Defiant Joy by Kevin Belmonte

Defiant Joy
By: Kevin Belmonte

I received this book, Defiant Joy, from Booksneeze in exchange for writing a review of it. This book is about G K Chesterton, who lived from 1874-1936. He was an English writer, and one of his many accomplishments was to influence C S Lewis’ conversion to Christianity. C S Lewis is the author of the Narnia series. G K Chesterton authored biographies, apologetics, poetry, novels, and literary criticisms. The object of this book is to “introduce a life and legacy that should be better known.”
This book accomplishes its purpose. I was expecting a bit more on the biography side of G K Chesterton, but what I read was excerpts from his many different works. These were introduced in each section and talked about, and then you got a piece of the work in question. For instance, the chapter on his critical studies talks about Mr. Chesterton’s Charles Dickens’s: A Critical Study. First you learn that this book is “marked by great intuitive insights into Dickens’s works.” Chesterton can be both entertaining and instructive. Then, Kevin Belmonte tells you about the review by the New York Times. The reviewer wasn’t too positive with the review, but then another reviewer, Hamilton Carr, came back with a more positive and insightful review of the work. This is how the book is set up. If you are looking for a biography on G K Chesterton, I would not recommend this book. However, if you would like to read about his many different works, and they were received, this is the book for you! I did enjoy this book, and will keep it as part of my library for future reference.