http://thelittlemaninchina.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/book-review-the-quotable-che... ( )

G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) was a sharp-witted British author famous for his genial sense of humor and unconventional way of stating truth. This collection of quotes covers a wide range of topics, from snippets of Chesterton's novels to his literary criticism of such authors as Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. Chesterton was an accomplished essayist—which in my mind means that he had opinions on every subject and no compunctions about sharing them! He loved to debate (especially with his friendly enemy George Bernard Shaw), and his reasoned defenses of Christian doctrine continue to instruct readers today. His fiction explores such diverse genres as fantasy and detective fiction, and he also wrote plays and poetry.

Chesterton's style is very distinctive, and after reading a good dose of his quotes I would find myself thinking in his language, turning the meaning of truth inside out to make old things seem new. He said once that paradox is just truth standing on her head to get attention, and he made full use of the strength of that technique. His literary presence (like his physical) is mammoth; his continuing influence on other authors is astonishing. Chesterton's The Everlasting Man was instrumental in C. S. Lewis's conversion to Christianity, and countless other authors have pointed to Chesterton as their benefactor in some way, including Dorothy Sayers, Mahatma Gandhi, Neil Gaiman, and more.

It took me quite awhile to get through this book of quotes. This type of collection is hard to read all at once; as much as I enjoy Chesterton, I found that a little goes a long way. The same was true when I started reading his Father Brown mysteries. They're excellent, but are best taken one at a time. But I thoroughly enjoyed this excursion into Chesterton's thought, and I think a collection of his quotes has been long overdue.

Witty, often hilarious even when dealing with serious subjects, with his eyes wide open to the beauty and poetry of the ordinariness of every day, and with ideas that are startlingly relevant in our postmodern world, Chesterton is not an author to miss. And if you are the sort of person who enjoys crystalline quotes as representative of an author's thought, Chesterton is a veritable diamond mine. Recommended!

Disclosure: I received this book at no cost through Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program. This review is my honest opinion of the work. ( )

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Any book that is so highly recommended by such disparate figures as Donald Miller and George Grant is bound to at least arouse my curiosity. Dedicate the book to one of my favorite authors such as Os Guinness and it is almost guaranteed I will be interested. Of course, this book did not need anything else to draw me in since the subject is the writings and life of the incomparable G.K. Chesterton. The Quotable Chesterton, The Wit and Wisdom of G.K. Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte (published by Thomas Nelson) is the first book I have read by Belmonte and it won't be the last (as a matter of fact I'm going to add Defiant Joy to my list right now).

Belmonte writes, "It is hoped this book (containing some 870 quotations) will serve as both an introduction and a long-overdue anthology." The Quotable Chesterton does a fine job at both. I was only expecting the collection of quotations so I was happily surprised to discover 11 essays scattered throughout the book, each providing a satisfying initiatory glimpse into Chesterton's personal account. I have read a couple of Chesterton's books in the past (slowly and laboriously through The Everlasting Man!) but I did not know much about the man himself. I had previously read of the influence Chesterton had upon C.S. Lewis's faith but I was intrigued to learn of the impact he had on other favorites such as Frederick Buechner and Dorothy Sayers. Belmonte quotes Sayers as writing, "To the young people of my generation G.K.C. was a kind of Christian liberator. Like a beneficent bomb, he blew out of the Church a quantity of stained glass of a very poor period, and let in gusts of fresh air in which the dead leaves of doctrine danced with all the energy and indecorum of Our Lady's Tumbler." The Church of our day has its own dead leaves and could use a few good gusts of fresh air. Few of us may possess an intellect or attain wisdom comparable to Chesterton's but this book could certainly provide a spark to ignite new flames of imagination, creativity and audacity as his writings have done for previous generations.

A copy of the book was provided to me for review courtesy of Thomas Nelson. No other compensation was received. ( )

The Quotable Chesterton is an amazing compilation of articles (quotes) by G K Chesterton, an English writer and literary critic that were published in the early 1900's. I am a first-time reader and have come away with a deep respect for an extremely intelligent man who was a brilliant word-crafter.

You'll find his quotes, and many of my favorites, covering a vast amount of topics such as Charity, Eternity, Greatness, Marriage and Music; just to name a few since Chesterton covers many passages from Politics to Fairy tales.

What has impressed me the most in reading his book of quotes is understanding Chesterton's stand on defending the Christian faith and sharing his perspective and take on so many things that were so relevant to the 20th century.

I found Chesterton to be a great poet and a good one at that. Indeed his writings are a blessing to mankind. He wrote, "If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses, what might not the heart of man become in its long journey towards the stars."

I can see why Chesterton `s book The Everlasting Man contributed to C.S. Lewis' conversion. Now I am a Chesterton fan. This is a great book, The Quotable Chesterton. ( )