Reviews with content warning for Death - Diario di un dolore

Some lovely gems in here. I will definitely return to some of these key lines. A lot of religious stuff that did not particularly resonate with me but I understand that it's not really *for* me. A very approachable length book for a grieving person when a big book feels like too much.

One incredible line which I don't think he meant to be humorous but which I found hilarious: "What do people mean when they say 'I am not afraid of God because I know He is good?' Have they never been to the dentist?" As a fellow dentist hater, dentists and their scrapey tools also make me doubt the existence of a benevolent God.

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beanjoles's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad

5.0

As a former Christian, I have still retained a love for C.S. Lewis and his way of so plainly stating and interrogating our deeply-held beliefs. He never shied away from asking a difficult question. What a gift to share this intensely personal—and yet, very relatable—journey with the wider world.

(Also, his stepson’s introduction gave great context but I almost wish it had been an afterword.)

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gmwells's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad

5.0

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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

2.0

A devastating look into one man’s grief and struggle with his faith. This book definitely has some quotes that stand out to me about the process of grieving. Lots of the debate about God was irrelevant to me personally.

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laurenleigh's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

I randomly came across this when looking to see what else Ralph Cosham narrated, and I thought it looked interesting. In the midst of losing his wife, Lewis wrote his thoughts and feelings down in a journalistic manner. I don’t believe it was ever intended for publishing, at least at first, but I’m glad it was. I think most people read this short work when they’re in the midst of grief themselves, and I could see how therapeutic that would be. But it was also interesting to read while in a happy, stable place. I could look at the piece more objectively. Lewis has a true gift for conceptualizing the ineffable, and I found the work beautifully poignant. Fair warning if Christianity is at all triggering for you, because a lot of Lewis’ loss is coupled with a loss of faith. But also if you know anything at all about C. S. Lewis, you shouldn’t be surprised by this! There were a lot of brilliant metaphors as Lewis is processing his grief, but the one that’s sticking with me is when he compares faith with a rope. You may think it’s perfectly strong and stable when it’s lying around unused, but if you suddenly need to hang from a steep cliff, do you still trust in its strength? I applaud Lewis for questioning his faith in this process. We have this idea that the truest faith is never challenged, as if blind acceptance is the most sincere way to believe. But I think real faith is that which one returns to, even after wrestling with it. Not that I don’t have my own qualms with Christianity in some respects, but I’m running out of room here! 😅

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