The Chronicles of Narnia
by C.S. Lewis
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 14760)
Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
absolutely EVERYONE!
I can't even begin to count how many times I've read "The Chronicles of Narnia." The truly amazing thing about these books is that each time you read them, they magically become more complex, more meaningful and more beautiful. I first read "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" when I was about seven or eight years old and I did not get it at all. Sure, I followed the story, but the deeper meaning was completely lost on me. Someone later told me that it was a Christian s...more
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recommends it for:
Fans of Fantasy, Tolkien, and MacDonald
I read this entire series multiple times when I was younger, I think near the end of elementary school or during Jr Hi, and actually got sick of it after too many reads and had to wait to rediscover it later on-- several times, in fact. The books are nice and short, yet each is a quality fantasy story, loaded, of course, with Lewis' exploration-in-fiction of man's relationship to diety and the world. Tolkien was always my favorite, but Lewis has his own particular approach to the fantastic whi...more
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Read in November, 2006
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in January, 1985
http://findarticles.com/p/arti...
(Click the above link to read professor Carol Zaleski's interesting take of the seething religious/political furor surrounding these classics.)
I pined for Narnia in the most broken, sad way when I was a little girl.
Obviously, I had no knowledge of any Christian subtext when I first read "Da Chroni *WHUT* cles". I remember devouring them in much t...more
(Click the above link to read professor Carol Zaleski's interesting take of the seething religious/political furor surrounding these classics.)
I pined for Narnia in the most broken, sad way when I was a little girl.
Obviously, I had no knowledge of any Christian subtext when I first read "Da Chroni *WHUT* cles". I remember devouring them in much t...more
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Read in November, 2004
The Magician's Nephew is easily the best story of the Chronicles. First of all, it's the least overtly religious. There is a creation-of-the-world element, but it's not our world so it seems more fantastic than religious. Not only is there a veil over the religiosity, there's so much creativity in this story: the magical rings, the in-between place, the Deplorable Word, the founding of Narnia.
Starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, the religiosity becomes notice...more
Starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, the religiosity becomes notice...more
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I went back and actually read the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time last year. (My parents read them to me when I was a kid). This is an amazing story, from one of the best English minds of the twentieth century. As a whole, this story was every bit as good as I had remembered.
That being said, however, I ran into some real problems reading this story as an adult in the 21st century. Starting with The Horse and His Boy, and culminating in The Last Battle, the issue of &quo...more
That being said, however, I ran into some real problems reading this story as an adult in the 21st century. Starting with The Horse and His Boy, and culminating in The Last Battle, the issue of &quo...more
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A mostly well-written, very imaginative, thoroughly enjoyable read. The narration is warm and witty, the protagonists are well developed and likable but not perfect (written perfectly, but with flaws that give the stories depth), and the settings are vivid and fantastic (remember those loony one-footed invisible things that hop around? and the ending, when the boat sails over that undersea city and then into the clouds at the edge of the world?).
I'm always annoyed when people confound the q...more
I'm always annoyed when people confound the q...more
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Read in March, 2008
I read the entire series, one right after another, eight times in a row when I got them for Christmas in fourth grade. Obviously I loved them then. Just finished reading them again to Eric, my 8-year-old, and loved them maybe just as must as I did as a 10-year-old. Eric couldn't stop giggling through the last pages of Horse and His Boy, which we had to reread when we finished the rest, since it was his favorite. We're starting Prince Caspian again, too--another favorite. I realized this go arou...more
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Read in June, 2005
recommends it for:
everyone
Excellent fiction, with great Christian and classic parallels. Ironically, the books I love in this series are far different from what others love.
The Magician's Nephew - 5 stars. Absolutely brilliant. The world Charn was especially interesting. Great overall reading.
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - 3.5 stars. Very good, but I think it overdoes the Christian parallel.
The Horse and his Boy - 4 stars. I like it, a little too focused and not "epic enough" in scope f...more
The Magician's Nephew - 5 stars. Absolutely brilliant. The world Charn was especially interesting. Great overall reading.
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - 3.5 stars. Very good, but I think it overdoes the Christian parallel.
The Horse and his Boy - 4 stars. I like it, a little too focused and not "epic enough" in scope f...more
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recommends it for:
authoritarians, or people who don't read between the lines
Some cute ideas here and there, but the writing is often avuncular and patronising and the emotional bullying running throughout the story doesn't sit at all well with me. This does not have to be a property of (good) children's books.
