In this article we will review The Great Divorce by Clive Lewis.
Book Plot
“The Great Divorce” is a novel by C.S. Lewis and is an allegorical tale about heaven and hell. The story follows an unnamed narrator who finds himself in a grim and joyless city, the “grey town”, which is either Hell or Purgatory depending on whether or not one stays there. He boards a bus that takes him up into the clouds and to a beautiful land. The surroundings make him uncomfortable and his guide, George McDonald, helps him understand the events that transpire by offering advice and insight. The narrator talks with some of the other people on the bus, some of whom remember dying in various ways. One man, Ikey, tells the narrator that the grey town is always getting bigger as more and more people enter it. Some of these people get closer to the bus stop, so that one day they can drive away. Others drift farther from the bus stop—indeed, some people in grey town must be millions of miles from the bus stop by now. The bus lands on a huge cliff, and the narrator and the other passengers get out. They find that they’ve landed by a beautiful river, surrounded by grass and trees. However, the narrator quickly discovers that everything in this place is motionless—even the blades of grass are rigid and hard. This makes walking around very painful. The narrator also realizes that he no longer has a solid body—he and his peers are ghosts. The narrator slowly realizes that he’s in the afterlife. As he realizes this, he sees a group of Spirits approaching the ghosts. The Spirits are bright and have solid bodies—they’ve come to try to convince the ghosts to come with them toward the beautiful, majestic mountains in the distance. But most of the ghosts refuse to do so. The novel explores themes of good and evil, the nature of humanity, and the relationship between God and the universe.
The Great Divorce Rating : 4,3
Also book has 160 pages
The Great Divorce Review
One of my favorite works by C. S. Lewis is this book which offers wonderful insight into the relationship between God and man. I am a Christian and happy to discuss this book with those interested, but I won’t force my thoughts on anyone. The book is very readable and can be enjoyed as a novel, even though the Christian themes are evident. Non-Christians may also find value in the story without feeling pressured to adopt any beliefs. The title of the book is a response to Blake’s work, “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,” providing a contrasting viewpoint. Despite being a Christian book, non-Christians may still benefit from the wisdom and enlightenment it offers. Overall, I highly recommend this book for its thought-provoking and uplifting content.
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