At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald

At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald (public domain in the USA, 1871) 220 pages

Available free on Project Gutenberg.

Summary
At the Back of the North Wind centers around a young boy, Diamond, and his interactions (and adventures) with the North Wind, who, when she’s with Diamond, generally takes the form of a beautiful woman (with extremely long hair).

Thoughts
Set in Victorian London, this is an enchanting children’s story (great bedtime reading!).

Ideas MacDonald addresses in this book: social justice, death, love and forgiveness.

This was not a fast read. Part of that, surely, is the fault of the crummy edition I bought (see note below), but it’s content-rich. A charming tale.

Another book I read in preparation for Hutchmoot. (Which is starts tomorrow, yay!)

Note: The edition of this book matters. I purchased a very inexpensive edition (I knew what I was likely getting myself into, but chose that anyway.) and the words are crammed into the book. Plus: It was poorly proofread. The version I linked to above is the one I *wanted* to buy. Some editions are illustrated, which could be cool.

About the author
George MacDonald (1824-1905) was a Scottish author, poet and pastor. He’s said to have influenced many great authors, including J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L’Engle.

Other reviews
Across the Page

Have you reviewed this book? Leave me a link and I’ll add it here.

I purchased this book. I am an Amazon Associate and receive a small commission on sales through my affiliate links.