C. S. Lewis: The Man Behind Narnia
Grade 6 UpAIt is difficult to write about Lewis and not mention his Christianity. Gormley does a good job of focusing on her subject's spiritual life while providing a solid biographical context against which to examine it. His personal relationships, from his troubled one with his father, to his late-in-life marriage to Joy Davidman, are thoroughly explored, both for their import for him as a Christian, and as a writer. Other influences on his work are also discussed. Gormley describes Lewis's relationship with J.R.R. Tolkien, who did not like the "Narnia" books, and with other members of his writers' group, the Inklings, who played integral parts in his life. Quotes from the subject, his family, and friends lend a certain intimacy to the presentation. Pictures of Lewis and those close to him also enhance the book. This title continues what Michael Coren touches upon in The Man Who Created Narnia (Eerdmans, 1996), albeit with a stronger emphasis on Lewis's spirituality. Students looking for more than the basic biography will certainly find it here.ACarol Fazioli, Cardinal Hayes Library, Manhattan College, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.