W. H. Lewis (1) (1895–1973)

I question the merit of reading any authors juvenilia. I'm also not the biggest Lewis fan, so with that context... i hated it.
The background piece is ok except it keeps referring to [b: Surprised by Joy|121732|Surprised by Joy The Shape of My Early Life|C.S. Lewis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381407473s/121732.jpg|877675], so if you like this part it just makes you want to read that book instead.
The tales themselves all involved animal people, but arn't actually kids stories by any modern definition. The first is a weird little shakespeare play but it was ok. The main bulk of the stories however consist of a politic drama... its soooooo... boring! I spent most of the time trying to figure out if he was going for satire, or which characters i was supposed to like, or whether it was racist... or maybe anti-racist., or which bits of british history or fiction he was ripping off. However the only conclusion i arrived at was that i desperately wanted it to end :P .
The final 2 stories are an improvement, they're about reforming manners in the navy... wow.. it just keeps getting more exciting, (he said sarcastically). Actually though the final tale was quite acceptable and stopped me considering 1 star.… (more)

The Splendid Century seemed to me wittily written. I had come to it expecting to be bored but was greatly entertained; and although my sympathies have never been with King Louis XIV, I found myself admiring his kingliness.
Other profiles are good. For instance, of Mme. de Maintenon, Warnie H. Lewis writes, "Charming she was, according to testimony that cannot be set aside. But, unlike her great contemporary, Mme. de Sévigné, she has not been able to communicate that volatile and evanescent quality to her equally voluminous correspondence. Mme. de Sévigné was a virtuous woman, but she is not constantly telling us so; Mme. de Maintenon is as obsessed with her own chastity as an Elizabethan heroine..."… (more)