20:100 The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

My second (maybe third time) reading this.  This is what I had to say last time:

An interesting end to the series.  Not totally unexpected and certainly in line with most tales of that sort tho still not quite what I had thought was going to happen.  It's hard to put my finger on but this one didn't feel quite right to me.  I think perhaps it was the total lack of depth in some of the "main" characters this time around.  Even the ones we knew from previous books weren't as "alive" as they were previously.  Still, all in all, a very good series, very enjoyable with wonderful descriptive writing.  

And you know, I'm going to stick with that.  It just really wasn't very fleshed out in the manner of the other stories and was a bit of a letdown at the end.  When asked, my 12yr old stated that The Silver Chair or The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe were his favorites (with The Magician's Nephew very close to making that list) and it's easy to see why.  It's not a lack of action but more a lack of adventure of the self that this book is lacking.

And this time I think I was finally able to really put my finger on what bothered me so much about this book and that is just how racist and anti-anything other white European Christian this book is.  Growing up I didn't read the whole series and hadn't put together the religious aspects of it but now, it's not only impossible to miss for me but in this book the way it's handled is absolutely abhorrent. 

Page count: 211p/3,530p ytd/295,551p lifetime

16:100 The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

From the last time I read it:
The 6th book in the Chronicles of Narnia.  Eustace and his schoolmate, Jill, have been pulled into Narnia by Aslan to find the lost Prince Rillian.  Unfortunately, due to Jill's showing off, Eustace is blown into Narnia proper before seeing Aslan and hearing the signs that they must look for if they are to be successful in their quest.  The owls learn of their quest however and pair them up with Puddleglum, the Marsh Wiggle.  A gloomy fellow but one who manages to keep them on the straight and narrow for the most part even with giants, sorceresses, and earthmen about.  Their travels take them to many places both above and below the earth but they persevere knowing that they are the Prince's only hope.

Just a nice adventure book.  It's more about the journey than rescuing the prince as that takes hardly any time at all but you can definitely see things being set-up for the Last Battle.


Page count: 243p/2,532p ytd/294,553p lifetime

5:100 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

Review from Feb. 2013:
Edward and Lucy along with their cousin, Eustace, fall through a painting and land about Caspian's ship, The Dawn Treader, as Caspian and his crew search for seven lords who had been sent away by Caspian's uncle, Miraz, since they were intensely loyal to Caspian's father and Caspian himself.  Many adventures are had as they sail to the ends of the known world and beyond to find all seven of these lords.  In the end, they are all located (although not all are still living) and the children return home but are told by Aslan that they will not be returning to Narnia again.  

Continuing to study the Narnia series with Jon.  It's a better adventure book although towards the end some of the stuff with Aslan gets pretty deep into the religious overtones.


Page count: 248p/833p ytd/292,854p lifetime

112:120 Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

So here's the review I wrote back in 2008 (which I admitted to being in a crappy mood when I wrote it):

So my impressions of Prince Caspain (made before getting in such a horrid mood). Decent book but way too much emphasis on descriptive scenery with a decent nod to a plot and almost no character development. In all honesty, this would have been much better cut down and used to start an adventure book rather then being the entire thing. Just not enough meat on the bones of this one. On to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

And from 2013:
After re-reading it again and in a better mood, well, I can't say I was far off the mark.  It was a cute little story but yeah, not really much in the way of any kind of character development or much point other than crowning Caspian king.  It still feels like it could have been a few chapters in the start of a bigger adventure and just not enough happened to have it be its own story.

And from 2017:
Yeah, still think this could have easily been condensed and put into a different story. I'm glad that now that I've done this one with the youngest child, I don't actually ever have to read this again.


Page count: 223p/20,163p ytd/291,566p lifetime

92:120 The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

My review from 2012:
An enjoyable romp through other areas in the Narnia universe that eventually lead into Narnia itself, but only briefly.  King Edmund, Queen Lucy, and Queen Susan make small appearances but are not integral to the story rather it's an adventure tale of two children running away from Tashbaan towards Narnia with two talking horses but who find out about a plot to destroy Narnia and must do the near impossible to get the news into the right hands.  You can definitely see the Aslan/God connection very heavily in this one as he orchestrates things for the greater good of the land he loves.



Page count: 224p/17,662p ytd/289,015p lifetime

80:120 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

From when I read it five years ago with the now 16yr old:
Haven't read this one in a few years and am enjoying it as much as I always do.  I remember as a little girl wishing that I could find a magic wardrobe and be transported to a magical land and have those adventures.  What makes things special this time tho is again, sharing these stories with my 11yr old.  He has watched the movies but it's his first time reading the books and he's loving them as much as I do.  Definitely one of those books in one of those series where if you haven't read it....WHY NOT????  Stop looking at reviews and go read it already.  And if you have children, go read it to them as well.

Now I'm reading these again my new current 11yr old (and one of his friends) and it's still magical. They are fast, sweet reads but I pick up new little nuances each time and the current child points out different things and leads us into different discussions which makes each reading unique and special.  I still say if you haven't read them, you should, and if if you have kids you should definitely read it to them as well.


Page count: 189p/16,441p ytd/287,573p lifetime

62:120 The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Review from the last time I read it in 2012:

Read this last in 2008 when I decided to read the whole series because I never had. It was as lovely and enchanting this time as it was last time. It might have even be a bit better this time because I've had the pleasure to share it with my 11yr old. I found a lovely curriculum and we are going to go through the entire series together this year. I'm so looking forward to it.

Well, I enjoyed doing the curriculum with that kid so now I'm doing it with the next one and have talked another friend into doing it as well with us which of course, makes everything better.  I still think that this one may still be my favorite of the entire series but I'll see if I change my mind by the end this time.

Page count: 202p/12,846p ytd/283,950p lifetime