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The Inklings: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and Their Friends by Humphrey Carpenter
cassiakarin's review against another edition
5.0
This is a thorough book, and most carefully compiled. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There were, to be sure, a number of pages and chapters that were difficult--overly detailed and some above my head (when dealing with the great minds of these philosophers and thinkers no less would be expected).
I come away from this read feeling as though I really know these men. Lewis, Tolkien, and Williams are more real to me. They are less fantastical, and yet hold a place of even higher regard in my affections and respect.
There has been a lot written about the Inklings in the past 20 years, Diana Glyer's Bandersnatch is one of the great pieces of recent, but this book is something special. I think because it's old, written just barely outside the time of these legendary men and their events. I cried at the end. I really did. It concludes profoundly, and all that led up to its ending made me feel like I was more reading a friend's personal letters in real time than a history book. The final words in particular moved me greatly.
Highly recommended.
*Note: I listened to the free audio version on Audible. I liked the sound of the narrator's voice very much, and found it perfectly appropriate for the content, but he was quite difficult to understand at times, especially when sped up.
There were, to be sure, a number of pages and chapters that were difficult--overly detailed and some above my head (when dealing with the great minds of these philosophers and thinkers no less would be expected).
I come away from this read feeling as though I really know these men. Lewis, Tolkien, and Williams are more real to me. They are less fantastical, and yet hold a place of even higher regard in my affections and respect.
There has been a lot written about the Inklings in the past 20 years, Diana Glyer's Bandersnatch is one of the great pieces of recent, but this book is something special. I think because it's old, written just barely outside the time of these legendary men and their events. I cried at the end. I really did. It concludes profoundly, and all that led up to its ending made me feel like I was more reading a friend's personal letters in real time than a history book. The final words in particular moved me greatly.
Highly recommended.
*Note: I listened to the free audio version on Audible. I liked the sound of the narrator's voice very much, and found it perfectly appropriate for the content, but he was quite difficult to understand at times, especially when sped up.
ilikemandos's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
taalor's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
perilous1's review against another edition
4.0
A little bit dry, as biographies go. But overall offering some fascinating insights into the creative relationships between a handful of famed literary geniuses--who all happened to be contemporaries of one another. This is a peek into perhaps one of the most profound and prolific gatherings of men in the history of the literary world.
C.S. Lewis features most prominently, which was admittedly a large part of my draw to this book. (I'd hoped for more on Tolkien's personal life as well, but the author only dwells a bit on his unhappy marriage and mentions he's covered him thoroughly in a different work.)
The eccentric (and evidently charismatic) Charles Williams, I had only heard of in passing. But he receives a sizable section of biographical space as well.
I do feel like I'm left with a better understanding of Lewis' personality, as well as his synergistic dynamic among his collection of friends. At times I questioned Carpenter's guesses on Lewis' motives, but I'm now all the more driven to seek out other books on this topic.
C.S. Lewis features most prominently, which was admittedly a large part of my draw to this book. (I'd hoped for more on Tolkien's personal life as well, but the author only dwells a bit on his unhappy marriage and mentions he's covered him thoroughly in a different work.)
The eccentric (and evidently charismatic) Charles Williams, I had only heard of in passing. But he receives a sizable section of biographical space as well.
I do feel like I'm left with a better understanding of Lewis' personality, as well as his synergistic dynamic among his collection of friends. At times I questioned Carpenter's guesses on Lewis' motives, but I'm now all the more driven to seek out other books on this topic.
davidsteinsaltz's review against another edition
3.0
Less entertaining than I expected it to be, though the portrait of wartime Oxford is sharply drawn. I've always had somewhat limited sympathy with Lewis, and it turns out that the private man is less to my taste than the writer. Tolkien comes out in this telling also something of prig, and all the scintillating conversation gets to sounding more like self-congratulation. Charles Williams was the surprise, but his writing sounds simply too esoteric to be worth delving into.
eatingfiction's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
I love biographies about writers.
The Inklings is the legendary group that included C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams -- among other great minds. This biography does a great job of capturing an image of the group, their friendships and theologies and how they influenced each other.
At times it is dense and dry, but on the whole it is written well, immensely detailed, and I enjoyed reading it & learning more about some of my favourite writers.
The Inklings is the legendary group that included C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams -- among other great minds. This biography does a great job of capturing an image of the group, their friendships and theologies and how they influenced each other.
At times it is dense and dry, but on the whole it is written well, immensely detailed, and I enjoyed reading it & learning more about some of my favourite writers.
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
3.5
Rating: 3.5 stars
Yay! I've read over 10,000 pages in September! First time (on Goodreads at least) I've read 10,000+ pages in a month!
This book was so interesting! It definitely was more of a C.S. Lewis biography, with some extra Tolkien etc. stuff on the side. This is most likely a result of the author having already written an exclusively Tolkien biography beforehand. I liked the first half of this book better, and I was originally going to give it a 4 stars but dropped it to a 3.5 after the second part.
Yay! I've read over 10,000 pages in September! First time (on Goodreads at least) I've read 10,000+ pages in a month!
This book was so interesting! It definitely was more of a C.S. Lewis biography, with some extra Tolkien etc. stuff on the side. This is most likely a result of the author having already written an exclusively Tolkien biography beforehand. I liked the first half of this book better, and I was originally going to give it a 4 stars but dropped it to a 3.5 after the second part.