The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
By: C.S. Lewis
Read: March 25-26, 2015
Published: October 16, 1950
Genre: High Fantasy
Series: The Chronicles of Narnia

          Four adventurous siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.
          Journey into the land beyond the wardrobe! The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book in C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy series, which has been captivating readers of all ages for over sixty years. This is a stand-alone novel, but if you would like journey back to Narnia, read The Horse and His Boy, the third book in The Chronicles of Narnia. (Amazon)

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Why did you read this book?

This is a book that I've always had in the back of my mind, but never really gotten around to reading. I'd seen the movie and liked it, and, as odd as it sounds, I didn't want to ruin the movie by reading the book. We all know that the book is always better, right? Anyway, I had to choose five children's novels and read them for my Children's Lit class. In all honesty, I was going to read The Hobbit for my fantasy selection. So how did I end up reading this? I have no idea.

What did you like about this book?

There are several things I liked about it, how couldn't there be? I think my favorite part is not necessarily the story itself. First off, I love C.S. Lewis, even though this is the first of his works that I have read (I am planning on reading more of his books after this, perhaps The Screwtape Letters) I also absolutely love the Christian symbolism in this book, particularly that of Aslan and the stone table. I could go into it, but I wouldn't do it justice. So here is an article that pretty much says what I'm thinking. 

What didn't you like about this book?

I wish the characters had been better developed. I had a sense of who they were, but I felt they were rather one dimensional (except perhaps Edmund, who does go through a transformation). I found myself comparing the book characters to the movie characters and found that I much preferred the Pevensies that I met in the movie. Speaking of the movie, it followed the book rather well, except for a few minor differences and one major difference. Remember the battle scene? It was only briefly mentioned in the book after it had taken place. For me, that was my favorite part in the movie and I really wish it would have been in the book. Don't get me wrong, it was a really good book. I just wish it had been more than 80 pages or so, which could have left more room for more detail.

Bottom-Line:

I know, another short review. In my defense, it was another short book. Anyway, the bottom-line...I really did enjoy this book. I think I may have enjoyed it more when I was younger. So while I would still recommend it to fantasy lovers of all ages, I would definitely recommend it to 10-12 year old kids.

"I hope no one who reads this book has been quite as miserable as Susan and Lucy were that night; but if you have been - if you've been up all night and cried till you have no more tears left in you - you will know that there comes in the end a sort of quietness. You feel as if nothing is ever going to happen again." -The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis