Lucy Pevensie from the Narnia books seems to take everything in her stride. A magical winter wonderland at the back of a wardrobe? Fine, I’ll borrow a fur coat. A talking faun? Sure, let’s have tea. She is utterly unfazed by the most magical things, and for that I can well believe her later nickname of ‘valiant’. Lucy is the youngest of four, and she is the last to be believed, the first to be doubted. I shared her frustration, being the youngest in my own family, and so identified strongly with Lucy, to the point where I once crossed her name out of the book and put my own. Yikes - what a confession for a book-lover! The other reason I wanted to be Lucy was because she was the closest to Aslan, who I pictured in my head as a giant cat.
Lucy was the reason that I spent an inordinate amount of time sitting in my wardrobe when I was a child, although I was more likely to find a spider than Mr Tumnus.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Published: Between 1949 and 1954
Author: C.S. Lewis
Original illustrator: Pauline Baynes
Valiant fact one: I have been winched down a manhole to explore London’s lost underground rivers.
Valiant fact two: I used to read my brother’s ‘Valiant’ annuals on the sly – these were boy’s adventure type tales.
Valiant fact three: I’ve been up in a helicopter (which is brave as I’m not fond of heights!)
Valiant fact four: I do one extreme sport - snowboarding.
Valiant fact five: I’m okay with spiders as long as they don’t come anywhere near me.
