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The Four Loves: Featuring the vintage BBC recordings of C.S. Lewis Audiobook
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(4.00) - 15,401 listener ratings
Publisher Description
A remarkable audio edition of C.S. Lewis’ beloved classic - the only existing recording of Lewis reading his own work.
C.S. Lewis - the great British writer, scholar, theologian, broadcaster, Christian apologist, and bestselling author of Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia, and many other beloved classics - explores the essence of love and how it works in our daily lives in one of his most famous works of nonfiction based on his series of radio talks from 1958.
With penetrating logic and charming wit, Lewis explores the four aspects of love: affection, the most basic form; friendship, the rarest and perhaps most insightful; Eros, passionate love; and charity, the greatest and least selfish.
Lewis exposes the pitfalls in our loves, leading us to the agape love that God has for humankind and the type of love we must develop to nurture our relationships. Throughout this compassionate and methodical study, he encourages readers to open themselves to all forms of love - the key to understanding that brings us closer to God.
Features vintage BBC narration by C.S. Lewis
New introduction and commentary by Charles Colson
Discussion questions available in the audiobook companion PDF download
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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"An insightful and entertaining book on love, even for a non-Christian reader. I love Lewis's casual tone, his humor, and his earnest request for humanity not to take itself too seriously. I also felt inspired by his conviction that though love exposes us to risk, it is worth one worth taking. My favorite quote from the book: "The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.""
— Hope (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Repeated listening will be utterly involuntary.”
— AudioFile
The Four Loves Listener Reviews
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leland collard, 2/18/2024
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" IT IS RARE TO HEAR THIS AUTHOR IN HIS OWN VOICE. THIS IS NOT THE READING OF ONE OF THE POPULAR TEXTS OF HIS BY THE SAME NAME BUT IS AN AUDIO RECORDING OF A PRESENTATION MADE FOR RADIO. IF YOU ENJOY SOME OF HIS THOUGHTS ON CHRISTIANITY THIS IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR THE MAN EXPLAIN WITH HIS VOICE. "
— MATH PLEBIAN, 11/6/2021 -
" I didn't enjoy this book as much as Lewis' others. It's not that he didn't write well, or give enough attention to the "four" loves, it's that I just didn't find it compelling. Some of his thoughts were excessive, also. It seems that every female I have asked about this book likes it. Not sure what it is, but just wasn't drawn to this book. "
— Jonathan, 2/12/2014 -
" I read this for an English class in high school and really loved it. Lewis is a skilled and intriguing author. You walk away from every book wanting a better mind instead of disappointed that you could have written parts of the book better. Love this! "
— Julie, 2/7/2014 -
" I went into the book not knowing that religion would be a foundation for the arguments made in the book. Religion aside, each chapter had quotes or paragraphs that made me think about how I viewed that type of 'love,' especially in my own life but also philosophically. "
— Karen, 2/3/2014 -
" My favorite Lewis book of all time!! "
— Lee, 2/3/2014 -
" Good insights but not a biblical study of love by any means. I need to read this one again. "
— Aaron, 1/16/2014 -
" I enjoyed this book. It is short, nonfiction and enlightening in the different ways that humans love. I have always enjoyed C.S. Lewis, but I had never read this before. He uses gardening as a metaphor for the work and discipline of love, and that is something I could relate to. "
— Susi, 1/16/2014 -
" I was really excited to read this book but found it a little hard to get through - dry, amongst Lewis' writings. However, the different kinds of love were interesting as categories. "
— Stacy, 1/13/2014 -
" Typical C.S. Lewis...must read slowly and numerous times to grasp what he is saying, but well worth the extra effort! He brings the reader into new understanding of the complex facets of love. A definite must-read for Lewis fans. "
— Peggy, 1/11/2014 -
" As gin is not only a drink in itself but also a base for many mixed drinks, so Affection, besides being a love itself, can enter into the other loves and colour them all through and become the very medium in which from day to day they operate. "
— Magda, 1/2/2014 -
" He explains in a very understanding way the four different types of love. "
— Teresa, 12/13/2013 -
" loved the book... "
