Laurence Harwood

This title was on a list of books I wanted to read--a list I've had for so long now, I no longer remember where I heard about the title to even put it on the list. So I also do not remember any synopsis or review that I'd read about the book at the time I chose to put it on that list.

The author's parents, particularly his father, were friends with C.S. Lewis and asked him to be the godfather to the author. I was impressed that Lewis wrote at levels appropriate for the child as he grew.

I was going to complain that the included photos had no captions, but later found that there is an index at the back of the book that lists who it is and whatever other information is there. By that point, I didn't feel like going back through the book to match photos up with the descriptions.

I least liked the long passages of poetry quoted--mostly because after a stanza or two I struggled to remain interested in deciphering the tortured language that most poetry requires in order to figure out what the meaning is. If you like doing things like that, you will probably get more out of those sections than I did.… (más)

This is a short memoir of Laurence Harwood's experience with C. S. Lewis. Laurence's father had attended Oxford with Lewis and Owen Barfield and they became lifelong friends. Laurence was lucky to have Lewis as his godfather. The book contains a number of photographs and images of various letters written by Lewis to Laurence and other members of his family.

A very interesting read, provided insights into a completely different side of Lewis than I've seen before. He pitched his letters to the perfect level for Laurence as a child and young man. He even wrote in a child-like hand and included illustrations. Later in life Lewis asked Laurence for advice on the future prospects for his step-son Douglas, after Joy's death. A nice quick read, where Lewis' heartfelt friendship and love of the Harwood family is easy to see.

I enjoyed seeing the letters, and found the quotations in Latin and Greek to be an asset to the book. Though I don't read either language it showed that Lewis' academic nature was always present. He and his friends composed poems and stories in multiple languages, simply for the joy of the challenge.

The only reason I'm giving it a 4 is because I was unsatisfied with the photograph citations. They were listed at the back of the book like end-notes and I had to keep flipping back and forth. I think simple captions would have made it easier to read. Other than that I really enjoyed the book.… (más)

NCLA Review - Lewis wrote in one letter: "What I am enjoying is fame. Fame = spending all your spare time answering letters." Faithful to answer all correspondence, he wrote an average of seven handwritten letters every day which could amount to more than 100,000 in his lifetime. His practice was to destroy a letter after it was answered, but his answers to friends have been preserved. This book is the result. The most interesting letters are those written to his godson and other children. The time spent making these letters interesting to the young person is remarkable, considering the academic world in which he lived. The book is difficult to read: lightly colored paper and small print, too many footnotes necessary to explain the Latin and Greek comments as well as circumstances prompting the letters, plus identification of photos at the end of the book took too much time to keep one's interest. Rating: 1 —CRP… (más)