The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2) (Narnia)

by C. S. Lewis

A new edition of this famous and incredibly popular book. This is the best-loved of all the Chronicles of Narnia, the first one ever written, the one that everyone remembers reading.

On the other side of that wardrobe door lies a world full of magic. A world frozen in the perpetual winter of the White Witch's enchantment. A world where Christmas never comes. Would you have the courage to stand shoulder to shoulder with Aslan, the Great Lion, and fight the Witch to free the land of Narnia? Are you brave enough to share the adventures that change the lives of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy forever?

Reviewed by zooloo1983 on

5 of 5 stars

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I finished this book recently reading it to my little girl. I showed her the films and she adores them all so much that we watch them at least once a fortnight. So I thought well if she loves the films why not start reading them to her at bedtime. 

This is the 2nd book in the series and I just adore this series so much and I have always done so since I was a child. These books are the collection I brought when I was younger so I love the fact I can share these with my little girl. 

One of the things I love with this book is the reference to the first book - The Magician's Nephew. The nod with the lamppost that Lucy first finds in her first adventure to Narnia. The fact that the White Witch is in fact Jadis and of course Professor Kirke aka Digory. The fact I know all this, I still find that the book still surprises which is something I love. 

The four children whose journey we follow in this book is Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy set during the 2nd world war where Narnia symbolises an escape to the harsh reality of what was happening around them.

Lucy discovers the wardrobe during a rainy day playing hide and seek, where she finds the wonderous land of Narnia, has tea with Mr Tumnus and then has a rather tense journey back to the wardrobe. In Narnia she has been gone hours but in our world it is a matter of seconds. As you can expect no one believes her story especially as the children go to check the wardrobe they discover.... it is just a wardrobe. 

When we re-enter Narnia for a second time, Edmund ends up following Lucy but meeting the darker side of Narnia, the White Witch, the unofficial Queen of Narnia and my dislike for Edmund begins here.  However, our third visit is when all the children reach Narnia and the tale can finally start, the battles, the redemption, the sacrifice and the companionships that will last.

I still get upset with the scene with Aslan on the stone table and the fact my little one had fallen asleep at this bit helped as she didn't witness me tearing up again over his sacrifice. 

When I was a child, once I finished this book I kept checking the back of my wardrobe and I hope that as my little girl gets older and loves this story as much as me, that she will keep checking the back of her wardrobes making sure she leaves the door open. 

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 February, 2018: Finished reading
  • 27 February, 2018: Reviewed