Lewis In Short and Sweet Fashion
353917
It took me a couple of years to get into CS Lewis' style, but I've found him to be one of the most inspiring theologians in recent history.  In this book, his ideas are presented in more concise form and range from politics to ethics to culture to religion, etc.  All in all it's a great read and it's tough to put this book down through most of it.

Some of the articles/essays are a little repetitive or are too similar to be consistantly entertaining, but the book is worth getting for sure.
4404928
Insightful and relevant observations, C.S. Lewis does not disappoint.  Someone told me these were not truly actual letters Lewis Wrote to his relative, but that it was just a construct he made up to convey the material.  I don't know if that's true, but even if it is I didn't find the idea detracted from what he had to say and the relational way he had to say it.  Highly Recommended.
732683
This book is as much about C.S. Lewis as it is about the BBC and its internal workings, politics with the government, and its effective, or sometimes, not so effective use of its medium.

The first 60 pages or so deal mostly with the BBC and the internal workings and government external forces in producing programs for the population. It is interesting in its relation to the war as well as its relation to religious programming. The censorship chapters are interesting, yet, not surprising and in the context of the situation at hand, over understood.

The archives and letters about C.S. Lewis and the interactions with producing his talks, changing items for the BBC and making the "Talks" and their effect is interesting from a realistic and pragmatic standpoint more than a theological one.

Phillips also touches on the work Dorthy Sayers and her BBC production of "The Man Born to be King." Her and Lewis' radio work left a lasting legacy, for good or ill (after all, most religious prod-casting isn't up to their level whether in theological discussions or plays).
331581
It's very simplified and a fast read, about an hour.  It touches on the high points. It was made to be a children's book although it is all in Lewis and Clarks' own words.  There's a map that roughly shows the way they went.
2148654
Mere Christianity. Such a demure title for this little book that packs a wallop of a spiritual punch. I can't write a review of the book that does it justice.
Lewis was a professing atheist in his academia years, but his experience in war changed all of that.

Lewis wrote a revolutionary defense of Christ using only the elegance of logic, pure, clear, and simple. Once you pick this book up, turn its little pages, you will be unable to put it down. It will swallow you, and change you, and you will be so happy for it.

The book starts out with such a large and grand theme. The very concept of good and evil itself. You'd think that was it, but as the book progresses, each chapter ups the ante, and you feel as if he can't possibly top himself. The grand finale is one that is worthy of the story of Christ himself.

And to think, these little chapters originally are transcripts of a radio show where Lewis himself spoke in defense of faith. In flawless, concise prose, Lewis' command of the English language is impressive, humbling, and moving. To read this book is to potentially change you, reinforce your faith, or just to enjoy a masterful display of writing.
4471569
This book was a pretty quick read, as it was both short and intriguing. The language style is like Austen's other works, but the actual story is a bit different. A majority of the book is written in the form of correspondence between the various characters, so the reader figures out the story as the characters do. It didn't have the same humor that Pride and Prejudice and her other bigger works contain, but it's still a good read.
2989269
This is a short, easy read. Bridgit is a good lead character  young, eager to prove herself, yet striving with her conscience. I have to admit her naivety regarding Sylvaine grew more irritating the longer it went on. Yes, clearly there is something not right about the way Sylvaine appears and the way shes actually acting, but Bridgit almost gets stupider each time they meet.

Because this is so short and is made up of repeated meetings between these two, there is a repetitive feel, since its obvious how each encounter will end  well, obvious to everyone but Bridgit anyway  yet its also quick and quite sweet. Bridgit is so earnest that even when she annoyed me I still wanted her to find a way through the mess.

Sweet, quick and cute, this is a good example of what this collection has to offer. I might have liked to have got to know Sylvaine a little better, but since this only took an hour to read I cant expect to have everything.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
164469
When I got this book (a Free Book of the Day), I was kind of expecting something more imaginative, along the lines of "Freud's Last Session," which posits a conversation between Freud and Lewis.  This book is a bit drier, but still gives a good informal overview of Lewis' thoughts on some specific topics, as expressed in his works.  I'd recommend it to anyone who likes Lewis already (as I did), anyone who likes Christian apologetics, or anyone who has read Lewis' fiction, like The Lion..., and wonders what else there was to the man.
2530085
This is a fable in the form of a short. simplistically-written novel that seems appropriate for young readers. Chris foreman's review is right on target.
3406213
Nothing too in depth here but a good quick read for sure; I enjoyed it.
2408666
I am trying to read through nearly everything C. S. Lewis wrote. I love the way he thinks, and the way he writes. Plus, I'm searching for something in his writings... but that is a different story.

