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At the Back of the North Wind

By George MacDonald Arthur Hughes
At the Back of the North Wind Diamond son of a poor coachman is swept away by the North Wind a radiant maternal spirit with long flowing hair His life is transformed by a brief glimpse of the beautiful country at the back of t

  • Title: At the Back of the North Wind
  • Author: George MacDonald Arthur Hughes
  • ISBN: 9780375413353
  • Page: 195
  • Format: Hardcover

    • Diamond, son of a poor coachman, is swept away by the North Wind a radiant, maternal spirit with long, flowing hair His life is transformed by a brief glimpse of the beautiful country at the back of the north wind This Victorian fairy tale has enchanted readers for than a hundred years, and combines a Dickensian regard for the working class of mid 19th centuryDiamond, son of a poor coachman, is swept away by the North Wind a radiant, maternal spirit with long, flowing hair His life is transformed by a brief glimpse of the beautiful country at the back of the north wind This Victorian fairy tale has enchanted readers for than a hundred years, and combines a Dickensian regard for the working class of mid 19th century England with the invention of an ethereal landscape.

    • [PDF] At the Back of the North Wind | by ↠ George MacDonald Arthur Hughes
      195 George MacDonald Arthur Hughes
    At the Back of the North Wind

    About Author

    1. George MacDonald Arthur Hughes says:
      George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister.Known particularly for his poignant fairy tales and fantasy novels, George MacDonald inspired many authors, such as G.K Chesterton, W H Auden, J.R.R Tolkien, C S Lewis, and Madeleine L Engle Lewis that wrote that he regarded MacDonald as his master Picking up a copy of Phantastes one day at a train station bookstall, I began to read A few hours later, said Lewis, I knew that I had crossed a great frontier G K Chesterton cited The Princess and the Goblin as a book that had made a difference to my whole existence Elizabeth Yates wrote of Sir Gibbie, It moved me the way books did when, as a child, the great gates of literature began to open and first encounters with noble thoughts and utterances were unspeakably thrilling Even Mark Twain, who initially disliked MacDonald, became friends with him, and there is some evidence that Twain was influenced by MacDonald.For information, please see enpedia wiki George_M

    Comment 729 on “At the Back of the North Wind”

    1. Chris says:
      3rd time reading this through One of my favorite stories of all time, but honestly, I started to feel that I absorbed as much as I could for this time in my life The thought occurred to me that I might read this once before I die, and that s it We ll see what the years bring.It is a beautiful story Profound Sometimes playful and outlandish in a Lewis Carroll sort of way Honestly, some parts feel like just another Victorian nickel novel But MacDonald always manages to take it beyond its 19th cen [...]
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    2. David Gregg says:
      At the start, for the first half of it, I struggled to push my way through At the Back of the North Wind I thought it tedious and drawn out But by the time I had waded into the middle, I found I was swimming.I just finished this book, and I have to tell you, I have no way of using my tongue to convey how I feel and what this book has done in me I sit without words, but without the ability to contain the rush of thought and emotion that crowd me on all sides I look about and the only thing that c [...]
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    3. Jessica says:
      spoiler possible The North Wind is Death This book is about the dealings between death and an innocent child It s beautiful, it s tender and sad I read somewhere that Mark Twain struck up a friendship with George MacDonald, and when his daughter died, he remembered fondly the little beat up edition of Back of the North Wind that she loved.George MacDonald is a master story crafter this book is one of his masterpieces Pacing and plot might slow at times, but the teachings here are beyond any acti [...]
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    4. Mike says:
      I am so delighted to have found this book amongst the treasures of project Guteberg Thank goodness for public domain books and ebook readers With the low price of admission, I find myself reading and books that I might not have otherwise taken the time to look up, or might not have remembered when I got to a library.Once I started reading this book I couldn t put it down However, as opposed to most books that pull you through solely with plot, I found myself going back and re reading passages [...]
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    5. Ginny says:
      I last read this book when I was 9 or 10 years old I remembered the portrayal of the North Wind as a beautiful, comforting woman, but was not able at that age to appreciate her mystical, spiritual significance She now seems to me to be the embodiment of the spirit of love I don t think she is Death, but that she incorporates some of the lovelier, reassuring aspects of death I appreciate Diamond s gradual understanding of her explanation that she must sometimes do things that seem evil but that h [...]
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    6. James Ryan says:
      I recently had an intense, life changing revelation I nearly went insane and spent over 2 weeks in the hospital, diagnosed with hypermania I found At The Back Of The North Wind in the hospital I think left for a purpose , and it described my situation perfectly I did not die visit the back of the North Wind, but the North Wind was synonymous, for me, with the voice of God that resonated in my head, providing infinite wisdom It turned me from a pond into a river, and all my fears and limits becam [...]
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    7. Camy An says:
      It took me awhile to read thisI am a busy mom and it was important for me to find the time to read and savor this in silence which doesn t always happen for me I was disappointed when I couldn t take the time to read this book It is beautifully written It is a fairy tale for both adults and children It makes me want to be like Diamond, not fearing anything and living in the moment Would read it again George MacDonald is so descriptive in his writing At times it seemed as if I was there with Diam [...]
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    8. Janelle says:
      I am indebted to one of my fellow reviewers for my review, whose horrified thoughts on the death of Diamond, prompted me to think deeply about it myself For this reader, Diamond s death was a pointless, disappointing waste, and killing him spoilt the beauty Macdonald s creation This reviewer felt that Diamond should have had his happy ending, one where he grew to a happy, successful and accepted adulthood In saying this, I believe the reviewer has forgotten who the author is and what he intende [...]
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    9. Ashley says:
      If you are the sort of person who only reads the first few sentences of a review, you d better just look back at my rating to determine my opinion of this book, because I m going to start out by saying critical things However, the books I like best, like my favorite people, tend to be those which are beautiful in spite of their flaws.I never know quite what to say about this story, and so usually I do not talk about it It is considered a children s book, for such, I believe, the author intended [...]
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    11. Tran says:
      Ko bi t vi t g v cu n s ch n y C l v m nh o n c c i k t c a n , Con tr i th ph i v tr i th i Truy n c nhi u t nh ti t kh nghi t ng n n ch c ko d nh cho tr em c, d cu c ph u l u c ng kh hay M nh c m gi c m ch truy n ko u, thi u thi u c i g C ng may c truy n n y v o gi a h , h nh dung c v o gi a l c gi m a ng b c th r t l m
      Reply

