Manalive: A Novel by G.K. Chesterton

This was my first read of Chesterton. After seeing him quoted and referred to in so many other books I had been reading, I decided it was time to check out his actual work. I was not disappointed, and feel like I have discovered some hidden treasure! Beautifully written, mixing the ridiculous with the profound, I found myself underlining many times in this book. G.K. Chesterton's main character Innocent Smith managed to restore so much joy to even my life. Such is the goal of this character, to restore the joy of being alive. He manages to achieve this in a manner that many consider childlike or quite certainly insane! Innocent Smith aids other members of the tale in discovering the meaning of death; "It isn't only meant to remind us of a future life, but to remind us of a present life, too." A reader walks away from this work, realizing the beauty of the birds, the sweet smell of the flowers and the delight of one's own romantic love. I find myself indebted to this work for helping to restore my joy of living. I did discover one difficulty in starting this read. I am so accustom to reading such easily digested material, it took me several attempts to actually get past the first three pages. I thought to myself, 'how many adjectives does he need!' After crossing this hurdle, I was so delighted by the rich descriptions as one viewing a fine piece of art. I highly suggest this work with 5 out of 5 stars and am looking forward to reading more of Chesterton.

Whether you're new to Chesterton or have read everything else he has written I cannot recommmend this book highly enough. In my opinion this is the best of his more serious allegorical novels in that the meaning is not hidden and confused as it is in some of his other works, but is right there ready to smack you in the face. Chesterton was always concerned with the problems facing the modern man (and while he wrote at the turn of the 19th century his "modern man" is still as modern today as it was then). The increasing societal pressures facing both the Christian and the non-Christian alike were then as now forcing people to view the world with a serious and somber tone, always looking to their survival in a world where absolutes were lacking and authority was no longer to looked to for answers. In this dismal worldview it is all too easy for man to get so caught up in the day to day struggles that he forgets that he is alive, that he is a living breathing person with a will of his own and not merely an automaton of a crushing society. He is alive, and that is a gerat thing! While the story is rather strait forward and not nearly as interesting in its own light as some of his other novels, this book is so full of life that the reader cannot help but want to jump up and down at times at the reemergence of joy in the lives of the characters. While the "irresponsible" lifestyle prtrayed in the book should not be taken as a realistic alternative to the monotony of life that has clutched so many, the exposure of stodginess for what it really is should be a warning to anyone who has ever found themselves snearing at the strange behaviors of children or getting too caught up in our increasingly materialistic culture.While not as overtly religious as some of his other books this book is perhaps most aplicable to those people who are too religious, whatever their philosophy. Those who have such a low opinion of the world and of man that they have forgoten that while their is evil in the world, the world was created good and their is still much to be found here. One of Chesterton's most endearing and uplifting classics, a must read for anyone who feels only too strongly the immense weight of the world on their shoulders, and a good reminder of the necessity of having some fun for everyone else.

Other people have already written on what this book is about, so I will write on why this book is so good simply taken as fiction. I find this passage, from the Warden's account of the occurences at Brakespeare College, sums it up quite well:"There is something pleasing to a mystic in such a land of mirrors. For a mystic is one who holds that two worlds are better than one. In the highest sense indeed, all thought is reflection."This is the real truth in the saying that second thoughts are best. Animals have no second thoughts; man alone is able to see his own thought double, as a drunkard sees a lamp-post. Man alone is able to see his own thought upside down as one sees a house in a puddle. This duplication of mentality, as in a mirror, is (we repeat) the inmost thing of human philosophy. There is a mystical, even a monstrous truth in the statement that two heads are better than one. But they ought both to grow on the same body."This is the glory of well-written fiction. Good fiction provides an engaging, lovely story full of themes both mundane and sublime, and it also acknowledges that the story is in essence a reflection of the original world and story God created. The clearer a writer's reflection of the majesty and beauty of this earthly world, the more wondrous the story. Chesterton realized that "a puddle repeats infinity, and is full of light; nevertheless, if analyzed objectively, a puddle is a piece of dirty water spread very thin on mud." And though earthly fiction might be but a thin puddle, it repeats infinity. Manalive reflects this infinity especially well because Chesterton was truly "Manalive."Definitely one of my top 5 all-time favorite books.

This is my favorite GKC novel. Chesterton writes a grown up novel about those who must become like little children to enter the Kingdom of God. Chesterton treats each mundane moment as momentous and the repetitious as startlingly new. Life for him is adventure and joy and he can't stand to see anyone not joining him.The Spirit of God is the wind that moves throughout the entire book and stirs up the lives of all it touches.I'd love to see this book as a play.