Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold Reviews

• C.S. Lewis' best work of fiction

  
  By A3C8M96YSX1JAB on 2000-11-05
  C.S. Lewis used fiction to lay bare the soul in ways his more apologetic work could not. The cast of characters in The Great Divorce, for example, or in the "Space Trilogy" invariably remind us of people we know - and give us insights into what makes them tick. Nowhere in Lewis' works is the soul explored better than in Till We Have Faces, Lewis' masterwork of fiction and a stunning psychological and spiritual odyssey.

  TWHF retells and enriches the myth of Cupid and Psyche, although a lack of familiarity with the myth in no way diminishes from the enjoyment of the book. In Lewis' hands, the story sorts through issues of family, jealousy, gender, faith, and ultimate meaning, culminating with a frightening and yet wonderful 'face to face' scene that gives rise to, and explains, the book's title.

  Readers who are looking for the kind of in-your-face Christian symbolism that characterized the Chronicles of Narnia will be disappointed with TWHF. Although I appreciate and am nourished by Lewis' Christian parables and apologetics, the theology in TWHF is pagan, at least on its surface. Underneath the surface, however, Lewis does a masterful job of intertwining the traditional beliefs of the main characters - including a stand-in for Greek rationalism - with rumors of a much more intimate and beautiful way of knowing the gods. The climactic scene itself plays off the biblical phrase, "Now we see in a glass dimly, but then face to face" - a phrase that comes, in fact, from I Corinthians 13, the famous chapter on Love in the New Testament. So Lewis does indeed lead the reader toward the One who is love, but he uses the carrot of intrigue and spiritual longing rather than the steamroller (if you will pardon the mixed metaphor) of too-obvious symbolism.

  This is my favorite of Lewis' works of fiction and was, reportedly, Lewis' favorite as well. Few books can nourish the soul the way Till We Have Faces can. Just one caveat: you really will need to read it twice ... and you will understand why once you have read it through the first time.
  
  

• a good slap across the face

  
  By A341BG8RMH8QW on 2002-05-09
  Besides containing one of the greatest lines about being an author ever written: "I was with book, as a woman is with child", C.S. Lewis's "Till We Have Faces" also did me the service of giving me a good slap across my metaphorical face. How wrapped up we all become in our own little lives. How one-sided and self-favoring is our vision.

  Though a book about many things--holiness, love, and philosophy to name a few--"Till We Have Faces" is mainly about how our perceptions can fail us. How in the name of doing what we think is right, we can do horrible things.

  Orual, the protagonist of the story, spends an entire life learning what the apostle Paul meant when he said "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." The real twist in "Till We Have Faces" is that the reader, more likely than not, learns the same lesson (I know I did).

  C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors for many reasons. This book is definitely one of them. Lewis considered "Till We Have Faces" to be his best book. I do not know if I agree, but it is certainly a great story.

  I give "Till We Have Faces" a very high recommendation.
  
  

