http://catchinguponmyreading.blogspot... ( )

1998

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the first book in the Chronicle of Narnia series. It's the start of a wonderful classic fantasy epic that for once is genuinely directed toward and I believe holds most appeal for children. While as an adult one could become focused on what appears to be mildly allegorical themes, as a child this series is simply what it looks to be, a tale of adventure and family in the midst of a land where anything can happen. ( )

I can remember my third grade teacher reading to us from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, it was magical and mysterious. I decided to finish what had been started so long ago. I knew as I started the series that there is a lot of Christian allegory and symbolism in the series and that is one reason as an adult I began it again. The Magician’s Nephew I found to be lacking, the story was not as suspenseful or as good at recreating childhood as LWW. The first book in the series does advance the idea of how Narnia was created but possibly takes on more than what can be handled well in the length of the book with the equally pressing demand of developing character. C.S. Lewis has created an interesting mythos, the Lion, Aslan is a Christ-figure who sacrifices himself on a stone table is a unique and engaging re-interpretation. I learned that C.S. Lewis may have conceived of each of the seven books in the series as a struggle with the seven deadly sins, LWW being about gluttony. Lewis is at his best I feel when he deals with the nature of evil. I enjoyed and laughed while reading Screwtape Letters--I was even scared by his insights into the nature demonic intervention. I will continue with the series and I probably will one day share LWW with my kids. ( )

The Chronicles of Narnia rightfully deserves its place among the greatest novels of all time. Smaller in scope than the Lord of the Rings, but not less influential, Lewis creates a world that wonderfully mirrors our own. ( )