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graceevalyn's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
This is an enjoyable and often humorous read. It gives lots of practical spiritual counsel as well as offering a window into the daily life and personality of C.S. Lewis. I sometimes have trouble following something like letters and remembering what I've read because it doesn't have a cohesive organizational structure, but that's a problem with me and not the book.
panda_incognito's review against another edition
4.0
I am putting together a list of the top ten most influential books that I read in 2019, and this is #8. Since I did not originally write a review of this book, I would like to share my retrospective view:
Near the end of his life, C.S. Lewis corresponded with an American lady whom he had never met. She wrote to him about her physical ailments, relational struggles, and loneliness, and he wrote back with encouragement and everyday life details about himself. I enjoyed this glimpse into my favorite author's ordinary Christian charity and the theological and personal wisdom that he dispensed in his letters.
Lewis wrote about many of the same topics again and again, providing steady encouragement to this woman as she dealt with life's repetition and loose ends. This makes for quite different reading than his polished, streamlined theological works, but I enjoyed this different perspective into his life and ministry. He wrote in several different places about how forgiveness is an ongoing choice, almost never a one-time event, and in a letter from shortly before his death, he wrote that he had finally felt forgiveness towards a physically and verbally abusive schoolmaster, rather than just choosing it. I appreciated his realistic writings about the hard nature of life, and found the book reassuring and encouraging.
Near the end of his life, C.S. Lewis corresponded with an American lady whom he had never met. She wrote to him about her physical ailments, relational struggles, and loneliness, and he wrote back with encouragement and everyday life details about himself. I enjoyed this glimpse into my favorite author's ordinary Christian charity and the theological and personal wisdom that he dispensed in his letters.
Lewis wrote about many of the same topics again and again, providing steady encouragement to this woman as she dealt with life's repetition and loose ends. This makes for quite different reading than his polished, streamlined theological works, but I enjoyed this different perspective into his life and ministry. He wrote in several different places about how forgiveness is an ongoing choice, almost never a one-time event, and in a letter from shortly before his death, he wrote that he had finally felt forgiveness towards a physically and verbally abusive schoolmaster, rather than just choosing it. I appreciated his realistic writings about the hard nature of life, and found the book reassuring and encouraging.
aserabelle's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written in true Lewis form. It was nice to hear his voice again. Miracles do exist. I would like to hear his lecture on Hume. Prayer always. Blessings always.
brantelg's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting look at Lewis' opinions on a variety of subjects that he doesn't tend to cover in his other books.
paterson's review against another edition
4.0
So mundane they’re fascinating. Felt a twinge of grief when the letters abruptly ended.
Lewis’ Siamese cat liked it when he picked it up by its tail.
Lewis’ Siamese cat liked it when he picked it up by its tail.
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