Name: Matthew Jackson's review of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Item: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Rating: 2
Author: Matthew Jackson

C.S. Lewis

When this adaptation of C. S. Lewis's classic children's story opened at the RSC Stratford in November 1998, it received rave reviews and broke box office records. Four children are evacuated from London during the Blitz. While exploring the Professor's house, they stumble across the gateway to another world, and the adventure begins. The land of Narnia is under the spell of the wicked White Witch, and the four very quickly find themselves caught up in a deadly struggle between good and evil.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

jana 

“But do you really mean, sir,” said Peter, “that there could be other worlds—all over the place, just round the corner—like that?”

C. S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: A Harper Classic (Chronicles of Narnia)

Sarin Booi

"Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen."

"Why, sir?" said Lucy. "I think-I don't Why. and a - and C as a ick it. know-but I think I could be brave enough. "That is not the point," he said. "But battles a ugly when women fight."

Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring agan.

"I am sure nobody would mind," said Susan; "it isn't as if we wanted to take them out of the house; we shan't take them even out of the wardrobe."

Daughter of Eve from the far land of Spare Oom where eternal summer reigns around the bright city of War Drobe, how would it be if you came and had tea with me?"

Avarni B

He knows that unless I have blood as the Law says all Narnia will be overturned and perish in fire and water

Edmund simply sank down and lay on his face doing nothing at all and not even caring what was going to happen next provided they would let him lie still.

When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone Sits at Cair Paravel in throne, The evil time will be over and done.

Matthew Jackson

Sara Uribe

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, are four siblings that get sent away from the turmoil of the attacks on Britain in the Second World War. In the caretakers’ house they discover Narnia in the wardrobe. A world covered in snow and fear by an evil Queen - The White Witch. With the help of Aslan The Great, and all who are on the side of good, battle The White Witch to get their Kingdom back to the way it used to be.

This is my second time reading The Chronicles of Narnia series. Back in January I read The Magician's Nephew which I loved. Reading this was another great experience. Since I saw the movie (multiple times) before I read the book, it's very hard not for me to compare the two. Before reading I knew what what going to happen and I expecting to be somewhat bored while reading, but that was not the case. I know that books that become movies are going to be different, mainly because the little time that movies have to tell their stories. But wow the main difference I noticed was how much the movie assumed I already knew. The movie skirted around so many things that the book went into detail about which was great for me to finally understand what things actually meant. 

Reading books like this give me pure joy. While reading it feels like my heart might burst of happiness. Fantasy and fairy tales resonate with me. I often forget how much I need to read these sort of books, they let me feel like a kid again. I get to use my imagination to create what I think this world looks like in my head and this book is PERFECT for that. The book is very easy to follow along and since i read this in right in the middle of winter, it felt like the perfect time of year to read. 

Unforgettable read. If I have kids one day, this is going to be something that we read together. 
Most definitely a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star read.

Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil -- what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in 1949 by Clive Staples Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia. For the past fifty years, The Chronicles of Narnia have transcended the fantasy genre to become part of the canon of classic literature. Each of the seven books is a masterpiece, drawing the reader into a land where magic meets reality, and the result is a fictional world whose scope has fascinated generations. This edition presents all seven books -- unabridged -- in one impressive volume. The books are presented here according to Lewis' preferred order, each chapter graced with an illustration by the original artist, Pauline Baynes. Deceptively simple and direct, The Chronicles of Narnia continue to captivate fans with adventures, characters, and truths that speak to readers of all ages, even fifty years after they were first published.

The Chronicles of Narnia (adult)

I have read all of the books except i never finished reading The silver chair. I love these books. They're just so magical. They're kinda like fairy tales and that's what i love about them. When reading these books it feels like im a little kid again. My favorites are "The Lion, The witch and The Wardrobe" and "The Magician's Nephew". I  never enjoyed reading but the narnia books were the first ones that really got me more interested about reading.

Aaro Virta

Charlsy Sekyere

I fell in love with reading after reading this book. It made me what I am today: a lover of books and an avid reader. One of the first books I vividly remember enjoying and loving as a child. 

As a child in Year 5 (I live in London) around the age of 10 or 11, my class discussed this book together every opportunity we got. In love with the book, I took it home without asking my teacher, as I was fed up with having to read it in class. I remember being annoyed by the pacing at which we were reading the book and that it was taking us the longest to finish it. 