This was a great little book. It contains several hundred letters that C. S. Lewis wrote to children over the years. As he responded to every single letter ever written to him (according to the editors), I am sure this is not all the letters.

Since the letters are to children, each one is short and simple. Lewis answers their questions, provides insights into Narnia, and asks about them and their interests.

There are numerous great little tidbits in his letters. For example, on page 35, he responds to a little girl who told Lewis that his stories didn't have a point. Lewis responds by saying that good stories should not have a point, any more than a good symphony does. Just as one ruins a symphony by looking for "a point," so also, one ruins a good book by trying to write (or read) it with "a point."

Of course, Lewis' books are never without "a point," but I think he was just trying to make a point to this little girl about enjoying life.

On page 52 (the 1985 edition), he tells a young boy that is is okay if he loves Aslan more than he loves Jesus, since in reality, they are one and the same, and will find that as he grows up, the love for Aslan will transform into love for Jesus. I have found this to be true for myself.

On page 64, he provides five great writing tips for aspiring authors. On page 100, he provides the secret to living fully within the purpose God gave us, even if we are a "toenail."

This is just a small sampling of the gems in this great little book.
2547822
I read this book because of the luminous quote from it in Richard Purtill's Lord of the Elves and Eldils: Philosophy and Fantasy in C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The quote appears in an essay in the appendix, "Did C.S. Lewis Lose His Faith?" in the Ignatius (2nd revised) edition and is not in the earlier Zondervan (first) edition of Purtill's book. The quote to which I refer comes in the last pages of Letters to Malcolm, where Lewis has shifted from the letter to the essay format. Were the entire book this readable, I would recommend it heartily. But it's not. Why?

This is one of Lewis' last non- fiction works and arguably his most Anglican. Part of the difficulty is the form of the book, set out as letters to an unseen correspondent. This worked well in The Screwtape Letters because the devils in question explained their ideas at some length, as Lewis, in replying to Malcolm, does not.

Lewis drops names and alludes to issues that make the book a good guide to his thought circa 1963, the year of his death, dropping them as quickly as they are raised. A few are: Macaulay, (Alex) Vidler, Petrarch, (John) Donne, (William) Blake, the Bishop of Woolwich, St. Paul, St. Augustine, (Simone) Weil, Queen Victoria, Lycidas, Burnaby, Juvenal, F.D. Maurice, Bonhoeffer, Newman, the Establishment, Herbert, Freudians, determinism, Arnold, MacBeth, Tertullus, Pelagianism, (Alexander) Pope, Plotinus, Lady Julian (of Norwich), St. John of the Cross, Owen (Barfield), St. Francois de Sales, Thomas More, purgatory, Odin, Charles Williams, Thomas More, and Thomas Traherne.

These, along with the many untranslated Latin quotes, will make the book offputting for some readers. Lewis noted in An Experiment in Criticism that there are different sorts of readers, however, and I realize that while the above list will make one sort of reader avoid the book, another sort will be tantalized. That would be the right sort of reader for this book.

Having said that, the last chapters, 19- 22, strike a more general tone and bits from them are often quoted in anthologies. The same may be said for the very beginning of the book, which is interesting for a different reason. The mid '60s was the time when the Book of Common Prayer, which had long been in use in the Church of England, along with the Authorized or King James version of the Bible, was withdrawn from use and revised. Lewis joins many Angilcans in mulling over the consequences of a new "Book". This will also have echoes for Catholics re: the changes of Vatican Two, as well as current efforts to increase use of the Latin Mass and replace the NAB in the liturgy with the RSV, recently (re)published by Ignatius Press.

