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Title: Surprised by Joy

Subtitle: The Shape of My Early Life

Author: C.S. Lewis

Narrator: Ralph Cosham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-13-05

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 799 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

In this book, C.S. Lewis tells of his search for joy, a spiritual journey that led him from the Christianity of his early youth into atheism and then back to Christianity.

©1955 C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd.; (P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks

Members Reviews:

Not what I expected

3 stars as autobiography; 5 stars as beautifully written book about a spiritual journey, excellently narrated

If you want to read about CS Lewis, better try Alan Jacobs' The Narnian or other bio.

If you want to read CS Lewis the Christian apologist describe selected aspects of his boyhood and adolescence up to his early adulthood conversion (in beautiful and often humorous prose), download this. I think even those who take no interest in Lewis but who are interested in social history of the first half of 19th century Britian would find this a valuable listen.

If you are unfamiliar with the British school system or don't have a nodding acquaintance with schools of philosophy and major Brit Lit figures of the early 19th century, reading a bio such as Jacobs' first will make this a much more rewarding listen.

I wish that Lewis had lived to write a more complete autobiography. He selected "selectively" experiences that drew him toward the source of joy. His silence on others leaves the listener longing for a more complete travelogue of his journey.

Satisfied by Joy!

If you want to know about the man - C.S. Lewis - this is the book you want. His reluctant journey to faith is fascinating. The narrator, Geoffrey Howard, is perhaps the best I've ever heard. If the institutional church makes your skin crawl, but the idea of knowing God is more palatable, then you'll find a friend in Lewis.

Lewis is always great!

C. S. Lewis is one of the most thought-provoking writers in recent years. In this book, he tells about his early life and how it shaped his intellectual and spiritual later life. This was the one book of his I had not read, and am grateful to have heard it. It is not an easy listen...you have to pay attention. I went back and listened to some parts again, or grabbed my print copy and re-read for myself. That said, however, it has added to my appreciation of Lewis's writings to know where he came from. Well worth the listen!

Deep, but longer than necesssary

Would you consider the audio edition of Surprised by Joy to be better than the print version?

Yes. I never would have made it through the print version. The narrator made it somewhat easier to get through the first ten chapters to the meaty part of the book.

What did you like best about this story?

Chapter 11. That chapter was what I was looking for - encouragement and a real discussion of God's role in joy as well as the difference between true joy and anything else.

What about Ralph Coshams performance did you like?

He read with a beautiful and natural cadence. I have liked other narrators better, but he did justice to the book.

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

C.S.