• Till We Have Faces is a psychological masterpiece

  
  By on 1999-11-02
  C.S. Lewis's novel Till We Have Faces is based on the classical myth of Cupid and Psyche, however Lewis chooses to tel the story through Orual, Psyche's older sister. While Lewis does retell the well-known story of Psyche and Cupid, that is only a tiny piece of the story he creates. Till We Have Faces is actually the story of Orual's struggle to find love, and to discover her own identity. The actual setting of the story is unclear-it takes place in a country north of Greece, in a time long past, but Lewis does not choose to elaborate on that. In fact throughout the entire book, he focuses very little on sensory details; it is a story of emotion and psychology rather than action and physical description. Orual writes her own story, beginning at her childhood in her father's castle. There she leads an isolated life, surrounded only by her fathers servants, advisors, and her sisters, Redival and Psyche. Redival, with her golden curls and curvy figure, is superficially pretty, but Psyche is the embodiment of perfect and natural beauty. She is not only outwardly beautiful, she is also pure, unselfish, and loving. Orual, though, is neither pretty nor beautiful. She is, as she is constantly reminded by her father (the king), indescribably ugly. Orual never feels that she is loved by anyone, that is, until Psyche enters her life. Psyche's mother dies giving birth to her, and Orual takes it upon herself to become Psyche's guardian and to raise her. Orual loves Psyche more than anything else, but her love is selfishly and fiercely possessive. Orual is tormented by the thought of having to release Psyche from her suffocating grasp, and she does everything in her power to prevent it. After being separated from Psyche, Orual gradually comes to the realization that she (Psyche) is like the goddess Ungit-greedy, jealous, blood-gorged, and ugly of soul as well as body. She also compares herself to her father, the violent, selfish, cowardly, and dishonest king. Orual recoils from this realization, and as queen, she tries to be everything that her father, and Ungit, are not. While she is described by her subjects as "the most wise, just, valiant, fortunate and merciful" of all rulers, Orual feels that her actions are only a mask of her inner ugliness. She despairs of ever overcoming her hideousness inside. She says, "I would set out boldly each morning to be just and calm and wise in all my thoughts and acts, but before they had finished dressing me I would find that I was back in some old rage, resentment, gnawing fantasy, or sullen bitterness. I could not hold out half an hour . . . I could mend my soul no more than my face." Like the veil she wears to hide her ugly face, she feels that her good actions only conceal the hideousness of her true self. C.S. Lewis felt that we, as humans, are like rough blocks of marble. He said that suffering is the tool God uses to carve away our rough edges and to refine our souls. As Orual experiences suffering, she doesn't realize it, but she is actually coming closer and closer to becoming the perfected statue. Each trial chips away another piece of the marble that conceals the perfect form within. The title, Till We Have Faces, may refer to the process of refinement and self-realization. Till We Have Faces is a captivating book from beginning to end. As the reader, I could not only identify with Orual's struggles, I felt as though I was Orual, going through the same turmoil and inner-conflict. It is a book that I can read over and over again, each time experiencing new epiphanies and gaining deeper insight. It is impossible to adequately describe, even to a small degree, this fascinating and complex novel; it must be read and read again.
  
  

• Very Deep & Beautiful

  
  By A1X4JO8EJ1U5BR on 2000-05-16
  TILL WE HAVE FACES, is, simply put, one of the most beautiful books I have read. Its depths are enormous, its truth fantastically illustrated, and the author is completely given over to the character. If you are reading this for Lewis's style, don't. In an amazing feat of creation, Lewis used his God-given gift, and has completely come into Orual's mind. This is some of the best characterization I have ever read, with Lewis completely laying down his own style, and yielded to that or Orual. Although that may be disquieting to some, it reveals the true creative power God gave that fine Christian brother. He immerses us into her world, told from her eyes. The book is very, very deep, demanding several rereadings.

  The plot of the book is a daughter is born to a king, named Psyche. He already has two other daughters, Orual and Redival. Her older sister, Orual, becomes very loving of her. Yet this love is exactly what it ought not to be: a selfish love. Psyche, seemingly a goddess in the eyes of the people, must be taken to sacrifice to the god of the grey mountains. Orual is very distraught. They take and leave her. Then Orual, along with another character named Bardia, go up to the mountain, and Orual finds Psyche, in love with the god of the mountain. Orual, being blind (although not physically), cannot see the palace. In the end, she has Psyche, who loves with selfless love, the truest and deepest and most real of all loves, look upon Eros, the god of the mountain, and Psyche is exiled because of her sin against the god. She was not to look or cast light upon him, but she did for Orual's sake.

  The king is an impotent ruler, and only after Orual takes over the kingdom does Glome become something of a powerful place. All things considered, Orual really does help Glome politically and financially, and is a much better ruler than her father was. He is an abusive man, and is an evil father. He cares nothing of his daughters, and wishes for a son. He especially resents Orual for her ugliness.

  The Fox is a Greek philosopher brought into educate the girls as well as help the King. Redival is least interested. He examines through the Fox the rational point of view. The Fox can never live up to his beliefs, and is constantly violating them. He is out of balance, placing to much on reason and logic and not enough on faith. He greatly influences Orual.

  Redival is a selfish one, and wants what is best for her. This is exactly what not to be.

  Orual: A much more complex character, and the narrator of the book. She loves with a jealous love, a love tainted by sin and ungodliness. She wishes Psyche for herself, and she cannot understand why she must go away. The book is about how she moves away from that selfish love and into the love of Jesus Christ. She is also marked by ugliness, and later starts wearing a veil to hide herself. After many years, people begin to think her wearing the veil for, ironically, great beauty, or something more mysterious, no face at all. This is representative of her spiritual life. She is ugly because of the taint of sin. Yet, because she is made in the likeness of God, the beauty that God gave her can be placed through. But as long as she remained uncured, as long as she remained [unstilled] hidden away, she could not come face to face with God. How could she when had no face. She refused to acknowledge her selfish love. For much of her life she worth both a physical and a spiritual veil. Only when old age approached, did she set down an account of the "evils" done to her by the gods in Part I. Then, in Part II, she lays down her veil, and begins to examine her life, and in the end comes to peace with God.

