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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
(The Chronicles of Narnia (Publication Order) #1)
by
Narnia… the land beyond the wardrobe door, a secret place frozen in eternal winter, a magical country waiting to be set free.
Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first her brothers and sister don't believe her when she tells of her visit to the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund, then Peter and Susan step through the ...more
Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first her brothers and sister don't believe her when she tells of her visit to the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund, then Peter and Susan step through the ...more
Paperback, Film tie-in (US/Can.), 206 pages
Published
2005
by HarperCollins Publishers
(first published October 16th 1950)
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Start your review of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)

This is the first book where I chronicled my thoughts as I read through it with my son. I don't know how easy it is for y'all to access the record of those here on Goodreads, but if you're looking for a detailed account of my thoughts on the book, you can look there.
I'll say this. I've read a lot of books to my little boy these last couple years, and I can honestly say that This book is among the best. Good, tight writing, good description. Good action. Also there's not a lot of dead space or tr ...more
I'll say this. I've read a lot of books to my little boy these last couple years, and I can honestly say that This book is among the best. Good, tight writing, good description. Good action. Also there's not a lot of dead space or tr ...more

The Written Review :![]()
If you've ever wondered which literary world would be the best to live in, wonder no longer, cause there's a BookTube Video to answer that!
One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.It's like C.S. Lewis was speaking to me. I never read these as a child but now that I'm in my mid-twenties, I'm feeling the urge to visit all those childhood classics I never read. And I'm so glad I did.
Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going...more

“If ever they remembered their life in this world it was as one remembers a dream.”
The real world is boring; it’s mundane, unimaginative and dry. So humans create fantasy as a means of escape. We watch movies or go to the theatre to see something more interesting than the standard realities of the everyday. We paint pictures and gaze up at the stars. We play video games and roleplay. We dream. Authors like C.S Lewis and J.K Rowling show us this miserable world; they show us its tones of gre ...more
The real world is boring; it’s mundane, unimaginative and dry. So humans create fantasy as a means of escape. We watch movies or go to the theatre to see something more interesting than the standard realities of the everyday. We paint pictures and gaze up at the stars. We play video games and roleplay. We dream. Authors like C.S Lewis and J.K Rowling show us this miserable world; they show us its tones of gre ...more

My greatest disappointment in 'The Screwtape Letters' was that Lewis was not able to demonstrate what made his good people good or his bad people bad. The closest he got to defining goodness was that you could tell the good people from the vague aura of light that surrounded them--and which even shone in their cat. In this book, the cat is much bigger.
Aslan had no character, he was just a big, dull stand-in. Lewis often tells us how great he is, but never demonstrates what it is that makes him g ...more
Aslan had no character, he was just a big, dull stand-in. Lewis often tells us how great he is, but never demonstrates what it is that makes him g ...more

Mar 28, 2020
Lala BooksandLala
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2020
Book 22 of 30 for my 30 day reading challenge.

Y'all are out there watching Avengers: Endgame while I am at home watching the classic 80s cartoon of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. A whole lotta nostalgia going on.
Why am I watching it right now?
Well, I just finished a reread of the book, and it is simply as magical as I remember. It is a well written fantasy story that is not too complex and, therefore, is accessible to young and old alike. It does indeed have Christian allegory, but it is up to you whether you want to read it with th ...more
Why am I watching it right now?
Well, I just finished a reread of the book, and it is simply as magical as I remember. It is a well written fantasy story that is not too complex and, therefore, is accessible to young and old alike. It does indeed have Christian allegory, but it is up to you whether you want to read it with th ...more


“Lucy looks into a wardrobe”
I was feeling rather nostalgic this holiday season for some reason, and I thought what better way to pay homage to my childhood than by rereading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the first time in a very long time! And, friends, I fell so in love. I actually think I’m going to make it a holiday tradition to read this book every single December for the rest of my life.
And it was so funny, because I was very apprehensive going in, because when I was ...more

The Lion, The Witch, The Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1), C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children, by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956).
Among all the author's books, it is also the most widely held in libraries. Although it was written as well as published first in the series, it is volume two in recent editions, which are sequenced by the st ...more
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children, by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956).
Among all the author's books, it is also the most widely held in libraries. Although it was written as well as published first in the series, it is volume two in recent editions, which are sequenced by the st ...more

