I'm not a big biography guy. I don't think the number of biographies I've read is in the double digits, so I don't feel super qualified to discuss this book's merits as a biography per se. There are certain things a biographer must do: decide what to include, give personal anecdotes of the subject, and shape the subject's life in a (hopefully accurate) certain way. I think Sayer does those things.

I suppose any critic would say that Sayer is simply a Lewis apologist. Whatever controversies exist about Lewis as a man--they usually revolve around Joy and a woman Lewis shared a house with for many years--Sayer stalwartly rejects. I think he does so fairly well. What makes Sayer so convincing is that he knew Jack: he was a student under Lewis and then a longtime friend. Sayer doesn't portray his subject as a flawless man, but his admiration is unflagging throughout.

All of that is fine by me. I read biographies only when I'm extremely interested in a specific person, and Lewis has become an important author in my life. I wanted to know the outline of his life and hear some stories about what he was like. Sayer does a fine job of that. I don't read biographies to be titillated. And (full disclosure) I want to admire Lewis and do.

If you're interested in Lewis the man, this is a fine book to read. I don't say it's spectacular, but it's definitely sound.