A Grief Observed Audiobook By C. S. Lewis cover art

A Grief Observed

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

A Grief Observed

By: C. S. Lewis
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $8.56

Buy for $8.56

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Written after his wife's tragic death as a way of surviving the "mad midnight moments", A Grief Observed is C.S. Lewis's honest reflection on the fundamental issues of life, death, and faith in the midst of loss. This work contains his concise, genuine reflections on that period: "Nothing will shake a man, or at any rate a man like me, out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover it himself."

This is a beautiful and unflinchingly honest record of how even a stalwart believer can lose all sense of meaning in the universe, and how he can gradually regain his bearings.

©1961 C.S. Lewis Pte., Ltd. (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks
Christian Literature & Art Christian Living Christianity Death & Grief Family Grief & Loss Personal Development Relationships Religious Studies Sociology Spirituality Inspiring Heartfelt Grief Thought-Provoking
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup

Critic reviews

"A very personal, anguished, luminous little book about the meaning of death, marriage, and religion." (Publishers Weekly)

Featured Article: Comforting Audiobooks About Grief and Loss That Actually Help


When it comes to the death of a loved one, there is no easy path forward. Grieving can place significant mental strain on those who are mourning. And because everyone grieves a little differently, it can be hard to know where to turn for help, or what to say to someone who is in the throes of grief. Audiobooks on grief can offer insight to those looking for ways to support the mourning, or a bit of comfort for anyone struggling with loss themselves.

Raw Emotional Honesty • Profound Theological Insights • Soothing Voice • Eloquent Grief Description • Excellent Narration
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
Lewis captures what it is like to lose someone that you passionately love. This is not a theoretical book but a description of very personal feelings.

Lewis was familiar with grief

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear…” Have you lost someone you love recently? Have you struggled to process the feelings and thoughts that come with loss? Me too. Lewis too. This short book records his thoughts and railings during his grief caused by the death of his wife. As a parent, some of the most comforting moments I have had are to see other parents struggling like I do and in that moment to realize that I am not alone. As a griever, it is powerful to know that you are not alone in those feelings. Lewis journals his thoughts, and feelings as he works through the healing process. In the end, only time has the power to start to heal the hurt.

I recommend this to the grievers, and those supporting them.
(Rated G, Score 7/10)

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Where does A Grief Observed rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favorite books in CS Lewis's many publications (well above the Chronicles of Narnia) and for that reason a "must have" for a fan's audiobook library.

What did you like best about this story?

A Grief Observed is the book I assign to students to contrast the persona CS Lewis puts forth in his other books (a witty but erudite, at times elitist, academic). Suddenly the effects of fame and polish of education fall away from Lewis, leaving behind a nonetheless brilliant, sensitive, and humble man his intimates knew as "Jack."

Which scene was your favorite?

For students of gender, the passage where Lewis considers how his wife was for him not only in diverse ways, a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a wife but also a host of other masculine identities shows a clear break from a more authoritarian and demarcated binary for gender that Lewis establishes in some of his other works.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The whole book will at once inspire and break readers down as they spend time with a sincere, uncertain, and grieving man.

"Jack" takes the stage as CS Lewis falls to pieces

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

As one who have grappled with loss of my children, this book so eloquently expresses much of my own thinking and questioning. The narrator was excellent and it was so easy to listen and relate. A must read for all.

Excellent... a must listen for everyone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

An vulnerable yet very articulate reflection on romantic love, death, the nature of God and, of course, grief.

Very thoughtful, very articulate, very real..

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I read this book when my husband died. It comforted me then. I wanted to hear it. I enjoyed listening to it. It brought back memories.

A Grief Observed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Lewis finds the words nobody else can. his descriptions of the feelings associated with grief accurately portray what it means to lose someone you love. there are things he's able to put to paper that I never thought would be explained

emotionally challenging yet essential read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

My husband passed away 14 months ago from yesterday with Cancer. I just finished my second reading of this book. It helped my feelings by identifying some of my feelings as the same Lewis was experiencing at the loss of his wife. He was a very smart man. I will read again in a few months.

Real stuff for the hurting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is a wonderful raw set of letters or journal entries from a mourning man.

Wonderful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

... and when there are no words, c.s.lewis lays a foundation for comfort - courage

, and when there are..no words

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews