nickibuzzbuzz's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
tsilverman's review
3.0
Left this on my currently reading shelf for a while after I finished because I have such a love/hate relationship with this series.
Like many others, I'm sure, I had The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe read to me, and then read it on my own many times as a kid. I read the rest of the series as well, though not nearly as frequently. Magician's Nephew was read almost as much as TLTWATW, and it's still my favorite.
But reading them now as an adult, despite all the nostalgia, it's really hard to separate the stories from all the sexism, racism, anti-Muslim wording, and White Savior complexes. Yes, it was a different time when it was written, but reading it now, it makes the stories hard to stomach. Most of the stories stand up pretty well if you don't think of the "theology" behind them too much and just try to take them as kids books. That's hard to do though. However, I do still very much want to hug a lion.
Please forgive any spelling errors, as this last time I listened to the books, and don't feel like bothering to check the books for proper spelling of characters or places.
Also, I listened to them in the "chronological" order, rather than the published order.
The Magician's Nephew - definitely my favorite of the series. This is a prequel, really. It's the creation of Narnia (and the whole world in which Narnia lies) but it's also about the end of another world, Charn. The scenes in Charn, with its red, dying sun and statued royalty has always very much creeped me out, and yet this is one of the reasons why it's the best book out of the series. The Wood Between Worlds also tickles my fancy. Imagine how many other worlds there are, how many other pools Diggory and Polly could have jumped into. That would be a nice series... But I digress. Though not as problematic as other books in the series, there is definitely sexism here. Polly is treated like she can't do anything because she's a /girl/ and that's never properly resolved. Yet the Great Evil, Jadis, is powerful beyond measure. There isn't a good (by good I mean well-written, not good on q good vs evil scale) female character in the book. The cabbie's wife, Hellen, hardly counts as I think she might say one sentence.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - where it all began for me and many others. This is still an enjoyable, fanciful story, though not without problems. I still think Edmund really got the short end of the stick here. Yes, he was mean and awful to Lucy in the beginning. But here's the thing. He and Lucy did the same thing on their first journey to Narnia: they both went off with a complete stranger and ate food provided to them by said stranger. That's a very foolish thing to do. Edmund had the unfortunate luck of eating ~enchanted~ food, that led him to selling out his family. Had that Turkish delight not have been enchanted to make him do anything for more, I bet he wouldn't have sold out his family. Poor chap. There was also the usual sexism in the book. Mrs. Beaver with her gender roles, Father Christmas with his rather lackluster gifts to Susan and Lucy, Susan having to be saved from a wolf by Peter. It wasn't the worst, but I did roll my eyes a few times.
The Horse and His Boy - honestly this was not the best story on its own. But then add in the anti-Muslim attitude, or perhaps just maybe Middle Eastern? The story of a lost Archenland prince, made to be no better than a slave to a Calormen fisherman just doesn't sit well at all. There were so many mentions of skin being greasy and dark, and just the way the whole country was structured with the Tisroc (may he live forever) was horrible. It was clearly meant to represent a Middle Eastern country and there was nothing at all positive about it. There wasn't anything positive about this book, either. Even the talking horses weren't charming enough to save it.
Prince Caspian - this book never leaves much of an impression on me. I don't think it was particularly problematic, but it also wasn't really noteworthy. I also watched the Disney version of it soon after I read it, and though I realize there are very big differences, I can't remember which is which, so I'll leave off on commenting on this one too much.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - another favorite of mine. I like the ideas if books set in a fantasy world, then taking that world to its absolute limits. Kind of like with visiting Charn, when they got to the end where the lillies were floating, it creeped me out a bit - but I like that. I also adore the dufflepuds and their wonderful ideas such as washing the dishes before you eat, so you don't have to dishes later. I'm still a little bothered by what is basically Reepicheep's suicide. When they reached the end, they were at Aslan's country which is basically heaven. So. That's weird. But also very...evangelical. I was relieved when Caspian was convinced not to do the same thing and return to his kingdom instead. Edmund and Lucy got sort of a bad send off though. It was their last time in Narnia and it didn't really seem like they got to say good bye. It was very sudden. Also wasn't really a fan of Lucy's insecurity issues because of her beautiful sister...but that will only get worse. As far as Susan is concerned anyway. Might have been better if Lewis didn't try writing girls.
