I've read very little fiction this past year, not because I don't like it, but because I got hooked on Neil Postman books which led me down other rabbit trails. But in the midst of this l-o-n-g winter I found myself wanting/needing some light reading, and the book Inklings by Melanie M. Jeschke presented itself. I found it a very satisfactory diversion for several reasons.
First, I love C.S. Lewis and although the setting of the story picks up immediately after his death (mid 1960's), his influence and teaching lives on in the life of a young man he mentored (David MacKenzie). I loved the C.S. Lewis quotes sprinkled throughout and the well researched tidbits about his life that were woven into the reading. I also relished walking the Oxford campus and experiencing it vicariously through the eyes of a young American student who was studying there, Kate Hughes. I think my mid-winter doldrums matched the way she sometimes felt as she learned to live with the rainy weather of England!
This was a romance story, and admittedly the plot was not anything out of the ordinary. But there were many elements to enjoy nonetheless: the exhilaration of finding the life partner of God's choosing, the struggles entailed in blending lives from two different cultures, and the issue of pre-marital purity. The author managed to make the commitment to purity appear reasonable and honorable, when it could have just as easily looked prudish and old-fashioned.
I would not hesitate to hand this book to a teenager because it reinforces high standards in a relationship without making it look too easy.
I enjoyed this novel, which was a first for pastor's wife/homeschool Mom Melanie M. Jeschke. In fact, I straightaway ordered the whole trilogy to place on our book table at the upcoming woman's retreat. I tend to put "heavy" books on the table most years, and I think the ladies will enjoy the pages of a sweet, English, C.S. Lewis tinged romance as much as I did.
2 comments:
If you like the work of C.S.Lewis, perhaps I can mention another title for you to look at? "Outcasts of Skagaray" by Andrew Clarke is an action adventure fantasy written for the rejected and unvalued children of the world. To know more about it, please check www.threeswans.com.au for sample chapters and comments. I would love to hear what you think of it. If you read it, please let me know. If you do not, I still wish you well as a Christian sister.
Thank you for your tip, Andrew. Your book looks most interesting and I will indeed check it out. I appreciate your comments.
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