  Psyche is the mostly Godly character, full of selfless love for others. It is she that is Orual's love. There is much to learn from Psyche.

  In this book, we have what Lewis wrote in his nonfiction The Four Loves. These were written and published about the same time, and he had met Joy Davidman, who was to be his wife. Erotic love, that had so long passed him by, had suddenly and out of nowhere appeared on his doorstep. So love weight heavily on his mind during this period of his life. To have a deeper appreciation of this book, read both this and his The Four Loves, because basically he tackled the same subject in two separate genres: fiction and nonfiction. In that book, he says friends and lovers are essentially different, although bound by the same reality. Friends are friends because they have a bond, yet they are not whole concerned with the other. They are comrades, and do things side by side. Lovers are intensely interested in the others, looking at each other, not working side by side. This is illustrated in Orual's relationship with Bardia. Bardia, a prime solider, is a close friend of her, and the closest to a sexual relationship she ever obtained. Yet he is married, and so Orual cannot know erotic love as did Redival and Psyche. She is friends with him, and will not destroy his family. In this way, God is helping her to the point where she will drop the veil and let him put a face on her. Through the course of the years, she is showing more character in her relationship with Bardia than in her relationship with Psyche. She will not destroy the man she loves although she did destroy her sister's happiness. Already God was gently prodding her to a more real and honest place with him.
  
  

• For those in pain who cry; "The gods are unjust!"

  
  By A3R3Z10OREEGL0 on 1999-03-23
  'Til We Have Faces' is the sleeper novel of the century. Better than any self-help book for those who are more sinned against than sinful, better than any pop-psychology text, Til We Have Faces addresses the difficult questions of God, justice and life's meaning with underlying compassion and incisive perception. C. S. Lewis re-works the ancient Cupid and Psyche myth. He retains the mythological setting, but this time tells the tale from the point of view of a sister of Psyche; Orual. This 'ugly' sister resents the gods for the injustices of her physical unattractiveness and her consequentially loveless life... and after a lifetime of angst and loss, finally learns a liberating and joyous truth. Lewis' deft handling of the story allows him to grapple with the anguish of lovelessness and the value of the soul; timely themes for our era, obsessed as it is with physical beauty and superficial materialism. The novel satisfies at many levels: a good story; an anticipation of 'the beauty myth'; a Jungian treatise; a neo-Platonic manifesto... an articulation of the very human yearning for love, justice and meaning. An important book, a beautiful book; something for those who are between their first and second enjoyments of fairytale and fantasy.
  
  
• A fantastic, thoughtful book.
  By on 1999-11-02
  I loved this book, and believe it should truly be on English syllabi everywhere. C.S. Lewis has woven another wonderful tale in the tradition of the Chronicles of Narnia, but for a much more sophisticated audience. This was a book I could not put down until I had finished so that my essays went unfinished, and I hardly slept while I was reading it. 313 pages after I began, I realized that my time had flown by and I was finished. This is truly delightful to read, and it also raises many literary and philosophical questions. Lewis retells the myth of Psyche and Cupid, but changes the perspective to that of Cupid, whom he names Oural, and so changes the story. Told constantly of her ugliness, Oural lives a life of loneliness. Without comfort from her golden-haired sister, she turns to her Greek tutor for intellectual discussion and fatherly love that she does not receive from her true father the King. Later in life, Psyche is born to the step-mother. An almost overly-perfect child, Psyche is raised mostly by Oural. During this raising, Oural comes to have a deep love for Psyche. Changing her very core of being to a love for her sister, she then faces only bitter pain when Psyche is torn from her grasp forever. Her bereavement sets up a questioning of the implications of true love. Oural's motive's seem almost selfish at times as she tries to do what is best for the Psyche that she becomes fated never to see again. The direct empathy for Oural's vicarious suffering is masterfully portrayed so that I could not help but feel pangs of sympathy for Oural's plight. Her love raised Psyche, and then that love led to her losing the near goddess and destroying both of their happiness. Besides questioning the interplay between love, happiness, and the trials of life, there are more issues brought up. For one, Lewis tells the story from a woman's perspective. Oural is a very real, complex character, and it is interesting that Lewis could have done such a good job imitating a woman's voice. One of the ways he does this is to make Oural fairly masculine. Ugly as a brick, she eventually learns to fence, and subsequently becomes queen. However, as a queen, she remains man-like, leading her armies to war and through various journeys. Gender and love were intriguing facets of the book, but perhaps the main focus is on Oural's relationship with the Gods. She finds a basic conflict that enumerates the problems that religious men and philosophers have debated throughout the millennia. Her native traditions and upbringing teach her that there are many gods, animistic in nature. Unhappy gods, they demand appeasement through sacrifices and daily rituals. However, these views conflict with the teachings of her much-trusted tutor and friend. He refutes the myths and legends about the gods as uncultured fancies, and turns her thoughts to the logic of Greek learning. Layered upon this dual mesh of beliefs are the approaches that are taken to religion by the characters around her. Some choose to ignore the gods, others are dedicated to serving them, while still others believe strongly in them, but choose to seek as little interference as possible. Another conflict comes with the god who interferes with Psyche, who seems to be viewed as the all-high god, someone above even the many gods who reside in the land and provide fertility or omens. Thus, a sort of monotheism is acknowledged that continues to clash with the other ideas, providing much material for debate. Unable to reach any definitive conclusion about the nature of the gods, but providing good insights, Oural begins a letter of complaint to the Gods. Unsure of why she has not been told exactly how she should have acted to prevent the constant pain that she eventually comes to live with, Oural bitterly recounts her tale and her suffering woe. Despising the gods for their distance, and for having taken Psyche from her, she writes until the end of her life. However, before she dies, she sees a vision, wherein she presents her arguments to the gods, and receives her answer. She becomes another beautiful Psyche in the process, after finally having found the face that she has sought for so long. The ending must be read, so I will not even attempt to explain the rich complexities that Lewis has woven into the triumphant and mesmerizing conclusion. Although I am in the habit of finding new books to read, this is one of the few books that I will read again, and I am sure to find even more subtle insights into the human condition and the manner of our lives.
  
