Rating: 
Summary: A Multi-layered Allegory
Review: "Jack" Lewis produced this book only a year after his conversion. It shows off his considerable knowledge of literature and philosophy. Lewis was a first-rate intellectual. The characters have interesting names: Mr. Enlightenment, Wisdom, Sensible, Angular, Reason, Contemplation, and so on. It will take multiple close readings to get at the bottom of this text.
Rating:
Summary: Apology as an art form: C. S. Lewis at his zenith.
Review: C. S. Lewis is best known for his story telling and his apologeticism of Christianity. He is truly in his element when he combines the two in the form of allegory. The Pilgim's Regress is a fine example of this and is notably cleaner in its approach than later allegories such as The Chronicles of Narnia and his science fiction trilogy. Where his science fiction gets weighted down by details and lofty text, The Pilgrim's Regress allows one's imagination to supply the details and uses simple substitution instance as language, thus more direct. The Pilgrim's Regress is also written in such a manner as to hold the interest of young and old readers alike. While some of the language and terminology may be foreign to young children, of junior high school age through adulthood will find it an absorbing and provocative read. Lewis does not take the model's (the Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan) overly optomistic or Pollyannish approach, but details in the form of myth the doubts and searching of a soul toward enlightenment. Although similar to Bunyan's work as an allegory, Lewis layers the meanings of the symbology in the book to a truly artistic form. Why, even the names of the chapters invite reflection. For example, two of the chapters are identically titled as Leah For Rachel, and yet no explanation is given for these names (which are not characters in the book) or the meaning. The meaning only becomes clear after reflecting on the premise of the biblical charachters of Leah and Rachel. Not knowing the bible story, however, would not spoil the reading of this tale. This type of layering on top of the basic allegorical plot line allows the book to be read and re-read with new insights each time. That can truly grow old with this book is, in my opinion, the hallmark of any classic. Enjoy it for the story, enjoy it for the insights and enjoy it for its timelessness. One would truly be better for the experience.
Rating:
Summary: Offhand brilliance from a hands on theologian
Review: C. S. Lewis says more with one letter than some people say their entire lives! This book requires two pre-requisites: "Pilgrims Progress" by Bunyan, and "Surprised by Joy," by Lewis. You will be lost with out this background. It also helps to be a genius, but I don't believe I can be of much help in that area. This is an allegory of Lewis eventual conversion to Anglican Christianity. It presents Lewis's own story in the story of a young boy John and his struggles with religion, and how he wanders here and there trying to find God and what He is about. The chapters are usually short, but in typical Lewis fashion, he packs a lot of thought in a small sentence. And the surprising thing is that he is so readable. There is no academic or philosophical mumbo-jumbo. It is all to rare straight talk! This book is not just a journey to Christianity and to Christ, but also a vary biting commentary on the worldly and secular philosophies current in the world. Pay close attention, and see how many of the pundants and professors you see pasted in the story! This is Lewis's first book, and it his his "Q" document--the source for much of his corpulent corpus of writing. It is is a good overview to Clivian thought!
Rating:
Summary: Offhand brilliance from a hands on theologian
Review: C. S. Lewis says more with one letter than some people say their entire lives! This book requires two pre-requisites: "Pilgrims Progress" by Bunyan, and "Surprised by Joy," by Lewis. You will be lost with out this background. It also helps to be a genius, but I don't believe I can be of much help in that area. This is an allegory of Lewis eventual conversion to Anglican Christianity. It presents Lewis's own story in the story of a young boy John and his struggles with religion, and how he wanders here and there trying to find God and what He is about. The chapters are usually short, but in typical Lewis fashion, he packs a lot of thought in a small sentence. And the surprising thing is that he is so readable. There is no academic or philosophical mumbo-jumbo. It is all to rare straight talk! This book is not just a journey to Christianity and to Christ, but also a vary biting commentary on the worldly and secular philosophies current in the world. Pay close attention, and see how many of the pundants and professors you see pasted in the story! This is Lewis's first book, and it his his "Q" document--the source for much of his corpulent corpus of writing. It is is a good overview to Clivian thought!
Rating:
Summary: A Worthwhile Challenge
Review: I had read all of Lewis' other apologetics before coming to The Pilgrim's Regress. The book synthesizes most of the themes he has explored elsewhere and follows Lewis' brilliant mind through the struggles we all face reconciling faith, reason, and intellectual fashion-consciousness. I recommend it highly to any Lewis fan who enjoys a challenging read.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for the Lewis reader
Review: I have read almost everything C.S. Lewis wrote, including letters to the editor, all three space novels, Till We Have Faces, and many others. One thing I really enjoy is seeing how bits from one work will spill over into others, and how each writing reflects on his life. I have read the Pilgrim's Regress now 4 times, and every time I see more in it. And not just about Lewis: about the development of thought up throught the years between the wars.
