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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 Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures. Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) fue uno de los intelectuales más importantes del siglo veinte y podría decirse que fue el escritor cristiano más influyente de su tiempo. Fue profesor particular de literatura inglesa y miembro de la junta de gobierno en la Universidad Oxford hasta 1954, cuando fue nombrado profesor de literatura medieval y renacentista en la Universidad Cambridge, cargo que desempeñó hasta que se jubiló. Sus contribuciones a la crítica literaria, literatura infantil, literatura fantástica y teología popular le trajeron fama y aclamación a nivel internacional. C. S. Lewis escribió más de treinta libros, lo cual le permitió alcanzar una enorme audiencia, y sus obras aún atraen a miles de nuevos lectores cada año. Sus más distinguidas y populares obras incluyen Las Crónicas de Narnia, Los Cuatro Amores, Cartas del Diablo a Su Sobrino y Mero Cristianismo.

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    Reviews for The Great Divorce

    4.5/5

    2,442 ratings85 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be an excellent study in how our actions can have drastic results in eternity. It is a great book with wonderful narration, and many readers consider it one of their favorites. The writing and audio production are excellent, and the book offers a beautiful depiction of heaven. Some readers appreciate the symbolism and beauty in the book, while others find it to be a modern-day Dantes Inferno. Overall, readers find this book to be timeless, thought-provoking, and brilliantly original.

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 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

    • 4/5
      This book lent itself well to the audio format--the voices were all well done and engaging. I especially loved the Scottish brogue of George MacDonald, and can't quite imagine ever reading the print version without that voice in my head.

      As for the concept, another wonderfully imaginative book from C. S. Lewis. I wish I had read this when I was a teenager and had a lot of difficult questions about faith--Lewis is perennially good at tackling them. He continues to demonstrate to me that sometimes fantasy is the only good way of doing this and providing any kind of meaningful, if mystical, answer--which is sometimes the realization that we may never know the answer while we're here on Earth. The ending was a little cliche, but it somehow fit this book well and remained satisfying. All in all, it didn't *totally* blow me away, but it was excellent.
    • 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
      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
      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
      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.
    • 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!
    • 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
      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!