  
• Lewis' true heroine and pathos make this book a great read
  By on 1999-11-02
  Many authors have taken old stories and retold them from another character's point-of-view in order to change the theme and lesson portrayed in it. C.S. Lewis did just that in his Till We Have Faces, a retelling of the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche from the perspective of one of Psyche's treacherous sisters. In doing so, Lewis adds depth to a superficial story and makes his readers question the motive of their love.

  Orual, the eldest sister of Psyche, doesn't love anyone more than she loves her youngest sister. In turning the story in this direction, Lewis shifts the conflict from one between the sisters to one at first between Orual and the supposed gods who were the cause of Psyche's sacrifice and then, after Orual realizes her fault in her loss of Psyche, a conflict between Orual and herself. Orual's haunting self-examination and the revelation that she has loved Psyche so much that she pulled her away from happiness, and that she also has done so with everyone she has ever loved is a stirring wake-up call to all of us. The lesson that love is not a selfish action, but one in which, if you act with pure intent, your most important wish is for the one you love to be happy, is one which we all need to learn, as it will bring about greater happiness both in our lives and the lives of those we love.

  The title of the novel is the source of another important lesson. Throughout her life, Orual lives with the fact that her looks are anything but attractive. To make things worse, her sister Redival, whom she absolutely detests, is considered somewhat of a beauty. Her father tells her she looks like a man, and that her looks could knock down a horse, and the like, and she becomes embarrassed to show her face to anyone. She puts on a veil, and decides never to take it off. When she does so, people stop noticing her ugly looks and begin to focus on who she is. As queen she becomes famous for her generosity, courage, and wisdom. She is remembered as the bravest, most valiant queen who ever lived. Her fame spreads, and so do tales that she wears the veil to cover a beautiful face, because certainly no one whose acts are so lovely can be ugly. Thus, through her actions, Orual receives a new face, a beautiful one, one which fits her personality and love for others. In doing so she conquers the goddess, who has no face, and achieves her victory over the gods.

  Lewis' portrayal of love as the only thing to brighten an otherwise bleak and desolate world is fitting in this day. At a time when selfishness and greed are prevalent, the world needs a lesson in the value of devotion to others. Till We Have Faces is just that lesson. It provides a great example of love to all who are willing to learn from it.
  
  

• One of the five greatest books I've read.
  By A2I5O8AEFU1SOK on 2001-02-20
  In so many ways, this is CSL's literary masterpiece and, indeed, one of the greatest books that I have ever read--and, no doubt, will ever read. In the categories of plot, style, characterization and theme, TWHF reaches heights that few contemporary authors can even see, let alone achieve. And the ontological-theological-metaphysical message at the heart of CSL's allegorical retelling of the Psyche myth is . . . sublime, profound--so heartfelt and beautiful that even as I write this, I have chills.

