Its Saturday, the 1st of December!! Finally!
I've been waiting for this day for months!! I'm so happy to present you The Indie Guide A-Z Project, by Betty Nails Productions ( =D )!
É Sabado, dia 1 de Dezembro!! Finalmente !
Estou à espera deste dia há meses, desde que comecei a preparar este projecto, o Guia A-Z de Vernizes Indie!
For those who don't know what I am talking about (Follow me through Facebook to know a lot more!) I am starting today the Indie Guide A-Z!
This will be a huge project and a enormous pleasure to do!
So .. what am I going to do?
Para quem não sabe do que eu estou a falar ( basta seguirem-me também no Facebook para saberem as novidades em primeira mão ) eu hoje vou a começar o Guia dos Indies.
Então, o que é que vou fazer?
Todos os dias, vou-vos mostrar uma marca diferente de vernizes indies com entrevistas com as meninas ( e meninos) que os fazem! Além disso, tambem vos vou trazer entrevistas com as majores lojas onde eles se vendem!
And what is an Indie Brand? Its an Independent Brand, an Indie Brand Of Nail polish means that they are hand made from scratch an not a mix of previous polishes . Most of the Indie Makers are bloggers, nail polish or beauty bloggers, some other makers were nail polish fans who decided to experiment and create their own lines.
What we are about to see is a parade of heaven for nails!!
E o que é uma marca Indie? É uma marca independente, quer dizer que são vernizes artezanais, feitos ou produzidos em casa (não industriais) por bloggers de vernizes ou beleza ou apenas adoradoras de vernizes que decidiram experimentar e criar os seus próprios vernizes. São vernizes feitos de raíz e não a partir da mistura de vernizes já prontos. A sua elaboração é feita com base na mistura e conjugação de uma base de verniz (com ou sem cor) e combinações de pigmentos e/ou glitters por tentativa e erro até ser atingido o efeito desejado pelo(a) criador(a).
Vamos assistir a um desfile do paraíso das unhas!
Where are you from? Originally from Puerto Rico but currently live in Seattle with my husband!
When have you started? I started November 1, 2012.
Is there about a story behind the name of your brand? I started my blog The Daily Lacquerista in the Summer of 2012 and have had my sights on making my own polish ever since. It seemed natural to name my polish Daily Lacquer because of my blog name!
Is there a special polish/collection? Why? I would have to say that The Lovely Moon Collection is by far the closest to my heart! I LOVED Sailor Moon as a child and all I could think of when I started my polish journey was to create a collection based on this tv show. I plan on adding more Sailor Moon inspired collections to my shop.
Where you a polish addicted before starting making polishes? YES!! I have been a polish addict for a long time now!! I used to always go to the salon to get my nails done, and then I started doing it myself!
Did you have a blog before making polishes or have you started one after? I had a blog before I started making polishes! I love blogging it's so much fun.
Whats your favorite thing about making polishes? My favorite thing is seeing an idea from my head come together perfectly in the bottle. Sometimes ideas in my head aren't as good when I see them in the bottle, but most of the time they're great!
Can you tell us a curious thing that has happened to you with some client or something funny? So far everyone has been super sweet, but I have had some people go NUTS over my polish already! That's the craziest thing to get messages with people that are SO EXCITED about MY polish! I still can't believe it! It's a dream come true!!
Is there anything you'd Like to share: I just want people to know that I LOVE what I do and I will only sell nail polishes that I love and would love to see on my own nails!
Maggie was a dear and sent me a couple of gifts to show you girls!
Amazing Amazing Amazing. I painted it directly on the nails.. I was astonished by the formula.. such pigmentation in a polish with so many shapes and shades of glitter.. stars.. moons.. small hexagons..medium.. in different blue shades!
How can such thing be made? I was absolutely hysterical painting my nails! All Maggie's Fault! =O I felt like Ami when she transforms and her nails get painted! LOLOL Remember?? Remember??
Fantástico fantástico fantástico. Pintei as unhas com este menino sem usar qualquer cor base... fiquei fascinada com a fórmula.. tão bem pigmentada e um frasquinho com tantos gitters de tantos formatos e tamanhos.. estrelas, luas.. pequenos e médios glitters.. em tantos tons de azul! WOWW WOOOWW WOOOW!
One more amazing nail polish filled with gorgeous red glitters. This was my favorite sailor worrier! Such a strong and beautiful girl!! I loved her! So much!
I thought that this polish would look amazing over a color.. but I didn't knew if I was going to like it best over a light or dark color, so I followed my nail-heart (yes, this exists!) and wore it over both!