What's it with British literature? How from a relatively small pool of population can such creative writers emerge? I don't like C.S Lewis's non fiction books, but here he knocked the ball out of the park.
Aslan, whose antics and decision making and beliefs are difficult to map, is the way by which the children triumph. If Alice in Wonderland was positively secular, TLTWaTW is heavily defined by the Christian mythos.
There are many shining examples of pause to let the tension play out, before a li ...more
Aslan, whose antics and decision making and beliefs are difficult to map, is the way by which the children triumph. If Alice in Wonderland was positively secular, TLTWaTW is heavily defined by the Christian mythos.
There are many shining examples of pause to let the tension play out, before a li ...more

5 stars to C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Adored it. I must have read it three or four times as a child. Hits all the spots in my reading dreams. a forest. A large family. Talking animals. Secrets. Mystery. Drama. Hidden messages. Saga and series. Every child should read it.
Imagination runs free here. 4 children stuck a house. 1 goes exploring and finds herself lost in the world of Narnia. And the rest follow her.
Siblings fight. The book shows what happens when you don't lis ...more
Imagination runs free here. 4 children stuck a house. 1 goes exploring and finds herself lost in the world of Narnia. And the rest follow her.
Siblings fight. The book shows what happens when you don't lis ...more

What are you doing on that wardrobe? Narnia Business!!
I read this book as a book challenge and adored it. I had not read this book before and did not know of its existence as a child. I would have loved it even more then, I imagine.
Four English children, removed from London for their safety during WWII, are sent to a country manor to live with a professor. Lucy is the first to enter the wardrobe and be transported into the secret world of Narnia. There she meets a talking faun who eventually wa ...more
I read this book as a book challenge and adored it. I had not read this book before and did not know of its existence as a child. I would have loved it even more then, I imagine.
Four English children, removed from London for their safety during WWII, are sent to a country manor to live with a professor. Lucy is the first to enter the wardrobe and be transported into the secret world of Narnia. There she meets a talking faun who eventually wa ...more

I loved this book.
It was first read to me in 4th grade. We would all come in from lunch and our teacher would read to us for about 30 minutes before we would start class.
I remember this book because it wasnt read to us by Mrs Graham, but instead it would be read by Mr Goodwin, her long-haired, bearded, Birkenstock wearing teacher's aid.
Over the next few weeks we were enthralled by this story, we couldnt wait for lunch period to be over so we could hear what was happening in this magic kingdom ...more
It was first read to me in 4th grade. We would all come in from lunch and our teacher would read to us for about 30 minutes before we would start class.
I remember this book because it wasnt read to us by Mrs Graham, but instead it would be read by Mr Goodwin, her long-haired, bearded, Birkenstock wearing teacher's aid.
Over the next few weeks we were enthralled by this story, we couldnt wait for lunch period to be over so we could hear what was happening in this magic kingdom ...more

A Defence of C.S. Lewis...or a brief attempt at such
Some thoughts recently crossed my mind in regards to arguments one could offer as a defence of the Christian side of this novel. The main arguments against this novel as a 'Christian allegory' that I have heard are: 1)Aslan is not a strong Christ-figure 2)That C.S. Lewis 'preaches' a black and white morality. So I'm going to roughly address them from my perspective and hope it encourages some discussion.
1) I will agree that Aslan is not a stron ...more
Some thoughts recently crossed my mind in regards to arguments one could offer as a defence of the Christian side of this novel. The main arguments against this novel as a 'Christian allegory' that I have heard are: 1)Aslan is not a strong Christ-figure 2)That C.S. Lewis 'preaches' a black and white morality. So I'm going to roughly address them from my perspective and hope it encourages some discussion.
1) I will agree that Aslan is not a stron ...more

Novels were not a part of my life until my mid teens and therefore I missed out wonderful reading experiences like the Chronicles of Narnia but while I wish I had read more as a child I am having an absolute ball catching up on all these enchanting books when I can appreciate them on a different level
image:
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a compelling story that is both enchanting and filled with fantasy and adventure and I think can be appreciated by both adults and children alike.
Write ...more
image:

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a compelling story that is both enchanting and filled with fantasy and adventure and I think can be appreciated by both adults and children alike.
Write ...more

