From Library Journal

In this spiritual biography of the English social commentator and author, most memorably, of the Father Brown mysteries, English author Pearce focuses primarily on Chesterton's conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1922. Pearce goes on to celebrate Chesterton's happy childhood and family life, successful marriage, and friendships with Hilaire Belloc, George Bernard Shaw, and other Victorian and 20th-century writers. Also detailed are Chesterton's social and political activism as well as his romanticism and childlike joie de vivre. Pearce draws copiously from Chesterton's published writings and correspondence and from previous biographies, notably those by Maisie Ward, Michael Coren, and Michael Ffinch. Indeed, 26 pages of endnotes demonstrate the heavy reliance of the author on these sources. The result is a marginal offering that may be considered for religion collections and for those specializing in minor English authors of the early 20th century.