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kanejim57's review
4.0
"Lewis has made the most difficult transition an author can hope to make-being read by more people a generation after his death than before it."
While it has now been more than 35 years since an undergraduate course called "The Inklings" introduced me to Clive Staples Lewis, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Dorothy Leigh Sayers, and Charles Walter Stansby Williams and their wonderful literary worlds which continue to bring enjoyment and, in true academic fashion, debate to millions of people, Alister McGrath, has brought back the memories of that class in his new biography of C.S. Lewis called, C.S. Lewis: A Life - Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet (Tyndale House Publishers).
Focusing on what he calls, based on a comment by Lewis' friend Owen Barfield, "three C.S. Lewises," McGrath with both a critical eye and an admiration for Lewis and his work, walks us through these "three Lewises" - a best selling author, "Christian writer and apologist," and "perhaps the least familiar to most of his admirers and critics: the distinguished Oxford don and literary critic." As he does a clearer portrait of a gifted writer and thinker who died the same day as American President John F. Kennedy was assassinated emerges for a contemporary readership.
McGrath's book, is divided into five sections, Prelude which begins with Lewis' birth and concludes with his service in the British Army in World War One and the emerging relationship with Jane King Moore; Oxford which picks up with his student days in 1919 and concludes with his growing alienation from the Oxford faculty amidst a changing university post-World War Two culture; Narnia which takes the reader into, through, and around various aspects of Lewis' well-known Chronicles of Narnia; Cambridge that highlights a rebirth and refocus of Lewis regarding literary scholarship, his controversial marriage to Joy Davidson and then her death as well as his declining health that led to his death on November 22, 1963; and finally Afterlife in which McGrath assesses Lewis among the wider Christian community as well seeking to understand and answer the reasons for his popularity five decades after his death.
In his preface, McGrath makes clear that his biography "sets out, not to praise Lewis or condemn him, but to understand him- above all, his ideas, and how these found expression in his writings." McGrath attempts to do this by "exploring the complex and fascinating connections between Lewis's external and internal worlds." I believe that McGrath accomplishes these goals with the result of a critical biography that I believe will contribute to the on-going discussion, debate, and study of Lewis.
What I liked about this book is that McGrath presents a new and multifaceted view and approach to Lewis and his work. I believe that this will be a work used in classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in literature classes in the years to come.
I rate this a 'great' read.
Note: I borrow this book from my local library and chose to write a review of it.
While it has now been more than 35 years since an undergraduate course called "The Inklings" introduced me to Clive Staples Lewis, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Dorothy Leigh Sayers, and Charles Walter Stansby Williams and their wonderful literary worlds which continue to bring enjoyment and, in true academic fashion, debate to millions of people, Alister McGrath, has brought back the memories of that class in his new biography of C.S. Lewis called, C.S. Lewis: A Life - Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet (Tyndale House Publishers).
Focusing on what he calls, based on a comment by Lewis' friend Owen Barfield, "three C.S. Lewises," McGrath with both a critical eye and an admiration for Lewis and his work, walks us through these "three Lewises" - a best selling author, "Christian writer and apologist," and "perhaps the least familiar to most of his admirers and critics: the distinguished Oxford don and literary critic." As he does a clearer portrait of a gifted writer and thinker who died the same day as American President John F. Kennedy was assassinated emerges for a contemporary readership.
McGrath's book, is divided into five sections, Prelude which begins with Lewis' birth and concludes with his service in the British Army in World War One and the emerging relationship with Jane King Moore; Oxford which picks up with his student days in 1919 and concludes with his growing alienation from the Oxford faculty amidst a changing university post-World War Two culture; Narnia which takes the reader into, through, and around various aspects of Lewis' well-known Chronicles of Narnia; Cambridge that highlights a rebirth and refocus of Lewis regarding literary scholarship, his controversial marriage to Joy Davidson and then her death as well as his declining health that led to his death on November 22, 1963; and finally Afterlife in which McGrath assesses Lewis among the wider Christian community as well seeking to understand and answer the reasons for his popularity five decades after his death.
In his preface, McGrath makes clear that his biography "sets out, not to praise Lewis or condemn him, but to understand him- above all, his ideas, and how these found expression in his writings." McGrath attempts to do this by "exploring the complex and fascinating connections between Lewis's external and internal worlds." I believe that McGrath accomplishes these goals with the result of a critical biography that I believe will contribute to the on-going discussion, debate, and study of Lewis.
What I liked about this book is that McGrath presents a new and multifaceted view and approach to Lewis and his work. I believe that this will be a work used in classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in literature classes in the years to come.
I rate this a 'great' read.
