From the Bookshelf of The Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club…

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)

C.S. Lewis

Start date: June 1, 2018

Finish date: July 31, 2018

Why we're reading this: This book received the most votes in the poll for books on our DESCRIPTION shelf.
[close] This book received the most votes in the poll for books on our DESCRIPTION shelf.

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Aug 03, 2012 Toi Thomas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, rated, fantasy, classics, children-teen, spiritual

This was a book club re-read for me, and though this wasn’t my first choice out of the available options, I was excited to read it. I was a bit worried that re-reading a childhood favorite wouldn’t bode well for my love of the story the way it was for some of my other re-reads, but this story held up.

I don’t think it’s necessary to recount the description of this story but I will say a little about the series. I feel bad that even now, after all these years, I’ve never read the whole Chronicles This was a book club re-read for me, and though this wasn’t my first choice out of the available options, I was excited to read it. I was a bit worried that re-reading a childhood favorite wouldn’t bode well for my love of the story the way it was for some of my other re-reads, but this story held up.

I don’t think it’s necessary to recount the description of this story but I will say a little about the series. I feel bad that even now, after all these years, I’ve never read the whole Chronicles of Narnia series and I was shocked to discover that with the chronology of the books taken into consideration, this book is actually the second in the series.

When re-reading this book, my enjoyment of the story greatly hinged on three factors.
1) I had to keep in mind that this story is written for children. Expecting it to have a certain level of sophistication would have killed the wonderful whimsy that abounds on the pages.
2) I had to consider the times, appreciate history, and be grateful for changes and advancements. This is not a means to make excuses for an outdated story; no this is a means to embrace the time and world in which the story takes place.
3) I had to take into consideration that there may be ideals or philosophies present in the story that I may not wholeheartedly agree with. Again, this is not a means for justifying or making excuses for ideas I don’t agree with. This is more of me recognizing that the ideas are there, but they don’t come off as preachy or absolute. Many of the ideas in this story are in line with my personal beliefs, but not all of them. I like that many of the higher concepts of the story are vague enough for the reader to perceive or interpret them in a way that best suits them.

The most important thing that stands out about this re-reading experience, is that this story is a lot of fun. The magic, adventure, and whimsy of this story still holds up, after all these years. I could totally see myself recommending this story to a young reader and believe they would enjoy it.

Highly recommended to readers, young and old, of positive fantasy fiction. ...more

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