  Read this book as fantasy. Read this book as literature. Read this book as the serious, crystalline thought of the finest Christian writer of the twentieth century. Read it time and again as I have, trying to fathom its magic and mysteries. But above all, my friends, _read_ this book. It is one of the most wonderful examples of why the Lord gave us eyes to read.
  
  

• An Overlooked Classic
  By ALN7PAFWW7C3S on 1999-01-15
  There's no doubt that "Till We Have Faces" is Lewis' most profound book. Its prose is masterful: spare, stark, the best writing Lewis ever did. He creates memorable, fully human characters, especially in Orual, daughter of Trom King of Glome. She is ugly, brutalized by her father, friendless until love enters her life through two characters: her Greek slave tutor and her youngest sister, Psyche. The novel becomes an examination of loves true and false, of manipulation of love, and of the power of grace to redeem and love the unloved and unlovely. I've read this novel at least a dozen times; it never grows stale. You needn't know the original myth to enjoy the book. I only wish more readers knew about this book--even many Lewis fans are unaware of this one. It will move your heart and make you think.
  
  
• A Different Take on Lewis...
  By A2HW4GC6H0L2LR on 2004-01-20
  I have a confession to make...I am not a big fan of Lewis. I think as far as intelligent & clear-headed thinking - especially on difficult faith issues - he certainly had a gift. However, I think he makes (made) things too black & white without a real, first-hand understanding of the strength of emotion, disillusionment, and difficult experiences when dealing with faith. This is true at least until the end of his life when was "defeated" in theological debates by a female atheist, he married a divorced woman (something he had earlier condemned), and then he lost his wife tragically. (The movie Shadowlands explores this marriage and its effects on him.)

  These events rattled Lewis to the core, and for awhile he lost all confidence in his former theological proclaimations (except that God is good). It is my understanding that Lewis wrote "Till We Have Faces" after this huge shake-up in his life. This book represents an understanding he came to after almost all of his faith foundation had been smashed and he had to rebuild it. And, I think, this new level of depth really manifests in this work. While I'm not a fan of Lewis in general, I think this book is absolutely phenomenal.

  What Lewis has done, as many reviewers have mentioned, is to retell the story of Cupid & Psyche. And he chooses to tell it from the perspective of Psyche's older (and supposedly evil) sister Orual. For the entire first part of the book (labelled Part I), Lewis takes you through a fantastic, confusing, emotional, biting story. Unlike his simplistic themes in the Chronicals of Narnia, Lewis relates a very twisted account of love & jealousy through complex characters, relationships, and landscapes. And as he does so, he allows the reader to become fully sympathetic to Orual and her position...even though she instigates some unfortunate situations.

  However, while it is tempting with Lewis to draw trite lessons and observations, I encourage you to not do so. I encourage you to let yourself be confused and wonder at the purpose at Part I. For, in Part II he brings it all together very powerfully. Not only does his explain the story, but I think he delivers one of the most disabling blows I've ever read in a novel. I don't want to give away the ending, but Orual's own gasping revelation as she tries to justify her bitterness was simply phenomenal. And, when considering Lewis' likely similar bitterness regarding his short-lived marriage, I feel that this all came directly from his heart.

  A one-of-a-kind title that I would recommend to anyone willing to grasp with faith and potentially ugly revelations about ourslves.
  
  

