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What are readers saying about Complete Chronicles of Narnia, The (Chronicles of Narnia S.)?
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-03 11:35:14.
(Language: English)
  
As the child of fundamentalist Christian parents, I am forever grateful for these well-written Christian allegories. The only reason I was allowed to read them is their Christian allegory-ness, and they opened up a world of fantasy to me that I wouldn't have been permitted to explore otherwise. (Same with Tolkien's LotR series.) I still find myself wishing for a toffee-fruit tree (TMN) and marvelling at the Narnian solar-powered lamp posts CS Lewis made in his mind long before actual solar powered lamps (TMN & TLtWatW).CS Lewis created some of my favorite, most beloved characters: Eustace Scrubb, Reepicheep, Trumpkin the DLF, Puddleglum, Bree... I'm sure I'm forgetting someone, but there you are. The wit with which almost all the books are written was a joy for me to discover as a child, and many of the characters still make me laugh out loud today. My least favorite book of the series is The Last Battle, and it's easily the most preachy of the lot. I read the rest of them at least once a year. They're made for kids, but I still enjoy them today. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-15 03:30:15.
(Language: English)
In a nutshell, Edmund and Lucy are brought back to Narnia, unfortunately with their whining cousin Eustace. They land in the sea and are picked up by Prince Caspian and his crew of the Dawn Treader as they sail east to find the seven Lords of Narnia who were banished by Caspian's tyrannical uncle Miraz. And so the journey begins and the kids have a wonderful, unusual, and almost forgetful (there are moments in the book that tell us that Lucy and Edmund forgot some things due to the mysticism of it all) adventure looking for the Lords. They run into islands, dragons, funny creatures and Aslan himself. I really liked this story. It was adventurous. I don't know how they'll make this into a movie because each chapter is almost like a short story in itself. Can they fit this into two-hours? Ah well, Lewis does it again by bringing to life a magical place and journey for the yound and young at heart.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-14 04:48:22.
(Language: English)
I can stil remember my first adventure in Narnia.I was in forth grade at the tiem and strugglign with many things mentally, socially and educationally. My mom sat in the big comfy chair in my bedroom, introduced me to four children named Peter, Susan Edmund and Lucy. I became fast freinds with them and I followed them on an adventure in a world called "Narnia". I shook in terror at Jadis the white Witch, lauched with Tumnus, and marvled at Aslan. I continued my adventures with these children as we read through the rest of these books. I learned valuaable lessons and understood Narnia's deeper magic. They became my instant favorites, each one better then the one before. As an adult I still love and cherish these books. Lewis said that it was the fantasies of George McDonald that baptized his imagination, I saw that Lewis's did the same for me. I say God bless CS Lewis and his gift to me. God bless the Pevenise children, especailly dear sweet Lucy ( though fictional they may be.) And God bless BaNarnia. Long live the true king of Narnia!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-22 12:01:49.
(Language: English)
In my opinion C.S.Lewis' series is far far superior to the inane ramblings churned out by Tolkein. Provided one ignores the Christian overtones in The Chronicles of Narnia (which is what prevented me from awarding the books 5 stars), one can become lost in the most magical land imaginable. Well written and without the unnecessary and distracting detail found in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the seven books of Narnia are simply charming. Everbody knows the tale of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but each edition has a quality and beauty of its own. My particular favourite is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but each would merit a place on everyone's self independently of the others. The wealth of characters and themes is admirable and the whole series a sheer joy to read.
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Christopher posted a review at 2010-09-12 09:44:13.
(Language: English)
This is a classic in every sense of the word. It may not be as detailed as "The Lord of the Rings," the work by Lewis' friend, J.R.R. Tolkien, but they are just as good in my opinion. The fact that it is written so simply in order for young readers to understand also makes it appealing for adult readers too. It allows the reader to imagine the world of Narnia and its inhabitants, making it all the more real and accessible. In fact, each one of the seven tales is so good that I can't really claim to have a favorite, only judged them based on how well they work. In that sense, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is the strongest of the stories while "The SIlver Chair," is the weakest. In short, this is a book that can be enjoyed at all ages and would also be a great way to ease young children away from short picture books and into larger novelizations. In fact, I think I will read these stories to my kids.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-26 10:09:23.
