Winter wonderland

[altariel]

Duty forced me to go to the Haunted Bookshop (a specialist children's bookshop), where I found Elizabeth Enright's Thimble Summer, a book I have wanted to read since I was... ooh, eleven or twelve, and read the summary of it in the back of one of her other books. I'm pleased as Punch.

Oh yes, anyone in this neck of the woods who wants to lay their paws on Doctor Who books should get themselves down to the Haunted Bookshop: a stack of Target novelizations, some New and Missing Adventures, a small pile of DWMs, and various other bits and pieces such as quiz books etc.

After a hard slog around the bookshop, it was time to go and see The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe. Well, of course I'm sentimental and easily moved, so I loved it to bits. I could probably pick out a few things here and there which were a bit clumsy or not as well realized as I would have liked, but overall I was enchanted.

The children were all very good (which I was worried might not be the case). I thought all of them were sympathetically handled: Peter and Susan struggling to be the adults and nowhere near old enough to be doing it. Edmund constantly getting it wrong and only earning the scorn of his older brother when he wants approbation. There really was a feeling at the end that this was an experience which alters them in such a way that leaving four children on the thrones of Narnia isn't a hideous tactical error that would be followed up in short order by a Calormene invasion.

The bit which I thought was going to be ghastly, but which was brilliantly realized, was the meeting with Father Christmas. Understated; very well played. One of my favourite bits.

Tilda Swinton was brilliant, and I thoroughly coveted her lion's mane battle wig. Not to mention the chariot and the ice palace and the minions, but let's not be greedy.

I thought it ended a little abruptly: there was a lot of set-up about the evacuation at the start (very well done), which didn't feel quite paid off at the end.

Most of all it felt completely Narnian. I think trying to compare it to the LotR films would be a mistake: they're just not the same thing. It conveyed the enchantment of the book to me. I'd happily sit through it again.

I got Turkish Delight in last night for my reading group, and I'm away now to finish off what's left (not much!).

Comments

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

I loved it too.

But am I a bad Narnia fan if I think Turkish Delight is repulsive?

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

Which one is Thimble Summer? I used to have a bunch of Enright books and I can't recall if that was one of them - the only one whose title I can remember is The Saturdays (or was it The Saturday Club?).

[jomacmouse.livejournal.com]

You are an evil woman, m'dear, mentioning good bookshops that are well out of my way :)

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the review. I've yet to see it, and I'm glad it's turned out a successful film when it could easily have become generic fantasy. 'Completely Narnian' sounds great.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for successful book-shopping!

And I'm very relieved to read your thoughts on the Narnia films. (And yummy icon too!)

There's a film poster on the bus shelter where I get the bus home from work and it's Tilda Swinton as Jadis, in chain mail sweeping skirt, what looks like a combination of ironmongery and corsetry, a feathery, fur mantle around her shoulders, flying hair, spiky metal headdress, and swirling swords about it her. She looks gorgeous, and I'm hoping the rest of the film lives up to that too, and it sounds like it does.

Mmm, Turkish Delight. Take me, I'm yours.

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for your book-shopping! I haven't been in the Haunted Bookshop for a few weeks, so am definitely overdue. That's a lovely feeling, where you've read about something and wanted it, and then you manage to get it.

I'm glad you enjoyed the film. Tilda Swinton looks fabulous in the pictures I've seen. I'd want to see it just for her, apart from anything else.

Turkish Delight. Mmmm.

[trixieleitz]

I enjoyed it, too.

Tilda had this fab '80s shoulderpad thing going on all the way through, and I totally dug her battlefrock :)

Enjoy your Turkish Delight!

[hafren.livejournal.com]

leaving four children on the thrones of Narnia isn't a hideous tactical error that would be followed up in short order by a Calormene invasion.

Myself I suspect that the rationale for that was that he hadn't invented Calormen at the time.

I wonder if the evacuation stuff was done because the original book audience would have known why the kids were where they were and TPTB thought a modern one would be fatally puzzled? I was reading a story the other day with a group of students and came on the place-name Oradour-sur-Glane. I expected they'd all share the same frisson I felt as I realised what was going to happen - turned out none of them had ever heard of it. They weren't all 18 either - some at least in their mid-30s. History gets lost very quickly.

[avon7.livejournal.com]

I grew up with Thimble Summe5r and I'm very fond of it, so not as much as I am of Spiderwebs for Two. I love that one to bits. I'm also fond of Goneaway Swamp - don't know if you know it. Enright does play the same themes over and over again and Thimble Summer contains lots of 'shadows' of the Melendy books, IMO.