Rating: 
Summary: An Exchange Between Friends
Review: This book by C. S. Lewis offers something his other books do not. Rather than being a work of fiction or an exploration of his thoughts on religion, this is an intimate exchange of letters between C.S. Lewis and his longtime friend, Malcolm Muggeridge. They discuss the nature of prayer, among other things, and the letters give us a glimpse into Lewis at his most thoughtful. He's not attempting to entertain or to present his case to an audience. He's exploring, with a friend, the most intimate feelings he has about religion. His frustrations, his most sublime moments communing with God, his feelings of inadequacy and much more are revealed in the form of letters to a dear friend. We can put ourselves in Lewis's place and travel the paths he travels, much as we would if we were writing the letters. This is Lewis at his most accessible. He's not the lecturer, the professor or the famous novelist. He's a man on the same search as the rest of we Christians.Muggeridge is a perfect foil. More of a curmudgeon and skeptic, he nevertheless responds to Lewis's questions and wonderings with respect and sincerity. Along with the Screwtape Letters, I find this to be one of Lewis's finest books about religion.
Rating: 
Summary: Deep and Personal
Review: This is one of those books I found myself taking an hour to read a paragraph, that I had already read previously. I just needed to meditate on a lot of Lewis' thoughts. It's not theological in the sense of Mere Christianity or the Four Loves- he is clear here and elsewhere that he does not want to write a devotional book and indeed thinks he has little to offer on the subject, as he is untrained in these areas. So while he covers the same areas as Richard Foster's Prayer, this book has a decidedly different feel. These are just letters. And often Lewis doesn't fully explain his ideas in an understandable way, for he is not writing to the general public, but only to Malcolm- a friend with whom he has a lot in common, with that secret language that all friends have. These letters were never intended for publishing. But as Lewis believed that it is good for an author's personal letters to be published after his death, perhaps he wrote in view of that future possibility. That's the sense one gets between the lines. I appreciated too how personal asides were thrown in, like "Your son is very welcome. We do *not* dress for dinner normally." and "Please tell Betty I do not need a bed downstairs, I am feeling much better." and, countrary to what Walter Hooper would have us believe, references to his conjugal life with his former wife. Lewis' musings have the advantage of coming at the end of his life, with the full wisdom available. I especially liked his thoughts on getting whatever we ask for in faith vs. Jesus prayer in Gethsemane, difficulties in prayer focus, and the effectatiousness of our prayers. In the end, we want to be heard, even more than having our prayers answered. I don't know that *my* letters to anyone should ever be published. But Lewis' are more than that, because the way he thought was simultaneously so deep and so clear- as he said, he wrote for the common man. As I read him, I find myself constantly thinking, "Yes, I didn't believe that before, but I see that now."
Rating:
Summary: An absolute gem!
Review: What can we say? Unquestionably, this is Lewis's finest book: his warmest, his calmest, his most pellucid writing. Cheerful meditations on liturgical reform (with reservations about the "fidget" for innovation), on petitionary prayer, on purgatory, on the Eucharist ("the command was Take and eat; not, Take and understand"), and, of course, on Joy, which is "the serious business of Heaven." Even persons who are disinclined to venerate C S Lewis will be won over, we imagine, by this slender -- but infinitely magnanimous and supremely luminous -- offering, comprising twenty-two letters to the Christian apologist Malcolm Muggeridge. "One of the purposes for which God instituted prayer may have been to bear witness that the course of events is not governed like a state, but created like a work of art to which every being makes its contribution." This book on prayer IS a work of art, salvific and salutary. And now we will be silent, lest our superlatives get the better of us!
Rating:
Summary: An absolute gem!
Review: What can we say? Unquestionably, this is Lewis's finest book: his warmest, his calmest, his most pellucid writing. Cheerful meditations on liturgical reform (with reservations about the "fidget" for innovation), on petitionary prayer, on purgatory, on the Eucharist ("the command was Take and eat; not, Take and understand"), and, of course, on Joy, which is "the serious business of Heaven." Even persons who are disinclined to venerate C S Lewis will be won over, we imagine, by this slender -- but infinitely magnanimous and supremely luminous -- offering, comprising twenty-two letters to the Christian apologist Malcolm Muggeridge. "One of the purposes for which God instituted prayer may have been to bear witness that the course of events is not governed like a state, but created like a work of art to which every being makes its contribution." This book on prayer IS a work of art, salvific and salutary. And now we will be silent, lest our superlatives get the better of us!
Rating:
Summary: An absolute gem!
Review: What can we say? Unquestionably, this is Lewis's finest book: his warmest, his calmest, his most pellucid writing. Cheerful meditations on liturgical reform, petitionary prayer, the Eucharist, purgatory, and Joy ("the serious business of Heaven"). A book to be cherished, a book to be taken to heart. Even persons who are disinclined to venerate C S Lewis will be won over, I imagine, by this slender -- but infinitely magnanimous and supremely luminous -- offering. "One of the purposes for which God instituted prayer may have been to bear witness that the course of events is not governed like a state, but created like a work of art to which every being makes its contribution." This book on prayer is a work of art, salvific and salutary. And now we will be silent, lest our superlatives run away with us!
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring Book
Review: Wow. nothing more can be said, just Wow. This guy is one of the deepest thinkers i have ever read. He has amazing observations, on many things too, not just prayer, though prayer is the main focus of the book. His ideas are very interesting, and he is able to prove many of his beliefs fairly well. Personaly, i found his discussion on creation to be enrapturing, just making you think beyond what you had before. This book is amazing, and has many truths, and also gives you a ton of stuff to think about. I would reccomend this book to everyone, except for the fact that he is so intellectual i think that many people would get lost. He has a massive vocabulary, so not only is is a good theology/philosophy type book, but it also gives you a challenge in reading, which you cant often find. Very good book
Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: Wow. nothing more can be said, just Wow. This guy is one of the deepest thinkers i have ever read. He has amazing observations, on many things too, not just prayer, though prayer is the main focus of the book. His ideas are very interesting, and he is able to prove many of his beliefs fairly well. Personaly, i found his discussion on creation to be enrapturing, just making you think beyond what you had before. This book is amazing, and has many truths, and also gives you a ton of stuff to think about. I would reccomend this book to everyone, except for the fact that he is so intellectual i think that many people would get lost. He has a massive vocabulary, so not only is is a good theology/philosophy type book, but it also gives you a challenge in reading, which you cant often find. Very good book
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