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Product Description
Product Description
With 13 children of his own clamouring for bedtime stories it isn't surprising that author George MacDonald discovered he had a gift for composing fairy tales. But these were fairy tales with a difference. At the Back of the North Wind, the first to be published, became a Victorian favourite and marked something of a milestone in children's fiction. While owing a debt to Hans Andersen, Dickens and Kingsley, MacDonald created a distinctive imaginary world existing in parallel with the grim social realities of mid-19th-century England. "A fairy tale is not al allegory," he once remarked. It is, of course, but the trick was to disguise it, to entertain the reader as well as instruct, leaving them to draw a moral if they pleased, or else simply to enjoy the fantasy. Children for over a hundred years have been enchanted and moved by the story of Nanny the crossing sweeper, her lame friend Jim, and above all Diamond, the poor coachman's son, whose life is transformed by a brief glimpse of a beautiful country "at the back of the north wind". The first edition (1871) was illustrated by the pre-Raphaelite artist Thomas Hughes, whose romantic and highly individualistic drawings are reproduced in the Everyman edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
There is something quite beautiful about this book, which for me sums up all the feelings of nostalgia for childhood that are so hard to define. Reading it is like being tucked up in bed again by your mother when you are very, very young and are so innocent that you think that, whatever bad things there are in the world, you will always be safe and warm and protected. Some editions also have beautiful illustrations - particularly those by Arthur Rackham.
At the same time as being a very imaginative fantasy (as with all of George McDonalds books)the book also is in touch with the problems and choices of real life.
If you like this children's book try the books George McDonald wrote for adults - 'Phantasies' and 'Lilith'. They are also both really brilliant.
At the same time as being a very imaginative fantasy (as with all of George McDonalds books)the book also is in touch with the problems and choices of real life.
If you like this children's book try the books George McDonald wrote for adults - 'Phantasies' and 'Lilith'. They are also both really brilliant.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald (reviewed by Kelvin M. Knight)
If your children roared through C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia or were dazzled by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, I would highly recommend them reading this book by, reputably, the father of modern fantasy.
Better still, why not give it a read yourself. Recently I did just that. Even though the book was written for older Victorian children, I saw new depth in the work I last read thirty or so years ago, and marvelled anew at George MacDonald's remarkable imagination. It is no small wonder I recently discovered he was a leading luminary of his day, being a mentor to Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and inspiring C. S. Lewis, amongst others. How he personified the North Wind as many things, depending on the virtue of one's heart, is breathtaking. The descriptions are delightful, showing a remarkable keenness of eye, and giving one the rawness of Victorian life, as well as portraying the wonder and innocence of youth; in a paler shade of rose than any Dickensian novel. The pace of the book made me keep turning the pages, and the sparkling dialogue made me want to say it aloud just to make sure I was not dreaming.
The story is about a young boy, Diamond, who is touched by the North Wind. As a beautiful lady with long trailing hair (so she must be good!) the North Wind shows Diamond a great many things about the meaning of life and her place within it. By degrees, Diamond's eyes are opened to the ways of the world, yet he retains his sweetness and seeks only to help others, which becomes a driving force once he has visited the back of the North Wind: a kind of paradise akin to Heaven. There are as many twists and turns in the book as there are insightful anecdotes and pearls of wisdom, with hardship and misfortune skipping hand in hand with joy and love as Diamond's family, friends and acquaintances fall foul of the whims, yet ultimate orderliness, of the capricious North Wind.
There is so much in this story but the one thing that stuck to me like glue is the concept of life's great balance; how optimism, coupled with a quiet calmness, will help us all. No matter what life throws at us, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, trite or contrived, everything happens for a reason, even though we do not understand or cannot comprehend why. Remaining optimistic and nurturing a caring nature are as significant now as they were for Diamond over a century ago.
If your children roared through C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia or were dazzled by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, I would highly recommend them reading this book by, reputably, the father of modern fantasy.
Better still, why not give it a read yourself. Recently I did just that. Even though the book was written for older Victorian children, I saw new depth in the work I last read thirty or so years ago, and marvelled anew at George MacDonald's remarkable imagination. It is no small wonder I recently discovered he was a leading luminary of his day, being a mentor to Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and inspiring C. S. Lewis, amongst others. How he personified the North Wind as many things, depending on the virtue of one's heart, is breathtaking. The descriptions are delightful, showing a remarkable keenness of eye, and giving one the rawness of Victorian life, as well as portraying the wonder and innocence of youth; in a paler shade of rose than any Dickensian novel. The pace of the book made me keep turning the pages, and the sparkling dialogue made me want to say it aloud just to make sure I was not dreaming.
The story is about a young boy, Diamond, who is touched by the North Wind. As a beautiful lady with long trailing hair (so she must be good!) the North Wind shows Diamond a great many things about the meaning of life and her place within it. By degrees, Diamond's eyes are opened to the ways of the world, yet he retains his sweetness and seeks only to help others, which becomes a driving force once he has visited the back of the North Wind: a kind of paradise akin to Heaven. There are as many twists and turns in the book as there are insightful anecdotes and pearls of wisdom, with hardship and misfortune skipping hand in hand with joy and love as Diamond's family, friends and acquaintances fall foul of the whims, yet ultimate orderliness, of the capricious North Wind.
There is so much in this story but the one thing that stuck to me like glue is the concept of life's great balance; how optimism, coupled with a quiet calmness, will help us all. No matter what life throws at us, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, trite or contrived, everything happens for a reason, even though we do not understand or cannot comprehend why. Remaining optimistic and nurturing a caring nature are as significant now as they were for Diamond over a century ago.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book follows the magical adventures of Diamond, the son of a hansom cab driver with his new found friend the North Wind.
It is PETER PAN, MARY POPPINS and ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS all rolled together in a delictable confection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
At the back of the North Wind, childresn's classic book
At The Back Of The North Wind (Everyman's Library Children's Classics)
When I reread this children's clasic, I knew why the memory of it has stayed with me for 60 years! Read more
When I reread this children's clasic, I knew why the memory of it has stayed with me for 60 years! Read more
Published 12 months ago by Judepatch
A little confusing to modern readers
A strange and at times quite lovely old tale of a little boy called Diamond, his father's horse, also called Diamond, and the boy's encounter with the North Wind who appears to... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Jo Bennie
Simply Beautiful
I recently picked up an old edition of this book as I was intrigued by the title. All I can say is, it's simply beautiful. Read more
Published on 19 Dec 2009 by Kristie Macknight
Magical times of long ago!
This was written in the olden days when children wanted to be good and help their families, it's a lovely read with a serenity about it. It weaves a spell and I love this book.
Published on 8 Aug 2005 by J. Mcaulay
a lost classic of childhood
I'm just in the middle of reading The Princess and the Goblin to my 9 year old son, and thought I'd check to see if this is in print. It isn't, and should be. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2005 by A. Craig
A classic that still holds up
It is old fashioned, yes, but readable and ultimately, still magical. If your child thinks no book is any good unless it's been made into a movie with CGI effects replacing plot... Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2005
This was a total waste of my good time!
I was made to read this book for a book report in school. Let me just sayit was total chaos! I hated it! It had NO POINT!!! It was about this kidnamed Dimond! Read more
Published on 24 April 2004 by Ty
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