(Language: English)
I really enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia. The one thing that stood out for me was the strong Christian symbolism in the story. The sacrificing of Aslan’s life in place of Edmund’s treachery is quite similar to the Christian story of Jesus sacrificing his life for our sin. The beating of Aslan as he walked to the alter (the beating of Jesus before the crucifixion), the approach of Susan and Lucy to his body just before dawn (the approach of the woman to Jesus’ tomb just before dawn), the splitting of the stone table (the splitting of the curtain in the Temple as Jesus died?), and the rebirth of Aslan are symbols that represent the story of Jesus. In fact, C.S. Lewis’ decision to represent the character of Aslan as a lion was probably no accident either: in Revelation 5:5, the writer refers to Jesus as the Lion from Judah’s tribe, the root of David. At the end of The Voyage of the Dawntreader, the fifth book in the Narnia series, Aslan appears as a small lamb, and after the lamb slowly changes to his lion form, he says to the children that in their world (i.e., our world), he is known by a different name. A great piece of work.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-09 02:13:52.
(Language: English)
25 stars!!! Wonderful, warm, witty, tender, delightful tale that is an allegory for Christianity. Aslan, the Lion, is the type of the Lord Jesus. Love all seven Chronicles, and frequently reread them. I highly advise two things in reading the Chronicles of Narnia: 1) Read The Magician's Nephew first, NOT The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. 'Nephew' will set the stage for the rest of the series. The Wardrobe is second. Trust me, everything will make MUCH more sense if read in this chronological order. And 2) Read them ALOUD. Even to yourself, or your cat, or your dog...They will sink deeper into your heart, read out loud. In fact, I highly recommend reading anything of worth out loud. You get a triple-whammy that way; you see, speak and hear the words simultaneously. And they STAY with you. This is how I read my Bible, out loud. The advantages of such are simply incomparable. Try it for yourself one time; you'll see what I mean. :-)
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-04 03:45:51.
(Language: English)
The book was not enjoyable. The first time. The sad part is I had already read the second book, 'The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe,' so most of time was spent thinking things like, 'where are the kids?' and, 'where are all the other chracters in the second book?' A very annoying read. But like I said, teh first time, you found their journies easier to follow. Some of the visions really put an image--if not a clip--in my head, making this all so realistic. I did enjoy the ending. Made some more sense. It was OOHH-KAY. It was hard to read considering I had already read, "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wadrobe." Besides that, this one, and all the rest of the Narnia books are flat out boring. I suppose they could be interesting, if they were, perhaps, written differently. I didn't really enjoy.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-26 08:18:30.
(Language: English)
One of the best series for children I have read so far. The characters are all very vivid and the stories are filled with delicious bits that are extremely well written with beautifully flowing language. C.S. Lewis was a devoted Christian who also wrote many books on philosophical and religious topics. The seven books of The Chronicles of Narnia are packed with Christian values and lessons. On the other hand, the young "heroes" and "heroines" show characteristics that all humans, despite our religious differences, cherish: courage, kindness, love, and the ability and willingness to change for the better. Let the stories sweep you away to a magical world that is strangely close. A world that is just through a wardrobe or a door in the school's back garden. Complete your Narnia experience with the audio programs presented by The Listening Library: Focusing on the Family Radio Theatre, hosted by Douglas Gresham.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-04 12:29:21.
(Language: English)
I loved these books as a child, but I went back as an adult because I had a nagging memory of a very stereotyped and hardly disguised condemnation of Islam. I looked at the books again and found that it was even worse than I remembered. I actually refrained from sharing this series with my niece and nephews. When my niece began to read them following the release of the movie, I talked to my sister about being sure to have some conversations with her that looked critically at those books in the series that feature this viewpoint. Man, if Lewis had done a similar chop job on the other "faith of the book," Judaism, I don't think we would ever stop hearing about it, and deservedly so. It just goes to show that we have little interest in fairness toward cultures a little further removed from our experience. I still treasure the other books (not so much LWW because the Christian symbolism is too heavyhanded - although I was captivated and comforted by Aslan as a child) but feel saddened by the bigotry when it rears up especially in HHB and TLB (The Last Battle, for some reason not listed here).