    12. Janith Pathirage says:
      I respect the book a great deal for being such a classic, but to me it was bit boring Is it just me or the North Wind Don t think even as a kid I enjoyed this one that much Yes, I was yawning all the time And I was a big fan of Hal and Roger Hunt back then Anyway, I personally believe the story is too lengthy for a children s book, specially for such a theme If it had only 200 pages, this would have looked bit interesting And I hated North Wind every time she appeared A very annoying character. [...]
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    13. Megan Fritts says:
      MacDonald wrote this story for his children, and it was also the favorite book of Mark Twain s children However, although this is a children s book, there is so much that adults can get from it I found myself weeping in several spots, either from the depth of truth being presented, or from the simple childlikeness of little Diamond Needless to say, when I have children, this will be a favorite in our house.
      Reply

    14. D.M. Dutcher says:
      It s a deep series of connected fairy tales that all share a central theme that suffering is a part of life that God uses Diamond is a sweet, innocent child who one night befriends the North Wind He is blown by her many nights to intersect in the lives of a poor young girl abused by her grandmother, a wealthy philanthropist, and others One day he travels to the back of the north wind, a place full and rich, where everyone is waiting for something better He returns, and is changed, till the last [...]
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    15. Josa Young says:
      Brilliant book Read it as a child, loved it without understanding Read it to my children and realised it is about death, and in particular children dying Heartbreaking but also hopeful.
      Reply

