A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Grief Observed
Book Review: A Moving Refolection on Grief and Loss
Summary: 5 Stars
C.S. Lewis is now being credited for being Christianity's greatest defender in the 20th century, and the writer who gave faith credibility at a time when faith seemed a childish delusion. The reason so many of Lewis' writings have been a strong defense of faith probably has less to do with his actual beliefs, as much as his skill as an orator and writer. His detractors will readily admit that, knowing that if you may not agree with his conclusions, it is difficult to fault his arguments. Yet for people of faith, logic is nice, but it is often too dry. The lived experience of faith is far more significant than rhetoric. For people of faith who love and admire Lewis, A GRIEF OBSERVED is indispensable. This work, which deals with the grief an loss he experienced when his beloved wife Joy suffers from cancer and eventually dies, demonstrates Lewis' own struggles with belief, and demonstrates that for Lewis, his faith is not a philosophical point of view, but the motivation of his life.
Since its publication, readers have turned to this work for a number of reasons. Most have either lost someone they love or are trying to assist someone with loss. Readers soon discover that the book challenges the reader, then consoles the reader, and immediately challenges once again. Readers feel a whirlwind of emotions, giving a glimpse of the emotions we feel in a time of grief. In Lewis we find a person who truly mourns, but one who gives us an example on faith that is shaken and tested, but is ultimately solid. Countless readers have discovered that Lewis' experiences resonate with their own, and have made this work a spiritual classic.
When I first read A GRIEF OBSERVED, I had not yet lost anyone significant in my life or at least anyone who was significant who was not aged and had lived a full life. I still had an appreciation for what Lewis had to say, but it was a bookish knowledge. Since that time I have lost loved ones and have seen loved ones suffer, especially my own father, who died young and battled cancer in the form of a brain tumor for nearly twenty years. It was while sitting at his bedside a week before he died that Lewis' words seemed so real to me, and I realized I was not alone in how I felt. I have no idea of whether I recalled Lewis' words as I sat by my father's bedside, but I know my faith was tested at that time, but my faith sustained me as well. I also know that Lewis' struggles in A GRIEF OBSERVED were somewhere in my unconscious mind, helping me though and giving me hope.
Book Review: A Powerful Exploration of Grief
Summary: 5 Stars
This book explores the tough questions on grief with candor and humanity. It confronts the tough issues surrounding loss and provides an approach to going forward. Worth reading more than once.Book Review: A Realistic and Touching Look at Grief
Summary: 4 Stars
When suffering from grief who better to place your heart with than C.S. Lewis, the master at heartfelt emotions and faith.
C.S. Lewis wrote this little book during the process of grieving for his beloved wife, Joy. He brings his raw emotions forward and shares the act of grief in a very human and profound message. Showing a variety of emotions he spans the process of mourning and makes the act appear "normal" even when the slightest steps of self-care become a chore. Lewis braves the unthinkable and questions a God that allows despair and refuses to comfort the one left behind. Few would voice this common feeling but Lewis goes beyond simply voicing his doubt and eventually unravels the mystery of faith during the most horrible of times. Jesus Christ even experienced this desolate feeling crying out to God as he hung dying on the cross....so if He must go through such a bitter process why would the average human being expect any different? Realizing this places a perspective on the pain and allows us to stop questioning whether death and loss arrives in a package entirely explainable. It happens at exactly the right time for the one who passes and we must learn to accept this despite our lack of understanding. As Lewis writes so eloquently, "Fate (or whatever it is) delights to produce a great capacity and then frustrate it."
Lewis takes standard thought processes and analyzes the theories behind their meaning and by doing so he helps the grieving process immensely. Hearing how our beloveds are with God causes one to ask, were they not "with God" before they died? And all those prayers said at bedsides and funerals, some with "miracles" attached and others seemingly lost actions are examined by Lewis as a process of torment by God, at once gracious only to prepare another torture in the end. Lewis reveals his anger towards God in hopes of leading to a deeper understanding of what faith really means. Grief becomes an act of desperation according to Lewis and seeing through tears often leads to blurred vision. Grief is merely fear incarnated. Ultimately it is through the observance of the dying that we discover the definitive peace and eventually find solace in faith.
Book Review: A Veritable Gem
Summary: 5 Stars
I have loved the books by C.S. Lewis for several years now, and I have no disappointment to confess in A Grief Observed. In fact, my feelings are quite the opposite. A Grief Observed has truly helped me, indeed, perhaps not in the sense of the authors original intention. Yet merely in the equalizing grief which every human must succumb to on some level, I have been changed by this book. At times I have wept through it, at others I have sat in chilling reflection. All I can say is read it!! :)Book Review: A View into the Hurting Head
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has been invaluble for me in the midst of my own loss. It is uniquely helpful for those actually in the midst of suffering, especially for those who have lost a spouse. I would highly suggest it, although some might not understood or connect with the style of writing considering it is much more convoluted and stream-of-consciousness than other Lewis writings. Definately a unique and priceless resource.