The Chronicles of Narnia is a true masterpiece of the world's
literature, and I have never met anyone who has read any of the
seven volumes and feels otherwise. This is one of the very few
sets of books that should be read three times: in childhood,
early adulthood, and late in life. In brief, four children
travel repeatedly to a world in which they are far more than
mere children, and everything is far more than it seems. Richly
told, populated with fascinating characters, perfectly realized
in detail of world and pacing of plot, and profoundly
allegorical, with continual threading of the timeless issues of
good and evil, and faith and hope. Very Highest
Recommendation. (Editor's Note: Unless you are replacing a
missing volume from a set, I encourage you to consider getting
all seven volumes, available in reasonably priced mass market
paperback, trade paperback, or hardcover editions.)
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 book took me into Narnia. The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis is the second book in the series The
Chronicles of Narnia. I liked it because the children, Lucy,
Edmund, Peter and Susan, can go into Narnia just by going
through a wardrobe. It was fascinating because a man, (Mr.
Tumnus) was half-man, half-goat. It was funny because Mr. Tumnus
keeps Lucy instead of sending her back to "the land of Wardrobe"
as Mr. Tumnus calls it. Lucy has a sister named Susan and two
brothers named Peter and Edmund. Susan is always worried, Peter
is curious and Edmund laughs at everything. Lucy goes back
through the wardrobe and brings them with her to Narnia. They
help Aslan the lion free Narnia from the evil witch. I liked
this book. I liked it because it took me into Narnia.
Encourage your children to read these books! I feel that any
parent who would not encourage their child to read C.S.
Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" should be charged with neglect.
Even though these stories are a kiddie version of the Bible,
where Jesus of Nazareth is replaced by a lion, they are fun to
read and bring out the goodness in everyone. These books also
show, not just children but anyone who reads them, that people
can be swayed by evil, but that everyone can be true at heart.
These action adventures have had a lasting impression on me.
Yes, I understood that C.S. Lewis was just covering up
Christianity with a lion's mane, but I have not let that affect
my religious views in any way. I did take the lessons of
kindness and forgiveness to heart however. Even though my nephew
was only a year old this past Christmas, I bought him the whole
set of the "Narnia Chronicles", hoping that someday he will find
joy in them like I did.
It changed my life! I dreaded reading this book for the first
time in tenth grade, as I disliked fantasy. Much to my surprise,
I could not put the book down. With tears and fascination, I was
drawn into a story that pierced my heart. The genius of C.S.
Lewis masterfully wove a tale that I, at first thought was
simply a fantasy story of some children and talking animals.
However, as I devoured the book (and the subsequent books in the
series), I realized that this was no ordinary story. Though in
clever allegory, this is the story of our world's past, present
and future. The true meaning is for you to hopefully, discover
for yourself, so I shall say no more!
This book was a fantastic read. Enraptured was I in the prose
and the way the it flowed. From the beginning when the children
are sent to the countryside mansion to escape the air raids in
London is a bit of a history lesson that children, as well as,
adults are treated to. There are little lessons in morality,
religion, history, and undeniable fantasy wrapped in a story
sure to please. I read this book again and again and from the
moment Lucy steps through the wardrobe door and pushes her way
back through what seems an impossibly large wardrobe, through
fur coat after fur coat, and finally into the forest, hearing
the snow crunch beneath her feet, I was hooked. Hats off to C.S.
Lewis for making literature that has kept me young in mind and
heart.
Adventure, mystery, mistakes, and problems. "Once a King in
Narnia, always a King in Narnia". Narnia, a place of magic,
adventure, and mystery gives four children the time of their
life. Greed nearly kills them, evil stalks them, and bravery
helps to save them. Overcast by the evil of the White Witch, and
all that follow her, Narnia is in a state of forever winter. The
four children must overthrow this wicked witch, with the help of
the good ones, and the almighty Aslan.
Magical! I read this book when I was perhaps eleven and I have
read it over and over again as the years have passed. Narnia is
a special place for me and to this day, I often judge my actions
by what I think Aslan would expect of me. I have tried to give
several children the passport to Narnia by giving them this
book. I hope someday that one of them (or one of the next I give
it to) will find Narnia as much a home as I do.
A Magical Adventure. This is the first book in the outstanding
series called "The Chronicles of Narnia." Four children are sent
to a large country house in Britain during World War II to
escape the horrible air raids in London. Due to rain, they
decide to stay in on the first day that they are there and
explore the great house. Lucy, the youngest, steps into a large
wardrobe filled with coats. It leads her to a magical world with
snow and a distant lamppost! This is a wonderful series, and
many students and teachers know and have read of Narnia.
Especially recommended for your able readers! A must for any
elementary teacher's reading list!
One of the best books that I have ever read. Now I am teaching
English in the Czech Republic, but when I was teaching in the
U.S. I used to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to my
class each year. The students loved the book so much that when
it came time to go to the school library to check out books I
had to go over "Library Manners." Otherwise there was such a mad
stampede to the Chronicles of Narnia books that if the librarian
hadn't been such a nice person who loved to see children excited
about reading, my classes would have been banned from the
library. They asked for the books for their birthdays and
Christmas, and when free books were distributed at school all of
the Chronicles of Narnia books were taken. The people in charge
of the program soon learned to order double or even triple the
amount of books they had the first year. I wrote a play of The
Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The students performed it for
the school, their parents, and for local cable television. Even
the most reluctant readers loved the book.
If you're searching for a book to broaden your child's horizons,
to open their eyes to the wonderful world of the written word,
to instil in them a love of knowledge and imaginative creativity
that will follow them through life...t his is the book to get.
Lewis created a masterpiece that, in my mind, rivals every other
book in children's literature. This is the second of several
books in the Chronicles of Narnia series that Lewis wrote in the
1950s. I loved every book in the collection but, "The Lion,
etc.." holds a special place in my heart because it was this
book that began my quest for knowledge. Lewis' use of mythology,
his creative storytelling, his compelling and very realistic
characters (at least in their personalities...) pulls the young
reader into the story and invites them to participate along with
the main characters in their journey. If you've never read this
book as a child, it is recommended that you take the time to
read it now..I can guarantee that your life will never be the
same.
This is a #1 book, and should be read by all! This is a book
that every generation should read along with the others in the
series of Narnia. I read this in 3rd grade, 5th grade, and in
high school! I loved it so much. A brief plot is: 4 children
fall into an enchanted world ruled by an evil queen. It's always
winter, but there is no Christmas! These 4 children try to
overcome the queen and bring back Spring. They win, and turn all
the queen's statues into the people of Narnia once again! Then
the 4 children become the rulers of Narnia for many years to
come. These 4 children are loved by the citizens of Narnia, you
will see in the other novels of the series.
An undisputed classic, but very slightly dated. It feels almost
treacherous to rate this book with only 9 points. My father read
the whole series out loud to us when we were children, and we
loved every minute of it. In fact, I'm now reading it out loud
to my fianc , who is very taken by Mr Tumnus the faun. The book
still has that magical quality to it; I can't fault the fantasy.
The characters are believable too, and yet... they have that
slightly priggish air to them that English children of that era -
and that class - did. One of the Narnia lines that sticks in my
mind to this day describes Susan as "a bit of a wet blanket".
It's very succinct, and yet this language is somehow so
limiting. It fixes the four children firmly in an era and a
social class which seem far more than 50 years behind us. They
also become slightly predictable. Of course, that won't stop
children from enjoying it, which of course is the acid test for
any books of this kind. But the sometimes stilted language does
make it difficult to read out loud in places. My father did it
beautifully, partly because he was a wonderful reader, but also
because he was brought up in that 'class' and only a little
later than that time (2nd World War). Lewis can't be blamed for
the breakneck pace at which the English language develops (in
fact he wrote illuminating works on that very subject), but it
does make his prose a little alienating. On the plus side, the
Narnia series has more solid moral fibre than you will find in
most children's literature these days. That is something that
children instinctively respond to; it's the adults who worry
about political correctness and say "life isn't that simple".
Lewis gives his characters difficult situations to face, but he
also gives them clear indications of how to face them. And I
don't think you have to be a Christian to accept the moral world
of Narnia, despite its directly Biblical structure (i.e. Aslan
as Christ, etc.).
If you like "The Lord of the Rings" you'll love this book! I
realize, now that I'm all grown up, that fairy tales have lost
the lustre they once had. The myth and glamour they kindle in us
seems to just fade away into a dark closet or... wardrobe.
Thankfully, Mr. Lewis proves that age and youth are so closely
interwoven that you just don't stop reading children's books,
you begin to live them. He builds an ethical universe where acts
of death, betrayal, love, heroism, and redemption, all made
simple choices in a child's world to blur into the hard choices
of the adult world. This book should be read by those children
of 6 or 62. Read it out loud, at night, when you have the blues,
or when things are going great! And maybe, just maybe, you'll
meet that white stag in the snow under the lamplight leading you
back home...
An excellent book! One of the most best books I've ever read. It
has a lot of fantasy, and shows you what's right and what's
wrong, and that anyone can be a hero. I think that this is a
book that everyone should read.
One of the best children's books ever written. I am no longer a
child, but I remember this book as fondly now as I did when I
read it years ago (perhaps because I read it more times than I
am old). The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is truly one of
the most memorable and magical books ever written. Any person of
any age who has not read Lewis' masterpiece should put it in his
or her shopping basket right away. If you're an adult, allow the
book to rekindle the sense of wonder and imagination that so
many of us abandon when we age. If you have a child, let him or
her experience the joy and adventure of the wardrobe for the
first time. I guarantee it will become the most beloved book in
any child's collection.
A masterpiece. I read it in fourth grade, and now I am entering
seventh, yet still remember it clearly. As clear as crystal. I
remember being captivated by the intriguing spells and fatiguing
appearances of the White Witch, and Aslan, the heroic lion. And
was thrust along with Lucy on her journeys into Narnia. And
found myself taking a disliking to Edmund. Then sucked into the
lives of Peter and Susan. And spellbound during the game of hide
and seek. The story kept me turning the pages. And I still
remember it from way back then. In fourth grade.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
The Chronicles of Narnia, in "chronological" order (this is not
the order in which they were written):
The Magician's Nephew
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and his Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader'
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
You can buy this book right now from Amazon.co.uk (in the UK) or
Amazon.com (in the USA) by clicking on one of the links below.
If one of the links is missing, this is because this book is
currently unavailable from that source. As far as shipping is
concerned, Amazon.co.uk charges 2.75 for 1 book to a UK
address, and 4.95 for 1 book to a US address. Amazon.com
charges $4.48 for 1 book to a US address and $5.95 for 1 book to
a UK address (prices correct at August 2000). For further
details of shipping costs read the Amazon.co.uk shipping policy
or the Amazon.com shipping policy.
