Library's review
Finally! I have no idea how I managed to get through my 1970s childhood without ever reading this or any of the other Chronicles of Narnia books, but there you have it. Of course, I picked up a general idea of the plotline through sheer osmosis of the book's place in popular culture, but it was a
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treat to actually read the O.G., so to speak. I really like Lewis' manner of directly addressing the reader; it is just as if you are having a bedtime story told to you by your favorite grandpa. It's a lovely, sweet tale and well-deserving of its popularity through the ages. I already knew about it being a Christian allegory, and that people are rather divided on whether that allegory is or is not too in-your-face. It was quite obvious to me, being an adult and already knowing it existed, but I'm not sure I would have picked up on it as a child. I tended to be fairly oblivious to subtext until well into my 20s, I'm sorry to say. Anyway, I've got the rest of the Narnia books on my e-shelf and I plan to get to all of them in due time. Show Less
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Description
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.
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 1951)
Whitcoulls Top 100 Books (39 — 2010)
501 Must-Read Books (Emma Beare, 2006) (Children's Fiction)
Waterstones Books of the Century (22 — 1997)
Newsweek's Top 100 Books: The Meta-List (37 — 2009)
Idaho Battle of the Books (Elementary — 2023)
Language
Original publication date
1950