Rating: 
Summary: A delightful book!
Review: G.K. Chesterton's works are always witty and insightful, and his work here on St Thomas Aquinas, though lacking depth, is unique to say the least. Throughout the work, the early twentieth century author presents light biological information with mere summaries and introductions to Aquinas' philosophy, which, for someone more enlightened might seem a bit jejune. Also, instead of penetrating directly into the marrow of the Angelic Doctor's life and thought, Chesterton runs off the subject and is a bit too verbose; instead of two-hundred pages this work should have only been about fifty. However, on the whole, Chesterton's work should not be discounted, since the information he does present paints and exceptional portrait of Aquinas' character, inside and out. For the simple uniqueness and driving wit of this work, St Thomas Aquinas, "The Dumb Ox," is a reluctant suggestion for anyone well-informed of the Saint's philosophy; but this work will be a rewarding read for anyone looking for a good introduction to his life (personality) and thought. For those who have touched a higher stratum of Aquinas' thought, Ralph McInerny's solid and exhaustive work is a definite recommendation.
Rating: 
Summary: "Lots of Personality, Little Philosophy"
Review: G.K. Chesterton's works are always witty and insightful, and his work here on St Thomas Aquinas, though lacking depth, is unique to say the least. Throughout the work, the early twentieth century author presents light biological information with mere summaries and introductions to Aquinas' philosophy, which, for someone more enlightened might seem a bit jejune. Also, instead of penetrating directly into the marrow of the Angelic Doctor's life and thought, Chesterton runs off the subject and is a bit too verbose; instead of two-hundred pages this work should have only been about fifty. However, on the whole, Chesterton's work should not be discounted, since the information he does present paints and exceptional portrait of Aquinas' character, inside and out. For the simple uniqueness and driving wit of this work, St Thomas Aquinas, "The Dumb Ox," is a reluctant suggestion for anyone well-informed of the Saint's philosophy; but this work will be a rewarding read for anyone looking for a good introduction to his life (personality) and thought. For those who have touched a higher stratum of Aquinas' thought, Ralph McInerny's solid and exhaustive work is a definite recommendation.
Rating: 
Summary: St. Thomas Aquinas "The Dumb Ox"
Review: I disliked this book very much. I have just recently read it and maybe my version is different. (I read the 1933 version of the book) I would have liked it better if Mr. Chesterton had gone into more detail about St. Thomas Aquinas. He was very wordy not getting to the point and at several points in the book he bored me to tears. So thats my review i am a religion student in high school so you may not regard me as you would an older person but I have read a great many books by great authors who I have praised but this book I think was no written as it shoud've been.
Rating:
Summary: A delightful book!
Review: I first read this book 5 years ago when taking an undergraduate course in mediaeval philosophy. At that time I was only passingly familiar with Chesterton and, despite faithful attendence in class, only noddingly familiar with Aquinas. Since that time I have come to understand both men in more depth, and since that time this little book has grown and shimmered until, much to my surprise, it has became one of my favourite books of all.All of the usual caveats about Chesterton's writing apply here: he cannot resist a digression, he cannot resist an alliterative allusion, he cannot resist a pun. He is so full of life that he is constantly threatening to spin out of control. He is not a scholar, he is not writing a sober appraisal, he is probably not sure of most of the biographical details of his subject (in his own autobiography, which has much the same candid dearth of dates and details, he commented that if he had denied such careful treatment to St. Thomas and St. Francis how could he justify it for himself?). In spite of these defects, the book is a triumph. Toast it with your best wine. Chesterton, for me, is the embodiment of "A Man in Full"; he is the polar opposite of C.S. Lewis' "Men without Chests". He is so full of good sense, penetrating insight, sound moral judgement, and the joy of life that it is all spilling out in every direction. Anyone who has read his book of literary criticism on Dickens will understand what I mean: this is criticism in an old key; it is appreciative criticism; it is an encounter with a writer by an entire man, and not just by a theory. It is wonderfully refreshing. I don't know of anyone writing today in a similar vein. He brings all of his larger-than-life presence to bear on this account of the life (sort of) and thought of one of history's great minds. And on just what aspect of Thomas' thought does he focus? In one diabolically politically incorrect section near the end of the book he bellows out that "on a map like the mind of Aquinas the mind of Luther was barely a speck", and I'm sure that he would hasten to add that his little book suffers the same ignoble comparison. There is a great deal to Thomas that he, of necessity, leaves out. But what he does include is very astutely chosen, for he understands the basic structure of Thomas' thought and emphasizes the essentials. Thus there is a chapter on Thomas' argument with the Manicheans and his affirmation of the goodness of the world. He treats with great aplomb Thomas' notion of "being" and its relation to God. He does great honor to Thomas' mode of argumentation, to his sober balance and fair treatment of opponents. He is appreciative of the devotional side of Thomas, which does not come through explicitly in his philosophical writings but is important for an understanding of the man. I suppose it must be granted that the book is as much about Chesterton as it is about Aquinas. Those wanting a more straight-forward treatment should seek out one of Josef Pieper's books on Aquinas. But if you have any adventurous spirit, by all means read this book. It is written by a man who loves and understands his subject in his very bones, and who brings his subject to life in a way that is most uncanny. Five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Engrossing and Down-to-Earth for the Layman....
