Thursday, April 16, 2009

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The novel starts with four children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy who were sent to live with a professor during WWII. While exploring the house one day the youngest child finds an enormous Wardrobe that leads her to a snowy place called Narnia. She returns home to tell her siblings who don’t believe her and when they return to the Wardrobe there is nothing but clothes. However one evening all the kids hide in the Wardrobe to avoid being seen by the housekeeper and they all find themselves in Narnia. Soon the kids meet a lion named Aslyn who tells them about the evil white witch who made it winter forever in Narnia. Later on Aslyn has to sacrifice his life for Edmund and he is killed, but the next morning Susan and Lucy find out he has risen from the dead. Soon afterwards they free the prisoners of the witch and in battle the witch is killed and her army defeated.
I liked this book and I would recommend it to others who enjoy action but also good plot and themes. This novel teaches a lesson about trust and friendships and I enjoyed reading it. The main reason I enjoyed it was because it was different than most books and keep you interested the entire time, it had a mix of good action and fighting sequences that I liked, but it also had a good theme to it that teaches people about trusting friends and sticking with them no matter what. I also liked how in the book the time in Narnia goes much faster than the time in the real world so when the kids are grownup in Narnia they come back to the home as young children again and are told they will return later in their lives. The ending was also interesting because the kids take the throne and are rulers of Narnia, which is a good way to end, but also the kids being told they will return suggests not all of the problems have been solved in Narnia and more will come. Another reason this book is good is because to me is seems to appeal to all types of book lovers. It is good for people who like non-fiction or fantasy because the setting is surreal and very interesting to read about. However it is also good for people who like action novels because it’s not just a story about magic and friendship, its also one about fighting against an evil witch and her army and it involves many in detail fight scenes that kept me interested throughout the entire book.
Overall I found the book to be very interesting and creative because most books are not like this one. I would recommend this to anyone who likes action and a little non-fiction, but just about anyone can read this novel and find something they like about it. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is a great book with a great message about trust and I enjoyed reading it very much.

13 comments:

  1. I completely agree with this review. “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” is an incredible book, with a fantastic message for readers. I remember when I was in elementary school and C.S. Lewis was one of my favorite authors. I never grew out of her books, because they are so engaging and the reader just cannot put the book down. I love the magical plots and the intriguing characters. I, also, enjoy that many of C.S Lewis’s books are actually based on the bible. This makes the novels much more intense. The lion, Aslyn, is meant to represent Jesus. This novel is showing how Jesus died for the sinners of this Earth and how he rose again. All of the magic, warfare, and biblical allusions, made this novel a great read.

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  2. I completely agree with Jordan and Grace. I remember I dreaded reading the book because it was one I had chosen for summer reading. Within the first chapter, the dread was gone and I was eager to find out what happened next to the four children. I love how Lewis words her novels in a way that is entirely captivating. I would also have to say that my favorite part was when Aslyn came back from the dead after the witch had slaughtered him on the stone table. I also liked how time in the real world had passed only about three minutes when in Narnia, time had pasted much faster. This magical novel is truly a great piece of literature.

    (Not part of grade) I never realized that representation of Aslyn, Grace. It makes me like the novel even more.

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  3. This book is one of my all time favorites! My mom read it the whole Chronicles of Narnia to me over the course of one summer and I have read almost all of the books multiple times. I love how Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy became so familiar to me throughout the course of the book and I also loved how I felt like I was taking the journey with them. My favorite character in the book is Aslan and I really love how – like Grace said – that most of what happens in the book is derived from Bible stories and that Aslan is basically Jesus; it really gives more meaning to the story and to the characters.

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  4. I enjoyed reading this book, as well as the rest in the series. I do not think that the movie lived up to what the book was. It is a classic with the works: an epic adventure, a great hero, and evil villain, a betrayal, a grand battle, and a happy ending where good triumphs over evil. I, personally, hadn't looked into the Biblical aspect of it at all. I wonder what it was like for the children to live a whole lifetime in Narnia and then return to the real world only a moment later as children again. The review is correct in all ways.

