Reviews with content warning for Cancer - A Grief Observed

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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laurenleigh's review

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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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kelly_e's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

3.5

Title: A Grief Observed
Author: C.S. Lewis
Genre: Non Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Pub Date: 1961

T H R E E • W O R D S

Personal • Raw • Reflective

📖 S Y N O P S I S

A Grief Observed is a collection of thoughts, reflections, and meditations written by C.S. Lewis in a journal during his bereavement following the death of his wife. A narrative on the natures of death and mourning from the initial shock to acceptance and moving through grief.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Firstly, if you're reading this it is quite likely you've experienced some form of death in your life, and for that I am sorry. In February 2020, my partner and best friend, Geoff, died unexpectedly. When someone is able to put into words some of the things I have felt over the past 18+ months of my own grief journey, I am forever grateful. This story collection is both comforting and compelling. It is very raw, and yet very real, which is what makes it so worth reading. Not only is this book valuable because it puts into words what you may be feeling, but it also lets you know your are not alone.

As someone who isn't religious, the focus on faith was something I couldn't relate to and so it did take away some of the power I imagine it offers to many others. Each grief journey is different but this is a solid place to start if you're looking for reading material.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• grievers
• classic fans

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting. Yet I want the others to be about me. I dread the moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me."

"But I know this is impossible. 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 love-making, the tiny, heartbreaking commonplace. On any view whatever, to sat 'H. is dead', is to say 'All that is gone'. It is a part of the past. And the past is the past and that is what time means, and time itself is one more name for death, and Heaven itself is a state where 'the former things have passed away'."

"And grief still feels like fear. Perhaps, more strictly. like suspense. Or like waiting; just hanging about waiting for something to happen. It gives life a permanently provisional feeling. It doesn't seem worth starting anything. I can't settle down. I yawn, I fidget, I smoke too much. Up till this I always had too little time. Now there is nothing but time. Almost pure time, empty successiveness."

"One flesh. Or, if you prefer, one ship. The starboard engine has gone. I, the port engine, must chug along somehow till we make harbour. Or rather, till the journey ends."

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jillyrose's review

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dark hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

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fionac326's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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