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At the Back of the North Wind
Said to be on the bookshelf of C.S. Lewis, "At the Back of the North Wind" by George MacDonald is the story of a young farm boy, Diamond, who is naturally connected to goodness and nature -- he was even named after a horse. Diamond's story unfolds as he befriends, and is befriended by a magical, fairy-like lady who embodies the "North Wind." Inspired by MacDonald's deep Ch...more
Hardcover, 212 pages
Published
March 1st 2007
by Aegypan
(first published 1871)
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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3rd time reading this through. One of my favorite stories of all time, but honestly, I started to feel that I absorbed as much as I could for this time in my life. The thought occurred to me that I might read this once more before I die, and that’s it. We’ll see what the years bring.
It is a beautiful story. Profound. Sometimes playful and outlandish in a Lewis Carroll sort of way. Honestly, some parts feel like just another Victorian nickel-novel. But MacDonald always manages to take it beyond i...more
It is a beautiful story. Profound. Sometimes playful and outlandish in a Lewis Carroll sort of way. Honestly, some parts feel like just another Victorian nickel-novel. But MacDonald always manages to take it beyond i...more
Apr 04, 2013
Gale
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-classics,
fantasy-young-adult
GOD’S BABY
This children's classic would definitely be rejected by most modern kids--in fact, I had to force myself through the first third of the book, until the plot became more believable. Page after page of nonsense poetry and absurd adult-child conversations put me off. The Human story itself is pretty good: a frail, sickly, angelic boy of 7, son of a poor coachman in 19th century London, has the unique ability to charm those he meets, to touch the lives of children and adults alike, chang...more
This children's classic would definitely be rejected by most modern kids--in fact, I had to force myself through the first third of the book, until the plot became more believable. Page after page of nonsense poetry and absurd adult-child conversations put me off. The Human story itself is pretty good: a frail, sickly, angelic boy of 7, son of a poor coachman in 19th century London, has the unique ability to charm those he meets, to touch the lives of children and adults alike, chang...more
Diamond is a little boy who happily lives with his family at a house in the country, sleeping above the stables (and his equine namesake). However, in the loft where he sleeps, there is a little hole, and through that little hole comes the call of the North Wind North Wind is beautiful, and Diamond instantly is drawn to her. He loves her, and trusts her, and she flies him all over the place; however, the North Wind is not always beautiful and sweet. She can be cruel, but she has her reasons.
This...more
This...more
A Victorian children's classic that probably would not appeal much to most modern day children, but would not harm them if they stumbled upon this somewhat philosophical fantasy of death and life.
My curiosity about the author George MacDonald, who doesn't seem to be widely read by today's young, stems from the fact that the author is so frequently referenced in the children's/juvenile literature history field and because his books were so widely read and influential in his day.
The main chara...more
My curiosity about the author George MacDonald, who doesn't seem to be widely read by today's young, stems from the fact that the author is so frequently referenced in the children's/juvenile literature history field and because his books were so widely read and influential in his day.
The main chara...more
I recently had an intense, life-changing revelation. I nearly went insane and spent over 2 weeks in the hospital, diagnosed with hypermania. I found At The Back Of The North Wind in the hospital (I think left for a purpose), and it described my situation perfectly. I did not die/visit the back of the North Wind, but the North Wind was synonymous, for me, with the voice of God that resonated in my head, providing infinite wisdom. It turned me from a pond into a river, and all my fears and limits...more
It's a deep series of connected fairy tales that all share a central theme: that suffering is a part of life that God uses. Diamond is a sweet, innocent child who one night befriends the North Wind. He is blown by her many nights to intersect in the lives of a poor young girl abused by her grandmother, a wealthy philanthropist, and others. One day he travels to "the back of the north wind," a place full and rich, where everyone is "waiting for something better." He returns, and is changed, till...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I am so delighted to have found this book amongst the treasures of project Guteberg. Thank goodness for public domain books and ebook readers! With the low price of admission, I find myself reading more and more books that I might not have otherwise taken the time to look up, or might not have remembered when I got to a library.
Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. However, as opposed to most books that pull you through solely with plot, I found myself going back and re-readin...more
Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. However, as opposed to most books that pull you through solely with plot, I found myself going back and re-readin...more
My eight-year-old son and I read a little more than half of this book as a literature selection for homeschool. It was a sweet book, but did not hold our interest, so we finally stopped.