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tianyi posted a review at 2009-02-28 12:02:20.
(Language: English)
The Magician's Nephew is a fantasy novel for children written by C. S. Lewis. It was the sixth book published in his The Chronicles of Narnia series, but is the first in the chronology of the Narnia novels' fictional universe. The story begins in London around 1900, when two children, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, meet. One day, while exploring the attic shared by all the adjoining houses in their terrace, they take the wrong door and surprise Digory's Uncle Andrew in his study. Uncle Andrew, a bumbling yet malevolent self-taught magician, tricks Polly into touching a yellow magic ring, which causes her to disappear. Andrew then blackmails Digory into following to rescue her by using another yellow magic ring and gives him two green magic rings to bring them back. The yellow rings transport the children into a wood with many pools of water. Initially, the pools appear to be just shallow puddles but, in a parallel to the attic common to the houses on their street, the children discover that jumping into different pools while wearing the green rings will transport the ring's wearer to different universes. Digory convinces Polly to come and explore through some of the other pools with him, expecting his uncle to confiscate the rings upon their return.After having marked the pool which leads back to Earth, the children enter another pool, and find that they have arrived in the midst of an enormous crumbling palace in the ruins of the ancient capital city of that world, called Charn.There they find a bell, as well as a sign which at once dares one to ring the bell and also warns not to ring it. Digory falls for the taunt and rings the bell, against Polly's wishes. It awakens the last of the statues, that of the evil Queen Jadis.The Queen tells them how she and her sister had waged the final and ruinous war of that world. After many bloody years her own defeat seemed certain, and in order to prevail she had spoken the Deplorable Word. This was a curse that destroyed all life on Charn but that of Jadis, and even she would sit dormant in the Great Hall until someone came to ring the bell.After knowing that the Queen is sinister, the children tried to get back to the Wood.However, Jadis is able to travel back with them by grabbing hold of Polly's hair, and from the Wood Between the Worlds, to London.Although Jadis was not as powerful as the time when she was in the Deplorable World, she brandish the iron bar and attacked a few policemen.Fortunately,Digory and Polly finally succeed in retrieving Jadis, but they bring along not only Jadis, but also Uncle Andrew, a cab driver named Frank, and his horse, named Strawberry.Digory draws the whole group into the nearest pool, thinking it leads to Charn. This pool, however, leads to a world which appears to be completely dark and empty. Jadis quickly recognises it as a world that has yet to be made. Soon, however, they hear singing which seems to cause the stars to begin to shine and the sun to rise. The visitors can now see the singer for what he is, Aslan, the great Lion, and they continue to watch as he breathes life into the world so that animals, plants, and the world itself are created from nothing. Jadis attacks Aslan with an iron bar she had ripped off a lamp post in London, but as this fails to even attract his attention, she flees, while the iron bar grows into a lamp post in the young Narnian soil. Aslan selects some animals to become intelligent talking beasts, giving them authority over the dumb beasts.Aslan next sends Digory on a journey to get the apple of youth to protect Narnia, and to atone for bringing the evil witch Jadis into the new world of Narnia. Polly, Digory, and the horse from the human world, transformed into a winged horse, Fledge, fly to a far-away mountain to get the apple from a walled garden. Digory takes an apple and prepares to leave but spots Jadis, already in the garden and having already consumed an apple. She tempts Digory to either eat the apple and gain eternal youth, or else secretly go back to London and use it to cure his dying mother. Jadis herself has eaten an apple, thus becoming immortal and proving the power of the fruit. Although tormented by the temptation to steal an apple to save his mother's life, Digory believes that his mother herself would tell him not to steal. He keeps his promise to Aslan and travels back to Narnia to give him the apple.Aslan tells Digory that he has done well and instructs him to plant the apple in the ground. Aslan then crowns the cabby, Frank, and his wife, King and Queen of Narnia. A new tree grows from the apple Digory planted. Aslan explains that this tree will protect Narnia from the Witch: since she stole an apple from the original tree, the fruit of the offspring tree is now abhorrent to her, and Narnia will thus enjoy an innocent Eden-like period. Aslan tells Digory that a stolen apple would have cured his mother, but that the day would have come later when she would have rather died in her illness. Aslan then gives Digory an apple from the tree of protection to take to his mother to save her, and sends the children and Uncle Andrew