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| A Severe Mercy | 
 enlarge | List Price: $13.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 77 reviews)
Sales Rank: 11422
Category: Book
Author: Sheldon Vanauken
Publisher: HarperOne
Studio: HarperOne
Manufacturer: HarperOne
Label: HarperOne
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.7
ISBN: 0060688246
Dewey Decimal Number: 283.092
EAN: 9780060688240
ASIN: 0060688246
Publication Date: July 29, 1987
Release Date: July 1, 1987
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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.
Amazon.com Review
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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 72 more reviews...
 Emotional & Compelling December 4, 2008
'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."
 A Theology of Joy July 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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'.
past legitimate doubt to serious faith July 18, 2008
(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.
My Favorite Book June 18, 2008
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.
No other word but beautiful. May 13, 2008
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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