365 Meditations from George MacDonald's Fiction

by George MacDonald, Wilson-Okamura David Scott (Editor)

George MacDonald (1804-1925) was the Victorian author whose fantasy writings and children's stories inspired C. S. Lewis. In addition to his better-known writings, MacDonald also wrote more than two dozen novels. The value of these novels is not literary but spiritual. They are populated with good people who are also good characters. They do not shy away from hard times or hard questions. Some are old, many are young, but they are all versions of the same God is our father and can be trusted.

Genres: Faith

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 7, 2014

About the author

George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He became a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow-writer Lewis Carroll. In addition to his fairy tales, MacDonald wrote several works of Christian theology, including several collections of sermons.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I downloaded this volume to my Kindle a couple of years ago thinking it would be good to use for daily devotions sometime. What a disappointment! The word "meditations" in the title is a misnomer. These are simply quotes. A meditation would include a devotional thought based upon the quote and perhaps a short prayer comprised of one or two sentences. I decided to just read through the volume rather than use it daily. While I enjoyed the quotes, I cannot rate this highly because its title misleads.

[Andrew Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book a lot, it's free, and I re-read it every year. This unashamed ripoff of C.S. Lewis's book, "George MacDonald," does a better job of highlighting many profound insights in the plethora of MacDonald's mediocre work.

However, this book comes with an unsettling twist. This book, along with other MacDonald books, royally screwed up my Kindle ads. Because many of the Christian themes in these books come through fictional stories (some of which are romantic), Amazon thinks I like sappy love novels geared towards women. I can not leave my kindle out on tables because there is a 90% chance the Kindle ad will be of a shirtless man with a herd of horses. Thanks Jeff Bezos.

[Lee Button · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some very profound quotes here. The books may be fiction but the extracts are truthful.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically, this is a collection of quotations from George MacDonald’s books, portrayed as a set of meditative writings.

[Kevin Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can clearly see why MacDonald was one of CS Lewis's favorite writers. Brilliant, simple, joyful. It explains so much our relationship with God. It was free, which is shocking. If you stumble on it, I suggest you read it. Amazing.

Great read. Awesome book. I see why CS Lewis was a huge fan of MacDonald. Read it and share with others.

[David Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book that I have had on my bookshelf for 40 years but had not read. I finally obtained a Kindle version (since that is how I manage 9 daily reading books per year, particularly when traveling.) Later, I figured out that it is not the same book, but this one is still quite good.

George MacDonald is a wonderful, lyrical author, who inspired all of CS Lewis' fantasy writings (e.g., Narnia, Space Trilogy). The selection of quotes is also excellent.

One of my favorites: "If you turn your face to the Sun, my boy, your soul will, when you come to die, feel like an autumn, with the golden fruits of the earth hanging in rich clusters ready to be gathered – not like a winter. You may feel ever so worn, but you will not feel withered. You will die in peace, hoping for the spring – and such a spring!" (Ranald Bannerman’s Boyhood, ch. 31)

George, MacDonald (2014-08-07). 365 Meditations from George MacDonald's Fiction (Kindle Locations 1207-1210). David Scott Wilson-Okamura. Kindle Edition.

[Charles Sr. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read half of this book before I deleted it from my digital library. I tried to find value in it because I admire some of George MacDonald's other works, but this collection of phrases did absolutely nothing for me. Some are perhaps of done value in context, but assembled as they are they are not worth anyone's time of day.