bosermoki's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.0
It's easy to see why GKC is quoted often. 4-5 stars for the quality of his prose and turns of phrase. Unfortunately, the content is less than stellar. I found much of his commentary to be glib, his commentary prone to misrepresenting those he disagrees with, and rather unconvincing with a tendency toward essentialism and medieval reactionary thinking
A great read for a current Catholic but not offering much to any non-Christian
A great read for a current Catholic but not offering much to any non-Christian
jchimpius's review against another edition
5.0
I definitely need to re-read this book as it’s just so filled with wisdom I know I missed some of it. Chesterton requires a lot of patience but he does an excellent job of essentially selling the medieval worldview to the modern man. At times he was straightforward and logical. Others he was paradoxical. At some points even somewhat poetic. He really isn’t afraid to utilise a number of literary styles to make you see things from his perspective.
[UPDATE]
I have come back and re read sections of this book and I still will reccomend it as the best apologetics book I have ever read. Most of the value comes from dissecting the way religion undergerds modern life and convincing you that you already are indeed religious.
[UPDATE]
I have come back and re read sections of this book and I still will reccomend it as the best apologetics book I have ever read. Most of the value comes from dissecting the way religion undergerds modern life and convincing you that you already are indeed religious.
gosia_maria99's review against another edition
5.0
I don't reread books very often. But this was a pivotal book for me when I first read it two years ago, and rereading was like visiting an old friend but also learning so much all over again. "Ethics of Elfland" remains my favourite source as convincing me that magic and fairy tales are an integral part of Christian literature, and not to fear the mystical.
gray_ghost's review against another edition
Worthy reading for any Christian or anyone interested in religion. It might not be a good starting place for a religious journey, but Orthodoxy makes a good companion once you have made headway in your pilgrimage.
rissaleighs's review against another edition
3.0
Why yes, it did take me over a year to finish this slender book! And all the time, it glowered at me from the nightstand and prevented me from reading other things. I know everyone lauds Chesterton for his wit and wisdom, but this was such a slog for me. Whatever valuable gleams of insight were there were buried under the obfuscating jargon of another era. It was also so fragmented and disjointed that I would be hard pressed to explain what the book ultimately said. Chesterton himself warned of that, though. Some clever quotes and cool ideas, but ultimately it just didn't make much of an impact on me.
bzzzzzz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Somewhat meandering, as Chesteron always is. My favourite of his non-fiction thus far. A joyful book.
fae_sarelfi's review against another edition
I never finished it and I probably won't ever. I'm super over Chesterton. Dude was full of himself.
dmacy's review against another edition
4.0
Thought-provoking, hilarious, a little too dense, and devastatingly true.
I did not expect so much out of such a small book. Chesterton here succeeds in touching on several huge mountains in the Land of Apologetics in very few pages, all while maintaining a joyous and witty tone. In conversations with fellow Christians during the past few weeks, quotes and ideas from this book come up far more often than I anticipated. I have struggled in not bringing up this book in every conversation with the people around me. This book is (still) that relevant.
With so much insight in so few pages, it is easy to lose the forest for the trees, however the forest is worth mentioning. Chesterton structures the book by first summarizing his main arguments against modern philosophies and for Christianity. He then spends a few chapters pulling the modern philosophies apart before spending the rest of the book detailing why Christianity is the most life-giving religion, as well as the only religion to have gotten life right. The first chapters are good; the latter chapters make this book a classic.
My only complaint about this book, and the only reason it hasn’t earned a 5th star, is because this book is quite dense. Only after acting upon the advice of a friend to read a synopsis of this book first did I finally start to comprehend and enjoy this book. It is for this reason that I don’t recommend the book to everybody, though I do believe it can offer everybody quite a bit of good.
I cannot summarize Chesterton’s greatest points without restating the book or butchering his thoughts. Suffice it to say that Chesterton has given us a robust, compelling defense of the Christian faith. I will be thinking about this book for a long time, and will revisit it often.
I did not expect so much out of such a small book. Chesterton here succeeds in touching on several huge mountains in the Land of Apologetics in very few pages, all while maintaining a joyous and witty tone. In conversations with fellow Christians during the past few weeks, quotes and ideas from this book come up far more often than I anticipated. I have struggled in not bringing up this book in every conversation with the people around me. This book is (still) that relevant.
With so much insight in so few pages, it is easy to lose the forest for the trees, however the forest is worth mentioning. Chesterton structures the book by first summarizing his main arguments against modern philosophies and for Christianity. He then spends a few chapters pulling the modern philosophies apart before spending the rest of the book detailing why Christianity is the most life-giving religion, as well as the only religion to have gotten life right. The first chapters are good; the latter chapters make this book a classic.
My only complaint about this book, and the only reason it hasn’t earned a 5th star, is because this book is quite dense. Only after acting upon the advice of a friend to read a synopsis of this book first did I finally start to comprehend and enjoy this book. It is for this reason that I don’t recommend the book to everybody, though I do believe it can offer everybody quite a bit of good.
I cannot summarize Chesterton’s greatest points without restating the book or butchering his thoughts. Suffice it to say that Chesterton has given us a robust, compelling defense of the Christian faith. I will be thinking about this book for a long time, and will revisit it often.
bubbajones1221's review against another edition
3.0
I could probably take the time to write a more academic review, but I don't think this book would be worth it. Reading this is a strange and whirling ride, with spikes of brilliance sprinkled with moments where I audibly said "what??". Chesterton himself calls it a “chaotic book” in the last section. He is a master of metaphor and of turning an idea over and inside out, giving you an entirely new way to think about something.
I will say there were a lot of weird burns against the Irish, digs against 16/17th century poets, and other authors... this guy wasn't afraid of public beef. He also flexed his British-ness a lot (like we get that you have a nice house). I looked more into his life after reading this and it explains a lot...
“Love is not blind; that is the last thing that it is. Love is bound; and the more it is bound the less it is blind.”
“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
I will say there were a lot of weird burns against the Irish, digs against 16/17th century poets, and other authors... this guy wasn't afraid of public beef. He also flexed his British-ness a lot (like we get that you have a nice house). I looked more into his life after reading this and it explains a lot...
“Love is not blind; that is the last thing that it is. Love is bound; and the more it is bound the less it is blind.”
“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”