| AT THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND (Barbour Christian Classics) | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 9 reviews)
Sales Rank: 101174
Category: Book
Author: George Macdonald
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Studio: Barbour Publishing
Manufacturer: Barbour Publishing
Label: Barbour Publishing
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 4
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 1593106815
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781593106812
ASIN: 1593106815
Publication Date: February 1, 2005
Release Date: February 20, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
More than a century after it was written, George MacDonald's At the Back of the North Wind continues to intrigue readers with its allegorical treatment of life and death. The story of the young boy Diamond who meets the mysterious and beautiful North Wind explores, in the words of one reviewer, ""the possibility of trusting cooperation with this awesome but benevolent force."" The great Christian writer C. S. Lewis, working a generation later, called MacDonald ""the greatest genius of his kind."" Find out for yourself what so impressed Lewis and countless readers over the last 130 years!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 a deep parable January 8, 2009
i will have to agree with c.s.lewis. although i have yet to fully understand every allegory in the book, i found many many many insights into God's plan for my life and my salvation. it is not a book to simply read, it is a book to study, perhaps (as in my case) even throughout many years.
So Creative November 23, 2008
One of my personal favorites - leads to sweet dreams! Good one for reading aloud to your kids!
Beautifully written November 23, 2008
I found this book--correction: This book found me--shortly after my father's death. I was nine years old. What I needed then were books that would comfort as they took me to another place, a place where people lived surrounded with tenderness and loving kindness. If you are looking for books to read aloud with your children, I strongly recommend this one plus The Princess and Curdie and The Princess and the Goblin. These brilliantly written yet simple tales combine fantasy with spiritual issues... opening the door for many great discussions. I still love them today....
Yes, I am biased. June 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'll start out by saying first and foremost, this is one of my favorite books. But let me also add that I love it, not ignoring its flaws, but regardless of them. And it does have flaws.
I have read that the lead character Diamond is unbelieveable, especially after the main turning point of the story. That's okay. He's supposed to be. Without giving away too much plot, Diamond coming back from the back of the north wind is almost akin to Paul being called up to heaven, they were both changed, and for similar reasons. Aside from that, he is no more unbelieveable than Dickens's Oliver Twist or Paul Dombey. Paul Dombey being a much better comparision, as I must think MacDonald based Diamond upon him somewhat.
Speaking of Dickens, some critics have complained that MacDonald tricks the reader by making half of the novel a fantasy but then switches abruptly to a Dickensian type social commentary. Once the family moves to London, he seems much more concerned with the ills of that place than with the earlier fantasy. I can't argue with that. It does happen. After the main turning point, the North Wind makes very little appearance until the end. I think this is a very important part of the book, and while the fanicful moments seem to be where MacDonald excelled, the latter half of the novel is not lacking in greatness, as it maintains a fantasic aspect, though not the same one of as the first half. That being said, it should be known that I ademently love Charles Dickens. If you don't care for his works you may want to reconsider this novel, as I think it is laced with many Dickensian elements--a "problem" not usually seen in a MacDonald novel.
Also, I have heard this book attacked because, as a children's book, it is hard for children to grasp the meaning of it. I think it's a weak attack and better men than me have put up better defenses. MacDonald himself, for one. "Your children are not likely to trouble you about the meaning. They find what they are capable of finding, and more would be too much." That being said, it is a religious story, though not out-right and not allogorical either. It can be ignored or embraced, dependant on your views.
Now that I've addressed those main attacks, I'll go back to those flaws I mentioned. Like every book I've read by MacDonald, there are lulls. They are much more sparse than in his other novels, however, and easily gotten through. They should hardly be a main concern.
His writing style is not perfect either, though it is hardly bad. It's just "less good." But the story will make you overlook some of his less than wonderful moments.
The ending of the story is another flaw, in my opinion. Not that I feel the ending should've been changed, but I would've prefered it to be better kept from the reader. That did not take away from the power of it, but I did see it coming about half-way through. But maybe I'm just expecting too much.
Despite those three complaints of mine, At the Back of the North Wind is one of the best "children's stories" ever written. It is very much akin to J. M. Barrie's Peter and Wendy: fanciful and entertaining. Going back to that Dickensian influence, it is also moralistic, though not preachy or stern. . .too often.
AT THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND BY GEORGE MACDONALD November 15, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a beautful allegory of a frail young boy's near death experience as he struggles with illness, told in a way children can understand and not fear, and of his eventual death, as he is taken home to heaven. It is bittersweet, but it really gives children (and adults) a good perspective on the Christian view of life, death, and what happens after death. Note, it is written by C.S. Lewis's favorite author, and I highly recommend it for ages 10 to adult.
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