One coat in each nail over the Polishes featured here.
The glitter spread very well and dried fast! Nail Polish Heaven !
Mais um verniz fabuloso da colecção Lovely Moon! Um glitter repleto vários tons de vermelho em várias formas de glitter! Esta era a minha navegante preferida! Uma linda e forte guerreira! Adorava-a!
Senti que este era um menino que ia ficar maravilhoso sobre uma cor base (aquelas coisas que uma viciada sente..)... mas não me conseguia decidir se preferia sobre uma cor escura ou clara... então segui o meu unha-coração (sim sim, existe, é um orgão!LOLOL) e experimentei nos dois!
Uma camada do Rei sobre os dois vernizes que postei aqui. O glitter espalhou-se com uma facilidade impressionante, se lavantar nem enrolar e secou muito rápido!!! Um céu. Um céu.
To Maggie: Thank you so much for supporting me since the first moment I told you about the project! Thank you so much for being so excited about it that you were the first one completing the questionnaire! Thank you so much for being such a wonderful girl! I am so happy I met you!
I hereby show my total support for Indie Makers and my full respect for their work.
I will not translate the interviews because words and meanings get lost in translation.
I hope you understand. Please pm me or comment bellow if you have any doubts.
Please do follow me here and in Facebook. Don't Forget to come tomorrow !
I'll have an Interview with Tanya, from Treasures By Tan!
Um muito muito Obrigado à Maggie que é uma menina fantástica que eu tive o prazer de conhecer por causa deste projecto. É uma pessoa adoravel, muito simpática e super atenciosa. Desde o primeiro momento que se dispos a ajudar e ficou imediatamente empolgada com o projecto! Muito obrigado!
Estou tão feliz por inaugurar este mes de Dezembro, tão especial, dedicado às marcas Indie! Venho mais uma vez declarar o meu apoio total a todas as meninas que me ajudaram e estão a apoiar o meu projecto! Tenho imenso respeito por elas e pelo seu trabalho tão bonito.
Apareçam por cá amanhã! Entrevista com a Tanya, do Treasures by Tan!
Oh no! This series could be detrimental to my health. I really like Ami and can't wait to see all the other Indi makers out there.


text:
Tag: Harold Harefoot
1066: The Road to Hastings, 11th Century, Uncategorized
The Rise of Edward the Confessor: The Story of the Man Who But For a Quirk of Fate, Might Never Have Been King
How Edward Became King
Bayeux Tapestry, Scene 1: King Edward the Confessor and Earl Harold. Source: Wikipedia, Creative Commons, Author: Myrabella
Edward, son of Æthelred, must have been one of, if not the luckiest Anglo-Saxon king, to take the throne of England. He started out with his chances of succeeding his father looking very hopeful up to the age of about eight. Then his luck ran out with the coming of Danish invaders, Swegn and Cnut. His father Æthelred, chased out of England, returned only to die in the midst of the Danish invasion. With Edward's older brother Edmund¹ on the throne in Wessex and Cnut in charge of the Danelaw, Edward's chances of becoming king in the near future looked slim, and they got even slimmer when Edmund, the courageous Ironside, died from his battle wounds leaving the kingdom to Cnut as agreed by the treaty the two men had made.
As if things couldn't get any worse, his dear mother, Queen Emma, decided to get into a new marriage bed with Cnut, which was followed by two more children, leaving poor old Edward and his brother, Alfred, out in the cold in Normandy.
The years go by, and Edward spends it in exile, cultivating a hatred for his mother, that will last a life time. And who could blame him? After all, she abandoned the interests of her sons by Æthelred to marry this Cnut chap who is years younger than her and not willing to play stepdaddy to two young lads one little bit. Emma, perhaps, struck by memory problem, forgot her children from her former marriage which also included a daughter, Goda. Most likely, Emma negotiated her own terms for her new marriage, seeing as her brother, in a fit of pique, disowned her when instead of fighting for her sons' throne, sailed back to England to wed Cnut, and it would seem that within those terms there is no room for Edward or Alfred in this happy new family. And so, Emma, as far as her eldest son was concerned, banged the first nail into her coffin, and there were more nails to be hammered in the coming years.