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  5. Like Bryan, I also first read this book for summer reading, and I was not looking forward to it either. I began reading it when I was at the beach several summers ago, and I thought it would take ages to finish, but it only took me three days of tanning to complete. I have read all of the books in The Chronicles of Narnia series, and this is by far my favorite. Like J.K. Rowling, Lewis sweeps his readers into a new and magical world. I can easily relate to Lucy, who is troubled when her siblings don’t believe that she has discovered a new world in the back of a wardrobe. I wish I could walk into a wardrobe that leads to Narnia, spend a few days, and return to find that only a few seconds in our world had passed.

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  6. I have probably read this book four of five for summer reading or English class over my middle and elementary school years. The first time that I read it I thought that it was going to be just another boring book that I would write an essay or book report on. I was wrong! I started reading it, and I got into the mysterious world that Lucy discovers on the other side of the wardrobe. C.S. Lewis captivates the reader's imagination, and takes it on a journey in which a new world is explored and discovered. I love the way that Lewis portrays the characters in the story. He makes them seem so real! I have loved this book every time that I have read it, and I would read it again if I got a chance, whether it be for fun or even for an assignment in some future english class!

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  7. When I read this story, like many other books, my sister had given it to me. I had just finished another of Lewis’s stories, and picked this one up eagerly. I agree that the message is great, and the biblical representation definitely gives the reader more to think about. My favorite character was Susan, simply because her love of logic throughout the tale, and I found it quite amusing to see her guided into trusting the magical elements in the story more and more, and relying less on the logic they grew up with. I agree with Jake that the movie didn’t live up to the book. But then again, what book to movie translation does? Not many. I would definitely recommend this book to any reader who hasn’t read it yet, because I believe everyone should read it at least once.

    As a side note, just wanted to say that I also think it’s interesting that although C.S. Lewis wrote children’s stories, he was known to not be very fond of children.

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  9. I agree with this review. "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" is a great book for all ages. C.S. Lewis does a great job of making the readers feel like they are in Narnia with Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, and all of the other creatures in Narnia. I liked how Lewis used the bibical allusions throughout the story. "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" is the second book out of seven in The Chronicles of Narnia. All of the books are great and I would recommend them to everyone of all ages because at every age you will get something out of this story.

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  10. This book is amazing. It has a good setting and storyline. C.S. Lewis does a great job of making it seem like you are traveling with Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy on their adventures in Narnia. I have read this book and the rest of The Chronicles of Narnia and have enjoyed all of them. I would not recommend this book to anyone who does not have an imagination because a lot of crazy things happen to the four children. But The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is suitable for all ages because a lot of people can relate to what they are going through.

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  11. I randomly picked up this book in the fourth grade after a reccomendation from my teacher and absolutely loved it! The contrast between real life and imaginary is incredible and captivating. C.S. Lewis did a fantastic job of incorporating the biblical illusions and relating one of the main character, Aslyn, to the struggles of Christ. This book really makes you wonder what else is out there in the world and also how you can help other people. I highly reccomend this novel and all of his other novels along with the movie!

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  12. I also agree with this review. The novel appeals to every genre of literature. My mom read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as well as the rest of the Narnia series to my sister and me when I was in the fourth grade. This classic book sparked my interest in reading and ever since I have read as many novels as I can get my hands on. I think that The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe should be read in classrooms because it teaches important life lessons and is an interesting story to read as well.

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  13. I completely agree with everyone’s praise of C.S. Lewis and his work in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I have been a fan of C.S. Lewis for a long time and he is one of my all-time favorite writers. This book was especially great not only because of the great adventure that the four siblings go on, but also because of the biblical allusion. My favorite part of this book is the ordeal with Aslan and the stone table. This is meant to be an analogy to Jesus Christ and his sacrifice and triumph over death. This book was fantastic and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. The writer has a great imagination that lets the reader enter an entire new world.

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