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The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis Hardcover – October 11, 2005

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Alan Jacobs (Author)
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Alan Jacobs (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 52 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Age Range: 18 and up
  • Series: Narnia
  • Hardcover: 342 pages
  • Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco; 1st edition (October 11, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060766905
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060766900
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #842,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsI thought long and hard . . .
By David Zampino VINE VOICE on January 7, 2007
Format: Hardcover
. . . about this review -- and really wanted to give this book a fourth star. I just could not bring myself to do so, however!

First, I want to thank the publisher of "The Narnian" for the complimentary copy sent to me.

I, myself, have been a serious student of Lewis, having began reading his works more than 30 years ago (and an even more serious student of Tolkien, having begun reading HIS works more than 26 years ago.) I have given lectures and presented papers on the subject, and include a great deal of both Lewis and Tolkien in the classes I teach. I will probably be using this book as a secondary -- "SECONDARY" -- reference work in some of my classes. To this reviewer, it fails as a primary source.

"The Narnian" was presented as a "literary" biography. As such, I expected a great deal more literary criticism than actually appeared in the book.

"The Narnian", it is to be presumed, was supposed to place Lewis within the context of his great fictional creation -- the land of Narnia. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

The author, in his introduction, suggests that he will pass over much material which one might find in a traditional biography in order to concentrate on more literary concerns. Whether he succeeded in concentrating on literary concerns is for the reader to decide -- but he DID include most of the pertinent biographical information of Lewis' life -- the enormous majority of it having been presented elsewhere.

There were some things I learned from this book, much to my delight.

1) I was greatly interested to learn more of the background behind "The Abolition of Man" -- a text I require for my Introduction to Theology students.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsMagnificent Bio of a Magnificent Man
By Portianay VINE VOICE on October 17, 2005
Format: Hardcover
Alan Jacobs, you did your homework for this one. That becomes apparent by the end of the introduction. I think I have probably read everything still in print about CSL, and what I appreciate about your book are the following: Your data is correct; there are no hazy vaguenesses ignored, all are fully "admitted" (I refer to events in the life of CSL about which biographers have always had to guess); and "put-downs" by modern authors, such as Philip Pullman, are answered. (That last mattered to me especially, as I resent terribly PP's reference to Narnian "drivel." Pettiness prompts me to remark about some of PP's own drivel, but I digress.)

Mr. Jacobs also handled the Joy Gresham era masterfully, considering how Hollywood, and the BBC, have managed to change it into something it never really seemed to be. Mr. Jacob's account, though admittedly speckled with his own personal guesswork, seems so much nearer the mark, so much more in keeping with the sense of CSL's personality we get through the previous bios.

Well done, Mr. Jacobs!
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5.0 out of 5 starsAs Deep And Fascinating As Lewis Himself
By John D. Cofield TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on November 17, 2005
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
The Narnian is a literary/theological biography of C.S. Lewis. Although it covers the basic facts of Lewis' life as competently as any other biography, the real strength of Jacobs' work lies in the fascinating discussions of Lewis' thought processes and religious/literary development.

Jacobs makes no bones about his deep admiration for Lewis, which makes his work seem rather defensive when dealing with Lewis' critics. At times this defensiveness seems justifiable, especially when it is employed against critics like Philip Pullman who obviously haven't studied Lewis very thoroughly. At other times it seems rather overdone, as when Jacobs abruptly dismisses J.R.R. Tolkien's (one of Lewis' closest associates) critiques.

This is nevertheless a very satisfying work which will illuminate much for people who seek more information on Lewis' life, work, and theology.
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5.0 out of 5 starsAt the pub with Inklings.
By David Marshall on January 19, 2007
Format: Hardcover
Does the world need another biography of C. S. Lewis? Probably not. Jacobs admits even that he did not need to write one -- it was his agent's fault. Still, he does a generally excellent job in this book. As another life-long reader of Lewis, who had already read several biographies and almost everything by Lewis several times over, I learned quite a bit from this biography. Having sampled several Lewis biographies, like a fan of Hamlet who waits impatiently for Polonius to appear on stage, one gets to like and enjoy reading about other characters just as much -- Lewis' brother, Warnie (who wrote at least one pretty good book, too), the dramatic character he married, and all those incredibly bright friends he hung around with and swilled beer. (A reprise, perhaps, of Chesterton's friendships with Shaw & Wells etc.)

What I really liked about this book was the good sense Jacobs brings to the project, and his own deep reading in many of the works and people that inspired Lewis. He swerves nimbly around the road-blocks that tumbled Wilson. True, he might have consulted Sayer. But he more than makes up for the occasional error in judgement or lapse in biographical expertise by offering frequent insight into dozens of works that were so much a part of Lewis' thought world. One gets the feeling that Lewis would have enjoyed talking with Jacobs.

Jacobs is careful to maintain a critical distance from his subject, (some fail here) though he obviously admires him much, which keeps the book from becoming cloying. One area I did not think that worked was the rather tiresome pages in which he takes Lewis to task for (essentially) failing to conform to 21st Century orthodoxy on sexual equality.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 starsAcademic text

This book reads like an academic text, that is, if one paragraph is good, ten is better. It was long and boring and glossed over good portions of C. S. Lewis's life. Read more

Published 12 days ago by Dick
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

This is such an interesting biography of Lewis. Well researched.

Published 18 days ago by Kate
5.0 out of 5 starsFantastic biography. So well written and thoroughly enjoyable

Fantastic biography. So well written and thoroughly enjoyable.

Published 22 days ago by Ally
5.0 out of 5 starsA New Convert

I have often wandered about the fascination with Lewis. His writings are still relevant for today. This a fair and balanced biography of him. He doesn't turn him into a saint.

Published 22 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsVery good biography of C.S. Lewis

Excellent read and insight into C.S. Lewis.

Published 1 month ago by Steven A. Banks
3.0 out of 5 starsThree Stars

Interesting but much longer and detailed than I expected.

Published 5 months ago by maureen a buck
5.0 out of 5 starsLOVED it

This is one of the best books I have ever read, and I have read a lot.

Published 10 months ago by Jennifer Johnson
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Do not miss this. I am off to Oxford (tomorrow) to visit the sites. David W. Mantik

Published 11 months ago by David W. Mantik
4.0 out of 5 starsDriven by imagination

A balanced and interesting look at the man whose imagination has entertained children and adults. It was interesting to see the man behind great works such as the Screwtape... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Jonathan Lefor
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of the best

This biography of C S Lewis is one of the best and most entertaining I have read. It reads like s good story, entertaining Lewis's life and work together in a tapestry that flows... Read more

Published 15 months ago by Ron Mc

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