2016 Reread: 
 So in my original review, I talked about forgiving the subtle-as-a-hammer use of allegory, and how I could easily forgive it. Well, rereading it now, I find that to be a bit more difficult. Lewis jams as many biblical narratives into one 180-page children's fantasy book that I am baffled, impressed, and annoyed all at once. But when he does it, he ingrains it in a fantasy world that feels both familiar and completely organic. Narnia is a rich world that Lewis fills with a childhood sense of wonder and majesty that many other works of children's fantasy fail to nail. 
 Then again, the age shows. Children's literature has come a far way in the last several decades. Here, the plotting is rather simple and the characters are so unbelievably flat and empty I wonder how I ever latched on to any of them as a kid. This is a rare case where I can honestly say that the movie is a clear improvement on the book: more subtlety, better characters, and a richer, more developed story. This is a classic that I respect, and in my memory it will always have a special place in my heart. But unfortunately, it just did not hold up for me. 
 Original Review: 
 As a grown up, the allegory seems so heavy handed and manipulative I would easily dismiss it if I came across it now. 
 But as a child, it all went over my head. This was the closest book I had read that captured the magic and whimsy of Harry Potter, as well as being one of the first books I remember crying at. I have such fond memories of reading this, I can't punish it for its overwrought Christian themes.