— Julianna, 12/4/2013 -
" Lewis never fails to pull me in.... I fall every time when he explains the unexplainable so convincingly. "
— Bill, 11/29/2013 -
" In this book C.S.Lewis expounds on the four different loves: charity,friendship,Eros and affection.Full of great illustrations and eye opening truths to these loves we experience on a day to day basis, it is a rich read indeed. So many memorable passages in it. "
— Justin, 11/14/2013 -
" The chapter on friendship is simply awesome! "
— Sarah, 8/11/2013 -
" Read this after my Mexico Volunteer group leader explained how this book convinced him to marry his wife. Lots of good ideas and CS Lewis is rather brilliant. "
— Jill, 7/8/2013 -
" Definitely worthwhile, but I had the feeling I would have to read it two or three more times to really understand. "
— Douglas, 3/14/2013 -
" Sometimes lots of tangents, but lots of little gems of wisdom throughout the book, and for those, worth it. "
— Jane, 2/23/2013 -
" I need to reread this one because I don't remember much about it! Just that Lewis expounds upon what he sees as four Biblical distinctions of love. "
— Caitlin, 2/10/2013 -
" Expounds the depth of our multiple types of love with such depth of understanding that it becomes necessary to reread it from time to time. Only in understanding love with it's complexity can we begin to see a glimpse of God's love for us "
— Effie, 12/25/2012 -
" This took me a long time to read, even though the book itself isn't long. The ideas in it are profound. Not a book one flies through. I found myself stopping a lot to really consider what I'd read. Not an easy read, but worthwhile. "
— Paula, 9/23/2012 -
" very good book going deep into the types of love, their roots, and how they relate to us and the world around us. "
— Joe, 8/12/2012 -
" In The Four Loves Lewis is excellent, as always. Very good read. "
— Natalie, 6/16/2012 -
" One of those books that I will continually go back to. Like most of Lewis' works, every sentence and idea is so well thought-out and connected that he presents an incredibly thorough description of what love is. Definitely one of my favorites. "
— Jacob, 5/5/2012 -
" Love - what is it? read this book "
— Nancy, 12/8/2011 -
" A great relationship magnifying glass "
— Kailey, 10/18/2011 -
" This is an excellent (non-fiction) book. Lewis deals with the four different Greek words for love, and explains their deep significance in the context of (1) the Christian faith and (2) the human experience. A lot of food for thought here. "
— Phil, 9/10/2011 -
" I love the concepts. It's just heavy to read. One page takes a long time to digest "
— Katia, 6/29/2011 -
" One of his best. Read it with De Rougemont. Read it before you try to get a girlfriend. Then make your girlfriend read it. Then make your parents and her parents read it. "
— Steven, 6/10/2011 -
" Although I read this book when I was younger, there are many things in it that have stuck with me for years and continue to affect how I see things. "
— Veronica, 5/20/2011 -
" 3 and 1/2 stars. Although I didn't find this book as riveting as some of C.S. Lewis' other works, it was still fascinating. I especially enjoyed the last section on charity. "
— Kim, 5/14/2011 -
" In this book C.S.Lewis expounds on the four different loves: charity,friendship,Eros and affection.Full of great illustrations and eye opening truths to these loves we experience on a day to day basis, it is a rich read indeed. So many memorable passages in it. "
— Justin, 4/30/2011 -
" One of the best books I have ever read! "
— Joel, 4/26/2011 -
" A classic, and very thought provoking. "
— Jody, 3/21/2011 -
" I listened to the audio version of this book. The sound quality was poor, but Lewis himself is reading it. Very insightful look at ourselves and the four loves. "
— Scott, 3/3/2011 -
" As always, there were some golden tidbits in this book. But I would not rate it as highly as "Miracles" or "The Problem With Pain." "
— Jennifer, 2/22/2011
About C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. He was a fellow and tutor in English literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. His major contributions to literary criticism, children’s literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown and acclaim. Lewis wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include the Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, The Four Loves, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity.
About C. S. Lewis
Charles W. Colson (1931–2012) was a popular and widely known author, speaker, and radio commentator. A former presidential aide to Richard Nixon and founder of the international ministry Prison Fellowship, he wrote several books that have shaped Christian thinking on a variety of subjects, including Born Again, The Body, Loving God, How Now Shall We Live?, The Good Life, and The Faith.