At the Back of the North Wind

by Paul McCusker, Philip Glassborrow (Adapter), Murray Watts (Adapter)

In this Radio Theatre audio drama adaptation of George MacDonald's classic story, a beautiful woman known as the North Wind blows through a small village in Victorian London, and everyday lives are mysteriously enveloped by a power and a glory. Along the way, she visits a poor stable boy named Diamond and takes him with her on her journeys. At the Back of the North Wind explores the place of death in our lives, social injustice, and our deep need for love and forgiveness. C. S. Lewis, author of the classic Chronicles of Narnia series, said of MacDonald, "What he does best is fantasy--fantasy that hovers between the allegorical and the mythopoeic. And this, in my opinion, he does better than any man. MacDonald is the greatest genius of this kind whom I know."

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction, Childrens

2 pages, Audio Cassette

Published February 1, 2004

About the author

Paul McCusker is a writer of many different kinds of things. You may know him from Adventures In Odyssey and Focus On The Family Radio Theatre. Or the Father Gilbert Mysteries. Or the Augustine Institute audio dramas Brother Francis: The Barefoot Saint of Assisi and The Trials of Saint Patrick. Or plays like The First Church of Pete's Garage and Catacombs. Or C.S. Lewis projects like The Chronicles of Narnia audio dramas or The Annotated Screwtape Letters. Or the film Beyond The Mask. Or lots of other dramas, novels, scripts and lyrics. He simply can't make up his mind what he likes to write.

Reviews

[forthefamilyssake Hailey White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic imaginative story, which prompted many deep theological discussions. We listened to this on our summer road trip with our 5 children (2,4,6,8,11) and dreaded having to turn it off when we needed to stop for a bathroom break. Looking forward to reading the book after this drama.

[sch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Next family audiobook.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good especially for a stand alone book! I usually only like books out of a series.George MacDonald

[Brittney Condren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story completely captivated my imagination from the prologue to the epilogue. Having read books from C.S Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, I can definitely appreciate the influence this author had on his work. Warning! This story will leave an ache in your heart for the land at the back of the north wind.

[Jeremiah Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love George MacDonald's classic stories, and I wish more were done as audio dramas! "The Princess and the Goblin" would be an obvious selection (incidentally, the best version I've heard of this is on LibriVox, read by Andy Minter). But I digress.

I confess I've never read "At the Back of the North Wind", but if the audio drama was faithful to the written version then I'm sure I'd like it. I love MacDonald's writing style, often too lengthy, too detailed, and too slow for modern readers. It can be laborious, yes, but works by writers such as MacDonald are almost always worth it. In this story, the character of Diamond is at once familiar and a mystery at the same time. The story wavers from reality to fairy tale, from wakefulness to dream, or at least that was the impression I got. It was not clear when things were real or dreamt, and I found that to be an interesting mechanism MacDonald employed to help draw the reader [listener] into Diamond's story.

The end was a surprise to me, but I'm not one to guess endings ahead of time; I like to walk the path laid by the author when I can.

I also have a soft spot for sadness in tales; I happen to think fictional sadness can be very good for people (and not just children) to learn empathy. In our fast-paced, self-centered, demanding culture, I think we are too often looking for something to make us happy, or to entertain us, or to pass the time. MacDonald, though, has other plans for us in this one.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

With all the feel of a classic bedtime story, I can see why "At the Back of the North Wind" is a childhood favorite of many. This radio theatre adaptation retains the charm and wonder of the original, in my opinion. It was a tender story of innocence surviving in the midst of struggle. Our main character, an insightful boy named Diamond, learns to see beyond the surface to what is good even if it is not attractive or beautiful. There is wisdom in what he sees and powerful symbolism in the way he learns his lessons from North Wind. Perhaps there was too much abridged in this version, but I ranked it only 3 stars since it seemed to be over far too quickly and was a bit too predictable. Then again, since it was one of the earliest stories to attempt this kind of fantasy adventure, perhaps I am judging it a bit unfairly. All in all, it's a story of meaning and a true classic in every sense of the word.

[Elizabeth Mayberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't recall ever reading this book, so this first read along with my kids was enchanting, engaging , and captivating. The way George MacDonald weaves fantasy and reality together to tell a story is truly magical. The story itself is very Dickensian - with a spotlight on the working class struggles in 1800s England. We see Diamond, a young boy who is the son of a poor cab driver, live the life he has been given well - loving others, caring for those around him, trusting, protecting, and resting in the North Wind. The way MacDonald uses conversations between The North Wind and Diamond to answer some of life's hardest questions is truly beautiful. I teared up at the end but also had such a peace in my heart. There is a reason this is a classic and inspired so many other classics!

PS: This is another Focus on the Family Radio Theatre dramatization we picked up at the library for the car to listen to. It was amazingly done! I purchased the book to read again soon.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been listening only to classics for a while and think it is time to return to the current day. I understand the time period in which this book was written, and do think it is not only well-done from a performance perspective, but also beautifully written. It's just a little creepy for me because the reason we purchased this item is because a woman came in shortly after her father passed away looking for an audio version of this title. Her father used to read it to her when she was young, and she just wanted to have someone read to her the story again. All sounds lovely, until I actually listened to it and realized that the back of the north wind is heaven and that the little boy in the story dies. I don't know if that is the type of story I would read to a young child. But that's just me.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story (like MacDonald himself) was apparently very influential to numerous writers like Lewis, Tolkein, and even Mark Twain. Perhaps later works have changed tastes so that it holds less interest to modern readers. Personally, I found it a little hard to get into--not nearly as enjoyable or interesting as The Princess and the Goblin. I did find myself thinking a lot about the story and about life afterward, which I suppose is a good sign. This audio recording was a dramatized version; for the most part it seems to have been done well, although the breathy voice of the North Wind got a little old after a while. Yeah, I get it, the wind should have a windy voice. But it was annoying anyway.

[Hannah Lofthus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adore these radio theaters...I've loved every single one I've heard. This one was good - wonderful voices, music, and sound-effects. HOWEVER - the story kinda confused me, I feel like I was completely missing something. I know it's allegorical, but I just couldn't piece together what the hidden meaning was. Maybe if I read the actual book I'd understand it better...

[Mary Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have recently discovered George McDonald and I’m enjoying listening to many of his classics for the first time. This is a sweet story with deep roots. (My only criticism of this version was that the Northwind’s voice sounded like the white witch from the Narnia movies and it made it hard to trust her, lol.)

This is a beautiful telling of a sad story.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This allegory did not work for me as much as others, but it was still worth my time

[Rachel L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those stories where you feel like there's more to it than you realize at first. I'll look forward to reading the book and re-listening to the audio drama, now that I know who North Wind is.

[Wanda Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't think I was ever going to finish this book. I got it for our library because the review said C. S. Lewis was inspired by it. I'm still thinking that one over.

[Suzzy Jims · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found it confusing,disjointed, and it had a a really bad ending!!!! But keep in fact I was 12 when I read this book

[Hedzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Radio theatre adaptation by Focus on the Family, and it was excellent 🌟

[Despond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audio dramatized is the best. There is no audio out there of At the Back of the Northwind. Obviously, it is an abreviation but follows the book faithfully. I love it!