back to the Wood between the Worlds, whence they return to London. Digory gives the apple to his mother, who is healed, and buries the apple core in his back yard. He also buries the magic rings, which Aslan has instructed him to safeguard to prevent future misuse. Although this is a fantastic fantasy story and we enjoy the affluent imagination when we read the book,meanwhile,we can learn something which can help us build our personalities.Digory and Polly went into Andrew's study through the attic and touch the yellow ring which had unexpected power because of curiosity.Although having curiosity is not a fault, especially for the children,we should control our curiosity sometimes and manage not to be curious about everything because we may suffer because of it.When we encounter an unknown thing,we should first analyse the object through its appearance and find its essence and the decide how to deal with it instead of using it without thinking. Furthermore, after Digory promised to pick an apple in order to heal his mother,he did not eat an apple himself although the Witch provoked him to do so.Thus, the Lion planted an apple tree using this apple to protect Narnia from the Witch.At the mean time, the Lion gave him an apple as present. From this case, we learned the importance of trustworthiness.If we are trustworthy, others will believe in us and support us.Therefore, we can get a foothold in the society and write a glorious page for our whole life.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-17 01:03:43.
(Language: English)
I absolutely adore this series, I have read it over and over through different periods in my life, and have always found it relevant. However, something upsets me about this popular series: Not everyone has an appreciation for "The Magician's Nephew.†This is the first and most fundamental book of the series. This book, along with “The Horse and His Boy,†is one of the two most commonly skipped books in the series. I can almost forgive skimming over “The Horse and His Boy,†But who could ever skip the first and most relevant book in a series? It can only be attributed to the media’s emphasis put on the second book “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,†which on its own makes for a very entertaining and complete storey. Unfortunately, due to this emphasis, a great number of people believe that this book is in fact the first and most important book in the series. In the second book, Narnia reflects a portrait of Earth, where-in both good and evil exist. However, readers are unable to understand that the evil presence in Narnia was created in the first book, when humans were accidentally introduced to this new world during it’s creation. With out “The Magician’s Nephew,†the reader will never learn that Narnia is a new world, or that new worlds are born and old worlds die everyday. With out this crucial first book, the last book in the series has no basis. Although the reader is constantly accepting magical occurrences due to the context of the series; without first reading “The Magician’s Nephew,†the entire storey can never be told. The reader will never fully understand the creation of earth and heaven, and let’s face it; that is what this series really boils down to.
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Scott posted a review at 2010-04-23 06:13:25.
(Language: English)
These books are a series of fantasy novels for children. They combine myth and fantasy with moral lessons. There are Christian themes in the stories, but ideas in traditional British and Irish fairy tales, and characters from Greek and Roman mythology can be found in the Narnia stories. Back when i was in Grade Four, we had one of the books in the Narnia series, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, read to us by our teacher at school. I only got around to reading the other novels in the series a few years ago. In the Narnia stories, children are the central characters and the main protagonists as they are transported to a magical world called Narnia. They help a lion named Aslan save Narnia. The books in the series were not published in order of the events that take place. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was published first . Then came Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew (which explains the origins of Narnia), and The Last Battle. The Narnia books have come under criticism. In late 2005, with the release of the film version of he Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, detractors were vocal in claiming that the film was a tool for indoctrinating young children into Christianity. Though it cannot be denied that there are parallels to Christian themes and ideas in the Narnia stories, an examination of Lewis’s writings make it clear that he did not originally set out to incorporate them into the stories. It is clear that the stories can be read on two levels; on one, as fantasy stories, and on the other as stories that illustrate and teach about greater truths. Others rightly point out that anyone reading the stories, or watching the film adaptations, would miss the Christian themes unless they knew anything about Christianity to begin with.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-07-29 10:03:15.
