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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very disappointed, especially given how hyped this book is. This book contained some nice stuff about being content and treating people charitably, but mostly it seemed kind of very smug. The core message seemed to be that if people aren’t Christian it’s because they are unhappy, shallow, or unkind.
A lot of the stuff it said too seemed pretty messed up:
- Christianity comes from thinking deeply, non-Christians are only people who don’t do this
- Being an atheist is as bad as a literal devil worshiper
- War hurts people, but it’s better to die young and Christian than to live to 70 as a non-believer
- Evolution and humanism are tools of the devil to undermine faith
- The best women are “demure, monosyllabic, mouse-like”
- Historians reevaluating any historical figures, especially Jesus but including Napoleon, are bad
- Looking at the context of ancient writers is bad, they must only be taken at face value
-“A moderated religion is as good as no religion at all”
- Extreme pacifism is as bad as extreme nationalism, being rude to your neighbors is worse than violent hatred against other countries
- Trying different churches out is bad
This seems more useful for believers who want to turn away from doubts they are having rather than to make converts.
A lot of the stuff it said too seemed pretty messed up:
- Christianity comes from thinking deeply, non-Christians are only people who don’t do this
- Being an atheist is as bad as a literal devil worshiper
- War hurts people, but it’s better to die young and Christian than to live to 70 as a non-believer
- Evolution and humanism are tools of the devil to undermine faith
- The best women are “demure, monosyllabic, mouse-like”
- Historians reevaluating any historical figures, especially Jesus but including Napoleon, are bad
- Looking at the context of ancient writers is bad, they must only be taken at face value
-“A moderated religion is as good as no religion at all”
- Extreme pacifism is as bad as extreme nationalism, being rude to your neighbors is worse than violent hatred against other countries
- Trying different churches out is bad
This seems more useful for believers who want to turn away from doubts they are having rather than to make converts.
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
There are some clever bits but nothing felt too poignant and in the end, the flowery language made it difficult to understand the point at time (which is an ironic thing for me to say lol)
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
reflective
This was a good one. It offers incisive observations of human nature and society, composed as a series of unhinged satirical letters from Screwtape to Wormwood.
Quotes that stuck with me:
- Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.
- We have trained them to think of the Future as a promised land which favoured heroes attain-not as something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.
- But hatred is best combined with Fear. Cowardice, alone of all the vices, is purely painful-horrible to anticipate, horrible to feel, horrible to remember; Hatred has its pleasures. It is therefore often the compensation by which a frightened man reimburses himself for the miseries of Fear.
Quotes that stuck with me:
- Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.
- We have trained them to think of the Future as a promised land which favoured heroes attain-not as something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.
- But hatred is best combined with Fear. Cowardice, alone of all the vices, is purely painful-horrible to anticipate, horrible to feel, horrible to remember; Hatred has its pleasures. It is therefore often the compensation by which a frightened man reimburses himself for the miseries of Fear.
The more he fears, the more he will hate. And Hatred is also a great anodyne for shame. To make a deep wound in his charity, you should therefore first defeat his courage.
In the past few years, multiple people (with varying personalities) suggested this book. I didn't rush to read it because I am not a huge fan of the Lion/ Witch series. This book, however, was a surprise. I found myself alternately thinking, "Preach it, C.S." and "Ouch! He's stepping on my toes."
I was originally going to give this book 4 stars. Then, I read the notes, and Lewis addressed his choices and changes he would make if he knew how to make it work for the reader and overall plan. His follow-up clarified most of my concerns.
One of my criteria for a good book is that it reveals an aspect of humanity/ human nature. I was interested in how what Lewis wrote in the early 1940s applied to church life 70 years later.
I was originally going to give this book 4 stars. Then, I read the notes, and Lewis addressed his choices and changes he would make if he knew how to make it work for the reader and overall plan. His follow-up clarified most of my concerns.
One of my criteria for a good book is that it reveals an aspect of humanity/ human nature. I was interested in how what Lewis wrote in the early 1940s applied to church life 70 years later.
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes