Reviews for The chronicles of Narnia

The average rating for The chronicles of Narnia based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-01-04 00:00:00 Henry Miller I read this aloud to my older boy, age 6. It's a good book, and he enjoyed it, but didn't ring the bell in the same way Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe did. I think the biggest reason for this, was that it wasn't as accessible to him. The first issue was the non-linear story. Which has the potential to confuse. Later, Lewis splits the party in a way that divides the action in the story. But the biggest issue is that the characters lapse into archaic, courtly English when the a bunch of the people are talking at the end of the book. (Because the siblings used to be kings and queens, and they're talking with the nobility of the Telemarines.) It's not just unfamiliar language to children. It's unfamiliar and archaic language. (Doubly archaic now, as Lewis wrote these 50 years ago.) My boy couldn't follow it at all, as there were 2-4 unfamiliar terms used in every sentence, and context can only stretch so far.) Because of that, Oot couldn't understand whole sections of the climax of the book, when the Telmarines were talking among themselves, and planning on betraying their king. (A vital plot point he couldn't get because it was only made explicit in this dialogue.) As a result, I had to skim, skip, or summarize big chunks of the book so he could get it. Maybe in a year or two, he would have been fine. (Also, keep in mind that my boy is extremely vocabulary. We've been reading to him since he was six months old. Results with your own child may vary.) Sexism a little more present here, but not oppressive or malicious. Still, you can't deny that the boys go off to duel and do battle stuff, while the girls hang out with Aslan and go wake the trees. This book had better characters that the first book of the series. Nikabrik is a great example of a good guy gone bad. Trumpkin and Trufflehunter are great as well. But Reepicheep is the real star here. Perhaps the best character in all of Narnia, excepting Aslan himself. Lastly, and mostly as a side note, Lewis really knocked it out of the park in terms of names. Nikabrik is a great name for a venomous black dwarf. Glenstorm the proud centaur. Wimbleweather the dim but kind giant. And Reepicheep, of course. I don't know if a name has ever fit a character better than "Reepicheep" does....

Review # 2 was written on 2011-02-03 00:00:00 Michael P Napier Hamlet with badgers.