's Nephew. I suppose that's a decision for another day.
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