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)

The narrator gives each character their own voice

The Great Divorce was an amazing #audiblebook. The narrator Simon Vance did a fantastic job bringing to life both heaven and hell. Every character you meet along the way had their own unique voice, personality and charm just like CS Lewis must have imagined when he wrote the book. As for the content it's one of my favorite CS Lewis writings. A little bit of science fiction and a whole lot of great theology. As for the Abolition of Man the content didn't interest me and it was too heady for my taste. But the audiobook is well worth it to hear Simon Vance narrate the Great Divorce.

Death to Ego, Path to Freedom

Would you listen to The Abolition of Man & The Great Divorce again? Why?

Both titles in this CS Lewis collection were incredibly helpful, for me and my wife. As usual, I had to listen more than once in order to

What did you like best about this story?

Totally innovative way to think about heaven (Great Divorce) and the human condition - or human

Did Robert Whitfield do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Good narration, I have no idea how he does it but I had a clear image of each character...

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

made me think. biggest reaction: So much new truth, I wonder what else I've missed in my life. Gratitude...

Any additional comments?

Audible, I like you. I love being able to bookmark sections with notes and come back later to review. CS Lewis requires lots of thinking for me and there's no way to listen once and

Another great piece of literature by C.S. Lewis

loved it!!!! It is right up there with his book The Screwtape Letters, brilliant and entertaining.

Deep theological matters read well

Both the allegory The Great Divorce and the philosophical work The Abolition of Man are very deep and much needed for our time. It is definitely written at a level above our current educational system. The only problem was not being able to take notes when listening while driving.

I love the combo of Lewis and Vance

Something is magical about hearing this story read by Simon Vance. I liked it when I read it before, but now I love it!

Review for The Great Divorce (Book Club selection)

What did you like best about The Abolition of Man & The Great Divorce? What did you like least?

Our minister chose The Great Divorce for our church women's book club. Thank God, I listened to it. Frankly, I don't think I would have made it through without Robert Whitfield's narration. I admit, I find it difficult to read a book where the sentence structure requires taking a breath before finishing a single written sentence. Such is the writing of CS Lewis. Of course, I have to say it was a very good book - it is CS Lewis, after all. Lots of substance and 'stuff' to think about. Dated perhaps, still, there is a lot of our current age to be seen in the characters portrayed. All in all I liked it. And, I was glad it short. For the book club discussion, I listened to it three times. I guarantee I wouldn't have read it three times if it had not been on our reading list.

Would you be willing to try another book from C.S. Lewis? Why or why not?

Maybe.

What about Robert Whitfield’s performance did you like?

Robert Whitfield's narration made the prose flow beautifully. I 'got' it. The symbolism was easier to understand when spoken and emoted.

Was The Abolition of Man & The Great Divorce worth the listening time?

Yes

Classic Lewis

Two of his best works. I can read or listen to the great divorce over and over.

A great Listen. BOTH !!

You will be so entertained by the many voices of the narrator for The Great Divorce. The lectures in Abolition of Man serve as warning , and very timely for the struggles of this day and age . Loved them both.

can an elementary school textbook destroy a soul?

Yes, children are in a cave, indoctrinate by ideology in schools so young that the sources are long forgotten. This may be even more so today, when we look to an elementary school textbook to teach, say, how to write well, we instead get amateur philosophy. Our children become "change agents," irreverent radicals that despise tradition to the ultimate detriment of their own happiness. How did this happen? Look closely at their elementary school textbook with Lewis as your guide. Your eyes may be opened.

A Well Written Work!

The imagery C.S. Lewis used to tackle eternity is refreshing, worth the read! Well done!