The minute I got home, I finished the book. I treasure this book dearly. This book is something that I love, just as much as the movies. Just the nostalgia alone makes me give it a 5/5.

The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia)

Jonathan Tysick

Probably my 3rd favourite Narnia book (after LWW and HHB). Puddleglum is a hoot and Aslan remains the absolute best. Great story. I'm not sure this book aged well (you definitely pick up a lot of Lewis's traditional views on gender roles), but there are enough redeemable parts to keep it a classic.

Four children help Prince Caspian and his army of Talking Beasts to free Narnia from evil.

Prince Caspian

Narnia is a magical place that takes me back to my childhood, especially watching the BBC miniseries (however cringey it sometimes was looking back). While Prince Caspian is more violent than I remember, and not my favourite book in the series, this is still a really fun book. Reepicheep is hilarious.

A boy and a talking horse share an adventurous and dangerous journey to Narnia to warn of invading barbarians.

The Horse and His Boy

The most underrated Narnia book and one of my favourites! I love how Lewis packs such wisdom about life (and beautiful theological nuggets) in the midst of the story.

Deserves to be savoured by everyone, even if just once. Lewis weaves an enchanting and beautiful allegory. I love Lewis' writing style for children that is packed with so many subtle gems that I never understood until re-reading as an adult. Brought back many memories of watching the BBC TV Movie as a kid.

marie

самій захотілось заховатись від війни у великій магічній шафі

Michael Springer

2 stars, only because I can never remember what this one was about. And I've read it four or five times.

I am oh-so-very biased towards this book. I was fascinated by the BBC movie when I was just a tiny fellow, and at the time I read the book, it was the longest, least-picturey book I'd ever attempted! 

Then I got older and reread it, recognizing various faults and being distracted by the Christian undertones. I realized Peter's sudden wolf-killing skill with the sword is a bit unrealistic, and recognized the rest of the series was non-memorable and I couldn't find the interest to keep going after Prince Caspian.

And now, I'm sure the book would feel weak. False. Blandly reassuring, flat, black and white, overly simplistic even for a young audience. Is it religious propaganda? I think so. It's not like anyone in Lewis's audience is going to NOT get the parallels.

But I must give this book five stars, despite the fact that I would probably give it two if I read it for the first time now. Because I wanted a Narnia, and I wanted an Aslan, and Santa Clause for that matter. When I was young and walked the creek with Dave, going as far as we could into uncharted territory, hoping to find something secret, something special, something magical. I suppose this (along with the Greek myths) helped light a fire for fantasy in me, and that's a fire I nourish still.

Besides, after reading all seven books in this series, I was so, so proud of myself. I knew I could read anything. I had graduated from picture books. I. Was. A BIG BOY.

The Magician's Nephew (paper-over-board) (Narnia)

Colleen

5 Stars
 
*A charming beginning to one of the best-loved series ever written*
 

 I’ve read The Chronicles of Narnia more times than I can count. But I realized that I hadn’t reread them since I joined Goodreads – so over five years – which is by far the longest I’ve gone without revisiting them.

I won’t say much about this book or this series. You love them or you don’t. For many people, Narnia is the series that introduced them to the joy of reading. For me, they have been an ever-present part of my life. My family read this series so many times. My parents read them to me as a child, and I continued to read them on my own once I learned to read. And while I may not remember that first time, I remember their magical yet stalwart presence throughout my entire life. This is a series that will always be precious to me.

A note on series order: People get heated about the order in which this series should be read. The book set I have is in chronological order, so that is what I default too. That is also the order that the author himself wanted them in, so you’d think that would be the end of the matter, but no. There are some heavy supporters of the Publication Order. My childhood best friend had this series in publication order, and we had heated arguments about it (as heated as six-year-olds get anyway). That was the first book disagreement I ever engaged in, so that’s another first for me.

These books always remind me of the joy of reading. I love that that power has not dwindled no matter my age or how many times I read these books!


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 5 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 5 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 5 Stars
Originality: 5 Stars

I loved this book, I already loved the movie and reading this gave exactly the cozy and happy vibes I wanted, so glad I decided to read the books now

its_book_cute

Lynn

A generous 2 ⭐️. I am not even going to comment on all of the toxic views depicted as truths in this book aimed children. As an adult, I cannot put aside the blatant religious discrimination (possibly racism) and spiteful attitude towards education. Even for a book set in the desert for a large part, the storytelling was dry and the ending felt rushed and highlights unnecessary biases in society. Just a no from me. How this man was allowed to keep writing books in this series and people actually read these to their kids, is beyond me.