The Silver Chair - I don't think I read this more than once in childhood because I only remembered the very beginning when reading this. This one seems unremarkable, like Prince Caspian. I do remember being frustrated at how long it took them all to figure out that the beautiful woman in the green dress and the green serpent and the witch were all one. I know they're children, but they weren't supposed to be /stupid/ children. I also recall there was some fat phobia in this with the giantess. It was definitely a case of she was fat because she was evil, and she was evil because she was fat. I'm glad the earthmen were able to go back home.
The Last Battle - I didn't remember this one at all, and I'm glad. I really didn't like this one. Once again, we've got the Calormen people in here and numerous referneces to greasy brown skin. And I know the point of having Shift dress poor Puzzle up as Aslan was to teach people to "beware of false prophets" or whatever. But doesn't the way that citizens of Narnia reacted to that (selling fellow Narnians into slavery, working for the enemy, etc) kind of prove that you shouldn't take religion so seriously? The things they did were wrong, and they knew it, but they were just following what they thought were Aslan's orders. I think this shows the folly of religion, more than people in this case. Also the story, separated from the theology of it all, is really...weird? And bad? Basically, Aslan's favorites are losing a battle. And instead of helping them (or just letting them lose and dealing with the consequences) he decides to let EVERYONE die and destroy the entire world. His faves get to come to heaven. Isn't that fantastic? No. It's weird. It's just not a good way to end a story. And then we have the theological implications. This is obviously the "end times" that some evangelicals get so excited about. Again, this feels like glorfying suicide to get to Aslan's country/heaven. Or if not suicide, then certainly not trying to preserve your life. It's just weird and it makes me uncomfortable, like when Reepicheep left. And then there's Susan. I know a lot has been written about her. I'm especially thinking of Neil Gaiman's short story, "The Problem of Susan." She didn't get to come to the new Narnia because she liked lipsticks and nylons. Like. What?! Eustace literally killed someone (though since he was a greasy Calormen, that probably doesn't count in the author's eyes
Like many others, I'm sure, I had The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe read to me, and then read it on my own many times as a kid. I read the rest of the series as well, though not nearly as frequently. Magician's Nephew was read almost as much as TLTWATW, and it's still my favorite.
But reading them now as an adult, despite all the nostalgia, it's really hard to separate the stories from all the sexism, racism, anti-Muslim wording, and White Savior complexes. Yes, it was a different time when it was written, but reading it now, it makes the stories hard to stomach. Most of the stories stand up pretty well if you don't think of the "theology" behind them too much and just try to take them as kids books. That's hard to do though. However, I do still very much want to hug a lion.
Please forgive any spelling errors, as this last time I listened to the books, and don't feel like bothering to check the books for proper spelling of characters or places.
Also, I listened to them in the "chronological" order, rather than the published order.
The Magician's Nephew - definitely my favorite of the series. This is a prequel, really. It's the creation of Narnia (and the whole world in which Narnia lies) but it's also about the end of another world, Charn. The scenes in Charn, with its red, dying sun and statued royalty has always very much creeped me out, and yet this is one of the reasons why it's the best book out of the series. The Wood Between Worlds also tickles my fancy. Imagine how many other worlds there are, how many other pools Diggory and Polly could have jumped into. That would be a nice series... But I digress. Though not as problematic as other books in the series, there is definitely sexism here. Polly is treated like she can't do anything because she's a /girl/ and that's never properly resolved. Yet the Great Evil, Jadis, is powerful beyond measure. There isn't a good (by good I mean well-written, not good on q good vs evil scale) female character in the book. The cabbie's wife, Hellen, hardly counts as I think she might say one sentence.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - where it all began for me and many others. This is still an enjoyable, fanciful story, though not without problems. I still think Edmund really got the short end of the stick here. Yes, he was mean and awful to Lucy in the beginning. But here's the thing. He and Lucy did the same thing on their first journey to Narnia: they both went off with a complete stranger and ate food provided to them by said stranger. That's a very foolish thing to do. Edmund had the unfortunate luck of eating ~enchanted~ food, that led him to selling out his family. Had that Turkish delight not have been enchanted to make him do anything for more, I bet he wouldn't have sold out his family. Poor chap. There was also the usual sexism in the book. Mrs. Beaver with her gender roles, Father Christmas with his rather lackluster gifts to Susan and Lucy, Susan having to be saved from a wolf by Peter. It wasn't the worst, but I did roll my eyes a few times.
The Horse and His Boy - honestly this was not the best story on its own. But then add in the anti-Muslim attitude, or perhaps just maybe Middle Eastern? The story of a lost Archenland prince, made to be no better than a slave to a Calormen fisherman just doesn't sit well at all. There were so many mentions of skin being greasy and dark, and just the way the whole country was structured with the Tisroc (may he live forever) was horrible. It was clearly meant to represent a Middle Eastern country and there was nothing at all positive about it. There wasn't anything positive about this book, either. Even the talking horses weren't charming enough to save it.
