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    The Great Divorce
    The Great Divorce
    The Great Divorce
    Audiobook3 hours

    The Great Divorce

    Written by C. S. Lewis

    Narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The Timeless Novel About a Bus Ride from Hell to Heaven

    In The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis again employs his formidable talent for fable and allegory. The writer finds himself in Hell boarding a bus bound for Heaven. The amazing opportunity is that anyone who wants to stay in Heaven, can. This is a starting point for an extraordinary meditation upon good and evil, grace and judgment. Lewis’s revolutionary idea is the discovery that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis’s The Great Divorce will change the way we think about good and evil. 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateMay 13, 2014
    ISBN9780062342751
    Author

    C. S. Lewis

    Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a fellow and tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement.

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    Reviews for The Great Divorce

    4.5/5

    2,357 ratings84 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A fable about what it means to get to heaven. Done very well with the imagery of a "solid" heaven. Lewis did a good job of describing Hell not as a demon-filled inferno; rather as a dreary town where no one gets along and no one is happy. Kind of reminded me of the novel "Hell". Especially meaningful were the scenes where the phantoms would not shed their earthly vanities for the chance of heaven. I also liked Lewis' interaction with George MacDonald - his self-proclaimed inspiration. Jack never disappoints.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Good book, great teaching nestled in an easy to read/listen to format.
    • 3/5
      Lewis sure loves a good allegory! For a less developed but more engaging read with a similar theme, try The Celestial Omnibus by E.M. Forster.
    • 5/5
      What a story! At first I couldn’t abide the incorrect theology, but I decided to continue listening. And as always, Lewis created a awesome story!
    • 5/5
      Great book. I plan to listen to it again. I also want to pass it to my friends.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful book, wonderfully narrated. One of my favorites!

      Error 2 more words needed before review can be posted
    • 5/5
      I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! It is a very unique way to look at heaven and hell. It is probably closer to the truth than what most people think. I’m gonna be thinking about it for days like C. S. Lewis’s other books.
    • 5/5
      Classic story! Well-read, good sound. Will listen again. Thank you.
    • 5/5
      Lewis has a way with words! I understood this book better and enjoyed it more once I learned about him. It helps put the book in context. I most appreciate his works as audiobooks otherwise they are a bit deep.
    • 5/5
      By far this has easily become my new favorite of CS Lewis’ books! Even listening to the audiobook (which is not my usual preference) I was captivated by the details of both the “lighter” elements of the story as well as the “darker” ones. He has such a brilliantly beautiful way of taking the intangible aspects of Christian theology and making them tangible; breathing life into the unknown. Incredible and thought provoking depiction of the wages of sin and how “love” along with “doing good” are so greatly perverted & misunderstood. Loved loved loved it!
    • 5/5
      Beauty that sneaks up on you. I learned much
    • 5/5
      Lewis’s contrast of the different conditions of sinful man/women with the perfection of Gods mercy and grace is brilliant. I will definitely have to listen to this book again.
    • 5/5
      Story is very good—gives theological truths and touches the imagination. And it was very well read!
    • 5/5
      Lewis has an uncanny discernment of human nature and an eye for intent. I think this book is at once funny (darkly), sad, and horrific. The reckoning of souls and the unwillingness of humanity to choose wisely brings to life the realities of eternity and calls us to self-examination.
    • 5/5
      Incredible book!! Narrator was perfect! Accents were well done! Beautiful imagery
    • 4/5
      My absolute favorite part is the moment when Sarah Smith of Gulder's Green appears. Lewis makes Beatrice human, and thus more gloriously holy than ever she appeared in the Earthly Paradise.
    • 3/5
      While not a doctrinal treatise on heaven and salvation, Lewis writes allegorically about a dream of bus trip through heaven and hell. What I appreciated about this work of fantasy was that often it is impossible to lay out difficult realities in non-fictive prose. Some subjects require imaginative scenarios and fantastic use of language to express what otherwise would be inexpressible. My favourite quotation from Lewis in this book (comes from the introduction) is: “If we insist on keeping hell (or even earth) we shall not see heaven: if we accept heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of hell.” In other words, we can’t take anything from earth with us to heaven – whether it be earthly treasures that can be destroyed, or even our sins.
    • 5/5
      Wow! That was great! I had a hard time understanding it until the end, then it clicked and everything made sense! Definitely recommend it!
    • 5/5
      An allegory vnot only of heaven and hell, but recovery.
    • 5/5
      Such a good commentary on how people can be damned on Earth.
    • 5/5
      Great production of an even greater book. Effectively expresses the heart of the truths that are taught in the allegory.
    • 4/5
      A modern day Dante’s Inferno. CSL has a way with words and descriptions that pull you into his world. Minus one star for no reason except it wasn’t his best work.
    • 5/5
      Lewis' depiction of heaven and hell represent spiritual stages within a person's life. Written as an antithesis to Blake's "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," Lewis argues that good and evil must be separated. Reality dictates this separation. All are not bound for heaven mainly because many have rejected good. Although physically depicted in the book, truth and goodness are often painful. "The Great Divorce" isn't Lewis' understanding of the literal heaven and hell; rather, it is presented as a dream.
    • 5/5
      Timeless, intelligent, incredibly thought provoking and brilliantly original. Masterful narration as well.
    • 5/5
      There is so much symbolism and beauty in this book. It is incredible that C.S. Lewis was given such intelligence.
    • 4/5
      Very interesting book. It is a quick read. The author is having a vision/dream about purgatory? hell and heaven. The way he describes the detail I can believe he really did have this dream. Fascinating. I'm sure I will have to read it again to fully understand it.
    • 5/5
      What a great book! The conversations observed in the book or so real and so true.
    • 5/5
      Excellent writing and great audio production, Great direction, and text presentation.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite books about God, heaven and hell. Wicked smart book!
    • 5/5
      Most likely the Christian truth of the afterlife than the intolerable, vindictive, retributive damnation delusion that has been going around for the single purpose of dominance and mind-control.