Overall, this is a book that is well worth reading. It gives the best explanation I've seen (better than Surprised by Joy, IMO) of his idea of Joy, and of the "Island" (image from Regress) that drove him to finally find Christ. Passages from the "Heaven" chapter of The Problem of Pain are close, but I thought in Regress he uses the allegory of the Island most effectively to explain his concept of longing and Joy.
At first, I must admit, Regress is difficult to understand for somebody without much background in fiction or allegory such as myself, and without much background in the philosophical movements of pre-war Europe. There are, however, two things in the book that are very helpful: (1) the afterword where Lewis explains his background; and (2) the explanatory headings on the tops of the pages that track the allegory.
Lewis said he wasn't sure this was a good idea of his, but I don't agree. Now, even not being a student of allegory, I would not read the headings first, or even primarily (as a kind of Cliff's Notes of the book). Read that way, they detract from the book. Rather, I read the whole book through the first time without the headings; only then, after I finished a section, going back and reading the headings on that section. Kind of like reading the Cliff's Notes along with the book itself; very useful, but hardly anybody does it.
Rating:
Summary: Very much worth reading
Review: I'm not going to summarize the book here. . . but I want to tell you that the conversation between the protagonist John and the character of Reason (presented as a warrior woman) is worth the reading of the entire book.
Rating: 
Summary: A journey to faith
Review: In this insightful volume, C.S. Lewis provides a semi-autobiographical chronicle of his conversion to Christianity, and the various philosophical or emotional obstacles that he faced (or thought others might face) in coming to believe in Christ. Lewis notes in the afterword of the book that he realizes in retrospect, that the path he followed was not necessarily as common as he originally thought. Also he makes it clear that every situation "John" (the main character, likened to Lewis) encounters is not a direct reflection of Lewis' own life, but may have been included to address various issues facing people in the searching stage. For those who have not read any of Lewis' writings, this may not be the best place to start. For those who have, but aren't particularly adept at throughly analyzing and understanding allegory, like myself, it may be advantageous to read Lewis's afterword FIRST, and pay special attention to the editorial headlines across the tops of the pages. That would contribute to understanding the gist of the allegories, which in some places are clear enough of their own nature, but elsewhere are quite obscure (as Lewis notes in the afterword). I found the sections in "Claptrap", at Wisdom's house, and the discussions with the cave-hermit particularly difficult, but elsewhere the writing is fascinating, and has brilliant insights into the problems with certain philosophies. The story itself is a little more colorful and humorous then the Pilgrims' Progress by Bunyan, which is a very clear allegory that instead follows the walk of a Christian after conversion. This is a book that could easily be read multiple times to discover more and more depth to the story.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps Your Egress to Christianity?
Review: It would hardly be original to say that C.S. Lewis was perhaps the finest writer of Christian theology in the 20th century, had a brilliant command of his language, or gave more lucid insights in a few pages than most authors do in their entire life's work. Hardly original, but still true. "The Pilgrim's Regress" is a fine example, albeit a somewhat pithier and less penetrable one than, say, "the Great Divorce" or "The Screwtape Letters." In "Regress," Lewis does a tangent on the classic Bunyan work, "Pilgrim's Progress" and uses the same dream device to present us with a soul's journey through a strange yet strangely familiar country. Lewis' pilgrim, John, encounters the demons and temptations of the early twentieth century: there are Mr. Enlightenment, Sigismund (Freud, of course), and the devotees of fascism and dada-ism, as well as the expected temptations of compromise and lust. Much of the allegory will be obvious to the reader. There is little doubt who "Mother Kirk," "The Landlord," or "The Stewards" are. However, to "get it all" you'll either need a few Ph.D's and a good grounding in what a 1930-ish British intellectual knew, be one of those maddeningly brilliant people who "gets it," when he reads Umberto Ecco novels, or, preferably just wise enough to buy the annotated edition. Through it all, the "Regress" reader will be moved and surprised. This is a key book for any student of Lewis, thoughtful Christian, or even a student of general philosophy. Ifv you are looking for some serious reading and deep insight into yourself, by all means go read this!
Rating:
Summary: a "must-read" for all lewis fans
Review: lewis's first book after his conversion is not, perhaps, as accessible as his other works of fiction but just as important. the symbolism isn't as blatant here as in his later works but the nuggets of wisdom are well worth the effort. some of the imagery has stayed right with me more than a year after reading it. i recommend this one to any "intellectual" who has a hard time with christianity.
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