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"A repackaged edition of the revered author's diary from his early twenties--a thought-provoking work that reveals his earliest thinking about war, atheism, religion, and humanity. While serving his country in the Great War, C. S. Lewis--the great British writer, scholar, lay theologian, broadcaster, and Christian apologist--made a pact with a close friend and fellow soldier. If one of them died, the survivor would take care of his family--a promise Lewis honored. Developing a deep friendship with his fallen friend's mother, Jane King Moore, Lewis moved into the Moore household after the war. Returning to Oxford, the twenty-three-year old Lewis--then a staunch atheist--struggled to adapt to life in post-war England. Eager to help the tormented young man, Jane encouraged him keep a diary of his day-to-day life. Those reflections are collected in this illuminating journal. Covering five remarkable years in Lewis's life, All My Road Before Me charts the inspirations and intellectual and spiritual development of a man whose theology and writing--including Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia, and many other beloved classics--has had immense influence on the Christian world"--… (more)
User reviews
I think that few people who aren't serious students of C. S. Lewis will find this item very interesting. Although Lewis was urged to write it by "his adopted mother" Mrs. Moore, it really appears to be a typical diary, filled with a lot of mundane details of life. For
Nevertheless, I think that people with a deep interest in Lewis's life will be glad they read this diary. It certainly helped correct my faulty impression that all those affiliated with Oxford a century ago were members of the leisure class. Lewis, the intellectual, spent a lot of his life being Lewis, the household laborer--scrubbing floors, painting rooms, preparing food, mowing the lawn, cleaning the kitchen, etc. And walking wasn't just a form of recreation for Lewis's household, it was a major form of transportation (as was bike riding). Furthermore, there's a lot of data in this diary that ought to be taken into account when analyzing the nature of Lewis's relationship with Mrs. Moore. I think I understand that relationship even less after reading this diary than I did before, but at least my previous impressions have been proven to be rather simplistic.
Finally, interspersed among the day-to-day details are accounts of some remarkable events, most notably that of Dr. John Hawkins Askins' descent into madness. Quite harrowing.
Tedious throughout with the minutiae of his daily studies, there is - nevertheless - enough jewels to make it worth the read. This is especially true of the written portraits of colleagues from Oxford, in an appendix at the
This was the first time I’ve ever read anything of Lewis when he was still an atheist. It shows. His apathy and selfishness battle against each other and it becomes clear why he was a bachelor for so long.