From Publishers Weekly
Just in time for the major motion picture Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, from Disney, comes this biography of the man who dreamed up the land and tales of Narnia. Jacobs, a Wheaton College literature professor, does so not in typical chronological style, but according to themes important in Lewis's life. So, in the chapter entitled "red beef and strong beer" (a Lewis quote about what was satisfying and nourishing to him), we encounter the strong male mentors from his young adult years. Jacobs is obviously taken with early 20th-century English literature and history, and it shows in his writing, which is accessible and unobtrusively documented. However, the thematic organization could leave some readers a tad confused as he skips back and forth in time. Also, to fully appreciate this book, one needs to have read not just the Narnia series but Lewis's writings on Christian apologetics, as Jacobs is intent on making connections between the two genres. Amidst a sea of entry-level Lewis portraits being published this fall, this more substantive book is for hard-core Lewis lovers eager to soak up historical minutiae and savor salient Lewis quotes for years to come.
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Review
�This is the book on Lewis we�ve all been waiting for: probing, generous, lyrical and entertaining.� (Charles Marsh, author of The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice, from the Civil Rights Movement to Today )
�Jacobs has written[...]not onlya portrait of a dazzling writer but also a defense of Lewis as aseeker and thinker...� (Minneapolis Star Tribune )
�An amiable, uncluttered biography...� (Kirkus Reviews )
�A deeply insightful yet broadly accessible intellectual biography, written in an engaging voice.� (Christianity Today, (a CT Book Award winner) )
�It is hard to imagine a more insightful and even-handed treatment of the life and work of Lewis.� (Frederick Buechner, author of Beyond Words )
�A book about Lewis that will fascinate even those readers who think they aren�t interested in reading about him.� (Edward Mendelson, author of Early Auden and Later Auden )
�An erudite and welcome addition to the C. S. Lewis canon.� (Mary S. Lovell, acclaimed biographer and national bestselling author of The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family )
�...[B]est appreciated by the Narnia enthusiasts seeking to learn more about the man behind the stories.� (Presbyterians Today )
�The most influential Christian apologist of the last hundred years has found a worthy biographer.� (Richard John Neuhaus, editor in chief of First Things )
�Jacobs provides a fluent and sensible re-telling of the main outlines of Lewis�s life...� (Richard Jenkyns, The New Republic )
�[Jacobs] provides excellent context by explaining authors and literature that influenced Lewis�his matter-of-fact approach is welcome.� (The Christian Science Monitor )
�The Narnian is thoughtful, intriguing and inspiring�a treasure for Narnia fans, as well as aficionados of fine biography.� (Booklist )
�Combines fine scholarship with winsome writing . . . it is an important contribution.� (Books & Culture )
Product Description
Begins as the story of a boy who grew up in a family haunted by the disappearance of six relatives during the Holocaust, an unmentionable subject that gripped his imagination from earliest childhood.
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