There is one thing about this book that might raise a red flag for modern parents because it was written in a different time. The little boy in the book is very sweet, innocent, and obedient. He is spoken to one night by a voice outside his home, and then a lady appears, who is the North Wind. The little boy thin...more
There is one thing about this book that might raise a red flag for modern parents because it was written in a different time. The little boy in the book is very sweet, innocent, and obedient. He is spoken to one night by a voice outside his home, and then a lady appears, who is the North Wind. The little boy thin...more
If you are the sort of person who only reads the first few sentences of a review, you'd better just look back at my rating to determine my opinion of this book, because I'm going to start out by saying critical things. However, the books I like best, like my favorite people, tend to be those which are beautiful in spite of their flaws.
I never know quite what to say about this story, and so usually I do not talk about it. It is considered a children's book, for such, I believe, the author intende...more
I never know quite what to say about this story, and so usually I do not talk about it. It is considered a children's book, for such, I believe, the author intende...more
When I started reading At the Back of the North Wind I had just finished Yanceys Rumours of Another World - and I thought that could be a fitting alternative title to MacDonalds book.
The magical North Wind appearing in the boy Diamonds dreams (or is it really happening?) are a rumour of Another World. A transcendent one. And the boy has to learn to get to terms with the North Wind - the suffering she's causing and the healing she gives - and through their journeys and conversations Diamond learn...more
The magical North Wind appearing in the boy Diamonds dreams (or is it really happening?) are a rumour of Another World. A transcendent one. And the boy has to learn to get to terms with the North Wind - the suffering she's causing and the healing she gives - and through their journeys and conversations Diamond learn...more
One of those truly rare books that both engages the imagination, and makes you want to be a better person. The first time I tried to read ATBOTNW, I didn't get far - I was put off by the title character (who honestly becomes less central as the story proceeds) and my inability to understand the allegory / metaphor. Initially I thought she was the Holy Spirit, but that is shown to be untrue after not too many characters, and I decided she was simply a Creature and Servant, possibly on level with...more
#underconstruction
George MacDonald's At the Back of the North Wind is as heart-warming as it is heart-breaking a tale of a pensive, seemingly simple-minded but pure boy named Diamond. His dearest friends include the cold, somewhat harsh and fleeting, but ever benevolent North Wind, an old horse after which his father gave Diamond his name, and an old and experienced wealthy gentleman fully aware of the boy's otherworldly qualities. As such, Diamond is hardly accepted by his peers as their equal,...more
George MacDonald's At the Back of the North Wind is as heart-warming as it is heart-breaking a tale of a pensive, seemingly simple-minded but pure boy named Diamond. His dearest friends include the cold, somewhat harsh and fleeting, but ever benevolent North Wind, an old horse after which his father gave Diamond his name, and an old and experienced wealthy gentleman fully aware of the boy's otherworldly qualities. As such, Diamond is hardly accepted by his peers as their equal,...more
At the Back of the North Wind is a book I nearly gave up on, but I'm glad I pushed through and finished the story. I think it helps if you understand this is a christian fairy tale published in 1871, and you determine what the North Wind represents. One reason I chose to forge on is because C.S. Lewis highly regarded George MacDonald, and this work supposedly influenced Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series.
The main narrative follows the life of a young boy named Diamond and his family as they expe...more
The main narrative follows the life of a young boy named Diamond and his family as they expe...more
At the Back of the North Wind certainly contained some beautiful, poignant imagery. It just wasn't as good, in my opinion, as some of MacDonald's other books (The Princess and the Goblin or The Wise Woman and Other Stories, for example). I think the fact the the book was published serially may account for some of the meanderings of the plot, and the plot did certainly meander! So much of the book could have been edited out.
However, you will do well if you can hold onto the central idea of the bo...more
However, you will do well if you can hold onto the central idea of the bo...more
I last read this book when I was 9 or 10 years old. I remembered the portrayal of the North Wind as a beautiful, comforting woman, but was not able at that age to appreciate her mystical, spiritual significance. She now seems to me to be the embodiment of the spirit of love. I don't think she is Death, but that she incorporates some of the lovelier, reassuring aspects of death. I appreciate Diamond's gradual understanding of her explanation that she must sometimes do things that seem evil but th...more
I liked this book, but had a difficult time getting into it because it is written for a young audience. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of childrens books that I really do enjoy reading as an adult, but I found myself struggling to get through sections of this one...mostly the nursery rhymes. I didn't even like nursery rhymes when I was a kid.
