Surprised by Laughter by Terry Lindvall Ph.D. - Book Review

When one hears the name “C.S. Lewis”, many thoughts might come to mind – humor, Christianity, satire, wit and more. Lewis is the author who penned The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters and more. But how many of his readers really know him? The man behind lion Aslan, the once atheist and then turned Christian? Terry Lindvall Ph.D. is a man who does indeed know Lewis, and very intimately. And he invites us to join him on a journey exploring and discovering the humor, the wit, the satire, the stories and the genius that is C.S. Lewis.

Lindvall’s book, Surprised by Laughter: the Comic World of C.S. Lewis is an intimate portrait of the man who penned literary works read by so many. Using quotes from Lewis’ books, letters to family, friends and fans, and more, Lindvall takes his readers on a guide through the different styles of humor and wit that Lewis uses. After reading this book, I can see how humor thoroughly saturated Lewis’ life, which in turn spread to the pages of his books and essays.

I enjoyed Lindvall’s book, although I found it at times to be a little over my head in vocabulary and literary references. I would recommend this book for any person who is a C.S. Lewis enthusiast.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”