Simply C. S. Lewis: A Beginner's Guide to the Life and Works of C. S. Lewis

I have bought copies of this book for friends...for sure I'm not about to give up my early copy. Reading it is like listening in on rich conversations. To me, dipping into these familiar pages is like visiting beloved friends who are much smarter than I am. Peters draws me up to C.S.Lewis's level of thinking and reasoning for a while. A happy exercise because in the past Lewis has sometimes left me in the dust. My only problem with the previous review: If the reviewer liked the book so much, why only four stars???

"Not for Beginners Only" would be a better subtitle. My happy aquaintance with Lewis goes back many years, but I'd not thought to dig to see what other kinds of gems there were in his writings than those I'd first stumbled upon. Mine tends to be a Some-stuff-interests-me-and- other-stuff-doesn't kind of mentality.This book impells me to a much wider appreciation for Lewis by way of the author's logic and insightful discussions. It's a pleasurable read! In the past I've been put off by the phrase "in other words..." followed, as they tend to be, by the obvious. I'm thinking, "Yeah, yeah, let's get on with it." Not so with Peters. He says, "In other words" and offers me a truly fresh, deeper insight than was at first obvious. And I'm thinking, "Oh, yeah! Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" I so appreciated Peters' well-expressed views that I found myself thoroughly savoring his marvelous intro to the pr! evailing thoughts/ideas of the 19th century in his second chapter. ("Setting the Stage") Let's face it. Learning ought to be a joy, and Peters serves up a most palatable sociology. I came away with far more than I'd bargained for.If you're looking for light summer reading, mindless and forgettable, a paperback you can toss without a second thought--you've got the wrong book.If you're looking for something that catches and sticks with you, draws you into some real thought, and lifts you in the process, this is your book. After reading Peters' "Simply C.S.Lewis: A Beginner's Guide to His Life and Works," I see the familiar in a gratifying new light, and want to reread. And it goes without saying that now I'm eager to get to treasures of Lewis's which I've overlooked in the past.