(Language: English)
This was a series that was a basic part of my childhood. I WANTED to find my version of that Wardrobe and that search was one of the factors driving me towards my own writing career. These were all the books there were going to be in this series and if I wanted to experience something similar I was going to have to build it myself. As an adult, and even as an older child, I was less impressed by the overtly Christian message that carries thru the series. Since the first copies my mom read to me belonged to her church priest, it was never a surprise or in any way foisted upon an unknowing audience. Both my siblings read the series and we all have fond memories of it. I recommend it to any parent with a kid who's interested in the movies. I thought the books were better, but perhaps it's fairer to say they're different.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-30 04:35:58.
(Language: English)
Narnia. I love the way that name rolls off the tongue. The names in this series deserve special mention, simply for the emotions and images they invoke. Maybe I'm just biased because I love names like that, but I adore this series. There are so many reasons why. The major one being Aslan. His appearances throughout the series give an almost tangible feeling of majesty and greatness. The characters feel warm and protected, and a little fearful, and it's done well enough that the reader can feel it too. The only reason this isn't five stars, is that I was slightly disappointed with how suddenly the children from the first book were forgotten, but I suppose they up for it in the end.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-12 07:31:14.
(Language: English)
I personally prefer the Space Trilogy to the Chronicles of Narnia, but when approached as children's literature it's simplicity is charming. But even when I read it as a child I felt a lack of depth to the characters. For instance in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I thought Edmund should have struggled more with guilt. And in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader I thought Eustace should have made his metamorphosis more gradually. The books seem too evangelical for my view. "Evangelical" in the sense that there is a point of conversion after which life is bliss. That's just not realistic. I do like Horse and His Boy and think all the characters in the books are interesting - just lack depth and development. Interestingly, the most developed character seems to be Lucy, whose relationship with Aslan seems spiritual and intimate (in the caring sense). I would have liked to have seen more said about Peter or Caspian's relationship with Aslan, but those relationships are mostly inferred. But the storylines are well designed, and the villain is well defined. And I do enjoy reading the books again, even as an adult.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-23 08:27:18.
(Language: English)
CS Lewis is such a thinking author, and these works are his most approachable, I think. An epic fantasy similar to Lord of the Rings, and yet at the same time completely different. Lewis's world of Narnia is as convincingly created, described, and peopled as Tolkien's Middle Earth, but CS Lewis's stories are simpler and much more appropriate for children. That said, there is much to be learned for the adult reader as well. They are overtly Christian, especially when you read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or the last in the series, The Last Battle.My version of it, pictured here, contains all the books in the series, put in chronological order according to 'Narnian history', but this is not, of course, the order in which CS Lewis wrote or published them. The Magician's Nephew, one of my favorites in the series, is the first book, and tells about the creation of Narnia and the first boy and girl from our world to travel there. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is next, easily the most famous. Then comes The Horse and His Boy, pretty much a pure adventure story of a little boy named Shasta and how he saved Narnia from invasion. Next is Prince Caspian, another of my favorites, followed by The Voyage of the DAwn Treader, an Odyssey-like journey to the end of the Narnian world (did you know that there are both round worlds and flat worlds, and that those on flat worlds are always eager to meet those from round worlds?). Then is the more melancholy The Silver Chair, which I've never liked quite as much. Probably my favorite is the last, The Last Battle, in which the Christian morals and overtones are made totally clear and overt, and where almost all the characters are reunited in one grand finale.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-06-15 11:32:26.
