The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis -Restarting January 18th 2019

[Sarah Elizabeth]

When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy took their first steps into the world behind the magic wardrobe, little do they realise what adventures are about to unfold. And as the story of Narnia begins to unfold, so to does a classic tale that has enchanted readers of all ages for over half a century.

[Melanie]

I'm here!

[Irene]

Me too :)
I'll probably start it tomorrow or later tonight, but will go at a slow-ish pace :)

[Victoria]

I'm reading 3 books at the moment anyway (or I will be by tonight) so I won't start yet :)

[Irene]

Have you all seen the film? :)

[Melanie]

I saw the movie.

[Irene]

Chapter 4:
(view spoiler)[The White Witch is so mean and manipulative! I don't like her, not at all. The scene where Mr. Tumnus cried was hilarious.
Luking it much more than I thought I would. Maybe I'll go ahead and just finish it later, I don't know.. :) (hide spoiler)]

[Irene]

Chapter 9
(view spoiler)[I feel sorry for Edward. I mean, he's bewitched after all.
I'm interested to see where they'll go from the beaver family's house :) (hide spoiler)]

[Victoria]

I've seen the movies too. I actually read this series ages ago, but I can barely remember them :)

[Irene]

Chapter 13:
(view spoiler)[Ireally like the humour in this book, I find it quite funny. The way Aslan scared off the witch was so cool!
I'm also surprised how alike the film and novel is :) (hide spoiler)]

[Irene]

I finished it :
(view spoiler)[I like how the magic turned back on the witch, sort of like "do to others what you want to be done to you in return"-ish.
Also, once a King/Queen of Narnia, always a King/Queen. (hide spoiler)]

[Victoria]

I was going to do updates as I read, like I always do. Then I ended up at a train station for 40 minutes, plus a 20 minute train ride there and back, so I ended up finishing it without getting wifi at all... I'll go through and read all your thoughts, don't worry :)
(view spoiler)[ For me, this was a pretty average book. It was all tell not show. We were thrown into the story knowing nothing. And that's seriously one of the worst endings ever! I want my battle scenes described, thank you very much. Aslan's death was described better. Even though, annoyingly, they looked away for the actual killing. It's the details that make a book real to me, and this was lacking in them (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley W]

Finally starting this one.
6%
They found the wardrobe rather quickly for my taste. I like a little build up to it. Otherwise, I feel like the story is being dumped on me.

[Irene]

I think it's important to remember it's a kids book :) I think it's aimed a kids aged 6-8 or so..

[Ashley W]

Irene wrote: "I think it's important to remember it's a kids book :) I think it's aimed a kids aged 6-8 or so.."

I'm actually reading this one to my kids as their bedtime story. :)

[Irene]

Ashley wrote: "Irene wrote: "I think it's important to remember it's a kids book :) I think it's aimed a kids aged 6-8 or so.."

I'm actually reading this one to my kids as their bedtime story. :)"

That's nice! :) How old are they? I kind of regret not reading this book as a kid :/

[Melanie]

I'm starting it right now. :)

[Victoria]

@Ashley, I completely agree, it's too fast paced! Yes, it's for kids, but older kids (like me) are still meant to enjoy it. I still love the movies!

[Irene]

Victoria wrote: "@Ashley, I completely agree, it's too fast paced! Yes, it's for kids, but older kids (like me) are still meant to enjoy it. I still love the movies!"

I think I disagree. I mean, yeah, a lot of older people do enjoy it, but I don't think it's necessary for a children's book. For instance, I'm sometimes reviewing childrens books for publishers - books that I don't really enjoy, but that I know would be perfect for little kids :) I don't really care for a story about a shy girl who's learning how to overcome her shyness and say hi to people, but kids might. I think you have to see the story for what it is. Does that make sense? :)

[Victoria]

I do agree with you, sometimes you have to accept an odd plot. I've been reading a few Roald Dahl books, and they're perfect for kids :) With this, I love the world, and I'm okay with a bit of bad writing, because telling instead of showing is easier for kids. It's just frustrating that there's no introduction to their world first. Whereas in the movie, we get just enough to not be bored by it :)

[Irene]

Victoria wrote: "I do agree with you, sometimes you have to accept an odd plot. I've been reading a few Roald Dahl books, and they're perfect for kids :) With this, I love the world, and I'm okay with a bit of bad ..."

