Best biog I've read in years.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Knowing next-to-nothing of the biography of either Lewis or Tolkein, I found this a fabulous introduction. I imagine those looking for a more academic treatment of the subject will want to look elsewhere - but I'm sure that wasn't what Duriez is aiming for in this book.
It seems clear that the writer set out to write a compelling, colourful introduction to these two writers for the newcomer, and in doing so, I found he hit the spot right on. I see no trace of 'Christian axe-grinding', merely an even-handed examintation of the (sometimes differing) Christian world-views of both. (Even in an overview book of this nature, it would be seriously remiss not to discuss such, given the nature of their writing, and its close links with worldview.)
This book may not be for the enthusiast who has already delved into the fascinating biographies of Lewis/Tolkein, but a brilliant introduction for the new guy kid in the class, wanting an accesible way-in.
Duriez's writing is colourful, imaginative, engaging, well-paced and rich - something of a rarity in many a biography these days. Far too many are content to list the facts in a cold, mundane manner and get bogged down in a tangle of details.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
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The friendship between Lewis and Tolkien has, for obvious reasons, suddenly become a very fashionable topic. Duriez has published criticism of both writers, and in this book attempts a sort of joint biography. Unfortunately, his writing style really isn't up to the task. The biographical facts are described with dessicated bareness, and he peppers the book with 'vignettes' - imagined conversations between the two writers - that are frankly embarrassing: stilted and implausible. He is also unforgivably one-sided: Duriez has a specific Christian axe to grind, and he concentrates on the religious sensibilities of the two writers with scarcely a mention of their fascination with fairy tales and story-telling. Carpenter's Inklings is a much more readable, even-handed and enjoyable portrait of this fascinating relationship.
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