In April 1956, Lewis, a confirmed bachelor, married Joy Davidman, an American poet with two small children. After four brief, intensely happy years, Lewis found himself alone and inconsolable. This is the unflinching account of how a stalwart believer lost his sense of bearings in the "mad midnight moment" of grief. 106 pages, softcover. HarperOne.
Written after his wife's tragic death as a way of surviving the "mad midnight moment," A Grief Observed is C.S. Lewis's honest reflection on the fundamental issues of life, death, and faith in the midst of loss. This work contains his concise, genuine reflections on that period: "Nothing will shake a man -- or at any rate a man like me -- out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover it himself." This is a beautiful and unflinchingly homest record of how even a stalwart believer can lose all sense of meaning in the universe, and how he can gradually regain his bearings.
Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars(4.5 out of 5 stars)
3 of 3 Reviews Showing:
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Galen (Cloverdale, CA), February 04, 2010
This is the most heart-wrenchingly honest book that I've ever read about grief and loss, but yet at the same time, it is the most triumphant and hope-filled book I've ever read about grief and loss. I give it to friends who have lost ones and encourage them to read it after some time has past. The early honesty of Lewis' raw emotions can be rather off-putting, but it is honest and real. Don't stop reading it until the end - don't let the pain and honest throw you. This is a time for honesty, and Lewis has given the world a true gem.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Caroline Ryder (United Kingdom), July 23, 2009
Recommended to me as a way of dealing with the break up of my childhood family (in adulthood) through divorce. The idea being that a divorce conjures up the same emotions as loss. It was a comfort to know that a man such as Lewis (a confirmed bachelor) could experience such deep emotions and unbridled love for his wife. All the more poignant because of the short time they spent together.
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Lacey (Mars Hill, ME), September 06, 2002
C.S. Lewis articulates his grief well. A good book for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one.
Write a review of A Grief Observed
Catalog Shopping
Membership