Emma and Cnut – public domain
Despite her neglect of her eldest children, Emma of Normandy was quite a woman for her time. Born somewhere between 985 and 989 she was shipped off to England in 1002 to marry Æthelred who was to earn the nomenclature Unready for prosperity. In becoming the second Mrs Unready, Emma was the first Norman queen of England. If her treatment of her children by Mr Unready is anything to go by, she obviously didn't like her first husband. He was, no doubt, a lot older than her having grown up children of his own. She may had loved her first children dearly, but it still didn't stop her from running to Cnut without securing something for them. Cnut probably needed her as much as she needed him, however, whether Cnut was unwilling to agree to her sons having a stake in the crown, or whether Emma was agreeable to forgoing their rights, is unsure. Whatever the machinations, I imagine that it was part of the nuptial contract that Emma forego her children's rights, but she probably secured the succession for any children she had by Cnut over his children by any others. To give credit to her, she pulled off an amazing coup by becoming Cnut's queen, ousting the backside of her rival, Ælfgifu², from his bed and replacing it with her own, getting her hands on that crown for the second time running.
Norman knights supported by archers attack the English at the Battle of Hastings. Detail of the Bayeux Tapestry – 11th century
Edward probably spends the next twenty-five years living in Normandy being educated with his brother and being brought up as knights. He seems to make several friends, one of them being Robert Champart who may have travelled from Normandy with him later to England when his half-brother, Harthacnut, recalled him to assist with his government. It is not known exactly how he carried on his affairs in Normandy or what his relationship was like with Duke Robert or his young son, William. William would have only been in his infancy when Edward himself was a young man and Edward did not seem to have had much to do with him during the dangerous years of William's succession to his father's dukedom. It is unlikely that the Norman propaganda in later years that promulgated their relationship as cordial and supportive was true. Edward is not mentioned in the sources as being a member of his courtly officials which seems to have been carried out by close members of the senior duke's family and that of William's mother. If Edward had been involved in the boy duke's administration, I'm sure that it would have been documented. They may have known each other distantly, but there is no evidence to state that there was any love between them and by the time Edward sailed for England, the young duke would have been no older than twelve or thirteen. Edward may have studied at Jumièges, as his relationship with Robert Champart of Jumièges might suggest. Or he might have lived at the Abbey of Fécamp as his gifts to them during his reign might also suggest. William Calculus, a monk of Jumièges stated that Edward and Ælfred completed their schooling in the ducal court, which William of Poitiers, Archdeacon of Lisieux also repeats. No doubt, however, that whatever the case, the brothers were most likely brought up as young noble men would have been. Initially as pages, then learning squirely duties where they would also have learned to sing, dance, and fight on horseback as chevaliers.
York Museums Trust (Yorkshire Museum)
Meanwhile, whilst Edward was going about his activities in Normandy, Cnut died. The date of his death was November of 1035. The country was split into to 2 factions, with those supporting Cnut's son by Ælfgifu, Harold Harefoot in the north and those supporting his son, Harthacnut, by Emma in the south. Nobody thought about the two sons of Æthlefred languishing in exile over the water in Normandy – or perhaps they did, and found Edward wanting, if anyone had bothered to look into his character that is, as it was to become clear later, Edward was hardly the epitome of a king in such a warrior society as this, despite his knightly upbringing. Æthelred did have other sons that the English might have looked to but by this time, they were all dead, and any issue from them may have been obscure or missing, as was Edmund's sons³, at this time, abroad in exile.
So, with Harthacnut held up in Denmark, unable to get back to England to claim his throne, his half-brother, Harold, is proclaimed king in his brother's absence. Harold hurried to Emma in Winchester and seizes the royal treasury and regalia from her. The next blow for Emma came when Godwin, who had been a supporter of Harthacnut, accepts that his lot would be better served by switching sides, and Emma, vulnerable and concerned for her own position is thought to have reached out to her first-born sons in Normandy. Edward and Ælfred cross separately with a contingent each to meet their mother in England. The Earl of Wessex intercepted Ælfred on his way to parley with Harold and Godwin handed him over to Harefoot's henchmen. Edward is said to have landed in Southampton but is either repulsed or perhaps sent a messenger from his mother which warns him off and he scuttles back home the way he came. Emma later claimed that Harefoot forged a letter to lure her sons to England and as in Ælfred's case, eventual death. Whatever his reasons for intercepting Ælfred, Earl Godwin was to be blamed for the rest of his life by Edward for the death of his brother: an accusation that was said to have haunted Godwin until his death.
