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Surprised by Joy

The Shape of My Early Life

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Surprised by Joy

By: C. S. Lewis
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
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About this listen

In the closest thing we have to an autobiography, C. S. Lewis, an unfailingly honest and perceptive observer of self, here shares the story of his personal spiritual journey. With characteristic candor and insight, he describes how his “search for joy” led him from the conventional Christianity of his childhood to a youthful atheism, and finally back to an assured Christianity compatible with his formidable intellect. With no pretense, Lewis describes his early schooldays, his experiences in the trenches during World War I, and his undergraduate life at Oxford, where he reasoned his way to God. Lewis’ “surprise” holds continuing interest not only for admirers of his work but for any modern seeker concerned with the compatibility of the rational and the spiritual.

©1955 C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. (P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks Art & Literature Authors Biographies Christianity
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To get to know someone who has faced the truth of themselves and done somthing about it.

The story of a life through articulate honest eyes

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language was colourful yet hard to track. foavorite part was the last 3 chapters capturing his muse about his conversation..

so dense itbis hard to follow

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This book was first published in the 1950s and its style has a 50s feel to it.

Solid

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To hear the people and friends he speaks of an know so many of them were important to the literary and intellectual world. This is a very honest telling of his early education and life at school. To understand the sordid though excepted nature of public schools life and know that so many men survived school as they survived war never to speak of either again. I am thankful for the work Mr Lewis has left behind and hope many will chance upon his books and the wisdom within. Why his books aren’t in every school curriculum is a travesty.

A truly interesting first act of CS Lewis

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Fantastically read. Dramatic and engaging, plus appreciated the accent. Very pleasant to listen to. thanks

Great voice

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An intellectuals life story including the evolution of his philosophical beliefs ending in Christianity.

His biography.

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Another exceptional volume given to us by CS Lewis. His understanding of the world as an atheist is fresh and honest and his transition to Theist and then Christian very much a reminder of how God is not confined by his creation or creatures but works things out according to his good, loving and eternal purposes. Well worth another look or a first look. Thanks to the narrator for his capturing of Lewis’ intentions.

Helpful, digestible and a testimony to Christ gentleness

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Through different stages of this book I could see connections not only to his spiritual journey but also to some of his other works. I could especially see references to The Pilgrims Regress, The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce. No C S Lewis collection is complete without it

A fascinating tale of how C S Lewis came to faith

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While Lewis talks about his journey from theism to atheism and back to theism, this book predominantly explores the idea that joy can serendipitously come into our lives, especially during unexpected moments. He describes how he experienced moments of intense joy throughout his life, and how those moments shaped his understanding of the world. One thing that stood out the most was his exploration of how difficult it is to express joy using language, and his use of metaphors try to capture the feeling. In the end, joy is beyond description; words can only partially capture its essence. I love that.

Recommended!

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The narrator was quite monotone. It made it hard to absorb the words. I’m not sure why this book’s rated so highly. Apart from a handful of great insight, I found it a drudge. The first part of the book has some truly disturbing content (warning: paedophilic sodomy), & it doesn’t start getting good until the last 5 chapters. If you’re looking for his conversion, it’s not until the last 2 chapters & you may be disappointed by it. The book ends abruptly. If this weren’t our book for bookclub, I wouldn’t have finished it.

Blah

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