(Language: English)
As an Old Narnian and budding Lewis scholar, I have to clarify a point--the Chronicles are *not* allegory. For that, go to The Pilgrim's Regress. Douglas Gresham, Lewis' stepson, calls the Chronicles "suppositional representational fantasy" because their premise is a supposition: Suppose there were a world peopled with talking beasts and mythological creatures. How would Christ appear there, and how would He save that world if/when it fell? For first time readers, I recommend going in publication order (which is also the order in which the movies will appear). After that, read them in whatever order you please. And keep in mind that Lewis was following his own dictum expressed in "On Three Ways of Writing for Children": "Since it is so likely that [children] will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage…. Let there be wicked kings and beheadings, battles and dungeons, giants and dragons, and let the villains be soundly killed at the end of the book." Our King, gentle though He is, is not a tame lion. Go to Narnia and learn to know Him better.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-26 11:17:38.
(Language: English)
IF you or someone you know is a young adult and loved this series then I would also recommend the series by Lloyd Alexander which I read about the same time as this series. The Black Cauldron was a book from that series and was also made into a Disney animated film as well. If that series is too young adult for you then I would say graduate to the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Might as well read the best first. Sometimes the writing might turn off readers who are too young, but it is the model many future writers followed in story line anyways. Overall this Chronicle of Narnia series was inventive and easy to read but had plenty of serious content that you could sink your teeth into as well. Including many Christian religious references. The sort of series that is the opposite I guess of His Dark materials Series by Phillip Pullman which has a more critical view hierarchical religions in general and of fundamentalist religions in particular. Good Christmas gift for your 10 to 13 year old.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-07 06:57:52.
(Language: English)
This series was among my principle childhood reading. It's hard for me to compare the Chronicles of Narnia with, say, the Harry Potter books. I realize Tolkien was a contemporary of Lewis and wrote on a larger scale (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings). My own children haven't shown real interest in the Narnia books, which is somewhat disappointing to me, but the have more choices too. Still, I love these books. They're well written--the chapter endings always leave one eager for the next page, next chapter. The believable characters are both human and mythological. The books are probably a little old-fashioned now. J.K. Rowling (and probably others, perhaps Anne Rice among them) have rehabilitated witches (Rowling) and vampires (Rice, and not in Narnia) so that they are not inherently evil. Lewis's characterizations follow more stereotypical lines, but the adventures and characters are nonetheless interesting and make these books well worth reading. Lewis's mastery of mythology contributes wonderfully to the imaginative and creative story telling of these books for children.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-02 08:44:02.
(Language: English)
This is my favorite series from when I was younger. While Lewis wrote these stories for children it doesn't mean that they cannot be enjoyed by adults. The simple story, the endearing characters, and the basic battle of good versus evil in enjoyable for readers of all ages. The stories are actually allegories of the Christ story. While many believe that only older readers will pick up on the sublties of the allegory, Lewis himself found that his younger readers were often much more perceptive. Whatever the age of the reader, they will be delighted by this wonderfully told and timeless tale.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-12 02:21:27.
(Language: English)
These books should be read aloud to children, over and over again. They teach, they entertain and they build imagination(how important is the tail to a valiant knight, who happens to be a mouse?)As a diehard Narnian. I prefer that one introduce Narnia to children as I did, starting with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe". I believe that it creates a love for Aslan, makes Him the center of all the books, the "One looked for" at all times. The newly published versions put the books in chronilogical order as Lewis actually intended they be. But brilliant as Lewis was, he was not a mother, and I don't think he understood the child heart as a mother does. To introduce Aslan in "The Magician's Nephew", would not give the pleasure and the anticipation, if one did not know who this Lion is. One of my favorite memories involves a backpacking trip, two tents, rain and hearing my 10 year old son reading "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" to his little sister and brother.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-03-07 10:10:47.
(Language: English)
Again a Children's tale - but with morals to be learnt - while delving into adventure! The characters escape life's hard realities - and twist those hardships into learning curves with a Romanticism which makes for a wonderful fairytale. The fight of Good versus Evil is eternal in our world cultures - and even though we know instinctively, that Good always wins out in such tales, there are heart-stopping moments when Evil treads on the golden dreams - allowing some sadness into our lives. A wonderful read for both children and adults with the hearts of children!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-05-17 03:04:11.