I'm glad it made sense! :)
I find it really hard reviewing kids lit. Do I rate it from my point of view or from the kid it was written for?

I might be wrong here, but in the movie (view spoiler)[we get to see the kids leaving their parents and arriving at the train station (hide spoiler)], right? I missed that in the book, but I'm not sure if it ever happened or not :P

[Ashley W]

Irene they're eight.

I don't know that it's the pace do much as I didn't feel like I really knew the characters. Whether children or YA or adult literature, I like to know the characters before something extraordinary happens to them. Fire me that's a huge part of the character development. How did it change them as people? Dies that make sense?

[Victoria]

@Irene, exactly! They explained that part more in the movie, which is what I assumed happened in the book. That's why I got annoyed, because the movie was actually better for once
@Ashley, I agree. I need to know the people to care about what happens to them

[Melanie]

I'm on chapter six

(view spoiler)[
I'm liking this book. It seems a lot like the movie, though I liked the movie more (so far). Edmund annoyed me when he was so mean to Lucy, but I loved how the Professor had her back and said to believe her until her story was proven false. (hide spoiler)]

[Melanie]

I'm done

(view spoiler)[I really enjoyed this book. For a children's novel it was great. I get what some of you said about the story moving too quickly, but I think that was to let the book have a lot of content in a short amount of pages. It didn't bother me. :) (hide spoiler)]

[Reading Rediscovered]

Loving it! Mr. Tumnus is such a fun character and Lucy is so curious. Definitely a good choice for my classroom upcoming novel study!

[Reading Rediscovered]

page 68 (view spoiler)[ I don't like Edmund because he's keeping secrets and making fun of Lucy. The White Witch doesn't seem so bad because we've only seen her once and she was trying to be good so Edmund would come back with his siblings.
I am sad Mr. Tumnus' house is ruined and he was taken by the witch...now she seems worse. (hide spoiler)]

[Reading Rediscovered]

Chapter 9 (view spoiler)[ Ugh! Edmund is being so nasty to his siblings but he doesn't even realize it! He's so caught up in the web of nasty of the White Witch & now she's going to try to stop Aslan! And Maugrim...seemed kind of tame compared to the movie...oh well. (hide spoiler)]

[Reading Rediscovered]

Chapter 11 (view spoiler)[ Spring is here! And the Witch is terrible! I want to meet Aslan already! (hide spoiler)]

[Reading Rediscovered]

Chapter 13 (view spoiler)[ Aslan's roar scared away the Witch!! Woohoo! (hide spoiler)]

[Reading Rediscovered]

Chapter 14 (view spoiler)[ I can easily see the connection between the slaying of Aslan and the crucifixion of Christ in this chapter. It has a big impact on the girls & when he comes back (because I know he does from the movie), it will be so good! (hide spoiler)]

[Melanie]

I'm about to start The Magician's Nephew.

[Melanie]

Chapter 7

(view spoiler)[An interesting read. I'm curious about when they will actually get to Narnia. I like how the Witch doesn't have any powers outside of her world. (hide spoiler)]

[Melanie]

Finished

(view spoiler)[So interesting to see how Narnia began! I loved the scene where Aslan created everything -- it was really neat to read! I also guessed that Digory as going to use the wood from the tree to build the wardrobe which brought Lucy to Narnia in book one! Such a fun read! :D (hide spoiler)]

[Reading Rediscovered]

