Reviews

At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald

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paracosm's review against another edition

1.0

This is one worst books books Ive ever read, not only because of how bad it is but because it makes me angry just to think about it. The only reason I read it was because the edition I got is super pretty and I regret it so much. This book is absolutely horrible. Diamond is one of the most annoying characters that I’ve ever encountered. During the first half of the book he cries about every single thing, literally. He cried about leaves falling, the wind blowing, not being able to get on a horse. At some point he even tripped over and cried himself to sleep while still on the floor.

During the second half of the book he turns into a textbook Mary Sue. The book has no plot, it’s just a series of scenes in which Diamond meets people and every single one of them realize how wonderful he is. People go on rants about how Diamond is an actual angel that God has sent to Earth to bring joy and fight sadness and how he is the only person that can truly differentiate between right and wrong. I’m not joking, that’s exactly what people say about him. Diamond is absolutely perfect in the eyes of everyone that comes across him and has never done a single wrong thing in his entire life. I don’t understand how the author was taking seriously as a writer after this.

That brief description Goodreads gives is a lie. That motherfucker is only at that weird country for a chapter before coming back as a Mary Sue. And at the end the North Wind just kills Diamond. She shows up one night, asks him if he wants to come with her, he says yes and wakes up dead. That was a weird ending, but it was actually the best part of the book.

emilyusuallyreading's review against another edition

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4.0

I read this book for my Children's Literature class at university. I didn't realize that George MacDonald's writings were a big inspiration to C.S. Lewis. There is so much symbolism and allegory in this novel, and it left me thinking about Death and bad things working for good purposes in ways I never had before.

evedelvac's review against another edition

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2.75

I don't get it. I am not looking forwards to reading the next book for this class. Ugh - Shakespeare was easier and more enjoyable

fayesreads_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

I didn’t particularly care for the writing style, but it’s a simultaneously wholesome and dark story. It has whimsical and fantastical qualities and handled the concept of death in a nice way

misstessamaye's review against another edition

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3.0

Classic sweetness of a MacDonald story, with joy & somber tone living together.

tempestades_y_belleza's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

rainbowrachel's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I can't particularly say that I enjoyed this, but I do find myself glad that I read it.

It reads as if C.S. Lewis attempted to write a mashup of Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens: part whimsical adventure, part working-class Victorian life, all Christian allegory.

Content Warnings