Life of Lydia

I listened to this short story in the tub on Christmas Eve and the day before. This seemed an appropriate place to listen as baths play a prevalent role in the story.

I was first introduced to George MacDonald last summer via my mother. She is a major C.S. Lewis fan and she even started a book club dedicated to his works. The problem was they had read basically all his major works. She discovered George MacDonald, who in her own words was “only the most influential Victorian writer” and most importantly a major influence to ole’ Clive. They started with the golden key, to “get their feet wet” with George MacDonald, before moving on to Phantastes. I had always written off all of Clive’s non-Narnia works as something for Women in their forties. Poor George MacDonald got lumped into the same category.

Latter in the summer, I some how heard that George MacDonald and especially the Princess and the Goblin had also influenced Tolkien. Now that had my attention. As a budding Tolkien fan, it became a must read.

A few days before Christmas, I was asking my mother for book recommendations. She gave me a whole slew of them, including The Golden Key. And… what can I say. It was beautiful and I didn’t know why, and that made it all the more beautiful. 🔑🌈🛁👶🏼(sorry folks, I couldn’t find an emoji of a feathered fish. But here’s a normal fish and a feather as a small compensation 🐟🪶)

I decided to try Phantastes next. We’ll see if I actually make it to 40 before cracking open Lewis.