Interesting and highly readable account of the Inklings group, albeit one heavily weighted towards Lewis. There's always a risk, I think, in reading about authors whose work I admire (The Lord of the Rings is one of my favourite books) - I want to think well of them, if only to reinforce my own prejudices and taste - and mostly I leave this book thinking well of the Inklings, both as a group and as individuals. There are bits where I feel much less sympathy for them than others, but I suppose that is the case with anyone.

Mostly, though, I'm left with the feeling of how extraordinary it must have been sometimes, in their meetings. Tolkien and Lewis alone would have been worth the price of admission... not that I ever would have been admitted, of course, having had the bad manners to be female, but still. I seem to have gotten LOTR out of it, and that is plenty for anyone.