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Summary: Mind stretching
Review: This book has changed the way I think of death and the world after. I highly recommend this to any Christian, as it stretches the mind and enlarges the soul.
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Summary: C.S. Lewis and his writing
Review: We all remember stories of The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, about Aslan and his famous victory over the Witch. The Great Divorce was something of a different nature. Lewis still had his ideas about heaven and hell, but they were a bit more obvious. There weren't a lot of undertones as in the children series, but everything he wrote was concrete and it was obvious what his views were. This made the book a lot better and I enjoyed it very much especailly the ending, showing Lewis' rather cruel humor and sense of style. If anyone likes Lewis I recommend this book and I would also recommend The Screwtape Letters. Then if you enjoyed Screwtape I would recommend This Present Darkness and it's sequel Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti.
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Summary: A well-written theological fantasy
Review: "The Great Divorce," by C.S. Lewis, tells the story of a bus ride from hell to heaven. The title is a riff on William Blake's "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," which Lewis cites in his preface.Although Christian theology is briefly cited in the book, it seems that Lewis' overall point--to promote belief in and adoration of a supreme being--is as applicable to Jews, Muslims, and many others as it would be to Christians. To quote the book directly: "There is but one good; that is God." The story is full of wonderful visual images and imaginative flourishes that give the book the flavor of classic fantasy literature. And although at times the book has a certain smug quality, it is entertaining and thought-provoking. Lewis' prose style is consistently engaging.
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Summary: An interesting bus ride
Review: This book was one of the launch pads into the realm of Lewis. The book, fiction though it is, requires one to follow the point of Lewis--those who do not go to heaven would not enjoy it there anyway. This book has caused unnecessary fire from people who have a terrible habit of reading "fiction" literally. This book is not canonical Scripture. Please do not think that Lewis proposes that one can travel from heaven to hell, and vice-versa. Lewis is merely trying to make a point. I would encourage readers to enjoy the book, apply the message to their lives, and not to dampen the impact with wooden literalism.
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Summary: C.S. Lewis does get you to think
Review: I decided to pick up The Great Divorce after a 15-year hiatus when I saw a play based on this work. The play was splendid, so I decided to reread this short but power-packed book. Based on the decisions made by the characters who made the bus trip to a place between heaven and hell, I decided that not much has changed since Lewis' day (or since I last read this). Some very insightful comments are made, and I found myself challenged in several ways. Lewis has a way of putting things that, though complex, he makes sound almost simple. I appreciate his insights and hope that I can apply some of the lessons into the last half of my life. I'm grateful to people like Lewis when they are able to have such an impact in the way I think. Definitely one of my top five Lewis favorites.
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Summary: Does Creation/the AfterLife meet 'your' standards?
Review: This seems to be the question that powers the engine of this classic novella from C.S. Lewis. Of course the answer is, why should it? Creation is not ours to control, something Lewis seems to hint at with the impenetrable nature of the garden the bus passengers visit at the tale's opening. Inspired by a science fiction story, Lewis crafted a fantasy of his own that explores the rather petty nature of humanity that keeps our eyes (or souls) closed from the beauty of creation. The book features some splendid yet amusing passages (Unicorns in Heaven? Cool!) but it does not skip over the meatier issues of faith, free will, and the traps that they are capable of creating in our oft times bitter hearts. One thing I found ironic is that the one star reviews put forth some of the very same arguments made by some of the rebellious ghosts in this allegory. I think that is the very point Lewis hoped his fantasy would make. Highly recommended.
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Summary: thought provoking
Review: This book show's how horrible sin is. How it ruins people, How it ruins their minds. Read this book and think about yourself. Think about what you are holding onto in life, and ask yourself if its worth it. This book should shed some light on the subject.
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Summary: Heaven or Hell? The choice is ours.
Review: The perfect blend of logic, common-sense, and insight, the Great Divorce is typical CS Lewis. It is a masterpiece of Christian thinking, even by Lewis's standards, and ranks among his best in my opinion. This short work of fiction seeks to explain why some people go to heaven and others go to hell. Lewis's thesis is essentially this: those who are in heaven are there because they want to be, and those who are in hell are there because they want to be there, too. In other words, Divine judgment does not send individuals screaming down to hell--in fact, they go there themselves.
Lewis's guide in the story, who just happens to be George MacDonald, tells him that most people have the attitude best expressed by Milton in Paradise Lost: "Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven." According to Lewis, it is pride and selfishness that keep people from wanting to go to heaven. In the story, a number of "ghosts" are brought to the outskirts of heaven by bus, yet almost none of them wants to actually enter heaven when given the chance. They all have some reason why heaven isn't good enough, why they shouldn't go there. In other words, they willfully go back to hell.
Of course, this story rocks the traditional views of the separation of the good and the evil, but Lewis presents his thesis in such an applicable story that it makes one stop and think. Why would a selfish, self-centered person want to be in heaven, anyway? What would they do? In Lewis's mind, there is no 'marriage' between heaven and hell, because the two (and those who occupy them) want to keep as much distance between them as possible. Hence the title.
As I said, I think this is one of Lewis's best. It definitely got me thinking. This is a great book, suitable for young adults and adults alike, that will certainly expand your mind on how we choose to live in our own personal heaven or hell.
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Summary: Brief Overview
Review: The Great Divorce takes place on a supernatural plane somewhere between Heaven and Hell. The story of one soul's experiences is told first hand by a ghost making its way from Hell onto this plane. There, it and those that came with the ghost encounter more radiant beings that have obtained a closeness with God and come from a place beyond the mountains. These spirits converse with the ghostly entities. For the most part, each chapter focuses on a conversation between one ghost and one spirit where the actions of the ghost's earthly life that have kept it from heaven are examined. The points Lewis makes are sharp and intriguing. The work itself is short and can be quickly read. I found this book to be both very interesting and enjoyable.
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Summary: The most mind-expanding book I have ever encountered
Review: I first encountered this book during my college years, and at the time I thought that this was the most mind-expanding book that I had ever encountered. Picking it back up all these years later, I still feel the same way! In this book, the incomparable C.S. Lewis takes the reader on a phantasmagoric journey from Hell to Heaven. There are no lakes of fire here or angels sitting on clouds strumming harps. Instead, the damned, who inhabit a lonely Hell of isolation of the mind, are permitted to journey to Heaven, where they can freely renounce their sinful natures and enjoy an eternity of salvation. But, as the narrator discovers, for all too many, their sinful thought forms (no matter how petty) are much more precious to them than all of the rewards of Heaven. This book opens the reader's mind to more powerful ways of thinking about sin and about salvation. It certainly made me look at myself and the people around me with new eye. I highly recommend this book to Christians of every denomination and creed.
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