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  • Surprised by Joy

  • The Shape of My Early Life
  • Written by: C. S. Lewis
  • Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
  • Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (53 ratings)

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Surprised by Joy cover art

Surprised by Joy

Written by: C. S. Lewis
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
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Publisher's Summary

In the closest thing we have to an autobiography, C. S. Lewis, an unfailingly honest and perceptive observer of self, here shares the story of his personal spiritual journey. With characteristic candor and insight, he describes how his “search for joy” led him from the conventional Christianity of his childhood to a youthful atheism, and finally back to an assured Christianity compatible with his formidable intellect. With no pretense, Lewis describes his early schooldays, his experiences in the trenches during World War I, and his undergraduate life at Oxford, where he reasoned his way to God. Lewis’ “surprise” holds continuing interest not only for admirers of his work but for any modern seeker concerned with the compatibility of the rational and the spiritual.

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

What listeners say about Surprised by Joy

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Spending time with the man

I listened to this for the 1st time to understand where Lewis came from, what inspired him, what made him the author that I loved & what I could use to become a better writer & a better man.
I listened to it a second time to hear again the world that was the 1st half of the last century, but mostly I found I just enjoyed spending time with him in these memories & thoughts. I haven’t read a 1/4 of the books he likes to reference that impacted him, but I still get something out his thoughts on them.
I get a lot out of this book. Lewis became my hero, but this book helps humanize him. A hero because he can put into words a conversion experience that is so thoughtful & grounded, & human because he, though this kind of scholarly life could easily sound snobbish, is a person I can easily understand; like a friend who is very different & lives in a very different world, & yet I hear him for who he is.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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What on earth is this book about?

I struggled through this like no other book. I wanted to get a glimpse of what formed the man CS Lewis but was left incredibly disappointed. Please take the time to listen to the sample and go with your gut.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent book with a good narrator

The narrator really brought to life Lewis' writing with a certain English matter-of-fact-ness I tend to enjoy.

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Great narration, but that's all

long-winded and verbose, I struggled to get past the first chapter but managed to finish it. didn't seem so much autobiographical, but a random jumbled collection of words with no aim or purpose

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