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Summary: Lewis is deeply intelligent.
Review: A wonderful writer.
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Summary: The auto-biography of Believers.
Review: "Surprised by Joy" is C.S. Lewis' auto-biographical book about the early, formational years of his life, which began with a vaguely religious upbringing, led into devout Atheism, and ended in Christ's drawing Lewis home. This book is excellent as auto-biographies (Christian or non-Christian) go as C.S. Lewis was one of the 20th Century's best story-tellers and an amazingly well-read professor at Oxford as well. Whether the reader is a Christian or not, C.S. Lewis makes this story entertaining and thought-provoking.For those readers who have come to believe in Jesus Christ as Man's only possible salvation, this book will leave them marvelling repeatedly at how Christ works in the lives of those he calls. Any Christian reader of "Surprised by Joy" will find numerous similarities in the path C.S. Lewis' salvation took him down, and a Christian reader can't help but want to join him in praising Christ for his awesome goodness in the lives of human beings he touches. One fascinating element in C.S. Lewis' life, which is so encouraging for Christians in a post-Christian era, is that Lewis was raised by brilliant men to be constantly curious but always logical... always seeking the truth. One of the men Christ used the most in saving C.S. Lewis was a staunch Atheist; a dry, pensive, professor who demanded a rigid adherence to logic in any belief or action. This man, the "Great Knock", as Lewis, his brother, and their father called him, was so influential in Lewis' mental development that Lewis devotes a whole chapter ("The Great Knock") to discussion of him. How fascinating that whereas many today believe a rigorous pursuit of knowledge and facts leads to agnosticism, in the life of the greatest Christian apologist of the 20th Century it led to a belief in the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. This is a book that I would recommend to anyone, but as "a must" to any Christian. While "Mere Christianity" is C.S. Lewis' best-selling book, and arguably has initiated more paths to Christ than any other book outside the Bible, "Surprised by Joy" presents a more complete understanding of those paths and their ultimate result.
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Summary: Mere Joy
Review: As much as C.S. Lewis hems and haws in his preface about how suffocatingly subjective and uninteresting this book will be to many readers, there are few books in Lewis' corpus that I have gleaned more joy and help from. Lewis takes us on a tour through his adventures in joy, that peculiar longing for something that is itself more enjoyable than the thing longed for, this desire that he found ultimately only has its fulfillment in Christ, as joy is merely a longing for the heavenly. He brilliantly analyzes his earlier life, exposing his childhood follies and rejoicing in his youthful literary loves; several times I found myself laughing out loud about similar mistakes and mishaps I had fallen into. He scatters his typically brilliant social commentary and theological insight throughout the work, and a chapter never goes by without gaining a preciously helpful understanding of some important topic. This book is easily among the top three autobiographies I have ever read. "I have tried so to write the first chapter that those who can't bear such a story will see at once what they are in for and close the book with the least waste of time." Go ahead and read that first chapter. You won't want to stop.
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Summary: Strikingly honest description
Review: As many have noted, there are parts of this book that tend to drag a bit and are less than gripping. These parts, found mostly in the middle chapters, are the most important descriptions that Lewis gives us in explanation of his conversion. These chapters methodically, if somewhat dryly, layout the thought patterns that Lewis went through in his various stages philosophy. They are the equation of how he got from A to B (including the detours that he took to C, G, and F). If the reader will force himself to read them slowly and methodically, he/she will be rewarded with a much deeper understanding than without. On the whole, Lewis's account of his conversion is raw and honest. He spares himself no punches in describing his own arrogance and 'priggishness'. The author is upfront in admitting that his memory may be flawed on some items. Some readers may be struck at the author's deep humility at always portraying everyone in his story in the best possible of lights, regardless of any 'deservedness'. For sheer entertainment value, I found his descriptions of his early childhood, his relationship with his brother and father, and his home and surroundings quite charming. Having never been to Britain, I felt that I was treated to a slice of life I will likely never experience the likes of. His accounts of his life at Wyvern (school) should give all parents pause in considering their own children's education, both academic and social. If there is an "Ah, ha!" moment in this book, for me it is near the end where Lewis proposes that could we (as humans) strip God of all his powers to 'punish' us, that we should still worship and adore, simply because God was God - not because we could be punished (sent to Hell) for doing otherwise. Indeed, Lewis makes clear that Hell is not about geography, but about separation from God, separation from God being the definition of the nature of Hell. If I have any complaints about this book, it is only one, and is perhaps forgiveable. I was sorely disappointed that Lewis did not include an account of his becoming Christian. While Lewis explains that he felt still too close to explain it, I felt disappointed in some measure. Still, this does not detract from what the book does have to offer, which is quite a lot. There are lessons to be learned and I have little doubt that I will aquire new perspectives upon successive re-readings.