Liked this installment a lot more than the prequel, with some moral ambiguity with one of the siblings and a nice blend of fairy tales (and even Santa Claus) coming together
Always winter but never Christmas
I can't say too much about the storyline itself, I think it is overly familiar to most and for the rest The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a quite classical tale of Good versus Evil, with some very clear Christian symbols.
Edmund using fake news conspiracy theory logic to get his way back ...more
Always winter but never Christmas
I can't say too much about the storyline itself, I think it is overly familiar to most and for the rest The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a quite classical tale of Good versus Evil, with some very clear Christian symbols.
Edmund using fake news conspiracy theory logic to get his way back ...more

The Role (bibli)call:
The big cuddly cat = Jesus. Strange that a lion should be chosen to represent the big man when Lions are notoriously aggressive, solitary carnivores who are more likely to eat any potential apostles than than teach or lead them.
The white witch = Satan or Eve the temptress depending on which side of the tree of knowledge you're most likely to be barking up. Famed for a monochrome wardrobe in the A/W line only. Like Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, she has cancel ...more
The big cuddly cat = Jesus. Strange that a lion should be chosen to represent the big man when Lions are notoriously aggressive, solitary carnivores who are more likely to eat any potential apostles than than teach or lead them.
The white witch = Satan or Eve the temptress depending on which side of the tree of knowledge you're most likely to be barking up. Famed for a monochrome wardrobe in the A/W line only. Like Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, she has cancel ...more

I just re-read this book and got so much more out of it than the first time. The symbolism & parallels to basic Christianity stuck out.
*turkish delight is our human nature, prone to addiction, selfishness and wrongdoing
*Peter said about Edmund, "We should go after him. After all he is our brother." Even though he had just betrayed them and was causing grief they didn't mistreat or disown him.
*The very mention of Aslan's name caused certain positive feelings to come over them all they didn't kn ...more
*turkish delight is our human nature, prone to addiction, selfishness and wrongdoing
*Peter said about Edmund, "We should go after him. After all he is our brother." Even though he had just betrayed them and was causing grief they didn't mistreat or disown him.
*The very mention of Aslan's name caused certain positive feelings to come over them all they didn't kn ...more

late to the party but better late than never. :D

I'm 32 and this was the first time that I'd ever read this. It was great fun. Great for children and adults alike. Completely enchanting. x
...more

Going into the world of Narnia was like a dream. Exploring the new world and creatures and seeing it all through the eyes of these amazing characters was just the best time. Other than what was probably the biggest plot conveniance I've read since Harry Potter (view spoiler) this book was just amazing.
It had such ...more
It had such ...more

Nov 12, 2008
Kenny
rated it
did not like it
Recommends it for:
Nobody
Recommended to Kenny by:
Waaaaay too many people
I am tempted to give this book a zero but the idea of going through the wardrobe to another land is fantastic. Everything else, however, is not fantastic, including:
The over-the-top Christian allegory.
The complete absence of dramatic tension - the characters are static and the conclusion is foregone. There is nothing to keep you reading, to challenge you, or to even vaguely interest you.
The writing is mediocre at best.
The dialogue is mediocre at best.
Awful book, it as if someone read Matthew thr ...more
The over-the-top Christian allegory.
The complete absence of dramatic tension - the characters are static and the conclusion is foregone. There is nothing to keep you reading, to challenge you, or to even vaguely interest you.
The writing is mediocre at best.
The dialogue is mediocre at best.
Awful book, it as if someone read Matthew thr ...more

It dawned on me the other day that I'd never read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. What an oversight! I had to fix this.
I knew the story. When we were kids, one of my cousins was all about this book and liked to tell me about it. I remember absolutely bawling my eyes out when the 1979 cartoon version aired on tv and Aslan was subdued. And then I also knew it through the more recent movie adaptation. Now, having read the actual book, it turns out I already as good as read the book. It varie ...more
I knew the story. When we were kids, one of my cousins was all about this book and liked to tell me about it. I remember absolutely bawling my eyes out when the 1979 cartoon version aired on tv and Aslan was subdued. And then I also knew it through the more recent movie adaptation. Now, having read the actual book, it turns out I already as good as read the book. It varie ...more

Nov 19, 2019
¸¸.•*¨*•♫ Mrs. Buttercup •*¨*•♫♪
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
owned
“He'll be coming and going" he had said. "One day you'll see him and another you won't. He doesn't like being tied down--and of course he has other countries to attend to. It's quite all right. He'll often drop in. Only you mustn't press him. He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”
*note: a review of this whole series is up on my channel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYscl...
Reading a children's book - especially such a well-known and well-loved one - as an adult, it's always a weird exper ...more