Prince Caspian - this book never leaves much of an impression on me. I don't think it was particularly problematic, but it also wasn't really noteworthy. I also watched the Disney version of it soon after I read it, and though I realize there are very big differences, I can't remember which is which, so I'll leave off on commenting on this one too much.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - another favorite of mine. I like the ideas if books set in a fantasy world, then taking that world to its absolute limits. Kind of like with visiting Charn, when they got to the end where the lillies were floating, it creeped me out a bit - but I like that. I also adore the dufflepuds and their wonderful ideas such as washing the dishes before you eat, so you don't have to dishes later. I'm still a little bothered by what is basically Reepicheep's suicide. When they reached the end, they were at Aslan's country which is basically heaven. So. That's weird. But also very...evangelical. I was relieved when Caspian was convinced not to do the same thing and return to his kingdom instead. Edmund and Lucy got sort of a bad send off though. It was their last time in Narnia and it didn't really seem like they got to say good bye. It was very sudden. Also wasn't really a fan of Lucy's insecurity issues because of her beautiful sister...but that will only get worse. As far as Susan is concerned anyway. Might have been better if Lewis didn't try writing girls.
The Silver Chair - I don't think I read this more than once in childhood because I only remembered the very beginning when reading this. This one seems unremarkable, like Prince Caspian. I do remember being frustrated at how long it took them all to figure out that the beautiful woman in the green dress and the green serpent and the witch were all one. I know they're children, but they weren't supposed to be /stupid/ children. I also recall there was some fat phobia in this with the giantess. It was definitely a case of she was fat because she was evil, and she was evil because she was fat. I'm glad the earthmen were able to go back home.
The Last Battle - I didn't remember this one at all, and I'm glad. I really didn't like this one. Once again, we've got the Calormen people in here and numerous referneces to greasy brown skin. And I know the point of having Shift dress poor Puzzle up as Aslan was to teach people to "beware of false prophets" or whatever. But doesn't the way that citizens of Narnia reacted to that (selling fellow Narnians into slavery, working for the enemy, etc) kind of prove that you shouldn't take religion so seriously? The things they did were wrong, and they knew it, but they were just following what they thought were Aslan's orders. I think this shows the folly of religion, more than people in this case. Also the story, separated from the theology of it all, is really...weird? And bad? Basically, Aslan's favorites are losing a battle. And instead of helping them (or just letting them lose and dealing with the consequences) he decides to let EVERYONE die and destroy the entire world. His faves get to come to heaven. Isn't that fantastic? No. It's weird. It's just not a good way to end a story. And then we have the theological implications. This is obviously the "end times" that some evangelicals get so excited about. Again, this feels like glorfying suicide to get to Aslan's country/heaven. Or if not suicide, then certainly not trying to preserve your life. It's just weird and it makes me uncomfortable, like when Reepicheep left. And then there's Susan. I know a lot has been written about her. I'm especially thinking of Neil Gaiman's short story, "The Problem of Susan." She didn't get to come to the new Narnia because she liked lipsticks and nylons. Like. What?! Eustace literally killed someone (though since he was a greasy Calormen, that probably doesn't count in the author's eyes
hyzie's review
4.0
I love these books.
There's something so comforting about a re-read, especially in the winter when you're all snuggled up and you have to look up, once again, what turkish delight is.
My favorites are the first (which is The Magician's Nephew and yes, I will die on that hill) and the last; there's something very lovely about seeing the start and end of the magical land that I always find so very charming. Reading them in order and watching time pass is interesting; I'm not sure I can think of another series that has such a clear chronology over such a long time period and yet contains the same characters?
I'm glad I jumped for the audiobook version for this re-read, too--the little musical riffs played between chapters were cute and the narration was excellent.
There's something so comforting about a re-read, especially in the winter when you're all snuggled up and you have to look up, once again, what turkish delight is.
My favorites are the first (which is The Magician's Nephew and yes, I will die on that hill) and the last; there's something very lovely about seeing the start and end of the magical land that I always find so very charming. Reading them in order and watching time pass is interesting; I'm not sure I can think of another series that has such a clear chronology over such a long time period and yet contains the same characters?
I'm glad I jumped for the audiobook version for this re-read, too--the little musical riffs played between chapters were cute and the narration was excellent.
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