A great find for any Inkling fan

Good narrator (he sounded very much like Michael Caine to me), and I was willing to overlook his mispronunciation of some of Toklien's words. It was a thorough and well rounded accounting of the Inklings, albeit with a heavy focus on C.S. Lewis.

11 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Older is Better / Thorough and Moving

This is a thorough book, and most carefully compiled. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There were, to be sure, a number of pages and chapters that were difficult--overly detailed and some above my head (when dealing with the great minds of these philosophers and thinkers no less would be expected).
I come away from this read feeling as though I really know these men. Lewis, Tolkien, and Williams are more real to me. They are less fantastical, and yet hold a place of even higher regard in my affections and respect.
There has been a lot written about the Inklings in the past 20 years, Diana Glyer's Bandersnatch is one of the great pieces of recent, but this book is something special. I think because it's old, written just barely outside the time of these legendary men and their events. I cried at the end. I really did. It concludes profoundly, and all that led up to its ending made me feel like I was more reading a friend's personal letters in real time than a history book. The final words in particular moved me greatly.
Highly recommended.
*Note: I listened to the free audio version on Audible. I liked the sound of the narrator's voice very much, and found it perfectly appropriate for the content, but he was quite difficult to understand at times, especially when sped up.

3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

great fun. loved it

I had no idea that all these contemporaries spent so much time together, drinking, laughing, arguing, and reading each other's works out loud to each other. What a great group and how much of our lives have been touched by them. cool stuff here.

3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Wonderful writeup

It is profound how one man sharpens another. I find it a necessary part of my life to have a group of similarly minded (but not necessarily similarly dispositioned) people in my life. Lo, in this day and age it is practically impossible to share the frequency of comradery these men had. I find Lewis a kindred spirit in this if not in common disciplines or hobbies. I bring men into fellowship and we share our ideas, life experiences, opinions, and observations for a few hours every other week or so. We also do not keep records of our discussions or any sort of formal structure.

I mourn the deaths of all these men in this book though all passed before I was born. I think myself below all of them, for they were geniuses each in his own right and form. Lewis in his simple writing style and masterful debate form. Tolkien in his imagination and staunch tenacity to develop logic and continuance through story and myth, as well as his linguistic aptitude. Williams’ thought and propensity to see the world in spiritual and physical capacities, though I disagree intensely with his theology. Warreny in his ability to hold his own in the company of such literary minds who would ascend to the status of legend and giants.

I miss all of them though I knew none of them. I miss the times when the world was simpler. I long for a return to something I never knew.

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

A fine book

This is a fine but dated book, necessary for those interested in the Inklings, but recent scholarship has changed or added to the way many of the players in the story of the Inklings are portrayed. An excellent 21st century book on them is The Company They Keep.

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Informative Book

C.S. Lewis, J. R.R. Tolkien and Charles Williams formed the ultimate book club called the Inklings. They discussed the ancient literature, had readings of each other’s books and intellectual conversations about literature. Other literary minds also move in and out of this circle. This book was based on the life and literary careers of these three main authors and how they influenced each other both in life and the written word. It is written as a history book but the content is good.

**The narrator has strong pronunciation of whistling “S.” It can be overwhelming at times.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Extraordinarily Ordinary Men

I have heard much Inkling lore fantasized as a group of scholarly Christian warriors. Not until this book did I come to understand that these were ordinary men who were friends, Christians, and scholars. But mostly friends. They were all uniquely extraordinary individuals in their own right and their paths crossing was by no mistake.

I have come to see them as normal people with virtues and vices that oppose my own in some ways. Knowing them more in this way adds both richness and a grain of salt to all of their works.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Just wonderful!

So much I had never known before about this group of men, their friendships, and their writing. I appreciate the books I have read by these writers so much more deeply having listened to The Inklings. If you are a fan of Lewis and Tolkien, this is a wonderful listen!

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Amazing!

well written biography of most admired writers.
I enjoyed it very much. highly recommend .

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Friendship is magic.

A biography of an everlasting friendship of the two titans of the fantasy genre; even though they drifted from time to time and it got bumpy and distant toward the end of their lives, it stayed true. There were times it dragged on but otherwise educational, informative, intimate, and resourceful pertaining to their literary background, fellowships with other fellow writers, life and war time experiences, education, and Christian beliefs (amazing job on this part). I do recommend it if you want to pass the time.