[10th April 2013: Review of 'The Horse and His Boy' only. 3 stars]
When this was published, it was probably seen as quite a decent little fantasy adventure, and maybe it's still possible to read it at that level now (though even then it feels dated and too "precious"). However, it really is impossible to ignore the horribly embedded racism (and to a lesser degree, sexism), and it was not a comfortable read. Read with a great sense of caution!

[2nd April 2013: Review of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' only. 3 and 1/2 stars]
It's an interesting experience, reading something as an adult for the first time, when you've seen it adapted as both a live action and an animated movie. It probably robs some of the iconic images and key scenes of their power in print, unfortunately. That's not actually a criticism of the book itself; I suspect I would have loved this as a kid - particularly its grab-bag approach to incorporating aspects of Western mythology, not to mention the talking animals :-). And I don't see how the scene where Aslan sacrifices his life could fail to be powerful, no matter how much foreknowledge the reader has (and leaving aside the issue of the fairly heavy-handed Christian parallels). Overall it's less of a pleasant ramble than 'The Magician's Nephew', and less time is spent on characterisation (with the exception of Edmund and perhaps Lucy). However, this is compensated for by more of an epic feel.

[7th March 2013: Review of 'The Magician's Nephew' only. 3 stars]
Amazingly enough, this is my first time reading the Chronicles of Narnia. It's interesting reading a much-loved classic of the genre when you're not the intended audience, not to mention that fact that sixty years have passed since it was written. While this first book is definitely a product of its time (and the dialogue in particular hasn't aged well), it still has a degree of charm. The potentially-annoying Christian elements are relatively low-key here, and blended comfortably with other mythologies. The Witch is actually quite impressive - I would have liked to see more of her rampaging through London - and I loved some of the little touches, such as the lamp-post tree. I'm quite looking forward to reading the rest of the series. ( )

Одна из самых главных книг моего детства.