C.S. Lewis: Christian and Storyteller

by Beatrice Gormley

Explores the man, the mind, and the spirit behind the fantasy world of Narnia

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Religion, Theology, History

182 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1997

About the author

Born in Glendale, California, Beatrice grew up in Southern California. After graduating from Pomona College, she worked in publishing near San Francisco. There she met and married Robert Gormley, and they moved to Massachusetts. They have two daughters.
Since age 9 Beatrice had wanted to become a writer. But it wasn't until after her children were born that she really focused on her writing. In 1981 her first book, Mail Order Wings,was published. Since then she's written many popular novels and biographies for young people. Her most recent books are Second Lives, a novel of humans and other animals, and the biography Joe Biden: Our 46th President.

Reviews

[RE de Leon · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Young devotees of the Chronicles of Narnia will enthusiastically sink their literary teeth into this biography..." says the quote from the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books on the back cover of this piece. And by having that quote on the cover, the publishers give the reader a quick warning - this book was written for YOUNG READERS, as far as the text is concerned. Me, I purchased it because, being a pictorial biography, it had a good collection of CS Lewis pictures. More than 50 of them, in fact. And so the book delivers precisely what it promises. Certainly an admirable thing, is it not? Even though in terms of insight, this book is not by any means a gem of Lewisiana. Enjoy it for what it is, or buy it for your kids. Enjoy! :D

RE de Leon
Agoo, La Union, Philippines
10.34 PM
January 4, 2011

[Marissa Genta Pineda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from the library for my kids. I read it, hoping it would inspire me to read Lewis's Narnia books, which I never could get into as a younger person. I was surprised at how I could relate to Lewis. Or at least the author's interpretation of him. I wished desperately that I could have had Lewis as a mentor and friend.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was written for young readers and therefore was a nice, fast read. Would recommend for 5th grade+ students who need to do a book report. Well written. It leaves one with the desire to read more of his works, because as the author tells us, this is the best way to get to know CS Lewis, as he puts part of himself into everything he writes. I may look for more bios on "Jack" in the future.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book! I read this in preparation for a junior high literature class I'll be teaching in the fall using the Chronicles of Narnia as a spine to study English literature. It was a fairly quick but very interesting read, giving a lot of insight into what made C.S. Lewis who he was and why he wrote the way he did. Recommended!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about C.S. Lewis and how he came to a grand realization that God and Christ do exist. Longer biographies are out there I believe but this one was sufficient for me. I will likely read his autobiography, "Surprised by Joy."

[Holly Mcclung · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fascinating and inspiring to read about Jack Lewis' childhood and journey of faith. The story of his life is captivating. The book includes many personal photos of friends and family.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. I thought the book was very well written and very readable. I would say that this book is best suited to grades 7 and up, as well as adults. While it is not an academic book, the vocabulary, length, and style of book suggest a teen and adult readership. The biography covers Lewis's life from childhood to passing. While it does acknowledge Lewis's writings for adults, it emphasizes the writing of the Narnia Chronicles. It also discusses his many relationships--his closeness to his brother Warren; his looking after his mate's mother Mrs. Moore; his friendship with Tolkien and the other Inklings; his marriage to Joy Davidman; and more. The book has a bibliography of some (not all) of Lewis's books and a bibliography of books about him. It also has an index.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new edition of this biography written for children, this includes many photos of Lewis as well as family and friends, his boyhood home, etc. There is also a table of contents, an index, acknowledgements, and Suggestions for Further Reading. A well-researched and written biography of one of the most well-known authors of children's fantasy, C. S. Lewis along with his brother, Warren, delved into the imaginary world as children when they created their first fantasy world, Boxen. Lovers of the Narnia series as well as admirers of Lewis' other works will appreciate this look at his life well-lived.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t find anything wrong with this story; it’s about a clever and interesting man. The writing suggests that the author’s intended audience would be as young as middle school or early high school, which makes it that much easier to read for the well-read adult. The information is PG, so it may capture a wider audience. I love his Chronicles of Narnia series, and am loving that my daughter is finding out and loving the magic of Narnia and Aslan now as well. Reading about C.S. Lewis answered questions I didn’t realize I had about him and his writing.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the only biography on C. S. Lewis available at my local library (I've been interested in his friendship with Tolkien & their influences on each other's work) - I enjoyed learning more about his life, how he was a nature-lover & seeing aspects of his world that inspired his creation of Narnia. Also loved hearing about how The Lord of the Rings character Treebeard was based off of "Jack" as his friends called him. There was some unnecessary commentary from the biographer here & there but all in all it was a thoroughly researched picture of the man's life.

