Book Review -- Lenten Lands

I just finished reading Lenten Lands by Douglas H. Gresham (step-son of C S Lewis). I was surprised at how captivated I was by this book, to the neglect of everything else I am reading.

Douglas tells the story of his early years in America, his parent's difficult marriage and subsequent divorce, his mother's aquaintance with C. S. Lewis and the eventual move to England which he made with his mother.

The book goes on to describe Douglas' and his mother's relationship with C. S. Lewis and how it unfolded over the years. It continues on through Douglas' mother's terrible illness, her death, and eventually the deaths of C. S. Lewis and his brother Warnie. All the while it tells the story of Douglas' life and how it was affected by all this.

Why was I captivated by this book? There was nothing really spectacular about it on the surface. I think it was the realism it portrayed. Douglas did not hide the ugly or the sad and I found it strangely comforting that someone so well known as C. S. Lewis and his family went through such a normal life with normal griefs and trials.

The book had an unexpected ending in the Afterward which made all the hardships of Douglas' life worthwhile. I won't spoil it for you.....