*note: a review of this whole series is up on my channel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYscl...
Reading a children's book - especially such a well-known and well-loved one - as an adult, it's always a weird exper ...more

May 06, 2014
Lazaros
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone, really
Well, can you blame me for loving this? I certainly hope not. It's Christmas and I feel like a little kid and I was craving something to make me feel like I am one, indeed, and this book travelled me to a wondrous world full of heroes and of course a villain. The ride was awesome and I found the characters warm and fuzzy despite the eternal cold that had been placed upon Narnia. Now, they're all free of the curse of the White Witch thanks to Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. The kings and queens of
...more

I cannot count how many times I have read this book, but this is my first audio version.
Oh the sacrifice and resurrection scene is just as moving listening to it as it is reading it. That's always been my favorite part. So meaningful and symbolic.
I'm already finished and could just start it again. I cannot express how much I adore this book.
2/17/18 AUDIO annual reread #24 ...more
Oh the sacrifice and resurrection scene is just as moving listening to it as it is reading it. That's always been my favorite part. So meaningful and symbolic.
I'm already finished and could just start it again. I cannot express how much I adore this book.
2/17/18 AUDIO annual reread #24 ...more

After I first read this book as a young boy I remember distracting my father one day whilst he was working in his shed at the bottom of our garden. I was about 11 at the time and my father was filing away at something in the vice attached to the work bench. I spotted the pincers/pliers in his old wooden toolbox and secreted them away in my knitted cardigan, fashion was not a strong point back in the 1970's, and I sheepishly snook out without being noticed. That was the beginning of the adventure
...more

As wonderful, almost, as it’s prequel. So little to choose between them in terms of enjoyment, that it seems harsh one is 5⭐️ And this is only 4. Maybe it is simply because I read The Magician’s Nephew first.
Either way this is still an excellent storyline with enjoyable (and hiss-able) characters, that cannot fail to leave a warm feeling in one’s heart.
Without wishing to give the game away, even (view spoiler)
As I said in my review of t ...more
Either way this is still an excellent storyline with enjoyable (and hiss-able) characters, that cannot fail to leave a warm feeling in one’s heart.
Without wishing to give the game away, even (view spoiler)
As I said in my review of t ...more

What an amazingly delightful book! I regret not reading it earlier
** Before I begin, let me clarify that as I am not a Christian, I had no idea that this book was written by keeping the image of Jesus (as Aslan) in mind. I just came across this revelation on Goodreads, and it just added another layer to the story! The review below is written only by treating it as a fun-filled and action packed novel!

I had seen the movie based on the book a couple of years ago, and had really loved it! On readi ...more
** Before I begin, let me clarify that as I am not a Christian, I had no idea that this book was written by keeping the image of Jesus (as Aslan) in mind. I just came across this revelation on Goodreads, and it just added another layer to the story! The review below is written only by treating it as a fun-filled and action packed novel!

I had seen the movie based on the book a couple of years ago, and had really loved it! On readi ...more

Every time I read this story, I feel happy. I love fairytales and mythology and I believe this books is the perfect example of how fantasy, mythology and fairytales can be combined and create a strong result.
1. First of all there is obviously the “The Snow Queen” fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, the ultimate evil woman whose myth is used in this book too. She brings cold and misery and never allows Christmas. She changes people’s heart and eyes. She freezes their hearts like block of ice, ...more
1. First of all there is obviously the “The Snow Queen” fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, the ultimate evil woman whose myth is used in this book too. She brings cold and misery and never allows Christmas. She changes people’s heart and eyes. She freezes their hearts like block of ice, ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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How did the White Witch give Edmund Turkish Delight if there is no Turkey in Narnia? | 200 | 1697 | Dec 28, 2020 08:30AM | |
Fanatieke Nederla...: Extra Maandboek December 2020 - Een kerst/winterverhaal: Narnia, De leeuw, de Heks en de Kleerkast | 67 | 62 | Dec 27, 2020 05:07AM |
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge ...more
Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge ...more
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“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.”
—
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“I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be your affectionate Godfather, C. S. Lewis.”
—
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