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Title: A Severe Mercy
ISBN: 0340240806
Author:
Sheldon Vanauken
Publicate Date: 1979
Publish: 1979
List Price: Not Available
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest Used Price: $4.16
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Emotional & Compelling
'Emotional' is the one word I would use to describe this book. For the romantic, you will thoroughly enjoy it in it's entirety. If you aren't, you will find the first third to be a detailed description of a couple who's love does not permit them to function unless they are locked onto each other.
The remainder of the book was intriguing. The author's thought process through his journey to embracing the Christian faith was compelling. The integration of CS Lewis's letters validated the author's sincerity in his struggle between Christianity & Deism. The bereavement process & all that leads up to the death of a spouse felt all to real.
Themes of jealousy, love, & sacrifice are clearly presented and stimulate the reader (regardless of religious beliefs) to consider their own interpretation of said themes.
The discussion of time and its relationship to eternity was quite thought provoking. The author builds an impressive case for the human's natural desire for eternity. I heartily agree with the author's statement, "How strange that we cannot love time. It spoils our loveliest moments."
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2: A Theology of Joy
Not only is this a beautiful story, but it is a rich and profound study in the theology of joy, on par with C.S. Lewis' 'Surprised by Joy'. Really, the book is a fleshing out of Lewis' theology of joy through the life and mind of Vanauken. It is so moving and so well done that I snatch up used copies whenever I see them to give away as gifts. If you enjoyed this book see also Peter Kreeft, 'Heaven: The Heart's Deepest Longing'; Humphrey Carpenter, 'The Inklings'; G.K. Chesterton, 'The Everlasting Man'; and, of course C.S. Lewis, 'Surprised by Joy'.
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3: past legitimate doubt to serious faith
(I gave away this latest copy I bought, but did read it a few years ago.)
Great reading material for any couple starting to develop and defend their own shining barrier around their love as well as for anyone with a serious contemplation about what faith in God really means.
Makes a great gift or discussion topic.
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4: My Favorite Book
A Sever Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken is perhaps my favorite book. It is a autobiography of the author's life, focusing especially on his relationship with his wife, Davy, and how it evolved throughout their conversion to Christianity. An English professor and poet, Vanauken is a terrific writer who will have you alternately laughing and crying. The story is beautiful, and the message is timeless. It is definitely worth buying and reading. Note: this is a Christian book, from a Christian point fo view, so don't buy it expecting just a romance story. It is theologically deep, and quite moving. It will give you a new frame of thinking about one's relationship to both Christ and one's spouse.
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5: No other word but beautiful.
I have to be honest, I'm kind of a book snob. I buy a lot of books, read a lot of books, and dislike a lot of books. Rarely does a book catch my heart and my mind as quickly and as totally as this did. Many times when my husband and I were dating and even in our earliest days and weeks of marriage we talked about protecting our little delicate love and we set up ground rules in order to help our love endure. This book puts into words what we felt as we were trying to set our "no plan B" marriage into motion. This love story is love found on many levels and I plan on picking it up again and again in years to come...
If you want a honest and beautiful and well-written story of love and marriage, buy this book today.
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