The Abolition of Man & The Great Divorce

By: C. S. Lewis

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Here are two classics of moral philosophy from one of the most revered Christian voices of our time.

In The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis reflects on society and nature and the challenges of how best to educate our children. He describes what public education should be and how far from this standard modern education has fallen. Lewis eloquently argues that, as a society, we need to underpin reading and writing lessons with moral education.

In The Great Divorce, Lewis presents his vision of the afterworld. A fictional narrator boards a bus on a drizzly English afternoon and embarks on an incredible voyage through Heaven and Hell, where he meets a host of supernatural beings and comes to some significant realizations about the nature of good and evil.

©1945 C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. (P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"These two short works by Lewis are a fine introduction to his eloquent writing, as well as his thought....Robert Whitfield's disciplined and well-modulated voice has an appealingly confident quality." (AudioFile)

Another excellent classic of Lewis, by Simon Vance

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it is a wonderful listen. I was happy to find the two books in one.

What did you like best about this story?

Well, there are two stories, and I loved all of both.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, excellent as usual. I have many novels performed by Vance.

Any additional comments?

Great buy.

The great CS Lewis and his Great God

What made the experience of listening to The Abolition of Man & The Great Divorce the most enjoyable?

Robert Whitfield, in my opinion, understands the voice of CS Lewis. He speaks as if CS Lewis were telling the story himself. I find Robert to be one of the better readers I have heard.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The content of the story line is compelling by itself. Adding the overwhelmingly good content to the voice of Robert Whitfield made it fantastic.

Which character – as performed by Robert Whitfield – was your favorite?

I can't really say that I preferred any character over the other. His ability to switch voices and create a new dynamic for each character was outstanding but what made his performance really compelling was that Robert transitioned without it being awkward, distracting or just over the top..

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

This is of course a compilation of two works so one tag line would be tough. The essence however is a metaphorical example of God's relationship with man and man's stubbornness in accepting the love of a perfect and holy God.

Any additional comments?

CS Lewis has an understanding of God and an ability to share God's greatness that few can match and any with understanding would envy. He is a true genius and to read his various works from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to Mere Christianity is to not only have a greater understanding of the world in which we live but a greater and more significant understanding of the perfect love of a perfect Creator.

Haunting and challenging

This book goes between logic and prophecy, science and magic with ease. I can’t say that I ‘liked’ it, because it’s realities are terrifying. But I do find it a compelling argument and a very worthwhile read.

Great Divorce

I love the analogy The Great Divorce offers. Humans choose to stay in hell. It is locked from the inside. This book conjures a great illustration of heaven and hell

Prophetic

Prophetic of the decay produced by the irrationality moral subjectivism.
For example, he curse of modern eugenics being used by the same people who once condemned the Nazis.

Great read!

I love how this set of books challenges norms that have been in place for a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed thinking about the after life in a different way. Very interesting read.

A True Critique of the Modern Era

Lewis was masterful at presenting ideas, but the presentations in this book are some of his best, in my view.

The Great Divorce is his version of the Divine Comedy. The true insignificant petulance of sin is a focal point of the imagery used, and fully brings out the emotionalism that has beast our zeitgeist in the West.

The Abolition of Man pulls at the root of this, and demonstrates the hyper-rationalism of our time has ironically induced a form of hysteria on its practitioners, and infected others by proximity and saturation. Once one sees this, it's hard to turn away, and even harder to succumb to the aforementioned zeitgeist.

Lewis, as always, is extremely edifying.

Very enlightening.

I admit, I had to listen to this twice and when I had less interruptions to get the full understanding of these 2 books. Once I did, I found I really liked them. I recommend everyone try to read is much of C. S. Lewis. He has amazing insight and wisdom.

Insightful thinking from a wise author with terrifying relevance

While difficult to understand at first, this book is worth every second of your time. I’ve listened to it at least half a dozen times now and it has cemented my conviction that the message contained therein must be communicated gently, articulately, and with urgency to our current generation. C.S. Lewis was a prophet of his age and even his more obscure writings are of immeasurable value in our present day.
The vocal narration of this audiobook was compelling and did right by the content of the book. I would highly recommend listening.

Prophetic Witness

Lewis’s perception and unabashed engagement with the impending dangers are unequaled except by those like Tim Keller who learned at his feet.