Harry Lee Poe

Do you ever pick up a book expecting one thing and receiving another?

That definitely ended up being my experience with this book by Harry Lee Poe ... in a good way. Earlier this year, I read a disappointing tome on several of the Inklings that proved only to leave a bad taste in my mouth and chink the armor of one of my favorite authors. Now, that can have its place; we're all fallible humans. But, when the chinks result from seemingly shoddy research rather than basis in fact, that can show more mayhap make a reader gun-shy in trying again.

Blessedly, thankfully, Harry Lee Poe's latest release on CS Lewis restores my faith not only in Lewis, but in scholastic achievement. Impeccably researched and analyzed, 'The Making of CS Lewis' continues the journey readers started in volume 1 (Becoming CS Lewis) on through Lewis's adult academic journey, conversion, and beyond. It's readable, accessible by mortals like myself (lol), amusing at times (I think Lewis would approve!), educational, and simply everything I could want in a story of Lewis's life. I love how Poe really gets to deep-dive into every facet of Lewis's life; he and the publisher have joined efforts to create a definitive biography, not limiting themselves to just one tome but breaking it out into a trilogy.

I don't always re-read biographies, but this one absolutely earns a place on the bookshelf and subsequent reads.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less

I'm still working my way through the book, but am very, very impressed with it--as I have been with the previous two in the "series." Poe is an engaging author, and frankly, this read is (so far) my favorite of the three books--in large part, I think, to the overall time period it takes place in (1945-63). WWII and the post-war years are some of the most intriguing to me, so my interest is vested above and beyond "just" Lewis anyway--and including him is an added bonus!

If you're looking for show more a comprehensive read on C.S. Lewis and his life--look no further than this book and series. Poe masterfully examines the man, his life, and the places he inhabited, placing him in history and examining the effect world (and life) events had on him and his work. Lewis leaps off the page and becomes a living and breathing person in this read.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less

Becoming C. S. Lewis is truly a fascinating read! I grew up reading the Chronicles of Narnia, and between college and now have enjoyed his Space Trilogy, The Great Divorce, and a variety of non-fiction works. Suffice to say, I’ve read “a few” of his works!

That being said, I can’t say I knew much about Lewis as a person before this read — especially of his childhood. Sure, I knew a handful of the basics, but nothing like what Becoming C. S. Lewis includes!

If the other two books to show more come in this series are anything like this — detailed, thoughtful, even humorous at times — I am confident the reader will walk away with a deeper knowledge of the man behind Narnia, not to mention what shaped him in his formative years! Lewis by no means experienced an easy life growing up. Poe handles this graciously, not shying away from events but not glamorizing them either.

Footnotes refer the reader back to an extensive bibliography for further study and review as desired. It’s evident Poe himself did a huge amount of research! I feel he succeeds admirably at providing an exhaustive overview of Lewis’s childhood, and am ready for subsequent books to release already. This set will, I’m confident, provide quite the definitive resource on Lewis. An admirable addition to any reader’s bookshelf, especially existing fans of Lewis. Newcomers will certainly find this book approachable as well.

I received a copy of the book from Crossway. All opinions are my own. show less

This is the third book in the biographical trilogy. It covers the years 1945 to his death in 1963. The other two books cover 1898 to 1918 and 1919 to 1945. The author, Harry Lee Poe, is an authority on the life and times of C. S. Lewis. Poe has spent years researching, writing and teaching/lecturing about him. There are stories included in this series that have not been published anywhere else. It is conversational in some respects and felt at times like I was reading a personal diary. The show more books are very detailed. It is rare to find a biography this intriguing and engaging. I loved the flow of the stories moving from one right into the next. I did not find that it dragged at all. Lewis life is utterly fascinating and his conversion to Christianity inspires me deeply. Lewis met and knew the most intriguing people and spent time with other amazing writers throughout his life. I love the idea of a thinkerly group like the Inklings. I might have to find Poe’s book on this group, too. I loved my time with this third book and hope to read the other two soon. show less