This May, I’m taking a class on Lewis and Tolkien to fulfill my senior seminar requirement. It will involve reading a lot of books I haven’t gotten to for whatever reason. Here’s my review for the first of the term:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Overall, a good children’s book. Wish I’d read it when I was little. This probably isn’t a popular opinion, but I believe the Christian aspects of the book are the only drawbacks. But not because it’s Christian–in fact, it could have been quite well done as a Christian book–it’s the effect Aslan has on the characters. The instant the driving force of the story shifted from Lucy to Aslan, the book tanked, simply because the kids ceased to be active protagonists. The goal of saving Mr. Tumnus disappeared, and the book felt a bit adrift. I sort of wish Aslan had been more like Jesus in Ben Hur–distant and extremely effective for it.Until that point when Aslan took over, the book was very good. Classic elements of fairy tales shine through, and it’s an enjoyable read.