(Language: English)
Wonderful! Pagan in the best sense in positing the divine in the natural world. My theological thinking was formed through reading these books as a child, and C.S. Lewis remains a hero to me. These are books that revere the natural world, sort animals as our equals (if not our betters) and are honest about human failings. Perhaps best and rarest of all, these books have completely plausible and reassuring interactions with the God of these worlds, Aslan, and I still find that these conversations are real for me (nothing jars or feels false about the relationship Lucy and Aslan have together in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, for example). If you're looking for the stories which you wish you could continue reading for the rest of your life, the Chronicles of Narnia are not a bad place to start. I truly love these books and defy you to find a better depiction of direct interactions with God in literature (with the possible exception of Job).
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-03-23 08:09:38.
(Language: English)
I finally finished all 7 books in chronological order. The Magician’s Nephew The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe The Horse and His Boy Prince Caspian The Voyage of the Dawn Trader The Silver Chair The Last Battle First of all: This is an excellent story written by a very talented writer. I enjoyed each book and lost sleep because there were times I could not stop reading. I recommend the Narnia series to anyone who can read. There are a couple of issues that I ran across before I began reading about Narnia. I read a critique some time ago and that person said that C.S. Lewis didn't feature women in a positive light in his books unless they were children. I found this odd and wondered about it. The only way to find out - - read the books. There are males and females that are evil and males and females that are of good character -- of all ages. Period! At the end of Prince Caspian, Peter and Susan are told by Aslan that they will no longer be returning to Narnia because they are too old. I am puzzled by this. In the first book The Magicians Nephew, at the end Aslan tells the new king and queen that once a king or queen of Narnia - Always a king or queen. So in the last book, “The Last Battle”, Susan is not present at the end. Peter answers, “My sister Susan, is no longer a friend of Narnia.” Eustace answers, “Yes, and whenever you’ve tried to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia, she says, ‘What wonderful memories you have! Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.’” Jill answers, “Oh Susan! She’s interested in nothing nowadays except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up.” Lady Polly answers, “Grown-up, indeed, I wish she would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she’ll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one’s life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can.” When I read the last page of the last book, I realized that I had been ever so subtlety influenced by statements like, "There comes a point where Susan, who was the older girl, is lost to Narnia because she becomes interested in lipstick. She's become irreligious basically because she found sex, I have a big problem with that." By J. K. Rowling And… "Susan, like Cinderella, is undergoing a transition from one phase of her life to another. Lewis didn't approve of that. He didn't like women in general, or sexuality at all, at least at the stage in his life when he wrote the Narnia books. He was frightened and appalled at the notion of wanting to grow up." By Phillip Pullman. THEY ARE WRONG!!!!! As you can see, Jill’s answer is the one most quoted and taken out of context. Here is what I found when reading all seven books. Narnia is a place of the spirit. To get there you have to believe in it and you have to love unconditionally. Susan is no longer there, not because she likes lipstick and nylons, but because she willingly turned her back on her experience with Narnia and did not believe in it anymore. She was no longer a friend of Narnia is very accurate as to why Susan was not there at the end. Lewis describes what we consider “the real world” as the Shadowlands. The most poignant part for me was in the final book when the Dwarves walked through the stable door from the Shadowland Narnia into the real Narnia. Only they didn’t believe they were there and only saw the inside of a dirty stable. But in reality they had passed into Narnia. They sat in the midst of a beautiful field surrounded by fruit trees. But they only saw straw and dirt and a trough with food for a donkey. My Mother is reading a memoir of C. S. Lewis “Surprised by Joy”. She says that he was very close to his mother and that she died when he was about 9 or 10 years old. Later in life he made a pact with his best friend Paddy Moore. If either of them died in World War One, that the other would care for their families. Paddy died and C. S. Lewis kept his word and loved and cared for Paddy’s Mom, Jane King until she died in the 1940’s. He is very respectful of women through out the series. All I can tell you is to READ THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA --- FOR YOURSELF!!! And don’t read anymore “reviews”. Read the books for yourself. The reward is an uplifting of the spirit that I have not had in many years.
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