Shadowlands

This is a great play, but an earlier review incorrectly identifes Lewis as the author of the "Alice In Wonderland" stories, when he wrote the Narnia Chronicles.

When I first read this book and my husband and I first watched the film together, he was well, and we were very happy. It was a second marriage for both of us, and we planned on making up for time lost in, unsuccessful, unhappy marriages for both of us, with another twenty or so years of happiness together. He has since passed away after we fought his Cancer together for almost two years. Obviously, the story of Shadowlands has taken on new meaning for me. I have, since his death, read "Grief Observed" by C. S. Lewis, and I would recommend that anyone reading "Shadowlands", also read this essay. It isn't very long, and it helps incredibly to bring some meaning to these tragedies of life.

Shadowlands is my all-time favorite play to read on a rainy day, on a lazy Sunday, and even on a rainy, lazy Sunday! The story of the famous Christian writer, C.S. Lewis, moves the reader to tears, laughter, and reminds us that life is a precious gift. Lewis marries a divorced woman named Joy, which creates a conflict with his solid religious beliefs. Joy's severe case of bone cancer causes Lewis to question the God in whom he has so firmly belived, despite his famous speeches written about the purpose of pain and suffering. As Lewis is forced to grow up through experience, one can share his emotions and close the book with renewed faith and hope for our own lives. Nicholson writes eloquently, bringing to life Lewis' speeches on pain and suffering within the play. The play is based on the actual lives of Lewis and Joy.

A perfect play! Something that one could really relate to. Love & pain and the connection between them...you can't get one without the other! Also, great ideas on God's infliction of suffering, something very believable for me. "We're like blocks of stone, out of which the sculptor carves the forms of men. The blows of his chisel, which hurt us so much, are what makes us perfect. The suffering in the world is not the failure of God's love for us; it is that love in action." How true!