Interest in the life of John Henry Newman (1801–1890) continues to fascinate scholars and students of Victorian culture, and the interesting approach of Lawrence Poston, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago, to Newman's career is a significant addition to understanding his complex personality. This book is not a biography, but it is chronological in approach and explores Newman's changing personality and theology from his early Evangelicalism, to his prominent role in the Oxford Movement, to his conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1845, and finally his life as a Catholic, especially his views on Vatican Council I and his uneasy relationship with another concert from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism, Cardinal Henry Manning.

The author uses Newman's correspondence, sermons, and writings, both religious and literary, to discuss his changing approach to theological issues which confronted him and his contemporaries. Poston's analysis of Newman's literary works is outstanding, and consequently one is able trace his early combative nature to a more balanced outlook as he matured. Readers with a background in literature or theology will appreciate the author's knowledge of Newman's writings and their relationship to his personality and its development. One thing becomes clear: Newman was an interesting and complex person. Poston does not ignore other individuals with whom Newman interacted, including his family, especially his brother Frank, Thomas Carlyle, John Keble, Edward Pusey, and Cardinal Manning. Well-argued and objective, this book is a valuable contribution to understanding Newman and his contributions to Victorian society.