Unfortunately I waited ten years to read this biography of C. S. Lewis. It is quite good. Good biography, good discussion of theology, good discussion of academics, good discussion of writing, good discussion of the world of his fictions. (It even made me go out and buy a hardcover of his Space Trilogy.) Well-told, well-researched, and interesting. It held my attention from first to last and gave me excellent background to better understand and appreciate Lewis's thought and writing. Good pictures, good citations (including expansive endnotes), good index. I liked the formatting too, good all around. I would say, having read nothing else, that it is THE biography of Lewis to start with and read if you like any of Lewis's writing, either apologetical, academical, or fictional. ( )

This book is very well written. For technical merit, I give it 4 out of five stars. It is difficult to compose a biographical narrative that captivates in the way a novel does, but McGrath does a fine job of piecing together details. In order to do this, he subdivides the biography in 5 parts:

1. Prelude: Early life up to Lewis's involvement in the war
2. Oxford: Lewis's rise in academia culminating with the international fame of Mere Christianity
3. Narnia: Section devoted to Lewis's most popular works
4. Cambridge: Lewis's move to Cambridge and end-of-life
5. Afterlife: The decline and subsequent rise of Lewis's popularity

Find my full review here: http://jmnz.us/1gclvGX ( )

In C.S. Lewis―A Life, Alister McGrath, prolific author and respected professor at King’s College of London, paints a definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis. After thoroughly examining recently published Lewis correspondence, Alister challenges some of the previously held beliefs about the exact timing of Lewis’s shift from atheism to theism and then to Christianity. He paints a portrait of an eccentric thinker who became an inspiring, though reluctant, prophet for our times.

You won’t want to miss this fascinating portrait of a creative genius who inspired generations.

A perceptive study on Lewis, this book adopts a suspicious stance towards its subjects self-report in the name of objectivity. This is merited more than usual by Lewis's self-proclaimed habit of lying and trouble with dates. Overall, insightful. Especially helpful discussions on Lewis's books and views on literature. However, it left much of the strain between Lewis and evangelicalism dark, mentioned ambiguously. ( )

I regard McGrath to be a very good, though uneven author. It may be inevitable, given how prolific he is. I have read some books (like The Dawkins Delusion ) which I felt he rushed to publication. But when he is on, he's on.

Here he is on! McGrath took five years of research to write a biography of Lewis which is very good. He explores Lewis' childhood, his atheism, his conversion and his literary contributions. As a historical theologian, I think that McGrath particularly shines in exploring Lewis' thought and its impact. However he makes several interesting observations, among them is his claim that the documentary evidence points to the fact that Lewis's conversion happened a year later than everyone (including Lewis) has claimed. He also explore the awkwardness of Lewis's relationship with Mrs. Moore.

I am not sure what I think of McGrath's estimation of Joy Davidman. He respects her contribution to Lewis' life, but paints her as a seductress who later manipulates her position in a marriage of convenience. McGrath makes several inferences that I think go beyond what we know, but who knows, he could be right. I just didn't buy in fully at this point. Also, I found McGrath repetitive in a couple of places, which I felt stalled the narrative of Lewis's life unnecessary.

All and all, I felt I learned a lot and came away with a deeper appreciation for Lewis and an understanding for some of his writings. This was McGrath's goal. Mission accomplished. ( )