Book #2 of 2007 - The Chronicles of Narnia continue..
Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (book 2 in the series)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Ok, I finished it. It was better than the first one, although still strange. I was able to get into this one a little more towards the end, yet sooner than the last one. It wasn't a real attention grabber for me, but I'm determined to finish the series.. eventually.
I'm still not enjoying the way the story is presented by the narrorator, as if they are talking to the reader, and giving side notes along the way in (parenthesis). And, the switching back and forth between who they are talking about. So, this group is doing something and you follow the story and one breaks off and you forget him for a while like he's doing nothing and then all of a sudden the next chapter says "and I bet you were wondering what so and so has been up to" and they tell that story.. till I guess they get to a part where they have to go and pick up the other story so that it all fits together and makes sense. Which, I guess after flip flopping 2 or 3 times, and the group gets back together, it does make sense.
The "battle" I thought was done too quickly. I realize its magic, but.. umm.. I think it would take longer than a chapter and "a matter of minutes" for an evil witch to be destroyed. I liked parts of this book, I know it doesn't seem that way, but I was just disappointed that the big battle that was to take place, really wasn't much of a battle at all. And there was a lesson in there, someplace, but I guess I sort of missed it because it was glazed over in a couple pages at the end of a chapter. And no one on the "good" side died. That is very unlikely to happen, even in fantasy.. there are usually casualties on both sides.
Another thing that really got me was the concept of time, and yeah I know, its fantasy, but other books I've read that deal with time, the "time" continues no matter where you are or what you are doing. When the characters enter Narnia, this time through a wardrobe made from the wood of a tree from book 1 (and this time thing was discussed in book one but I hadn't really thought too much about it), time in "our world" (as the narrorator describes the world outside Narnia, like.. England.. where the characters live) just stops. All the time the characters spend in Narnia, is on Narnia time. Things happen, the characters sort of age, things grow, time flows. They kinda forget about where they really came from or how they got there they just went on like it was the most normal thing in the world. At the end, they come across the lamp post, which had kinda grown and intertwined with a huge tree, and the kinda remember something about it.. and what it was called and they walk past it, and taadaaa they aren't walkin through trees anymore, they are brushing through coats and they tumble out into the room that the wardrobe is in. And suddenly they remember everything, the room, the wardrobe, the "battle" in Narnia.. yadda yadda. BUT... NO TIME HAS PASSED in the "real" world. The people talking in the hallway are still there, mid convo, nothing has changed. In the first book, the trips that the 2 characters take to Narnia last a couple hours each time (implied at least).. in book 2, its implied they are gone for YEARS. Yet, for time, time in their real world freezes. No one knows they are gone because time has just stopped.. the age in one place, stumble through the wardrobe and they are back to the same way they were when the left? Not following.. what if they never came back?? Even in Harry Potter, with the time turner, time is still flowing, that is why its important that the "present" people aren't seen by their "past selves". Time is still flowing, they've just gone back within time, yet in order to get back to the "present" they've got to wait and live out the time again, and put themselves where they were when they left.
Yes, I realize I just completely over-analyzed a fairy tale. I remember reading something about the Narnia's written as a fairy tale for the author's daughter.. and maybe that's why the narrorator is giving the story in the way it is being given. I dunno. I will finish the series, I hope.
But, next up is Tuesdays With Morrie.. it is a book group discussion book for an msn group I am on and a book I've heard a lot of good things about. I guess its time for me to read a grown up book, I haven't in soo long.
Author: C.S. Lewis
Ok, I finished it. It was better than the first one, although still strange. I was able to get into this one a little more towards the end, yet sooner than the last one. It wasn't a real attention grabber for me, but I'm determined to finish the series.. eventually.
I'm still not enjoying the way the story is presented by the narrorator, as if they are talking to the reader, and giving side notes along the way in (parenthesis). And, the switching back and forth between who they are talking about. So, this group is doing something and you follow the story and one breaks off and you forget him for a while like he's doing nothing and then all of a sudden the next chapter says "and I bet you were wondering what so and so has been up to" and they tell that story.. till I guess they get to a part where they have to go and pick up the other story so that it all fits together and makes sense. Which, I guess after flip flopping 2 or 3 times, and the group gets back together, it does make sense.
The "battle" I thought was done too quickly. I realize its magic, but.. umm.. I think it would take longer than a chapter and "a matter of minutes" for an evil witch to be destroyed. I liked parts of this book, I know it doesn't seem that way, but I was just disappointed that the big battle that was to take place, really wasn't much of a battle at all. And there was a lesson in there, someplace, but I guess I sort of missed it because it was glazed over in a couple pages at the end of a chapter. And no one on the "good" side died. That is very unlikely to happen, even in fantasy.. there are usually casualties on both sides.
Another thing that really got me was the concept of time, and yeah I know, its fantasy, but other books I've read that deal with time, the "time" continues no matter where you are or what you are doing. When the characters enter Narnia, this time through a wardrobe made from the wood of a tree from book 1 (and this time thing was discussed in book one but I hadn't really thought too much about it), time in "our world" (as the narrorator describes the world outside Narnia, like.. England.. where the characters live) just stops. All the time the characters spend in Narnia, is on Narnia time. Things happen, the characters sort of age, things grow, time flows. They kinda forget about where they really came from or how they got there they just went on like it was the most normal thing in the world. At the end, they come across the lamp post, which had kinda grown and intertwined with a huge tree, and the kinda remember something about it.. and what it was called and they walk past it, and taadaaa they aren't walkin through trees anymore, they are brushing through coats and they tumble out into the room that the wardrobe is in. And suddenly they remember everything, the room, the wardrobe, the "battle" in Narnia.. yadda yadda. BUT... NO TIME HAS PASSED in the "real" world. The people talking in the hallway are still there, mid convo, nothing has changed. In the first book, the trips that the 2 characters take to Narnia last a couple hours each time (implied at least).. in book 2, its implied they are gone for YEARS. Yet, for time, time in their real world freezes. No one knows they are gone because time has just stopped.. the age in one place, stumble through the wardrobe and they are back to the same way they were when the left? Not following.. what if they never came back?? Even in Harry Potter, with the time turner, time is still flowing, that is why its important that the "present" people aren't seen by their "past selves". Time is still flowing, they've just gone back within time, yet in order to get back to the "present" they've got to wait and live out the time again, and put themselves where they were when they left.
Yes, I realize I just completely over-analyzed a fairy tale. I remember reading something about the Narnia's written as a fairy tale for the author's daughter.. and maybe that's why the narrorator is giving the story in the way it is being given. I dunno. I will finish the series, I hope.
But, next up is Tuesdays With Morrie.. it is a book group discussion book for an msn group I am on and a book I've heard a lot of good things about. I guess its time for me to read a grown up book, I haven't in soo long.
posted by Jennifer Imparato | 1:41 AM
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