There are two quotes from Charles Williams in this book that are among my favorites, and many ideas echo those of Chesterton, who put them in a somewhat more accessible way in Orthodoxy. As with Lewis' last fiction work, "Till We Have Faces", this may be a book that a certain sort of reader, immersed in Lewis' millieu, will find singularly rewarding.
4033756
This had a quick, straight-through read with several surprises and fewer, shorter ruminations than in some of his other books.
3780088
Somehow I missed "The Chronicles of Narnia" when I was a kid. When I was a 30-something seminarian, I was introduced to Aslan and the Pevensie children, and I've gobbled up everything C.S. Lewis since. When I heard about this book, I was intrigued. I knew that a number of modern-day authors, such as J.K. Rowling and Philip Pullman, have branded Lewis a sexist, even a misogynist. In my heart, I knew he wasn't - and this book is a wonderful read proving that he wasn't. It isn't an apologetic per se, but a series of essays by such notables as Randy Alcorn, Dr. Monika B. Hilder and Kathy Keller, who corresponded with Lewis when she was a child. The book is divided into four sections: 1. Lewis, the man - and the women in his life 2. Lewis, the author- how girls and women are portrayed in his novels 3. Lewis the poet - surprises from his poetry and 4. Lewis, the influencer - how his life and literature impact the 21st century discussion about women. So we have a work that covers everything from Lewis' treatment of the opposite sex in his literature to his actual relationships with women. After reading this book, I actually learned that Lewis eschewed the "macho" image of masculinity and, in his letters, consistently praised women, favorably comparing homemakers and working women to soldiers and professors. "Women and C.S. Lewis," is an enjoyable but intriguing tour of Jack's treatment of women. Though it might not convince the skeptics, it should put a chink in their mental armor that Lewis did not treat women well, either in his literature or relationships.
2047267
This was short, rather abruptly so, but I enjoyed the ride.  I would never say that this represents the best work of Wallace Wood, Dave Cockrum, or Howard Chaykin but it was a fun dose of machismo with some really great, humorous moments.  I loved Wood's Cannon (which Fantagraphics also collected) and while that strip had a a much longer run, Shattuck is an interesting piece all on its own and, like Cannon, has more character development than you would expect from a men's only strip (but don't worry...plenty of sex, nudity, and violence).

If I have any complaints it would be that the book is a half inch bigger on both sides than the previously released Cannon so they don't look like companion pieces on the shelf.  Also, the story ends abruptly but not quite on a cliffhanger and mentally I could almost see it working where they left off even though I would have gladly taken more.  And I would be remiss to not mention the uncomfortable sexism but I feel that's to be expected for a piece like this and if you took it away it wouldn't be the same for better or worse.
336019
short but seet, with a good take home message
34365
C.S. Lewis, who for fifty years has been considered one of the great Christian philosophers of our time, was best known for his fiction, next for his theology, finally for his literary criticism. A member of the Oxford literary group known as "The Inklings" (which included J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Williams), in his lifetime Lewis' work became popular worldwide--as his companions considered at first, an unfitting popularity.

In his autobiography Surprised by Joy, written at 57, Lewis offers explanations for his history, his faith, and the themes in his work. It is arranged chronologically, which is sensible enough for a narrative; however, it's less suitable for commentary: it ends a bit abruptly when he has caught up with himself. Moreover, the story is frequently interrupted for a long piece of not perfectly relevant philosophy. Generally, it doesn't bear the mark of craftsmanship.

The actual details, on the other hand, are sufficiently compelling to pull the story along. Lewis' writing style is in top form for precision and eloquence. About halfway through, we realize that although it's marketed as an autobiography, the book is mostly concerned with his journey from agnosticism to theism to Christianity. As the book progresses past his childhood, details about his life and interests are dropped in favour of documenting a mental progression.

This is not to say that only the particularly religious, or even just the devoutly Christian, will be interested. If anything, the opposite. Lewis' coming to faith proves surprisingly inclusive of various positions. The events that press him forward are recognizably intellectual, but there are certainly many who have found themselves in the same positions and with the same obstacles as Lewis faced.

As a child growing up in Ireland, Lewis' schooling was very hard but very thorough, due in no small part to the poverty of the schools, the competition of the classes of students, and even the incompetence of his teachers in dealing with children. One later teacher, affectionately called "The Great Knock" (who greatly contributed to Lewis' famous classicism), makes the prediction which threatens more and more students today: "You'll never make anything of him but a writer or a scholar." His mother died when he was ten, and in his adolescence he was sent to serve in the Great War.

Finally he wound up in England (which he originally loathed), where he began his simultaneously academic, literary, and theological careers in earnest.
The main events already thirty years behind him, Lewis makes little attempt to stray from his purpose into the irrelevant, as acutely interesting as it may be. That said, there are interesting tidbits here and there: description of conversations with Tolkien and other figures, commentary on the geography of Ireland, England, and modern technology comparable to the classic Life handbooks, and the like appear here and there. (At one point he mentions an estimate early in life that with his lifestyle, he probably wouldn't make 65--rather prescient, considering he died a week before his 65th birthday.)

All in all, as with most autobiographies, the book is primarily of interest to fans of the author. On the other hand, unlike most autobiographies, Lewis is not trying to convert anyone to his side. As in his fiction, his storytelling conveys a certain intrigue that connects the events to the stages of maturity they indicate with a rare subtlety, reserve, and (it seems to this reader) honesty.