Laura E. Weymouth

What happened to Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy when they returned to England from Narnia? Laura Weymouth answers this question with new characters and a new world. But The Light Between Worlds is not a spinoff of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles. It is a unique and beautifully told story of the fierce love between sisters and of choices and consequences. Evelyn and Philippa are swept into the fantastical Woodlands on one night of the London blitz. The story is told in two parts: one in Evie’s show more voice, the other in Philippa’s. I fell in love with Evie’s story. She feels more at home in the Woodlands than she ever did in England, as I feel more at home in the West than I did in New England. The sisters must each find their own way, and one’s choice gravely affects the other. Ms. Weymouth also introduces the reader to a variety of poets, in particular Sara Teasdale, by inserting poems at key points in the plot. For me, the theme of the story is in Evie’s words: “Every day is a treasure, every chance meeting a gift, and I will treat them as such …” May we all seek to live as fully. show less

"A Woodlands heart always finds its way home."
It's what Cervus the Great Stag told Philippa, Jamie, and Evelyn when they arrived in the Woodlands, called out of the misery and terror of hiding in a London bomb shelter into the beauty and serenity of the forest. And it's what Cervus told them, five and a half years later, when he sent them back and told them that he would not be able to call them again. Life after the Woodlands has been an adjustment for all three of them. Jamie has set his show more mind on conquering academics and making his way in this world, and Philippa has done the same, albeit with lipstick and nylons and school projects and social clubs. But Evelyn's Woodlands heart refuses to accept the return to this world, and she pines for what she considers her true home. She wanders the forests around her boarding school late at night, often without shoes or coat, yearning for the same call that drew her away before -- and Philippa, outwardly so collected and sophisticated, has been doing all she can to help Evelyn adjust. But now Philippa has gone away to school in America, leaving Evelyn on her own for the first time since they returned. Will Evelyn be able to finally make her way in this world?

This is a beautiful book, full of deep emotion and difficult choices. One gets the sense that there can't really be a happy ending for these characters, though one hopes for certain outcomes above others. The narration follows Evelyn for the first half of the book, immersing the reader in Evelyn's desperate longing for her other world, and then switches to Philippa for the second half of the book, adding complexity to the emotional tone as one learns more about both sisters. Layered in with Evelyn's narration are snippets of their lives in the Woodlands, and interspersed with Philippa's are memories of life after the Woodlands but before the book's current events. Both sisters relate strongly to art (poetry for Evelyn, visual art for Philippa) as a means of making sense of their lives and emotions.

Though you certainly can understand and enjoy this book without having read The Chronicles of Narnia, if you have read those books, you can't help but see how this book takes those events and characters and asks, "What if?" What might happen after Narnia, to someone like Lucy who loved that world with all her heart? Why might Susan have made the decision to become very grown up, as far from her fantasy-realm self as possible? I felt that this book was both a love letter to and a criticism of Narnia. However, I didn't find the Woodlands sections themselves very compelling, which is why I'd rate this book 4.5 instead of 5 stars -- there just wasn't enough depth there to really convey why Evelyn felt such an emotional connection. Understandable, since this book isn't really about the Woodlands, it's about life after. Still, I felt that those portions paled in comparison with the rest of the book, which brought tears to my eyes more than once. Highly recommended both to those who loved and still love Narnia, and to those who loved but found themselves disillusioned by it later on. show less

This book shook me. It deals alot with PTSD and mental illness. It's about internal strength, the love between sisters, and how no one judges you as harshly as yourself. This after Narnia novel's sprinkling of magic balances perfectly with the darker themes and will follow me for days. I highly recommend.

****.5

It took me a while to get into a groove with the book in the first half, but it's worth sticking with it as the pieces come together. The 1940's England setting didn't initially appeal to me, it's been done so many times that it often ends up being a tired stand-in for actual scene setting or world building. But it does allow for some situations that would otherwise be difficult to pull off in a contemporary setting.

In many ways the book reminded me of The Magicians, with the show more characters feeling displaced as they travel between the two worlds, not really "at home" anywhere. In this case, the parallels with soldiers returning from war are drawn more emphatically, and overall there's much less magic.

It ends up being a deeply emotional story, laden with grief and PTSD, depression, alienation, and regret. Seeing the situation through the eyes of both sisters was done beautifully, and their fraught relationship was handled gracefully. Instead of bogging down in a tear jerker or wallowing in depression, a strong current of resilience keeps some hope alive through even the darkest passages.

There's also a lot of art in the book. In particular, Rembrandt's bathing woman ( high res image at https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/rembrandt-a-woman-bathing-in-a-stre.... ), a painting I've seen before but never considered as particularly memorable (at least compared to his other masterpieces). But looking at the details while listening to the description, I was able to really appreciate it.

The weakest parts for me were the flashbacks to the other realm, which felt rather flat and not up to the same standard as the "current day" sections. Maybe I'd feel differently on a second reading, but for now it's what's holding me back from a 5-star rating. show less