Always winter, but never Christmas...

Any additional comments?

I loved the Narnia books as a child and read them many times, especially this first one. As a child, I was completely oblivious to any religious symbolism in the book, so for me it was simply a great adventure story with a fantastic hero in Aslan. I think I was around eighteen when I last read them and, as with many childhood books, have always been a bit worried to revisit them in case my older, more cynical self has turned me into a Susan – unable to remember the magic and find my way back to Narnia. But when I came across this series on Audible, with some great narrators, I decided to take the risk.

And it was worth it. The book didn't have quite the same effect on me as when I was seven, but it's still a great story very well told. This time around I was obviously more aware of the parallels to the Christ story but I was intrigued to note that there are a lot of other references too – Bacchus puts in an appearance, as does Silenus, and of course all the stuff about fauns and centaurs and other creatures from folk legends and mythology. It's all a bit of a mish-mash really but it works, and stops it from becoming overly preachy. Occasionally the messages are a little heavy-handed – about the evils of lying and so on – but this was fairly standard for children's literature of the time from what I recall, and isn't nearly as blatant as in some of them.

I was also much more aware of how terribly middle-class the children are, and how indoctrinated we were through the books we were reading to accept the subordinate, nurturing role of women and the heroic warrior status of boys. It's amazing that the generation of women who grew up reading books like these, and Blyton and most of the other books I remember, managed to both love the books and rebel against the message. I did wonder if young mothers of young girls today would be quite so happy to have them reading books where girls help lay the table while boys go off in a manly way to catch fish for dinner, not to mention the girls ending up on the diplomatic marriage market when they were older. Daughters of Eve, Sons of Adam...hmm! Correct me if my knowledge of biology is a bit shaky, but my understanding is that the procreation process requires both genders to participate (or a test-tube or turkey baster at the very least). But I'd encourage young mothers not to let it put them off – my generation seemed to survive the onslaught of not-so-subliminal messages. (I also found myself thinking how little had changed in the role of women in the thousands of years between the Old Testament and this book and yet how much has changed, for those of us in the West at least, in the sixty or so years since. It rather made me proud...)

But apart from all this adult over-analysis, I enjoyed the story a lot. The descriptions of the frozen world are great and the Queen is just as scary and horrible as I remember. Edmund is still a revolting little oick, Susan and Peter still badly need brought down a peg or two from their superior teenage smugness and I still identify with Lucy – youngest of four siblings, you see – even if she is a bit too sweet to be true. I loved the thaw – the way he matches the returning of life to the landscape with the returning of joy to the characters. Mr and Mrs Beaver are lovely, and poor Mr Tumnus! The bit with Aslan and the Stone Table is as moving and beautiful as ever it was and I still want to run and play with him, and put my hands in his golden mane! But why, oh why, must it end with them all having turned into stuffy, pompous adults complete with mock medieval language? I hated that bit when I was young and I hate it now – in fact, it was surprising how in tune young FF and old FF turned out to be. Perhaps my inner child isn't so deeply buried after all...

Michael York's reading is excellent. He gives all the characters distinct voices, and uses different British regional accents for the creatures. Mr Tumnus is Irish, the Beavers are some kind of rural English – Somerset-ish perhaps? - and I laughed a lot at Maugrim the wolf's vurry, vurry Scottish accent. The children's voices grated a bit on me – awfully posh standard English – but I did think they were right for the characters. And crucially he does Aslan's voice (and roar) brilliantly – just the right deep tones filled with power and menace, but with a warmth beneath.

So overall a happy visit to my childhood and I can now look forward to enjoying the rest. Since I'm sticking with the original publication order, next up will be Prince Caspian, narrated by Lynn Redgrave. Doesn't that sound good?

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43 people found this helpful

Wonderful story, badly read

I love this series, but Michael York reads this story as if he's trying to keep a badly-behaved class of 4-year-olds entertained on a rainy day. Lots of rather dated "Now children, isn't this fun!" intonations, which don't really work for either adults or children these days.

A bit disappointing, I found the narrator got in the way of the narrative.

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20 people found this helpful

Excellence

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe is a classic, well known story read brilliantly - what's not to love?

What did you like best about this story?

At first I wasn't sure about the narrator but Michael York was full of expression and read with real joy - his voices for the characters are spot on and bring each one to life.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I think I enjoyed the trip from the Beavers' house to the Stone Table the most, where the Pevencies meet Father Christmas and go on to witness the magic of accelerated Spring!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Magic, warmth and good conquering evil - a classic much-loved story at it's best.

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13 people found this helpful

Michael York's emphasis & intonation is infuriating!

I love the story, and have read it several times. I got the audiobook to listen to as I fall asleep. However, York's performance ruins the story! He has a patronising tone, with really strange emphasis and intonation. For example, his voice goes up at the end of a sentence, and there is not continuity, it's like he's reading a bunch of random sentences rather than a paragraph. Such a shame as Kenneth Branagh's performance in The Magician's Nephew was absolutely superb - a truly gifted voice actor. York just doesn't compare.

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11 people found this helpful

Most Unmagical

I was really looking forward to listening to this as it's one of my favourite books but I was very disappointed. Michael York was terrible! Apart from being extremely bad at doing different voices someone should have told him that the Lion's name is pronounced Azlan and not Asslan!! I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who doesn't know the story as it will put them off for life!

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8 people found this helpful

Captivating classic adventure story

Where does The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 2 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Narnia series as a whole are the top stories we have listened to as a family. My 5 year old son loves them and listens repeatedly in the car and in bed.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 2?

The end with Aslan at the Stone Table was very dramatic and we were all silently listening to find out what happened.

What about Michael York’s performance did you like?

Just enough drama not to detract from the actual text of the story.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made us hold our breath sometimes with anticipation and suspense.

Any additional comments?

We are really looking forward to listening to the rest of the series.

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5 people found this helpful

classic

I love love love this CS Lewis classic. The narration was good and added to the enjoyment of the story.

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5 people found this helpful

A Must Buy.

I have not read these books since I was a child, I was pleased to see all 7 books on this site. A good quality reading.

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5 people found this helpful

Cool

It was a very good book and I will look forward to listening to the others.
I recommend this book.

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4 people found this helpful

Difficult review

I find this hard to write as I love the book, and like the reader as an actor, but I was really sad and disappointed. But I am 72, so maybe hard to please!
I got this as I can no longer read as easily as I used to, and this was one of my favourite books when little. My grandchildren love it too! 7 and 4.
So I don’t know where it missed the mark....
Not produced with an older person in mind? Probably.
I found it a bit squirm-inducing. Not the text which is still amazing, but the interpretation of the characters. Just not right. I’m sure the actor, excellent man, was guided, but the producer got it all wrong, for me at least.
The book has a bigger story to tell, and the subtlety was lost. Dumbed down for 8 year olds. Good attempt though. Won’t buy the rest.

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3 people found this helpful