Severe Mercy, A

Severe Mercy, A
by Sheldon Vanauken

Severe Mercy, A
List Price: $13.95
Our Price: $7.57
You Save: $6.38 (46%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.62 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Sheldon Vanauken
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1987-07-29
ISBN: 0060688246
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: HarperOne
Accessories:

Book Reviews of Severe Mercy, A

Book Review: A Theology of Joy
Summary: 5 Stars

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'.

Summary of Severe Mercy, A

Beloved, profoundly moving account of the author's marriage, the couple's search for faith and friendship with C. S. Lewis, and a spiritual strength that sustained Vanauken after his wife's untimely death.
A Severe Mercy, by Sheldon Vanauken, is a heart-rending love story described by its author as "the spiritual autobiography of a love rather than of the lovers." Vanauken chronicles the birth of a powerful pagan love borne out of the relationship he shares with his wife, Davy, and describes the growth of their relationship and the dreams that they share. As a symbol of their love, they name their dream schooner the Grey Goose, "for the grey goose, if its mate is killed flies on alone and never takes another."

While studying at Oxford, Sheldon and Davy develop a friendship with C.S. Lewis, under whose influence and with much intellectual scrutiny they accept the Christian doctrine. As their devotion to God intensifies, Sheldon realizes that he is no longer Davy's primary love--God is. Within this discovery begins a brewing jealousy.

Shortly after, Davy acquires a fatal illness. After her death Sheldon embarks on an intense experience of grief, "to find the meaning of it, taste the whole of it ... to learn from sorrow whatever it had to teach." Through painstaking reveries, he comes to discover the meaning of "a mercy as severe as death, a severity as merciful as love." He learns that her death "had these results: It brought me as nothing else could do to know and end my jealously of God. It saved her faith from assault. ...And it saved our love from perishing."

Replete with 18 letters from C.S. Lewis, A Severe Mercy addresses some of the universal questions that surround faith--the existence of God and the reasons behind tragedy. --Jacque Holthusen

Religious Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Christian Books About Lasting and Fulfilling Marriage
A Grief Observed ImageA Grief Observed
by C. S. Lewis
HarperOne; Published: 2001-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.79
Price in other shops: $11.95
Severe Mercy, A ImageSevere Mercy, A
by Sheldon Vanauken
HarperOne; Published: 1987-07-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.89
Price in other shops: $13.95
Not All Roads Lead Home, 2nd Edition: The Story of Renewed Love ImageNot All Roads Lead Home, 2nd Edition: The Story of Renewed Love
by Jane Bullard
Opine Publishing; Published: 2004-11-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.65
Price in other shops: $13.99
Similar Books and other products
Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality ImageSex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality
by Rob Bell
Zondervan; Published: 2008-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.08
Price in other shops: $14.99
That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy, Book 3) ImageThat Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy, Book 3)
by C.S. Lewis
Scribner; Published: 2003-05-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.76
Under the Mercy ImageUnder the Mercy
by Sheldon Vanauken
Ignatius Press; Published: 1988-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $64.95
The Four Loves ImageThe Four Loves
by C.S. Lewis
Harvest Books; Published: 1971-09-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops: $13.00
Orthodoxy ImageOrthodoxy
by G. K. Chesterton
Wilder Publications; Published: 2008-01-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.17
Price in other shops: $8.99
Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life ImageSurprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life
by C.S. Lewis
Harvest Books; Published: 1966-03-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.90
Price in other shops: $13.00
The Great Divorce ImageThe Great Divorce
by C. S. Lewis
HarperOne; Published: 2001-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops: $12.95
The Weight of Glory ImageThe Weight of Glory
by C. S. Lewis
HarperOne; Published: 2001-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.50
Price in other shops: $11.95
A Grief Observed ImageA Grief Observed
by C. S. Lewis
HarperOne; Published: 2001-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.75
Price in other shops: $11.95
Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold ImageTill We Have Faces: A Myth Retold
by C.S. Lewis
Harcourt Brace & Company; Published: 1980-07-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.30
Price in other shops: $14.00
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories