'The Screwtape Letters' by C.S. Lewis

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I haven’t read this book yet, but it sounds interesting from what I’ve heard. I heard it was about how the devil tries to tempt us. Who has read this? Could you give me a quick summary of what the book is about?
 
It’s a series of letters by a master devil giving advice & responding to reports submitted by a trainee devil on it’s first assignment to corrupt a soul. It’s very good with some good insights on how people who seem to be living Christian lives can draw away from God.

One example, is that when the ‘target’ starts meeting with a group of active/serious Christians the advice given is basically that ‘all is not lost if we can get him to focus on how much better he is than the ones who aren’t in the group & get him to focus on the annoying habits of those in the group’.

It is well worth a read.
 
It is just as Ter described it… and I agree, well worth a read!
 
Thanks, guys! The advisor at my college’s Catholic Students Association mentioned it at our last meeting. I’ll have to go pick it up as soon as I can.
 
I highly recommend the book as a look into how temptation works. In addition to being profound, its easy to read and quite entertaining!

Love & peace in Christ,
Bob
 
This book is wonderful.

I had the pleasure of listening to it, like a radio show, when I borrowed an audio version by John Cleese, the local library had it. Check out the comments and reviews on the Amazon site.

It is outstanding, I highly recommend the audio version.
 
YES YES YES!!! A most magnificent work! It hits the point on the mark! You will laugh! You will cry! You will think!

I saw my own human foibles in many of the “letters,” and as a result I now pray on my knees morning and night (instead of sleepily comfortable lying in bed).

And I echo the recommendation for the John Cleese recorded version. Cleese was born to give voice to old Screwtape! The Audible site says the recording is “abridged,” but frankly I don’t think it is because every letter was in there, at least as far as I could tell.

'thann
 
This is an excellent book. I would definitely recommend it.

Another book with the same idea is The Snakebite Letters by Peter Kreeft. It has a senior demon talking to a young demon about how to tempt in the culture of America in the 1990s. I personally didn’t think it was as good as C.S. Lewis’s Letters because Kreeft’s book doesn’t focus so much on individual temptations as much as it does on societal ills. It’s still worth a read, though.
 
Our book club just finished it last month. It is really excellent. At first you will think you don’t understand half of it - think a little more, reflect, meditate, and you will see the point and learn about your faith.

This is a book I will read 5 more times easily…
 
Way back in high school I read this and would agre that it’s a great read. Try also The Great Divorce.
 
This was my first C S Lewis read…I thought it was great then (I was a teenager), & re-reading it as an adult, I found it was even better than I remembered it. A terrific book. Very witty, & very, very wise…
 
It was also my first C.S. Lewis read.

Its on my list of “Must read before you die”
 
Absolutely, you must read the “Screwtape Letters”. I see myself on every page.

Another C. S. Lewis title to not miss is “The Great Divorce”.
 
I think Kreeft’s Snakebite Letters is interesting because it deals with the societal problems in todays modern world.

matt
 
An old favorite! You will enjoy it, most certainly. It’s a light read, and a small book, but rather poignant. I especially enjoy the final chapter, which was added later on, “Screwtape Proposes a Toast.”

Read, learn, enjoy, and read again. :tiphat:
 
Excellent to read. Highly recommend it. But remember that while reading it one must look for the spiritual lessons being set forth. It’s not just an uncle writing cutesy letter to his nephew. That’s how it came across to me when I first read it as a young Catholic girl. I had no guidance and didn’t get from it then what I have now. For instance, chapter 14 is an excellent lesson on how to sin in pride. I learned a lot about what to avoid in this area.

Read the book carefully and try to learn; it’s not just a book to read through once.
 
I read it years ago. I recently picked of a 5 volumn boxed set of CS Lewis (also a volumn with 3 other works) and am planning to read them when I get the time.

PF
 
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