Books Tasted - Everything bookly (and a few other things)

The Horse and His Boy, the 5th book in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, is my favorite. It's the story of two children escaping Calormen with two talking horses, and of course no escape is ever smooth. It's a rousing adventure story and I had trouble putting it down, even on this umpteenth reading.

This book really isn't about Narnia and is different from the other books in that it doesn't feature main characters coming from our world. It takes place during the reign of High King Peter, and Susan, Lucy, and Edmund make brief appearances.

If you're looking for it, you'll find Christian references. Aslan guides them on their journey several times without them knowing who he is - sometimes he's a comfort, sometimes he's a scary nudge in the right direction. They grow and gain understanding through various trials. There's even a Job-like moment with the main character wondering, "Why me?"

You can also find racism if you look for it. Lewis' descriptions of Calormen are similar to Middle Eastern countries, but he definitely puts a negative spin on most of the characteristics he describes. I think children aren't likely to make this connection though or take these images out of the book; I know I didn't. The fictional world of Calormen never correlated to anything in real life to me when I was younger (except that I liked the drawing of Aravis' clothing and always wanted a costume like that for Halloween).

I noticed how often Lewis likes to describe food. It's true throughout most of the Narnia books. I guess he really liked food. Anytime they eat, he has to give all the details. He doesn't seem fond of Middle Eastern food from his descriptions, but it sounded good to me!