The heavily Christian content wouldn't have bothered me much had its underlying psychology/philosophy been explored rather than just celebrated. Granted, there's something nigh-endearing about the innocent, trusting, submissive devotion his rosy-cheeked ...more
The heavily Christian content wouldn't have bothered me much had its underlying psychology/philosophy been explored rather than just celebrated. Granted, there's something nigh-endearing about the innocent, trusting, submissive devotion his rosy-cheeked ...more
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Read in September, 2005
recommends it for:
anyone
Of course I adored that 1980's animated feature of "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," which interested me in the book and then the series when I was 10. Upon learning that a feature movie of "Wardrobe" was in production, I purchased the compendium of novels and began reading the original "Wardrobe" story to my niece and nephew. I read a chapter or two to them each week when I watched them after school, and as a special treat, took them to see the movie when i...more
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I read these as a child before I was a Christian and enjoyed them without ever grasping their deeper meaning. When my own children were 5 and 7, we read them aloud, and the biblical truths sprang to life. We have all re-read them several times since then. My favorite scene is in The Horse and His Boy, where Aslan chases and actually digs his claws down Aravis' back, injuring her sorely. Later he explains to her his reasons, but refuses to tell her any but her own story when she asks q...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Charlotte by:
my friend, Emily and my teacher, Mrs. Palmerrecommends it for: anybody that likes a good read and wants an olden times book
On a thrilling journey to Narnia, 2 runaways, ( a princess and a slave-boy) join forces. Though they are only looking to excape their harsh and unfair lives, they soon find themselves in the center of a terrible battle. It is a battle that will decide their future and the fate of all Narnia.
With Shasta, life isn't what he'd call good. He is the son of a fisherman, who beats him and makes him sleep in the stable with the donkey. When a Tarkeen (prince) comes to spend the night, Shasta and ...more
With Shasta, life isn't what he'd call good. He is the son of a fisherman, who beats him and makes him sleep in the stable with the donkey. When a Tarkeen (prince) comes to spend the night, Shasta and ...more
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Read in December, 2004
recommends it for:
anyone seeking for answers
As most people already know, C.S. Lewis wrote the Chronicles for little children. He did this in order to teach the gospel in a non-evasive manner. Unfortunately, I wasn't lucky enough to read these books when I was kid.
I discovered the marvel of these books after joining a group called the Mosaic Crossers. We read these books together and analyzed what everything meant and symbolized and I was just amazed at how much information and lessons are sealed within the words. It is an enjoyable r...more
I discovered the marvel of these books after joining a group called the Mosaic Crossers. We read these books together and analyzed what everything meant and symbolized and I was just amazed at how much information and lessons are sealed within the words. It is an enjoyable r...more
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Read in January, 2003
funny-the description of this book calls it "profoundly allegorical" but wikipedia (entry for Chronicles of Narnia) has the following info:
Lewis, an expert on the subject of allegory (Collins 1980, pp. 305) and the author of The Allegory of Love, maintained that the books were not allegory, and preferred to call the Christian aspects of them "suppositional". This is similar to what we would now call fictional parallel universes. As Lewis wrote in a letter to a Mrs Hook ...more
Lewis, an expert on the subject of allegory (Collins 1980, pp. 305) and the author of The Allegory of Love, maintained that the books were not allegory, and preferred to call the Christian aspects of them "suppositional". This is similar to what we would now call fictional parallel universes. As Lewis wrote in a letter to a Mrs Hook ...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
people who like fantasy.
Anyone interested in exploring issues around morality and knowing "right from wrong" should read The Chronicles. CS Lewis has written a great deal of other books about his Christian beliefs and this series is a bare-bones version of the messages he is trying to send. The message I took away from the books is that we all, deep down, know the difference between what's "right" and what's "wrong." CS Lewis seems to argue that this sense of right and wrong is univers...more
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Read in January, 1973
recommends it for:
children of all ages
After reading the reviews here I'm glad to know I wasn't the only kid searching for a way into Narnia.
I first read and fell in love with the series in the fourth grade. I read them over and over and over. Sometimes in series order, sometimes in chronological order. At some point I started saving them for Christmas break. I would read them every year at Christmas break. My family, all non-readers, thought this was a bizarre quirk of mine but they tolerated it.
When the movie came ...more
I first read and fell in love with the series in the fourth grade. I read them over and over and over. Sometimes in series order, sometimes in chronological order. At some point I started saving them for Christmas break. I would read them every year at Christmas break. My family, all non-readers, thought this was a bizarre quirk of mine but they tolerated it.
When the movie came ...more
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Read in January, 2007
I'd read Jo Rowling's assessment of the Chronicles - she quit the series halfway through because she hated that Susan was barred from Narnia for discovering lipstick. All right, I said, that <l> is </I> a little overly sentimental about childhood. But we do get jaded as we get older and some people do lose the magic. Maybe that's what C. S. Lewis was referring to. Maybe he didn't mean that Susan's sexuality was a bad thing.
So I became determined to get through the series. I read ...more
So I became determined to get through the series. I read ...more
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Read in January, 1981
recommends it for:
all
CS Lewis' Chronicles are a God-send in my world. Although I have listed 1981 as having read them... I have to say that I am constantly re-reading them. Different books for different moods/issues I'm having. I have found they rejuvenate my spirit and my faith. The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle have been read the fewest amount of times-2 each; I think this is because I found no common link with either of them. Voyage of the Dawn Treader has been my favorite, however Puddleglum from The Sil...more
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Read in January, 1990
recommends it for:
kids and depressed adults
My family had the Chronicles of Narnia set with those surreal 1970s Macmillan-style cover illos. I used to sit and stare at the cover image of The Magician's Nephew (Here) with the Peter Max-style forest and ponds in the background and the deadpan image of the evil witch pulling Polly and Digory into the pond by Polly's hair. (Although in the story I believe they are actua...more
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.34 (15134 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.26 (936 ratings) number of reviews: 1178popular shelves
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