Note: I borrow this book from my local library and chose to write a review of it.
rox74's review
5.0
This author is wonderful! Biographies can sometimes be a little dull, however that is not the case with this book. Each time I picked up this book, I found it hard to put down. It was so well written. I highly recommend it.
steveinadelaide's review
4.0
An excellent biography of C S Lewis. Brings lots of new insights to a complex man who has contributed so much to society - secular and religious. The best biographies, in my opinion, describe a picture of a person that is nuanced and fearless in presenting some of our "heroes" as genuine, flawed human beings. McGrath has done just this and, as a result, increases the respect we have for someone like Lewis. The book is well written and easy to read. The author tells the story in a way that moves along well and balances a discussion of bigger themes with the detail of Lewis's life. If you've read any of C S Lewis's writings you'll want to read this very comprehensive, respectful, and honest biography.
auntiebee's review
3.0
I really enjoyed this book for the most part and about learning more about C. S. Lewis’s life. I struggled mostly with the style of writing and found it a bit meandering. I also thought it bounced back and forth between intense focus on certain details to the author theorizing about what he thought ‘really had happened’.
Over all I am glad I read it, but also glad I only borrowed it from the library.
Over all I am glad I read it, but also glad I only borrowed it from the library.
skitch41's review
4.0
At the time of C.S. Lewis' death in 1963, many, including the man himself, believed that he would be forgotten fairly quickly. Yet over 50 years after his death, C.S. Lewis is just as relevant today as he was at his peak, perhaps more so. How did this British professor of English literature from another time and generation become so popular? In this illuminating biography, Mr. McGrath peels back the life and works of C.S. Lewis to reveal a complex picture of man and his imagination. Starting with his life in Northern Ireland, Mr. McGrath investigates all the major events of Lewis' life from the death of his mother to his service in World War I, his slow conversion from Christian faith to atheism and back to Christian faith, his academic struggles as a student, tutor, and professor, and his complicated relationships with his closest friends and family. As a biographer, McGrath takes investigates closely Lewis' conversion to Christianity, arguing that it happened a year later than Lewis recalled. He also takes a close look at two very complicated female relationships he had with Mrs. Janie Moore, the mother of one of Lewis' war buddies who died in World War I, and Joy Davidman, the married former Communist from America who converted to Christianity, became infatuated with Lewis after reading his apologetic works, and became his wife in the last few years of his life. Some of the insights that Mr. McGrath reveals may not sit well with Evangelical Christians who know about Lewis only through his written works. But this book is not solely a biography. Mr. McGrath also takes time to examine the themes and arguments of Lewis written works as they appear in this biography. In particular, he devotes two chapters solely to examining Lewis' best known works, [b:The Chronicles of Narnia|11127|The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7)|C.S. Lewis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1449868701s/11127.jpg|781271]. Thus, this book is a great work of literary criticism as well a biography. In fact, I would say that those who are about to engage with Lewis' written works should read this book alongside them in order to gain insight and context. Yet this is a surprisingly accessible book and can be a breeze to read, perhaps too breezy at times. The chapters after Lewis' reconversion to Christianity tend to move a little too quickly, leaving out a lot of details that are filled with Mr. McGrath's examinations of Lewis' written works. The pace of the book particularly picks up speed in the chapters after World War II. I certainly wouldn't have minded if Mr. McGrath had taken a little more time to explore Lewis' life and university work during this period. Still, this is a great biography as well as a great examination of his work and legacy that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in C.S. Lewis.
awolgs's review
4.0
Having read Lewis and read some others on Lewis and his life, much of McGrath's biography was familiar. Yet it was enjoyable throughout, and it makes valuable and interesting contributions to the understanding of one of the 20th century's most influential Christians.
My favorite aspect of McGrath's work was how it provided context and background information for Lewis's books. A deeper appreciation of each results when one more fully appreciates their author's humanity and setting.
Additionally, McGrath's new timeline for Lewis's conversion to Christianity is notable, and he helped me better understand the somewhat bizarre and mysterious relationship that Lewis shared with Mrs. Moore.
My favorite aspect of McGrath's work was how it provided context and background information for Lewis's books. A deeper appreciation of each results when one more fully appreciates their author's humanity and setting.
Additionally, McGrath's new timeline for Lewis's conversion to Christianity is notable, and he helped me better understand the somewhat bizarre and mysterious relationship that Lewis shared with Mrs. Moore.
jadorelire's review
3.0
I could not connect with this book; I did learn more about Lewis but the book seemed more interested in critiquing or setting in some context an analysis of his works versus helping me get to know more about the man.
rinda's review
4.0
Listened on Hoopla. Liked the chronological layout of the life and placing his books into that timeline.
I knew very little of him so it wasn't an exhaustive bio which I found a nice way to treat it.
It was helpful to see how his books fit into his life and how some of the characters were loosely based on those lives. Easier to listen to than read although probably would have retained more facts in the active reading.
I knew very little of him so it wasn't an exhaustive bio which I found a nice way to treat it.
It was helpful to see how his books fit into his life and how some of the characters were loosely based on those lives. Easier to listen to than read although probably would have retained more facts in the active reading.