Review: I had never read about Acquinas before but after reading this book I feel that I know him and G.K. Chesterton (that amazing Christian writer!) better than ever. A quick read and one that was written with the simple layman in mind. Excellent book!
Rating: 
Summary: Makes great supplemental reading
Review: I like this book. Chesterton, in his enjoyable style, gives a brief overview of the life of St. Thomas. The book is by no means exhaustive, nor is it meant to be. Chesterton recounts particular incidents in Thomas' life that are quite noteworthy, and he even contrasts Aquinas with St. Francis of Assisi, which is among the more humorous parts of the book. Chesterton talks about Thomas' philosophy and the errors of his time he was combatting. He mentions St. Thomas' childhood and his father's unwillingness to let him become a Dominican monk, for example. Numerous tidbits are packed into this little book, and it makes great supplemental reading for anyone who wishes to know more about the Angelic Doctor. Some people say this is "the best book ever written about St. Thomas." I disagree with that. It is a nice book, a relaxing book to read. It gives information about St. Thomas that is non-essential but nevertheless nice to have. However, due to its conciseness and rather informal arrangement of its contents, I would not say that this is absolute "must-read" or even "the best book ever written" about Aquinas.
Rating:
Summary: A life-changing book
Review: I read this book as a sophomore at Georgetown in a class on St. Thomas taught by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. (whose own books are well worth reading). The power of Chesterton's words overwhelmed me--here was a delightful man who was so connected to rock-bottom reality that he could shape metaphors whose insights dazzled and multiplied for page upon page. Two or three times Chesterton penned a sentence in this book that literally made me wince in pain; not because I disliked what he wrote, but because the sentence overwhelmed me with the truth it conveyed so powerfully (and perhaps also because I knew I would never in my life write such a magnificent sentence). A Southern Baptist by upbringing, I had long before college decided that Christianity was useful in keeping the stupid masses in line, but we smart folks had science and didn't need such myths. After two years of reading in the "Great Books" at college, this arrogance had faded, and I began to toy with the idea that Christianity was far more reasonable and even noble than I had thought. But I wasn't sure whether it was in fact true. Then in this book Chesterton reiterated Aristotle's classic philosophical argument that reason tells us there must be a First Mover which set the world in motion. Chesterton added that it is reasonable to deduce that a First Mover must have willed to make that first move, and a being with a will is a person; so the First Mover is a personal God. That logical point hit me hard, and changed my life. After a few more years of intense reading (and almost as intense procrastinating), I was received into the Roman Catholic Church--the same Church into which Chesterton's prodigious, joyful intellect impelled him. (He had been raised in the Church of England.) The other great books by Chesterton are Orthodoxy, St. Francis of Assisi, and The Everlasting Man, which turned a young skeptic named C.S. Lewis into a Christian. Lewis later wrote, and I am proof, that "a young man who wishes to remain an atheist cannot be too careful what he reads." You have been warned.
Rating:
Summary: not a good book
Review: I wanted a book describing the life of St. Thomas Aquinas. This is not that book. It goes more into his philosophy's and studies rather than focusing on his life. I already read a book about his philosophy - he has written many himself. I wanted to learn about the person. This book did not talk much about the man who became a saint.
Rating:
Summary: Be Introduced to Thomas
Review: I've never really known much about this legendary philosopher of the church untill I found this book by Chesterton. St. Thomas Aquinas was always on my personal list of "I really should know more about this person, but it's probably to hard to get into"; Aquinas was to daunting to even approach. Chesterton cured me of this perception. With his traditional approach of getting to main issues of a subject while avoiding everything else AND digressing into every (seemingly) minor detail, Chesterton has become to me a sort of doorman at a great house, inviting me in to partake in the theological feast that is Aquinas. The best biographies will get you interested in a person and encourage you to throw down the book and study the source material, and Chesterton has certainly done that for me. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was Chesterton seemed to be a bit unfair in his criticism of Islam,Calvinism, and Luther. If he had better explained why he disagreed so strongly with these views, instead of writing sweeping assertions, I would have added that star. Still, this does not detract from the work as a whole.
Rating:
Summary: An overview of Thomas and Thomism.
Review: Mr. Chesterton wrote a charming overview of the Dumb Ox, one of the smarterst men ever! This book is more like several postcard close-ups than a panaorama of the life of Aquinas. It inclused several humorous anecdotes of Aquinas'a life, and two of his greatest experiences in life. The first what when he was in deep mediations and was given the Solomon Question--"I will give you a blank check, what do you want?" How did he answer this question? The second event centers around Aquinas's writing of the Summa Theologica, wher he caimed to have a vision from God that made everything that he had ever written look like straw. Some he saw ground his mind to a standstill. I felt a kinship to Aquinas, a great man with a great mind who could have been anything and everything, but chose to be a monk. Eventually the Dumb Ox's bellow was a shout heard round the world!
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