Harold Harefoot eventually has a timely death which coincides with Harthacnut's return to England shortly after to take up his post as king. When he heard about the death of his half-brother, Ælfred, the first thing he did was to dig up Harold Harefoot's corpse and toss it in a ditch, so incensed was he. But he wasn't to live for too long either, even though he was only about twenty-four at the time, he might have had some insight into his health. Not having married or fathered any known sons, he was advised to invite his older brother from across the sea in Normandy, to join him and be one of his counsellors. Edward had by now given up any thoughts of being king, so the summons must have come as a surprise.
Emma receives the Encomium from its author, flanked by Harthacnut and Edward, 11th century (c) British Library Board/Bridgeman Imageson
This must have seemed like a miracle to Edward, who, as the Vita Ædwardi Regis claims was sworn in as the future king when Emma was pregnant. The will of God had been that Edward would be their king all along, and that God had postponed the event in order to punish the people for their sins. Despite the auspisiousness of the prophecy, this was given to add meaning to Edward's long-awaited kingship, thus rationalising the development of his saintly persona. Edward was now elevated to the highest status one could ever achieve. Just a few weeks prior to his invitation from his half-brother, Edward had been in the unlikely position of ever becoming king. Now, he was the king's heir. Edward, without doing anything, had achieved the seemingly impossible. He had started out in a goodly position. His mother's pre-marriage contract arranged by her brother, the Duke of Normandy, would have seen to it that any of her sons borne of Æthelred's seed would have taken precedence over any of his sons from another woman's womb.
Harthacnut, it was said as per the Encomium Emma, was inspired by brotherly love, because he obviously loved Edward even though he'd never given him a thought throughout his life, invited Edward to come and hold the kingdom with him. Edward hopefully didn't rush into this rashly, after all, he'd only waited 25 years, but he obeyed the summons and 'Emma and her two sons among whom there was true loyalty,' ehem, *coughs, 'amicably share the kingdom's revenues.' Poitiers chose to believe that William of Normandy, then only a mere twelve or thirteen, had something to do with helping the exile get back home to his rightful place.
Edward's Coronation
It's possible that whilst Emma was in Bruges waiting for Harthacnut to withdraw from his issues in Denmark, some sort of reconciliation between the two brothers and their mother was made. Perhaps Emma at last felt the burden of guilt lay heavily on her shoulders, or perhaps it was Harthacnut's idea, wanting to meet his brother and form a bond with him.
As it happened, the two brothers may have had just about enough time to get to know each other and form some sort of friendship before Harthacnut died, binging on drink in 1042 at the wedding of Tovi the Proud. He was said to have stood up to make a speech and then keeled over in what one can only imagine was some sort of stupor. He was never to recover. There is no suggestion that poison was involved, despite the fact that Harthacnut was not very well liked. In any case, the miracle that Edward had needed all his life if he was ever to be king, had finally happened. God's will had been done, the English were punished enough, and Edward was now their king at last. The man who ought never to have been king, was elevated to that exulted place at last.
¹ King Edmund II known as the Ironside for his strength and courage.
²Ælfgifu of Northampton was Cnut's first alliance, the daughter of an important Northern Anglo-Saxon family. She was the mother of Cnut's two sons, Svein and Harold.
³ Edmund's sons, Edward and Edmund, were sent abroad when they were infants to be done away with on Cnut's orders. Luckily for them, the king of Sweden took pity on them and at least one of them survived into adulthood. Edward Edmundson was to become the subject of a mission by King Edward to find himself an heir.
Barlow F. 1997 Edward the Confessor, Yale University Press, Newhaven and London
Swanton M. 2000 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles Phoenix Press, London.
