C. S. Lewis: Writer and Scholar (Heroes of the Faith) (Paperback)

by Sam Wellman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-Chelsea is off to a poor start in this series if it believes that fictionalized ramblings can substitute for accurate, well-documented biographies. Is the fact that these books examine "Heroes of the Faith" reason to hold them to lower standards? There are no illustrations and the indexes are woefully inadequate. C. S. Lewis lacks a bibliography of works by and about that author. Wellman also fails to discuss the continuing importance and influence of either man. These flaws, however, pale in comparison to the convoluted writing that's full of phony, invented dialogue-and, in Bunyan, completely fabricated scenes. Few readers will plod through these tedious, unreliable pages. Beatrice Gormley's C. S. Lewis (Eerdmans, 1997) is a far superior and more attractive production.
Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
The story of one man's remarkable conversion to Christianity, and his fascinating life as a writer and scholar.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557489793
• ISBN-13: 978-1557489791
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #658,545 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Readable but fictionalized Lewis, September 20, 2004

By	Larry Gott (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

There is some good news and bad news about this book.
To some readers, the bad news will outweigh the good news, as it does in the scathing Editorial review.

The bad news is that much of the dialogue is speculative. Often as I read the book I wondered whether this specific dialogue was actual or not? Hard to tell, and this eliminates the usefulness for many people. The actual EVENTS of Lewis's life seem to be trustworthy, but the dialogues about them are often enhanced.

In the book's defense, it is more readable than most books about CSL, captures the flavor and essence of his life and faith better than most, and is quite insightful about many of the complexities and peculiarities of this champion of the Christian faith. I did not find any of the known 'enhancements' to be out of character of the known words and life of C.S."Jack" Lewis. (The major 1994 movie "Shadowlands" staring Anthony Hopkins is much more fictionalized than this book.)

Bottom line: Read it, prepare to be entertained, but make sure you read other CSL biographies to help sort out the facts from the dialogue enhancements.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Biography, March 25, 2000

By	"cawoodbookreviewer" (BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

A good biography of C.S. Lewis told in a fictional form.

4.0 out of 5 stars A True Hero of the Faith, April 15, 2009

By	Derek Deiter - See all my reviews

In the beginning of the book, it really started off interesting because it was during World War I. But later on as it progressed through Jack's early life it began to slow down a bit because it took place when it was in school and it was more about his thoughts and not his actions. I soon began to lose interest. I enjoyed the book more after his school years were over because there was much more drama and action and it was about his conversion to Christianity from Atheism. Also it talked about how he reached his peak of fame by writing "The Chronicles of Narnia" which is one of my favorite series. I gave this book 4 stars out of 5 because the beginning was somewhat dull but the ending was much more interesting. Also it portrays a very important message to people.