Welcome to Page 9 of I Read That Book! On each Page, I’ll tell you a little about a book I read, often in a fun and informal manner, with the hope that you also may become interested enough to read it – or perhaps read it again if you’ve already enjoyed it once. The books I’ll be featuring come from a variety of genres at differing stages of my life, so whether you prefer history, literature, science fiction, or horror, there’s a good chance you’ll get some interesting ideas for your personal “To Be Read” list. Thank you for joining me on this journey as we flip through the pages of some of my favorite books. But before you start reading below, I invite you to grab a cup of your favorite beverage (coffee for me!) and find a comfortable place to sit, then turn to Page 9.
THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE by C.S. Lewis
Publication Date: October 16, 1950
“This must be a simply enormous wardrobe!” thought Lucy, going still further in and pushing the soft folds of the coats aside to make room for her. Then she noticed that there was something crunching under her feet. “I wonder is that more moth-balls?” she thought, stooping down to feel it with her hands. But instead of feeling the hard, smooth wood of the floor of the wardrobe, she felt something soft and powdery and extremely cold. “This is very queer,” she said, and went on a step or two further.
Anyone familiar with the Pevensie children know that once the youngest, Lucy, continues to walk away from the wardrobe and into Narnia, nothing but grand adventure lies ahead. From Mr. Tumnus to the Beavers to Aslan, sights, sounds, and sensations unlike any the children had heretofore known would awaken in this special world.
Readers have delighted over the Chronicles of Narnia for decades, and it all started with THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, written by C.S. Lewis. I was introduced to this series at a rather young age, and if memory serves, my parents bought all seven volumes during a family vacation. I think we were somewhere in New England…but again, this was a very long time ago, and those years now seem to have swept past as quickly as a lifetime in Narnia.
Though you’ll find Christian symbolism in THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, Lewis says he didn’t write it as an allegory. When I read this book on that family vacation from many years past, I just thought it was a fun adventure story. I did, however read this book again a few months ago, and while having some biblical knowledge adds an underlying element that some readers may not get from it, I think anyone who loves fantasy would enjoy it.
There have been a couple film versions , the first being a 1988 BBC production, while Disney gave it a theatrical release in 2005. And I don’t want to neglect the animated version from 1979, either, although I’ve never seen it. Below are the trailers for the first two mentioned.
While there’s a huge difference in the production values, I still find the first one to be quite charming in its own, unique way.
On that family vacation from decades ago, I read just the first two books in the series, and never cracked open any of the others…until just a couple years ago. It was great fun reading through them and enjoying the illustrations, along with knowing that these gifts from my parents were finally put to good use.
If you’ve ever been curious about these books, why not give THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE a try?
And don’t forget to join us here again when I flip to the next Page!
Note: The first 32 pages of I Read This Book! originally appeared on Substack.
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