[Trey Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is informative for those who know little of C.S. Lewis as a man prior to reading, and a good overview of his life. It was for the most part enjoyable, the style simple, and is an overall quick read. If it were by personal taste, I would give the book three stars; however, I must acknowledge the intended audience, children, and I must avow it to be a good volume for a younger reader. I will certainly consider giving this book to my future children to introduce them to one of my favorite authors.

[Teri Stich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read biography, written for young adults but quite enjoyable for all. While I have read most of the Narnia Chronicles and one or two others by C.S.Lewis, I didn't realize how many books he did write. This gave a lot of information about “Jack”, his life and how his writing and religious beliefs developed. I found the company he kept equally interesting, J.R.R. Tolkien among them.
If you like to read about interesting people, give this one a try.

[Katherine Basto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy to read life of C.S. Lewis. This book is well-written and has black and white photos in the narrative. I especially liked the section of Lewis's early but difficult life, following his path from a brutal boarding school after the death of his mother, onto Oxford where he became a don.
And the ending, when he truly found his "soul mate," Joy Davidman, it was a blessing he was able to spend time with her during her cancer remission and subsequent passing.
Well done!

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. While I picked it up in the YA section of the library while there with my grandkids, the book itself did not feel below my reading level. In fact, I think it did a good job of explaining his life through his youth, his friendships and his writings. Like others, I would like to read his Surprised by Joy next. I have read a few others (A Grief Observed, Screwtape Letters). He is a very interesting man. I also loved the pictures which helped me to visualize him.

[Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up from the public library while I waited for a book by C.S. Lewis. Why not? Well, this book was very interesting and exactly what I wanted to know about C.S. Lewis. This book has hooked me on C.S. Lewis as an author and as a Christian. Now I want to know more. Thanks Beatrice Gormley. You wrote this book splendidly.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief biography of C. S. (Clive Staples "Jack") Lewis, prolific author of Narnia series, other fantasy as well as Christian books. Grew up believing he was an atheist but in early 30's converted to Christianity and spent much time, including in his books and especially the Narnia series, writing about and teaching the Christian viewpoint.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good, easy to read biography on CS Lewis. It did a decent job of bringing out the person and the information about him. Only gave 4 stars because the book felt a bit choppy instead of a fluid read on his life.

[Danny Orozco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great biography, gave me a lot of background info to better appreciate his life and his writing. I'm about to read through 16 of his books, a C.S. Lewis Binge Reading time for the next couple of months and this book was my intro and I think I'm even more excited to read through his books now.

[Melissa Shreve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I am trying to read about favorite authors and their lives. I love C.S. Lewis. This lets you read about his younger life. His change from an atheist to a Christian. Amazing words of hearing the spirit. Great book

[Nicol Althea · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

Breezed through this book. The writing was friendly and so easy to get into. Very informative I thoroughly enjoyed it. Didn’t expect to finish it so quickly but I did. I enjoyed how I got a glimpse of the mind that wrote the world Narnia.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read because it is a children’s autobiography of CS Lewis. Super interesting in this overview. Have read many of his books on Christianity.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about CS Lewis and his life.

[Chelsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, fairly simplistic of an autobiography. But good for a short, nice read of a great author.

[Penny Evenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about C S Lewis!!!

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tanner had to read a non-fiction book for school and this was one of his choices. He actually ended up choosing a different book, so I thought I would read it.
I really didn't know that much about CS Lewis-other than he wrote the Narnia series and is quoted a lot in Conference. So I thought I would just share a few things I learned about him.
1-He was the youngest of two sibling and his mother died from cancer when he was a child. He was born in Ireland.
2- His father was an alcoholic and had period of depression and extreme anxiety. He had to keep a routine and not change it-not even for a vacation from work.
3- As a preschooler he determined that he didn't like his name and so he claimed his name as "Jacksie" and went by Jack his whole life
4-He and his brother were both sent away to bordering school in England after his mother died. They both went on to serve in the military during WW I. He was injured and his good friend was killed.
5- He promised to take care of his friend's mom and so he never went back to live with his dad. He lived with and took car of his friend's mom and sister.
6-He was raised with Christian beliefs, but as a young adult changed his mind and professed he was an Atheist. Various experiences through his adult life changed his mind and in his 30's he became Christian.
7-He started writing the Naria Series in his 40's and had them published in his 50's. He was good friends with JRR Tolkien-author of The Hobbit
8- He married in his late 50's to a much younger divorced women with two son's. She died a few year's later from cancer and he raised his stepson's
9- He was a heavy smoker his whole life and died at age 63 from a heart attack. It happened to be the same day that JFK was assasinated.