However, I did really like the concepts in this book. I liked that MacDonald tells us not to take worldly intelligence too seriously, that sometimes t...more
However, I did really like the concepts in this book. I liked that MacDonald tells us not to take worldly intelligence too seriously, that sometimes t...more
I sought out more of George MacDonald's fiction (a long while) after reading his exceedingly wonderful Phantastes. At the Back of the North Wind was filed in the library's juvenile fiction section, which should have tipped me off to what was to come. The book is 400 pages of light reading - it's meant to be read to children - and in some ways not a lot happens. The first section sets the stage for the rest of the book: Diamond is swept off on midnight rides by the beautiful, magical North Wind....more
I remember reading this classic as a child and being captivated by it. Now having re-read it as an adult, I can see why. This is a beautiful, touching story about an unusual, imaginative little boy in a poor family in 19th century England. As Diamond's family struggles to survive (his father is a coachman and his mother keeps having babies), Diamond strikes up a friendship with a mysterious, ethereal character, North Wind. Is North Wind a dream, a hallucination, or a being from the spiritual wor...more
It was a great book, the wording and descriptions and everything where absolutely beautiful. Its not something to read quickly though. Not if you want to understand it and its underlying meanings. Its the type of book that to some can be nothing more then a simple if not slightly boring fairytale, or it can be a book full of inspiration, understanding, and learning to those who take the time to really think about it and try to understand it. Im still trying to figure out some things about it. Ov...more
George MacDonald's fairy tales are a bit weird. One of his more well known novels, The Princess and the Goblin is standard fairy tale fare, but as you range further afield in his tales, the plots get more disjointed (in the "this is interesting -- let's insert it as a dream sequence!" sense) and the tone more moralizing.
That said, At the Back of the North Wind is a delightful tale of a young boy whose unique perspective on the world allows him to take adventures with the North Wind as she moves...more
That said, At the Back of the North Wind is a delightful tale of a young boy whose unique perspective on the world allows him to take adventures with the North Wind as she moves...more
When I was about seven years old my mom ordered "Books for Little Girls" for me. Included in the set was Heidi, "A Little Princess" "The Eight Cousins", "Little Women", and "At the Back of the North Wind". Of the 15 books included in the collection, this book is one of two that I have refused to let go of. The story is beautiful, haunting, and although it is essentially a tragedy, I did not find it sad. Instead, it helped me start to view death as comforting, a release from suffering, cold but i...more
This was a quirky little story about a boy who is friends with the North Wind. It is a good story, if a little strange at times.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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As a rule I love all George MacDonald books but this one if very poetic and I found it hard to follow.
Oct 22, 2009
NSAndrew Liebergen
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy-science-fiction
More than a century after it was written, George MacDonald's At the Back of the North Wind continues to intrigue readers with its allegorical treatment of life and death. The story of the young boy Diamond who meets the mysterious and beautiful North Wind explores, in the words of one reviewer, ""the possibility of trusting cooperation with this awesome but benevolent force."" The great Christian writer C. S. Lewis, working a generation later, called MacDonald ""the greatest genius of his kind."...more
Fantasy is so difficult to qualify sometimes. MacDonald's themes are timeless, good, deep... yet elements of the story are simple enough for even a child of seven to grasp. The imagery fits beautifully without approaching tiresomeness or silliness. The overtones are undeniably Christian, but the moral lessons are not contrived; there would be no story without them. I love finishing a story and realizing that good has been presented in its intrinsic beauty. For a child, some parental discussion w...more
Jul 12, 2012
Steffi
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-youth-books,
london
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Victorian children must have been made of sterner stuff. He makes no concessions (how many children, or adults for that, understand the meaning of metaphysics?) and the subject matter couldn't be more adult.
I'm still trying to work out why I loved the too-good-to-live child hero rather than taking a cynical anti-sentiment stance...but I did, little Diamond leaps off the page in truth and simplicity. Unlike Phantastes, the fantasy elements in this book work quite naturally and believably (they ar...more
I'm still trying to work out why I loved the too-good-to-live child hero rather than taking a cynical anti-sentiment stance...but I did, little Diamond leaps off the page in truth and simplicity. Unlike Phantastes, the fantasy elements in this book work quite naturally and believably (they ar...more
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| Was anyone else "blown away" by this book? | 3 | 12 | Jan 27, 2013 06:01pm |
George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister.
Known particularly for his poignant fairy tales and fantasy novels, George MacDonald inspired many authors, such as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle. It was C.S. Lewis that wrote that he regarded MacDonald as his "master": "Picking up a copy of Phantastes one day at a train-station bookstall, I be...more
More about George MacDonald...
Known particularly for his poignant fairy tales and fantasy novels, George MacDonald inspired many authors, such as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle. It was C.S. Lewis that wrote that he regarded MacDonald as his "master": "Picking up a copy of Phantastes one day at a train-station bookstall, I be...more
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