Walker W. I. 2004 Harold, the Last Anglo-Saxon King
February 27, 2019 February 22, 2022 Aelfgifu of Northampton, Aethelred, Anglo-Saxon, Bayeux Tapestry, Edmund Ironside, Edward the Confessor, Emma of Normandy, Godwine, Harold Harefoot, Harthacnut, Normandy, Normans, William the Conqueror3 Comments
11th Century, English Historical Fiction Authors (EHFA), General History, Guest Posts I have written elsewhere, Threads to the Past: Studying the Bayeux Tapestry
Ælfgyva: The Mystery Woman of the Bayeux Tapestry – Introductory Part One
Ælfgifu, or as it was sometimes spelt, Alfgyva, or even Ælfgyva as it is on the Bayeux Tapestry, must have been a popular name and one of some significance, for when Emma of Normandy was espoused to Aethelred, the witan insisted that she be called Ælfgifu, which incidentally had been the name of a couple of Æthelred's previous partners, though none of those women had been given the title of queen, unlike Emma. Perhaps they had been so used to referring to their king's women by the same name they thought it more expedient to refer to Emma as Ælfgifu too, lest they forget themselves and mistakenly call Emma by the wrong name. I say this tongue in cheek, but it is unclear as to why the name Emma was objectionable to them, after all, it was not unlike the English, Ymma. But changing a queen's name is not an unheard-of phenomenon; later Queen Edith, great-granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, changed her Saxon name and to become Queen Mathilda when she wed Henry the first. Ælfgifu, or as it was sometimes spelled, Ælfgyva, must have been a popular name and one of some significance, for when Emma of Normandy was espoused to Æthelred, the witan insisted that she be called Ælfgifu, which incidentally had been the name of a couple of Æthelred's previous consorts, though none of those women had been given the title of queen, unlike Emma. Perhaps they had been so used to referring to their king's women by the same name they thought it more expedient to refer to Emma as Aelfgifu too, lest they forget themselves and mistakenly call her Ælfgifu anyway. I say this tongue in cheek, but it is unclear as to why the name Emma was objectionable to them, after all, it was not unlike the English version of Ymma. But changing a queen's name is not an unheard of phenomenon; later Queen Edith, great-granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, changed her Saxon name to become Queen Mathilda when she wed Henry the first. This might have been a choice she had made, wanting to please her new subjects. The nobles were made up of mostly Normans who liked to make fun of the English language and names, so it might have not been her choice but one that was coerced from her.
There were so many Ælfgyvas/ Ælfgifus amongst the women of the 11thc that it must have become quite confusing at times. Even Cnut's consort before Emma, was called Ælfgifu, mother of Cnut's sons Harold and Sweyn. She was known as Ælfgifu of Northampton, the woman whose father had been killed during Æthelred's reign. So one can see that if anyone called Emma, Ælfgifu, by mistake, it would not have mattered as they could be referring to either of them! Even Cnut would not have been caught out by this one.
There was a story about Cnut's Ælfgifu, that she had been unable to produce her own off-spring and involved a monk to help her pass off a serving maid's illigitemate babies as her sons by Cnut. In another version, it was said that the monk himself had fathered them. Were they a monk's children fathered on a serving maid so that Ælfgifu could present them as hers and Cnut's? Or, were they lovers themselves, the monk and Ælfgifu? These are questions that, after reading the evidence, I am pondering upon. However, Emma, it is said, hated Ælfgifu and the two women were at odds with each other for many years until Ælfgifu died. It would not be implausible that these tales, rumours, chinese whispers, if you may, were put about by the Queen to destroy her rival's reputation.
Which leads me now to the mystery of Aelfgyva on the Bayeux tapestry. Ælfgyva is the same name as Aeflgifu, just a different spelling, much like Edith and Eadgyth. For centuries people must have pondered over this scene, where a slim figure, clad in what would appear to be the clothing of a well-bred woman, stands in a door way, her hands are palm upwards as if she could be explaining something to a monk, apparently behind a doorway. He is reaching out to touch the side of her face whilst his other hand rests on his hip in a stance of dominance and he looks as if he might be touching her face in a fatherly way, perhaps admonishing her for some misdeed, or perhaps he is slapping her? On the other hand he could be caressing her face. The text sewn into the tapestry merely states 'where a priest and Ælfgyva…' and the onlooker is left with no more than this to dwell on. So just what is the author alluding to? Why did he/she not finish the sentence? Perhaps they were referring to a well known scandal of the time and they had no reason to describe the events in detail, because everyone would have known about it anyway. Who knows what the truth is? It seems the answer to the question of the lady's identity and the relevance the scene has to the story of Harold Godwinsons downfall, died with the creators of the tapestry long ago. Those who presented it to the owner must have given a satisfactory explanation to him about the scene. One can only wonder as to what it might have been and was it a truthful explanation, or did it have a hidden story?
This brings me to my burning question. Was this scene depicting the scandal of Aelfgifu of Northampton and the monk and if so why and what did it have to do with the tapestry? What was its creator alluding to? Or had someone woven them into the tapestry, mistakenly confusing Cnut's Aelfgifu/Aelfgyva with a similar story that did have some legitimacy with the story of the conquest? I have an interpretation, but it is just that, and most likely the fanciful ramblings of my imagination, although it could perhaps be close. I will attempt to explain my idea further sometime in part two soon. Watch this space as the mystery unfolds!
