A Grief Observed
by C. S. Lewis
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Paperback Reissue edition (March 1, 1983)
Bantam Books (Mm); ASIN: 0553274864
Avg. Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars ; Number of Reviews: 4

Customers who bought this book also bought:

• Surprised by Joy : The Shape of My Early Life; C. S. Lewis
• The Problem of Pain (C.S. Lewis Classics); C. S. Lewis
• C.S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands; Brian Sibley, C. S. Lewis

Synopsis
Written in moments of sadness and longing after his wife's death, C. S. Lewis's A Grief Observed is an honest reflection on the fundamental issues of life, death, and faith. This elegant trade paperback edition of Lewis's classic summons those who grieve to honest mourning and courageous hope. --This text refers to the paperback (reprint) edition of this title.

Synopsis
This very personal anguished story of the death of Lewis's wife is reissued with a foreword by Madeleine L'Engle. The celebrated author shares an intenseaccount of the meaning of death with wit and insight. --This text refers to the hardcover (reprint) edition of this title.

From the Publisher
In April 1956, C.S. Lewis, a confirmed bachelor, married Joy Davidman, an American poet with two small children. After four brief, intensely happy years, Lewis found himself alone again, and inconsolable. To defend himself against the loss of belief in God, Lewis wrote this journal, an eloquent statement of rediscovered faith. In it he freely confesses his doubts, his rage, and his awareness of human frailty. In it he finds again the way back to life.

Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars Number of Reviews: 4

Jon N. Leonard (Jon @ Calmec.com) from Tucson, Arizona , 06/09/98, 5 out of 5 stars
In his grief, C. S. Lewis finds a more deeply rooted faith.
Lewis shows enormous honesty and courage as he writes in this little book, a journal expressing his grief, about his faltering faith in God after the loss of his cherished wife. Despite his lifelong career as a writer of the truth of Christian faith, in this journal he expresses doubt about the very existence of a God who would wickedly deprive him of the greatest gift of his life, his wife. But as the months pass after her death, and Lewis further examines himself, he begins to appreciate the degree of personal selfishness wrapped up in his grief, and in his raging at God. As a result, towards the end of the journal he reestablishes his faith in a much more deeply rooted way. For me, this little book was a cautionary tale. It illustrated how easy it is to have a faith that is not a faith, but rather a mere deception, a contruct made of intellectual effort. When the forces that hold up the construct are taken away, such as what happened to Lewis with the loss of his wife, the intellectual faith will vanish. It is only then that real faith can take root. For faith, to be real, can depend upon nothing but the faith itself: a faith in Jesus. God does us an eternal favor when he takes from us those things we would cling to that are other than Himself. --This text refers to the paperback (reprint) edition of this title.

A reader from Colorado , 03/11/98, 5 out of 5 stars
Honest and sincere
Absolutely heart-breaking. I could almost feel my own heart break just reading the authors words. This man--a man who waited a long time to marry, but finally did in the later years of his life--must have had so many feelings wrapped inside of him when he wrote this book. He wrote fiction, fantesy, theology, apologetics, but this book represent C.S. Lewis, the person he was while here on earth.

The striking and almost embarassing sincerity of this book is what makes is so wonderful. I often read parts of this book over and cry, because it clearly illustrates our fragility as humans and how God comforts us in the midst of our pain. It's so good to see how the Lord worked in this man's life to overcome despair. --This text refers to the paperback (reprint) edition of this title.

kex86@hotmail.com from Lemoore, CA , 02/10/98, 5 out of 5 stars
A widower's confession of grief and doubt
The synopsis, the publisher, and the reader from Colorado are all right on target with their comments about this honest, emotionally moving book. Lewis does not hid behind a mask of professorial hubris or pull any punches as he openly confesses his doubts about God and vents his grief in the pages of his journal. He pours out his emotions in what is probably the most "personal" of all his books. Both those suffering the loss of a loved one and those who aren't will be helped by reading this book. Certainly worth obtaining. --This text refers to the paperback (reprint) edition of this title.

A reader from Estes Park, Colorado , 11/15/97, 5 out of 5 stars
An antidote to pious grief counseling
A person of towering Christian faith has that faith devastated by the death of his beloved. His brutal honesty about his struggle with God is an antidote to the customary "comforters" who mouth bromides like "It's God's will" and "Trust God". Lewis' honesty is far more helpful to the grieving than the syrupy efforts of pious "believers", for he deals with life as it is, rather than as religious people wish it were.

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