Douglas H. Gresham

C. S. Lewis' stepson have written a very warm and friendly portrait of the Christian writer and professor - best known for the Narnia-stories.

This is not a book that explores the writer C. S. Lewis and his many books. It's more about the daily life of Lewis, his brother, Mrs. Moore and life at "The Kilns" where he stayed most of his life, the meetings with The Inklings, and then his relationship/marriage late in life with Joy Gresham.

It's written in a very laid-back, talkative tone - like show more a grandfather who sits by the fire and recollect stories about his friend. It could easily be read by young people.

I was struck by how much he suffered throughout his life - first as a neglected child, then as a World War I-wounded and then his daily worries about money, health, the demanding Mrs Moore and his alcoholic brother. How he managed to write so many books and letters during all of this is remarkable.

A good, short book that can be recommended for Lewis-fans. show less

There's always something compelling about an insider's perspective. In Lenten Lands, we have the ultimate insider's perspective on the home life of C. S. Lewis from Douglas Gresham, Lewis' step-son.

I bought the book to learn more about Lewis, but I was quickly engrossed by the life journey of Joy Davidman and her son. Gresham tells his story with simplicity and generosity. You can almost feel the joy of life at the Kilns, Jack and Warnie's home.

Sprinkled throughout the text are occasional show more flashes of insight such as this:

"As Jack said, 'It is not important to succeed, but to do right. The rest is up to God.'"

Lenten Lands will appeal to C. S. Lewis fans as well as plain old memoir lovers. show less

Memoir by a fellow who happened to be the stepson of C.S. Lewis, partly about Lewis while he was married to Joy, partly about Gresham's life. It's entertaining but he has kind of a florid writing style that I don't like, and there are flashes of cranky snobbery - how things have declined since socialism, railway strikes are "the small man's modern method of exerting power for power's sake", etc.

I gave up on this after Joy and C. S. Lewis both died and the griping about the sinister servants show more began. He cites the cook's remarks like "Wouldn't Mrs. Lewis 'ave loved those roses?" as cruel examples of her power to make Mr. Lewis cry, which is so strange I can't wrap my mind around it. Every grieving person I've known has been delighted to know that others remember their dear one, even if that memory brings tears. Anyway, I realized I wasn't interested in Gresham's life after that and I disliked him. He didn't provide much insight into Lewis or his mother's relationship with him, either. What a prat. show less

"There are several good biographies of C.S. Lewis, or 'Jack,' as he preferred to be called . . . yet only two of them were written by people who actually knew him." Douglas Gresham, beloved stepson of C.S. Lewis and author