    16. Wanda says:
      6 DEC 2015 recommendation through Laura Many Thanks Free download gutenberg ebooks 225
      Reply

    17. Ana Rînceanu says:
      Cute, but not too cute A little too long, but a solid wintertime read.
      Reply

    18. Peter Mountz says:
      When stemware is struck it emits a certain mechanical vibratory frequency If that exact tone is returned to the same stemware, it will induce a vibration in it, and with enough amplitude, that stemware will shatter In exactly the same way, George MacDonald s lyrical tone, the living spirits of his characters, and the subtle but profound insights he offers induced in my own heart its long overdue resonant frequency But, although the glass of my heart is thick and hard to fribillate, MacDonald s w [...]
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    19. Thadeus says:
      Great story I had heard this story mentioned by many who were speaking about good literature and I was not disappointed Overall, it is a long book 38 chapters , but most chapters are a nice length for a read aloud, and there are about two or three parts to the story.The story stretches your imagination and also brings you into close contact with a late 19th century historical setting in England You follow a boy named Diamond through his young life and his interactions with his family and the peo [...]
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    20. Chrystal says:
      I wish I could write a review that would convey the dream like beauty of this achingly lovely tale A boy is taken to the back of the North Wind and is never the same again He yearns to go back to that land where the river sings a song that haunts him when he comes back to his earthly life Everyone who knows him can tell that he is different from other people he seems to think that dreams are truer than reality and they derisively call him God s Baby, although he likes the name.MacDonald was so a [...]
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    21. Jesse Broussard says:
      How the hell I have never been so deeply, so brutally betrayed Almost thou persuadest me to nihilistic despair All these were rosy visions of delight,The loveliness and wisdom feigned of old,But now we wake The East is pale and cold No hope is in the dawn, and no delight Or how about Roland is dead, Cuchulain s crest is low,The battered war rear wastes and turns to rust,And Helen s eyes and Iseult s lips are dustAnd dust the shoulders and the breasts of snow.The faerie people from our woods are [...]
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    22. Aaron Cassidy says:
      At the Back of the North Wind is a rare, wonderful gem of a book Written by George MacDonald, it is about a boy named Diamond who makes the acquaintance of an extraordinary supernatural being named North Wind, a lady who is evidently exactly what her name suggests Full of wonder and mystery, she leads Diamond on a number of adventures The most notable of these leads Diamond to a land at her back, hence the title It is in venturing here that Diamond is transformed He becomes very wise, mature, an [...]
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    23. Chris says:
      This review is specifically for the Young Reader s Christian Library abridged and revised version published by Barbour in 1991, illustrated by Ken Save.First of all, let s make something clear for all you cotton headed ninny muggins out there This is a child friendly edition that has been abridged and updated with contemporary language for young readers The original At The Back Of The North Wind was written for kids and adultsIN THE 19th CENTURY That s the 1800 sr all you cotton headed ninny mug [...]
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    24. Adam says:
      I sought out of George MacDonald s fiction a long while after reading his exceedingly wonderful Phantastes At the Back of the North Wind was filed in the library s juvenile fiction section, which should have tipped me off to what was to come The book is 400 pages of light reading it s meant to be read to children and in some ways not a lot happens The first section sets the stage for the rest of the book Diamond is swept off on midnight rides by the beautiful, magical North Wind At one point he [...]
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    25. Erica Miles says:
      Another exquisite tapestry of a fairy tale by the renowned 19th century Scottish minister and theologian, George MacDonald, who, according to his biography, lost several of his own children to early death, due to the appalling childhood mortality which was just a fact of existence during MacDonald s lifetime This highly intelligent and educated author s child like, unquestioning faith in a traditional Christian God, despite his own many losses and suffering, resulted in a faith in a God, who, th [...]
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    26. Gale says:
      GOD S BABY This children s classic would definitely be rejected by most modern kids in fact, I had to force myself through the first third of the book, until the plot became believable Page after page of nonsense poetry and absurd adult child conversations put me off The Human story itself is pretty good a frail, sickly, angelic boy of 7, son of a poor coachman in 19th century London, has the unique ability to charm those he meets, to touch the lives of children and adults alike, changing them [...]
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    27. Miro says:
      underconstructionGeorge MacDonald s At the Back of the North Wind is as heart warming as it is heart breaking a tale of a pensive, seemingly simple minded but pure boy named Diamond His dearest friends include the cold, somewhat harsh and fleeting, but ever benevolent North Wind, an old horse after which his father gave Diamond his name, and an old and experienced wealthy gentleman fully aware of the boy s otherworldly qualities As such, Diamond is hardly accepted by his peers as their equal, le [...]
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    28. Travis says:
      An odd little fantasy novel that is equal parts victorian fairy tale and Charlie Dickens social commentary.A little boy named Diamond becomes friends with the Lady of the North Wind and ends up traveling across this world and at least one beyond this world and uses what he learns to deal with some things in the real world and help his family and other people around him.It is about 50 pages longer than it needs to be and meanders a bit, but it s running theme of bad things happen and you can t al [...]
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    29. Fantasy Literature says:
      George MacDonald wrote hundreds of stories throughout his lifetime not surprising considering he had eleven kids , most of which were fantasies that drew on a rich variety of sources mythology, fairytales and Biblical mysticism Credited by C.S Lewis as the main inspiration behind The Chronicles of Narnia, MacDonald s dreamy little tales especially this one are a strange blend of frustrating ramblings and sublime imagery Love it or hate it, At the Back of the North Wind encompasses the best and w [...]
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    30. Bettie☯ says:
      Stars Juliet Stevenson, Joss Ackland and Tom Fleming.A Victorian fairy tale that has enchanted readers for than a hundred years the magical story of Diamond, the son of a poor coachman, who is swept away by the North Wind a radiant, maternal spirit with long, flowing hair and whose life is transformed by a brief glimpse of the beautiful country at the back of the north wind It combines a Dickensian regard for the working class of mid 19th century England with the invention of an ethereal landsc [...]
      Reply

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