Pauline Baynes

Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

2 ⭐️ one for nature writing and one for childhood nostalgia. I thought I’d read a cozy christmassy read with some childhood nostalgia, but instead I got ultra-christian propoganda packaged as a children’s novel. This book perpetuates sexism, racism, classism and ableism all in the most subtle ways to imprint these ideologies on children. I felt vehemently uncomfortable reading some parts and am reluctant to pick up his next works. Props to the book club for analysing this book alongside me and validating me in my rage.

The one star is for Edmund’s unintended humour. I now vow to banish all CS Lewis books from my life. How this man was allowed to publish SEVEN children’s books in this series is beyond me. The blatant discrimination on all fronts from sexism to racism, the absolute void that was the plot, the irrelevance of the title character, the self promotion, the god complex, the undernotes of Aslan’s weird cult. Just a big fat no from me. Never again, stick to the movies. This entire series is enraging.

Gavin

Don't really understand the appeal. Famous Five plus the weaker bits of Lord of the Rings

Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.

The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe

Beatrix Haase

Love! Read this a long time ago. I still adore it still to this day. A wonderful story full of magic. I can't wait to read the other books.

xoxo,
Bebe

Gillian Rose

I think because I read these stories when I was in high school/college that I don't have the same amount of love for them. They're fine, but I always feel like I missed part of the magic.

Doing this reread gave me a bigger appreciation of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader than I had before, while I liked The Silver Chair less.

Sarah Pino

I mean.. it's the lion the witch and the wardrobe.

Arun Khanna

This was an enchanting reread. I absolutely loved the simplicity, Lewis's writing style, and just the basic plot of the book. Only C.S. Lewis could make such an obvious allegory so entertaining and fresh.

The Narnia Chronicles, first published in 1950, have been and remain some of the most enduringly popular ever published. The best known, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has been translated into 29 languages! The illustrations in this book have been coloured by the original artist, Pauline Baynes. ***Contains Colour Images**

The Silver Chair (Colour Version) (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 6)

I was not a huge fan of this one. I thought the characters were a little flat and the overall plot mediocre. However, I did enjoy Lewis' writing and some childhood nostalgia

This book tends to get a worse rap than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but in some ways, I liked it better. I really like the idea of a prince rebelling against the oppression caused by the current ruler. I really enjoyed the mixed depiction of dwarves, some of whom were willing to go back to the tyrannical rule of the White Witch simply because they felt that they would enjoy a higher status than equality which reminded me of poor rural whites supporting oppressive policies against black people after the civil war.

There were some aspects I didn't like, but I understand Lewis' reasoning. For example, when Trumpkin was rescued by the Pevensies, I couldn't help but be frustrated when each of them had to "prove" their skills to him. But then again, this was a book intended for children so I guess I understand. Also, another issue I had was with Aslan. I never quite understood the rules for when he decides to intervene and when he doesn't. This is a problem I have with pretty much all the books in the series and I guess I kind of understand that Aslan is supposed be an allegory for God/Jesus and that his ways are mysterious, but I found it frustrating as a reader.

I really enjoyed this book: everything - the plot, the characters were interesting in their own right. However, it was kind of difficult to stand the pure racism in the story: the brown, turban-clad evil slavers trying to overtake the fair white pure Narnians. Also, it seems like Lewis completely abandoned one of the central premises of the first book, namely that the only humans in Narnia were the Pevensies.

When evil comes to Narnia, Jill and Eustace help fight the great last battle and Aslan leads his people to a glorious new paradise.

The Last Battle

This was by far the worst book of the series in my opinion. 

First, what I like: I definitely liked the idea of a "false prophet" playing out in fantasy and I thought the first couple of chapters were excellent.

However, everything went downhill from there. The sheer racism and xenophobia Lewis displays is somewhat breathtaking in his description of the brown foreigners who worship the "wrong" god. The ending was genuinely bizarre: (view spoiler)[ They all die and go to heaven??? Oh yeah, except Susan who is busy playing with boys and lipstick. Come on Lewis....  (hide spoiler)]

Matthew Jackson &
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

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