Magician's Nephew
Ch 1(view spoiler)[You always know when someone just appears out of nowhere that they're really up to no good! (hide spoiler)]
Ch 2(view spoiler)[Andrew is afraid and mean and manipulative. Digory is just the opposite - sweet, caring and sensible! (hide spoiler)]
Ch 3(view spoiler)[CS Lewis has a funny way of writing things sometimes "The quarrel lasted for several minutes but it would be dull to write it all down. Let us skip on to the moment..." (hide spoiler)]
Ch 5(view spoiler)[Ugh Jadis is so deplorable! (hide spoiler)]
Ch 8(view spoiler)[Uncle Andrew & Empress Jadis have evil plans so it's no wonder they don't like Narnia where Aslan is! (hide spoiler)]
Ch 9 (halfway)(view spoiler)[And there's the lamp post for book 2! (hide spoiler)]
Ch 10(view spoiler)[Serves Uncle Andrew right for not trusting children & not being open to new and interesting ideas - all he hears are animal noises (hide spoiler)]
Ch 11(view spoiler)[Had a really good chuckle over the planting of Uncle Andrew (hide spoiler)]
Ch 13(view spoiler)[Digory did very well with the witch's temptation - I'm glad he didn't give in! (hide spoiler)]

[Noella]

@Jessica
Chap 3
(view spoiler)[Haha The narrator is funny. It's a bit strange how he mentions Diggory becomes Prof. Kirke in the other books. Shouldn't it be a surprise to come by that realisation when we read the other books? (hide spoiler)]

[Noella]

Chapter 6
(view spoiler)[Oh no, the witch has entered this world! (hide spoiler)]

[Noella]

Chapter 10
(view spoiler)[This was an enjoyable chapter with Strawberry the Horse and the Cabby having a chat like nothing happened XD (hide spoiler)]

[Noella]

Melanie wrote: "Finished

[spoilers removed]"
I loved the ending ! (view spoiler)[I found it a bit funny how the cabby and his wife were crowned king and queen of Narnia. It was so random XD
I also like how the wood of the tree was used to make the wardrobe which Lucy and the others enter! (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date Changed. Restarting November 12th 2015. Happy Reading ☺

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[Drishti]

Hi! I'm in for this buddy read.

But, I have a confusion. I had thought to start this series a month ago. A little research on Google revealed that some readers preferred to read the series in publishing order. So, they started with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. But, it is recommended to start with The Magician's Nephew. So, from where do you guys plan to start?

I would appreciate a fast answer as I need to order the right book. So, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or The Magician's Nephew?

[Noella]

The Magician's Nephew is the first in terms of chronological order. I've read both MN and LWW and I think you can start with either really. Just think of Magician's Nephew as a prequel (because the main characters in here don't appear in the subsequent books but they started the first adventure into Narnia)

[Eesh]

I started from Lion, Witch and Wardrope because it was released first.
C.S. Lewis was in the process of editing the books so they could be read in Chronological order when he died. So publishing order is preferred.

[Drishti]

OK, then. I'll order The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

[Drishti]

I'm on chapter-11. The chapters are short and the writing is really easy to read. Despite this being a children's book, I'm surprised I'm enjoying it so far. But, I had to work hard to keep the logical-thinking side of my brain out of the book. (view spoiler)[The Professor is a really interesting character. And, Edmund is seriously flawed for a kid. (hide spoiler)] But, there's one thing. I liked the movie better than the book (at least as much I've read till now).

[[deleted user]]

I will be starting soon.

[Drishti]

Great!

I'm visiting my relatives today and have a book to catch up on. So, there won't be any time to read this. This'll give you a chance to catch up.

I think I forgot to mention my thougts about something from chapter-10. (view spoiler)[Father Christmas says that Lucy and Susan can't fight in the battle because they're girls. Isn't that a bit mysogynist? (Or did I interpret wrong?) (hide spoiler)]

[Connie]

I'm starting with the Magician's Nephew, it was always the one I started with as a kid, I grew up with this being one of my favourite series ^.^

[Connie]

Chapter 4 of MN: (view spoiler)[ I remember always hating Uncle Andrew in these books! But the idea of Narnia always intrigued me, I think it helped that CS Lewis was from my city. (hide spoiler)]

[Connie]

Chapter 7 of MN: (view spoiler)[ I love when Jadis calls Andrew a dog, as a kid, it cracked me up for some reason.

I have so much nostalgia... (hide spoiler)]