Rating: 
Summary: A Fun Read
Review: I could not put this fictional story down. The story representing heaven and hell is short but captivating. The numerous characters in the book reject the offer to heaven and give excuses that are really excuses people give for rejecting heaven while they are on earth. I must admit that there were parts of the story that I did not understand, but the basic premise was obvious and interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Sleepers awake! The morning comes!
Review: "The Great Divorce" is C.S. Lewis' allegory of our lifelong struggle with our fallen nature in search of faith in God and Christ. Lewis uses the image of a bus trip taken by a few hardy souls - some of whom have an agenda, others who have nothing better to do - to a familiar yet fantastic place where they discover themselves to be ghosts in a realm of "solid people". Through a series of vignettes, the narrator describes the travails of other ghosts who contend with the roadblocks to salvation - pride, jealousy, vengeance, lust, and the love of earthly life itself. Lewis' theology owes much to the character "My Teacher", George MacDonald. A universalist, MacDonald echoes the sentiment that would dominate Lewis' other writings: that those who are condemned to Hell are there because they chose to be there over Heaven. Another readily apparent Lewis theme is that human emotions or feelings are two-edged: they can be used for purposes noble or evil. "Love begins to be a demon when he begins to be a god", lower case "g" in god emphasized, Lewis would later write in "The Four Loves". In The Great Divorce he shows that concept in action. If you are a fundamentalist or conservative protestant, you may not like some of the suggested implications, like Lewis leaving open the possibility of a purgatory, or the concept of people making salvation choices in the afterlife. Remember, it is an allegory, and as Lewis points out, we humans see things through the lens of time that appear differently in timeless Heaven. For those willing to relax their dogma a little, The Great Divorce is a thought-provoking insight into Lewis' theology and, better yet, a good catalyst for self-examination. Am I obstructing another person's spiritual progress through my selfish demands or careless attitudes? More to the point, am I willing to put on a mantle of humility and seek out those I have wronged, asking forgiveness and showing myself to be a true Christian? These are questions well worth asking, and The Great Divorce a book well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: fodder for intelligent discussion
Review: I read this book in college, my first C. S. Lewis book, and was floored by Lewis's use of language, images and symbols. For those who found his Screwtape Letters an amazing work, you may find yourself a bit overwhelmed with this one (not meant to be arrogant but rather based on personal experience). Lewis takes great effort to demand that the reader follow the many characters and what constitute them in order to convey his idea of "seeing God". Many friends who were please with Screwtape did not like this book and found it to be too heavy in message. This book takes a route not so much of ethic but of idea and concept and it is within the latter that one can get lost. I experienced this when reading Dune so I can appreciate the frustration. If books of this type do not interest you I would still implore you to give yourself and the book a chance. Not being what one would call a "person of the faith" one can still understand what (t)ruth Lewis is trying to express. I won't disclose what that is as it is the crux of the experience. What I will say is that it makes faith a universal approach by humanity whether it be to religion, science or any other belief system. You may not agree with Lewis's theology but Christian or not this book should raise questions and offer great opportunity for intelligent discussions.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book Ever Written
Review: This is the best book ever written. What else needs to be said? Lewis artfully mixes Platonism, Orthodoxy, and Imagination to the benefit of the reader. A tale full of deep Christian metaphors. Lay mysticism at its best.
Rating:
Summary: Second only to St. John's view of heaven!
Review: As the author of Project 314, I have a deep respect for writers like C.S.Lewis who can present Biblical themes in creative ways. Lewis presents heaven in all its glory. As in his Narnia and Perelandra series, he also presents the struggle between good and evil in parabolic form. I highly recommend that this book be on your shelf with the rest of Lewis' writings.
Rating:
Summary: Who are you?
Review: The theologian who would rather lead a theological discussion in hell than experience heaven? The poet who is always slighted, never appreciated? The man who is too proud to accept any "bleeding charity" and must have his "rights"? The artist who would rather fight for his style of art than stay and take in true beauty? The materialist (entrepeneur?) who would rather try to take a bit of heaven back to hell for a proffit than enjoy the real thing? The cynic who believes everything is a sham? The grumbler who has finally become a grumble? (What other petty sins fit in this same category?) The mother who "loves" her son so much she would rather have him in hell than desire God, and be with her son in heaven? The man who struggles with lust but doesn't want to let it go? The tragedian who would rather blackmail the joyful than give in and experience joy himself? Or are are you simply onne of the malcontents who can't even get along well enough to get on the bus and see what heaven has to offer? Truth be told, I have parts of many of these people and need to learn from them all.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Writing, Good Tale
Review: I must say, this book is sheer excellence, no ands, ifs, buts, or whats. It is fantasy, but it is metaphor. It is refined, and well written. Read this work.
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Summary: Blake, Plato, Milton, Dante, Bros Grimm, MacDonald, etc
Review: If you don't care for C.S. Lewis, you will not care for this book. On the other hand, if you like C.S. Lewis (and appreciate what he was up to) you may thoroughly enjoy, even love, this book. I say "may" because an honest reading of this short allegory can reveal a great deal about the author's soul and view of the moral universe and something about the reader's own soul and views as well. In other words, it can entertain or disturb or both. It will, in any case, provoke a great deal of thought for any reader who bothers to think at all. I read The Great Divorce many, many years ago and could never forget it; some of its images and episodes were and remain indelible. By some quirk or inspiration, I recently suggested using it for an adult Sunday School class of folks who love good, mental exercise, good literature, etc. and thus got back into it - big time. In preparing ten lessons on the book, I rediscovered why I loved it in the first place but then I also discovered a myriad of rich nuggets and not a few whole veins that I had completely blitzed by in the earlier reading. This second time I found it to be absolutely magnificent and have gone from being a CS Lewis fan to a serious and devoted student of the whole "mythopoeic" approach that he (along with many others, including now, most famously, JK Rowling) have championed. You don't have to be well read or a Christian or an intellectual or a theologian or a Bible scholar or even a full grown adult to truly enjoy - or be really bothered by - this book. The premise, after all, is that not everyone would enjoy a holiday in the Valley of the Shadow of Life (post-mortem or otherwise), much less a few hours with C.S. Lewis himself. (It does help things, however, to have a good imagination and sense of humor.) Like scripture, like great poetry, like any of those guys in my title (all of whom are embedded in the text and context of this book), this book and everything else I've read by Lewis is worth reading ...and worth reading (including reeading) carefully and soulfully.
Rating:
Summary: Tweak your brain.
Review: I must say that it seems that any time anyone says something somewhat intellegent, It reminds me of C.S.Lewis. The Great Divorce is not just a book it's a progressive revelation. I'll be driving down the road thinking and all of a sudden understand what the heck he was talking about. Lewis was the master. I've read this book two and a half times and it isn't enough.
Andrew Klicka
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and thought-provoking story
Review: For some reason, I find myself returning to this book about once a year to re-read it. It's a short and easy read, but it's length is deceptive. Lewis is an excellent observer of the human condition and this allegory is very thought provoking. Written over 40 years ago, it still stays fresh. I would highly recommend this book.
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