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April 11
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Stephen
gave
 
to:
The Great Divorce (Paperback)
by C.S. Lewis
bookshelves:
spirituality
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my rating:
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read in March, 2008
Stephen said:
"The Great Divorce is a short science fiction novel by C.S. Lewis. It is difficult to divine the story in the first few chapters, but not long thereafter one figures out that a collection of souls has taken a bus from hell for a tour of heaven....more
The Great Divorce is a short science fiction novel by C.S. Lewis. It is difficult to divine the story in the first few chapters, but not long thereafter one figures out that a collection of souls has taken a bus from hell for a tour of heaven. Some ambiguity is left as to what hell actually is, and this is the intent of the author. Hell is a place after death, and it can also exist before death. Lewis intended to imply the parallel as well, that Heaven, too, can exist before death, but he does not succeed in developing this idea.
Most of the chapters deal in a variety of reasons why the souls in hell prefer not to live out their days in heaven. It is an examination of spiritual illnesses, a kind of 20th century update of Dante's Inferno. (Lewis makes no mention of the role of keeping vs. breaking of the ten commandments as a cause of existence in heaven rather than hell, a rather serious omission for a profound spiritual writer.) There is some very interesting insight here, but I found Lewis's The Screwtape Letters to be much more insightful, to the point of being spiritually disturbing. The Great Divorce comes across more as Lewis complaining about some annoying people that he knows.
While I was able to finish The Great Divorce quickly, I had to put down The Screwtape Letters unfinished. The latter was just too chilling. And that much better. ...less
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Stephen
is currently reading:
God Is Love (Deus Caritas Est) (Benedict XVI)
by Pope Benedict-XVI
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
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Stephen
gave
to:
Two Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea (Modern Library Classics)
by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
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my rating:
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read in February, 2008
Stephen said:
"California before the Gold Rush. Life at sea during the great age of sail. An autobiographical coming of age story for the son of a Cambridge, Massachusetts, aristocracy. (His grandfather Francis Dana was a secretary to John Adams, signer of the Arti...more
California before the Gold Rush. Life at sea during the great age of sail. An autobiographical coming of age story for the son of a Cambridge, Massachusetts, aristocracy. (His grandfather Francis Dana was a secretary to John Adams, signer of the Articles of the Confederation, third chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court, etc. A few streets in Cambridge are named for family members.) Richard Henry Dana, Jr.'s intent was to bring some dignity to the person of the sailorman in his contemporary society. He may not have succeeded in that regard, but we are left instead with a remarkable view into a vanished way of life, the merchant sailor's life.
Oh yes. Dana Point in Southern California, between Orange and San Diego counties, is named for the author, and a local tourist site has built a full scale replica of the ship Pilgrim he describes in this good book.
Highly recommended for the reader interested in biographical historical nonfiction, the life of the sailor, and/or early California. Probably a little too specialized for the general reader. ...less
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Stephen
gave
to:
Quo Vadis (Paperback)
by Henryk Sienkiewicz
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my rating:
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read in December, 2007
Stephen said:
"Great book for a retreat! Spiritually invigorating, makes one excited about the Catholic faith. It is fiction with references to standard Catholic tradition, and is set in the time of the Christian persecutions in Rome during the reign of Nero. The f...more
Great book for a retreat! Spiritually invigorating, makes one excited about the Catholic faith. It is fiction with references to standard Catholic tradition, and is set in the time of the Christian persecutions in Rome during the reign of Nero. The focus of the novel is a love story between a Roman centurion and a beautiful Christian princess-in-exile. The story's central conflict takes place in the person of the centurion's friend, who also happens to be a cultural lackey in the court of Nero. And there is great action provided by the princesses personal bodyguard, who probably would have been competitive in the WWF.
Sienkiewicz's view of Christianity is strikingly progressive for his time. While he makes a remarkably strong effort to unite sexual desire into conversion and Christian love, there remain strong hints of 19th century romanticism.
In the end we find out that Sienkiewicz's ultimate goal is not necessarily spiritual but historical. The climax of the book has St Peter making eye contact with Nero, the great transition in history marking the passing of the old worldly order to a new other-worldly order. Yes, Saints Peter and Paul do make several cameos in this story.
I liked it very much. ...less
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