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katieclinebell's review against another edition
5.0
A grief observed sheds light on a topic not easily discussed in the Christian community: entering deep pain and finding that God is silent in the midst of it. Lewis rawly wrestles with his belief that God is good and the reality that the person he loves has been taken from him. But more than the loss Lewis struggles with the feeling that God is incredibly aloof and silent in the midst of his deepest pain.
In pages of prose the reader is taken into Lewis' uncensored and unfiltered thoughts on loss, not feeling the Lord, and wanting to turn from God because of it. It is not lighthearted, it is not filled with Christian coffee mug sayings that try to make Monday mornings easier, and there is not really much closure at the end of the book. At the end of it all Lewis surmises how little faith he actually had and how God showed him this lack through his loss, but the pain does not ebb. His conclusion, however, does show the reader that there is purpose in pain, but Lewis is far from completing his journey with grief.
I found the book incredibly moving, personal, and filled with truths christians are not apt to discuss. Who really wants to admit that they are struggling with the urge to hate God because of pain? Reading this book taught me more about how people truly feel when they experience loss. It has influenced the way I react to those who are suffering. In addition, I believe reading this book opens the door for christians to open share their struggles with pain, doubt, and loneliness. Knowing that one of the most inspirational believers in the world struggled with these feelings allows christians to express their battles without feeling like they are turning their backs on God.
In pages of prose the reader is taken into Lewis' uncensored and unfiltered thoughts on loss, not feeling the Lord, and wanting to turn from God because of it. It is not lighthearted, it is not filled with Christian coffee mug sayings that try to make Monday mornings easier, and there is not really much closure at the end of the book. At the end of it all Lewis surmises how little faith he actually had and how God showed him this lack through his loss, but the pain does not ebb. His conclusion, however, does show the reader that there is purpose in pain, but Lewis is far from completing his journey with grief.
I found the book incredibly moving, personal, and filled with truths christians are not apt to discuss. Who really wants to admit that they are struggling with the urge to hate God because of pain? Reading this book taught me more about how people truly feel when they experience loss. It has influenced the way I react to those who are suffering. In addition, I believe reading this book opens the door for christians to open share their struggles with pain, doubt, and loneliness. Knowing that one of the most inspirational believers in the world struggled with these feelings allows christians to express their battles without feeling like they are turning their backs on God.
dragonflymorning's review against another edition
4.0
I found this a difficult read, perhaps due to the timing. I’m glad to have read it and when, one day, I need a short book on shared grief I’m sure I’ll revisit it.
anderson65's review against another edition
5.0
Grief is a process, not something to be "gotten over".
jessiann16's review against another edition
5.0
i read this book in a class for college. the same time my dad was dying of cancer. i have read this book so many times i've lost count. somewhere along the line i lost my battered copy and had to replace it with a hardcover version that takes abuse better. this book has a way of articulating exactly what i think and felt after losing someone very important and close to me in a much more eloquent way than i ever could. this book is one of those books that i will treasure for years to come.
marisafreeelf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
4.0
hollyaaa's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
“I once read the sentence ‘I lay awake at night with toothache, thinking about toothache and about lying awake.’ That’s true to life. Part of every misery is… the fact that you don’t merely suffer but have to keep on thinking about the face that you suffer.”
“The most precious gift that marriage gave me was this constant impact of something very close and intimate yet all the time unmistakably other, resistant — in a word, real. Is all that work to be undone? Is what I shall still call H. to sink horribly into being not much more than one of my old bachelor pipe-dreams? Oh my dear, my dear, come back for one moment and drive that miserable phantom away.”
“All reality is iconoclastic. The earthly beloved, even in this life, incessantly triumphs over your mere idea of her.”
CS Lewis writes so well. “A” Grief Observed — just his, not a treatise on all of grief or how to get through it. Just how it is.
“The most precious gift that marriage gave me was this constant impact of something very close and intimate yet all the time unmistakably other, resistant — in a word, real. Is all that work to be undone? Is what I shall still call H. to sink horribly into being not much more than one of my old bachelor pipe-dreams? Oh my dear, my dear, come back for one moment and drive that miserable phantom away.”
“All reality is iconoclastic. The earthly beloved, even in this life, incessantly triumphs over your mere idea of her.”
CS Lewis writes so well. “A” Grief Observed — just his, not a treatise on all of grief or how to get through it. Just how it is.