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Rating: 
Summary: Rich in background on the life of a great Christian writer
Review: Getting inside the mind of Lewis is the great accomplishment of Kathryn Lindskoog. She does a wonderful job summarizing the thinking of CS Lewis. Those who are fascinated with Lewis, a man who I believe was quite mysterious in his private world but fairly public with his writing, will devour this book. Here you will learn about Lewis' thoughts on smoking and drinking (he knew smoking was a bad idea, but he was not a teetotaler); that next to Christianity, dualism makes the most sense (interesting!); and the fact that Lewis gave 2/3rds of his money to charity--and why. This gives you an idea of the information available to us through the good biographer Lindskoog. She does not fail to support herself with endnotes, and one of the 5 appendices gives a calendar of how you could read a Lewis book every month during the year (with suggestions based on the season). I might have to try it myself, though I've already read most of what is suggested. (Nothing wrong with rereading Lewis!) To fully cover a man who authored more than 50 books, Lindskoog has done a wonderful service by writing this book.
Rating:
Summary: Like a Detailed Map of the Alps
Review: Kate Lindskoog's masterful synopsis of Lewisian thought is like a detailed map of the Alps. You can enjoy the Alps without a map, and you can enjoy Lewis without Lindskoog. But you understand the terrain so much better with the map! I have been saturating in C. S. Lewis's books for the past six months and this is one of the most helpful books I have come across. It is a topical guide to C. S. Lewis, but more than that, it is also a commentary. Lindskoog's documentation is thorough and each chapter ends with suggestions for further reading about the given topic. Perhaps the most delightful aspect of this book is Lindskoog's mastery not only of Lewis's apologetics, but of his fiction. She deftly illustrates the former with the latter, and therein reveals the incredible unity in Lewis's own work. Excellent!!!
Rating:
Summary: Could ruin your vacation... it's that good!
Review: No C.S. Lewis fan can possibly live a meaningful life without this book.
When I greedily approached "C.S. Lewis: Mere Christian" I was no stranger to the world and writings of C.S. Lewis. I've been studying his work for over a decade. But Lindskoog's book opened up realms of understanding about the man and his thought that I could not possibly have held together and formulated on my own. Her knowledge of each area of Lewis' thought is not only the knowledge of a well-read enthusiast (as mine may perhaps be), but here in her work one gets the sense of a profound scholar who has actually met the man. (And she did, by the way). She speaks with such authority that each summary dazzles the reader, awakening an important point hitherto unrealized. Here you will not find a boring half-hearted amalgam of foot-noted facts, but a living and cohesive story worthy of the depth and consistency of C.S. Lewis himself.
For instance, in my favorite chapter, entitled "Prayer" the author cites Lewis' marvelous poem of the same name, and comments that "he warned readers not to take the last line too seriously." This, I realized much later, is an allusion to Lewis' own comments in a book of his own, entitled "Prayer: Letters To Malcolm". Not many of us are blessed with such a concordance-like Lindskoogian grasp of Lewis' thought. And truly, that is the beauty of her achievement here. As you are gripped by her easy flowing writing style, you almost forget that you are getting a Ph.D. in Lewisology. Reading this book is like cramming forty topically-arranged C.S. Lewis books into your head with the ease and delight of sipping a cup of coffee.
And this brings me to my vacation.
When I took "Mere Christian" along with me to Vancouver Island one fine summer, I found that instead of enjoying the ocean as much as I should have, I was more likely to be found tucked away in some coffee shop... taking notes on napkins, looking up only long enough to see that the sun had gone down.
This book makes you crazy like that.
C.S. Lewis died thirteen days before I was born. I have often wished, and wished sincerely, that I could have talked with this man who has meant so much to me in my life. I look forward to doing so in heaven. This book is the closest I have come to doing so on earth.
Rating:
Summary: Could ruin your vacation... it's that good!
Review: No C.S. Lewis fan can possibly live a meaningful life without this book.
When I greedily approached "C.S. Lewis: Mere Christian" I was no stranger to the world and writings of C.S. Lewis. I've been studying his work for over a decade. But Lindskoog's book opened up realms of understanding about the man and his thought that I could not possibly have held together and formulated on my own. Her knowledge of each area of Lewis' thought is not only the knowledge of a well-read enthusiast (as mine may perhaps be), but here in her work one gets the sense of a profound scholar who has actually met the man. (And she did, by the way). She speaks with such authority that each summary dazzles the reader, awakening an important point hitherto unrealized. Here you will not find a boring half-hearted amalgam of foot-noted facts, but a living and cohesive story worthy of the depth and consistency of C.S. Lewis himself.
For instance, in my favorite chapter, entitled "Prayer" the author cites Lewis' marvelous poem of the same name, and comments that "he warned readers not to take the last line too seriously." This, I realized much later, is an allusion to Lewis' own comments in a book of his own, entitled "Prayer: Letters To Malcolm". Not many of us are blessed with such a concordance-like Lindskoogian grasp of Lewis' thought. And truly, that is the beauty of her achievement here. As you are gripped by her easy flowing writing style, you almost forget that you are getting a Ph.D. in Lewisology. Reading this book is like cramming forty topically-arranged C.S. Lewis books into your head with the ease and delight of sipping a cup of coffee.
And this brings me to my vacation.
When I took "Mere Christian" along with me to Vancouver Island one fine summer, I found that instead of enjoying the ocean as much as I should have, I was more likely to be found tucked away in some coffee shop... taking notes on napkins, looking up only long enough to see that the sun had gone down.
This book makes you crazy like that.
C.S. Lewis died thirteen days before I was born. I have often wished, and wished sincerely, that I could have talked with this man who has meant so much to me in my life. I look forward to doing so in heaven. This book is the closest I have come to doing so on earth.
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