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Summary: The world according to CS Lewis--a masterpiece
Review: CS Lewis never ceases to amaze me with his sincerity and utter humility. His genuine goodness is clear in all his works, but even more so in this. Surprised by Joy is an autobiographical book in which Lewis relates the events of his early life--particularly those which led to his eventual return to Christianity. As usual, he is frank and very analytical of all that happened as he first lost his faith, and then found it again.
Lewis talks about many events which led him to question the existence of God, and he explores what may have motivated his way of thinking. His candid analysis of these events provides some wonderful insights. He also explains how he gradually was brought back into the fold of Christianity, and how he reluctantly embraced God once again as "the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England."
Though this is an autobiography and strays considerably from the format of Lewis's theological works, there still is a significant amount of theology involved. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in theology, especially Christianity. For fans of CS Lewis, this is a must have!
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Summary: Confessions of a Convert
Review: Far from being the typical "spiritual journey" book, C.S. Lewis captures, with his customary wit, the essence of his early life through adolescence which helped to shape his faith. The preface is rather self-effacing, but not without some merit. Toward the end of the book his thoughts seem a bit more stream-of-consciousness and the transition from "a boy's life" to "concerned theologian" is not quite smooth, from a reader's perspective. However, overall this is a very worthy read for anyone interested in C.S. Lewis or journeys in and out of atheism/agnosticism.
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Summary: An expository on Solipsism
Review: It seems sacrilegious to redact such a gifted writer whose phraseolgy make his prose almost poetic, but my patience wore thin as I listened via Books on Tape to all his self-absortive drivel awaiting the "piece de resistance" of the basis for his conversion. I was deeply disappointed in the short shift he accorded the latter. My iconoclastic opinion.
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Summary: Excellent book for the Lewis admirer
Review: The Lewis admirer will greatly appreciate this book and its depiction of the early life of this Christian genius. He describes his slow transformation from stanch athiest to devout Christian in the complicated simplicity that only Lewis can achieve. However, be weary of this book if you have never previously read Lewis. The development of the story is rather slow and lethargic and the non-Lewis fan may find it difficult to get through the early chapters. Yet, for the Lewis admirer the lax early chapters are well worth the culminating transformation in the late portion.
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Summary: A great book AFTER you've enjoyed other Lewis books.
Review: Not all of Lewis's experience will be interesting to the average reader. You have to be somewhat of a Lewis lover to fully appreciate this book about his walk toward Christianity. I greatly appreciated the book for its embrace of mythology as the road that led Lewis to Christianity, where he believed he found the fulfillment of all he longed for. For Lewis, Christianity was the place where myth became fact. The book also provides an immense argument to support the importance of art and aesthetics, based on the divine role they played in this great man's life. I've found it inspirational to my own writing and affirming of my interests.
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Summary: A great book AFTER you've enjoyed other Lewis books.
Review: Not all of Lewis's experience will be interesting to the average reader. You have to be somewhat of a Lewis lover to fully appreciate this book about his gradual acceptance of Christianity. I greatly appreciated the book for its openness to mythology as the road that led Lewis to Christianity, where he believed he found the fulfillment of all he longed for in mythology. For Lewis, Christianity was the place where myth became fact. The book also provides an immense argument to support the importance of art and aesthetics, based on the divine role they played in this great man's life.
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