[Jackson Talbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

C. S. Lewis was born on Nov. 29, 1898. His Birth name was Clive Staples Lewis. When he was four he decided he wanted to be named Jack. He didn’t like his birth name. He took a liking to making stories at a young age. He and his brother Warnie made up a fictional world called animal-land. It included lots of talking animals wearing suits and other human like clothes and taking part in human like activities. The primary leader of animal land was king Bunny. King Bunny was influenced greatly by the great and powerful Lord Big. Lord Big was a toad. As Jack grew up he attended many different schools including a couple of boarding schools, Malvern, and Oxford. Jack was an intellectual type and didn’t take much to sports due to his natural clumsiness. He didn’t enjoy malvern because it was basically run by jocks. He greatly enjoyed Oxford though. After Oxford he ended up writing the widely known Narnia series.


I enjoyed this book alot because I thought C.S. Lewis was a very interesting man. It was cool learning about how society was and what it was like growing up in that time in Ireland. I didn’t relate to him that much due to his love of poetry and school though. He was a very good person and I do look up to his intellectual prowess.

[Cristie of Crops and Craps and Things Long Since Past · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography covers the early life of C.S. Lewis to his death. The author provides primary sources and direct quotes to help the reader come to know "Jack," as Lewis was lovingly called by all close to him. More information is also given about how Lewis' books came to be - what inspired them.

C.S. Lewis is famous for his Christian beliefs. If a family is against Christianity, they may not want their children to read this.

I always love learning more about C.S. Lewis. I think I've actually read this before because I already knew the facts and anecdotes that the author chose to share about him. I want to own literally every book that discusses C.S. Lewis or his work. I wish I was born during his time so that I could meet him in person, and not just have to settle for what knowledge I can glean through his books.

[Andrea Hickman Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a biography that's really aimed at American children. I can tell this from the style of writing and the way that they keep choosing to explain what I feel are fairly self-explanatory words. I guess that they're words that most non-British children wouldn't be familiar with (what that says about me, I'm not sure, but probably has something to do with my large accumulation of books by British authors through my life).

It's well-written and informative. I had no idea about much of Lewis's life story (I didn't even know he was actually Irish!) and this was a very interesting introduction to it. It did, of course, focus mainly on his writing, but that's to be expected, since it's aimed at children who enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia. But as someone who did not enjoy them, it's still a good introduction to the author. Apparently I have the same objection to Narnia as Tolkien did - it's just a mish-mash of myths that don't (or shouldn't) go together. It drove me nuts and apparently did the same to Tolkien.

This is a good introductory book and I'll certainly be looking out for others - both by this author and on this topic.

[Heila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well-done biography. Several photos and a nice treatment and summation of his life. I found out more about his brief but very happy marriage, his growing up years, and the writing discussion group he led as a professor, "The Inklings" which included The Hobbit author whose name escapes me at the moment. Turns out, they disagreed sharply on the Narnia books - Tolkien (there it is!) thought it was appalling that Lewis scrambled up different eras and myths in his book(s). Instead of meticulously making an imaginary world that 'made sense' in itself. Interesting hearing about their shared philosophy on the importance of myth to modern society. Some concept about it being able to describe truths that are deeper than scientific reality. So interesting!

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

My 4th grader had to read this for a biography book review. Way beyond 4th grade level for sure and super boring for an almost 40-year old, let alone an 11 year old. But we made it through! It makes me never want to read the Narnia books though because it was so boring. My 4th grader did read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and wants me to read it so we will see! Hoping Lewis' actual writing is much more interesting than this author! He did have an interesting life, it was just told in such a boring way :(