The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe- C.S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)

Purchase:  Amazon | Chapters

Published:  1950
Pages:  206
ISBN:  0060234814
Genre:  Fantasy/Children's

Start Date:  Mar. 7, 2011
Finished Date:  Mar. 12, 2011 (6 days)

Where Found:  Campus bookstore (I bought this as part of a display for a teacher's college project & it was in one of my boxes of children's books)
Why:  General interest, TBR list

Summary:  When 4 siblings stumble through a clothes closet into a secret world inhabited by talking animals and being overrun by a wicked Queen, they become destined to protect it.

Review:

First of all, I must quote the book's dedication, which is the most beautiful one I've ever read:

To Lucy Barfield

My dear Lucy, I wrote this story for you but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books.  As a result you are already too old for fairy tales and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still.  But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.  You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it.  I shall probably be too deaf to hear and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be

your affectionate Godfather,
C.S. Lewis

I am not sure if I am too old for fairy tales, however I definitely understand Lewis's point: they are best read by a child and a child at heart.  I felt myself escape into the story, which was very well paced, fast enough for children to be engaged in, yet not so fast that detail is fleeting.  Chapter 16 (What Happened About the Statues) was amazing and had best prose in the entire book, in my opinion.  The Narnia creatures are charming, the children are adventurous and can still be related to youngsters today, and the tale has many morals, borrowing from recognizable Greek myths and Biblical stories.

My one and only criticism is that LWW seems too tightly wound up, as if Lewis wanted to keep the book deliberately short, perhaps as a long bedtime story.  Assuming that the Narnia series was in mind at the time of writing this book, it makes sense to leave many unanswered questions wide open for further books to explore, but as a stand-alone book, it may have been even better if scenes, such as the battles and journies, were extended, instead of merely lasting 1-2 pages.  I sometimes felt that something had just started, and *poof* it was resolved and something else comes about.

I would be interested in continuing with the series, however not for quite a while as I have so many other books prioritized.  Have you read this or other books in the Narnia series?  If so, which book is your favourite?  Please recommend or comment on them below as I'm curious to know if further books in the series are as good or better than LWW.

Rank:  (A)- Extraordinary, Fantastical & Magical