This blog post can also be read here: https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2017/11/lfgyva-mystery-woman-of-bayeux-tapestry.html
June 27, 2017 June 23, 2019 11thc, Aelfgifu of Northampton, Alfgyva, Bayeux Tapestry, Cnut, Edmund Ironside, Emma of Normandy, Harold Godwinson, Harold HarefootLeave a comment

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Many years ago, I started reading the Chronicles of Narnia, but I think I stalled out somewhere in the middle of [amazon_link id="0064405028″ target="_blank" ]The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader'[/amazon_link]. I never did finish the series, and I have almost no memory of what happens in the books (with the large exception of [amazon_link id="0064404994″ target="_blank" ]The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe[/amazon_link]). I did remember that Jadis spoke the Deplorable Word and destroyed Charn in The Magician's Nephew, but that is truthfully just about all I remembered. So when I discovered that the audio book versions of the Chronicles of Narnia were all read by great British actors like Kenneth Branagh, Michael York, Derek Jacobi, and Patrick Stewart, I decided to use my Audible credits to get the whole series and re-read it once I had accumulated the entire collection. I have decided to follow the apparently controversial chronology established by Harper Collins rather than the publication order. I know plenty of people seem to feel quite strongly that following chronological order instead of publication order is doing it wrong, but I am going to do it anyway. I hate reading rules, anyway.
If you are unfamiliar with the plot of The Magician's Nephew, it concerns the story of Digory Kirke, the nephew in question, who later grows up to be the professor who takes in the Pevensies when they are fleeing London during World War II. His evil uncle Andrew is a magician who believes he possibly had the last real fairy godmother in Britain. He creates some magic rings that will take the bearer to another world, but as he's too chicken to try them out himself, he forces Digory to try them by sending his new friend Polly to this other world without a ring that will bring her back. When Digory goes to rescue Polly, he discovers the rings actually take to bearer to a place between worlds. Digory and Polly decide to explore one of the other worlds before going back to mean Uncle Andrew, and they wind up in the destroyed world of Charn. Digory wakes up the evil former queen of Charn, Jadis, when he is too tempted to ring a bell to resist, and she manages to go back to London with the children, where Andrew is both charmed and frightened by her. In an attempt to take Jadis away from London, the children, Andrew, and a hapless cabbie and his horse all wind up in the land between worlds and from there end up in Narnia, which is just in the process of being created by Aslan (the Jesus allegory lion). Unfortunately, Jadis is there, too, and Aslan is disappointed that people have already brought evil into the world he just created (cue really heavy-handed Genesis allegory here). He asks that Digory right the wrong by retrieving an apple from a far distant tree. When he arrives, Jadis tempts him to eat the apple himself, but he manages to resist and bring it back to Aslan, who uses it to plant a tree that will protect Narnia from Jadis, now the White Witch, at least for as long as the tree stands. He gives Digory one of the apples to take back with him to London so that he can give it to his ailing mother and cure her, which he does. Later he plants the core, which grows into a great apple tree from which a certain wardrobe is later made.
One thing I thought as I listened to this book, aside from the thought that Kenneth Branagh should just read all the books to me, is that J. K. Rowling and Neil Gaiman owe a fairly obvious debt of gratitude to C. S. Lewis. I know both have acknowledged him as an influence, but the writing style and humor really reminded me of the kinds of things I have heard in Rowling (particularly the first few books of the Harry Potter series) and Gaiman's [amazon_link id="0060530944″ target="_blank" ]The Graveyard Book[/amazon_link]. Polly in particular reminded me of Scarlett Perkins in The Graveyard Book. She was utterly charming, and I liked her very much. I didn't remember Uncle Andrew very much from my first reading of his novel, but Kenneth Branagh gave him this fabulous unctuous manner of speaking that made me happy every time he was given a line. In fact, Branagh was fabulous the entire way through. I really could listen to him read all the books.
Because this book features Jadis, who later becomes the White Witch, I will count it for the Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge. From this time forward, audio books will receive two ratings: one rating for the story and one for the audio interpretation.
I didn't appreciate how funny Uncle Andrew is when I read these books as a kid. I have all the audiobooks with the narrators you mention, but haven't listened to them yet. But I admit that the prospect of hearing Kenneth Branagh do the Uncle Andrew voice is very appealing.
I love seeing the debt that many many children's book authors owe to CS Lewis. I think Diana Wynne Jones is another one — I can't put my finger on the exact points of writerly inheritance, but DWJ feels so much like CS Lewis sometimes.
I know what you mean. I didn't actually read these as a kid, but Uncle Andrew's comedy went over my head the first time I read this book in college. Michael York on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is not as good as Kenneth Branagh on The Magician's Nephew.