Items related to A Grief Observed
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.
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Review
C.S. Lewis joined the human race when his wife, Joy Gresham, died of cancer. Lewis, the Oxford don whose Christian apologetics make it seem like he's got an answer for everything, experienced crushing doubt for the first time after his wife's tragic death. A Grief Observed contains his epigrammatic reflections on that period: "Your bid--for God or no God, for a good God or the Cosmic Sadist, for eternal life or nonentity--will not be serious if nothing much is staked on it. And you will never discover how serious it was until the stakes are raised horribly high," Lewis writes. "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 the book that inspired the film Shadowlands, but it is more wrenching, more revelatory, and more real than the movie. It is a beautiful and unflinchingly honest record of how even a stalwart believer can lose all sense of meaning in the universe, and how he can gradually regain his bearings. --Michael Joseph Gross
From the Publisher
C. S. Lewis' classic confession of near-despair and rediscovered faith probes the issues of life, death, and hope in the midst of loss.
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A Grief Observed
Seller: World of Books (was SecondSale), Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. Written with love, humility, and faith, this brief but poignant volume was first published in 1961 and concerns the death of C. S. Lewis's wife, the American-born poet Joy Davidman. In her introduction to this new edition, Madeleine L'Engle writes: I am grateful to Lewis for having the courage to yell, to doubt, to kick at God in angry violence. This is a part of a healthy grief which is not often encouraged. It is helpful indeed that C. S. Lewis, who has been such a successful apologist for Christianity, should have the courage to admit doubt about what he has so superbly proclaimed. It gives us permission to admit our own doubts, our own angers and anguishes, and to know that they are part of the soul's growth.Written in longhand in notebooks that Lewis found in his home, A Grief Observed probes the mad midnight moments of Lewis's mourning and loss, moments in which he questioned what he had previously believed about life and death, marriage, and even God. Indecision and self-pity assailed Lewis. We are under the harrow and can't escape, he writes. I know that the thing I want is exactly the thing I can never get. The old life, the jokes, the drinks, the arguments, the lovemaking, the tiny, heartbreaking commonplace. Writing A Grief Observed as a defense against total collapse, a safety valve, he came to recognize that bereavement is a universal and integral part of our experience of love.Lewis writes his statement of faith with precision, humor, and grace. Yet neither is Lewis reluctant to confess his continuing doubts and his awareness of his own human frailty. This is precisely the quality which suggests that A Grief Observed may become among the great devotional books of our age. Seller Inventory # 00110610688
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A Grief Observed
Seller: Greenworld Books, Arlington, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: like_new. Fast Free Shipping â" Excellent condition book with clean cover and pages. Barely handled, with minimal wear. An outstanding copy, close to enjoy! Seller Inventory # GWV.0802724701.LN
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A Grief Observed
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 6080924-6
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A Grief Observed
Seller: HPB-Diamond, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_486432514
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A Grief Observed
Seller: Greenworld Books, Arlington, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: very_good. Fast Free Shipping â" Very Good condition book with a firm cover and clean pages. Shows normal use and some light wear or limited notes markings. A solid, nice copy to enjoy. Seller Inventory # GWV.0802724701.VG
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A Grief Observed
Seller: tLighthouse Books, Onekama, MI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: acceptable. Acceptable condition. Reading copy. May have signs of wear and previous use scuffs, library copy, highlighting, writing, and underlining . May have foxing, slight water damage or tears. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation. If you're not satisfied with purchase just return it! Seller Inventory # HSV.0802724701.A
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A Grief Observed
Seller: SHIMEDIA, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Satisfaction Guaranteed or your money back. Seller Inventory # 0802724701
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A Grief Observed
Seller: BennettBooksLtd, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
paperback. Condition: New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Seller Inventory # Q-0802724701