• This is truly a terrific book.
  By on 1999-11-03
  Till We Have Faces was a fascinating and well-written book which explored the darker side of love. Telling the story of Psyche from the perspective of her sister Orual, the book plunges into the exploration of a jealousy caused not by hate, but by love. The author crafts his story skillfully, and in a gripping manner, leads the reader through a journey within to discover that it is often love, not hate, that is the most dangerous enemy of all to the human soul. In the classic story of Psyche, Psyche's two sisters ruin her life with the wind god because they are jealous of her beautiful palace and riches. It is the most obvious form of jealousy and that to which much that goes on in this world is attributed. Lewis uses this typical background story with typical motivations to expose a deeper, more complex motivation where the other is thought to be. Rather than jealous of Psyche because she is luckier than her sisters, Lewis shows Orual to be jealous for Psyche because of her great, undying love. In one sense, Orual is jealous not of Psyche, but of her husband, the wind god, because he has taken from her the one person she loved the most. The idea of jealousy when a loved one is taken away is common in literature. Yet typically, this jealousy arises from a more selfish standpoint in which it is not pure love only which causes the jealousy, but loved mixed with something else, such as dependency in the case of a lost parent, or lust in the case of a lover. Orual's love, on the other hand, is unaffected by such circumstances as these, and the jealousy that arises cannot justly be attributed to them. It is likely that Lewis chose to characterize her emotions thus in order to portray that it is not merely love combined with other emotions that can be dangerous, but that the purest, simplest form of love itself can be a deadly weapon of demise. It is because of Orual's deep rooted love for Psyche that she convinces her to betray her husband. Psyche's other sister Redival is jealous of her in the traditional sense - envious of her beauty and wonderful luck - but Lewis dismisses the power of this harmless, surface jealousy by leaving Redival out of the picture when Orual goes to visit Psyche in her new home. The most that Redival and the townspeople can to to hurt Psyche is to offer her up to the dark, mysterious goddess of the earth Ungit, as a sacrifice. While they do this with somewhat dubious intentions, the action, lacking the dangerous force of love, merely ends up benefitting Psyche, sending her to a higher plane of life with the gods. In contrast, Orual's pure love brings only misery and causes Psyche to fall from her life of ease and happiness with the god of wind. Psyche as a result loses her husband and is condemned to wander the earth for a period of time. Because of her love, Orual is the only one who has this power over Psyche, as she discovers near the end of the book. It is Orual, Psyche's best friend and biggest fan, who places the biggest roadblocks in her path to happiness and diety. Thus Lewis creates a picture in which the roles of hatred and love are reversed so that hatred brings Psyche closer to life with the gods while love draws her away from it. This picture exposes a very revealing attitude about the gods. Lewis, though Christian, creates a powerful and fascinating characterization of the polytheistic gods of the time of Greek and Roman myths. The gods Lewis uses in this story represent the different sides of human nature. Ungit, the main goddess whose influence is felt the most by the people of the kingdom, is characterized not by light, truth and goodness, but by darkness, formlessness, and hatred. She consumes rather than gives, and is jealous and greedy rather than altruistic and sacrificing. While the wind god and others draw kinder pictures of humanity, it is Ungit, representative of mankinds evil or dark side, that predominates. It is she, too, that demands the sacrifice of Psyche. However, it is because of this demand that Psyche is able to marry the god of the wind, and later to achieve the rank of a goddess herself. Thus evil propels Psyche higher and higher, while the wind god, representative of joy and love, serves to propel Psyche downward, ejecting her from his palace and forcing her to roam the earth in agony. However, a provision is made for Psyche's agony. Rather than falling on the innocent Psyche, Psyche's agonies are placed on the back of Orual, who feels the real pain in every instance. Thus the real danger of Orual's love is not to the one she loves, but to herself as she suffers vicariously every ill that befalls Psyche.

  Till We Have Faces is a complex book with many interpretations and levels of meaning. It is a book which requires a great deal of thought to delve into the inner motivations and intentions of the author. However, it is well worth the effort it requires. The story is gripping and I found myself within the first twenty pages unable to put it down. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading a creative, fascinating, and deeply moving novel. It is one of the best books I have read in a very long time.
  
  

• This Book is a Diamond Waiting to Be Cut
  By ASOCI3PCEEBY7 on 2001-01-12
  When you pick up this book and begin reading, you might labor at first, trying to get through the beginning chapters, but then the story begins to grow on you and the more you read the more involved you become in what is unfolding. Lewis has a style that is patient, not premature as to move too quickly to the climax, but savoring all the details in order to develop, in the long run, a wonderfully elaborate and captivating tale.

  This book is a retelling of an all too famous mythological tale of love (between Cupid and Psyche). While Lewis adds his own spices, the story essentially remains the same. It is a tale of love, sadness, fascination of beauty, betrayal, regret, shame, depravity, and finally triumph. The story centers around two sisters, the older very ugly, and the younger, half-sister, very beautiful. Their father, a king, demonstrates his impatience at not having an heir (a son) and he (the father) torments his daughters for being just what they are, daughters. However, the eldest daughter, Orual, is very ugly in appearance, while the youngest daughter, Psyche, is the most beautiful in the whole region, and the story mainly centers around these two characters and what evolves into a tragedy and at the same time a triumph of decisions, emotions, thoughts, and actions (I don't want to give too much of the story away).

  Even though this is a story that has already been told, Lewis adds his own dimensions to it and gives it a refreshing type of life and vigor. If you are a fan of Lewis' writings then you will certainly enjoy this work. However, even if you have never read Lewis, you will still enjoy this masterful piece. Unfortunately, this piece from Lewis, has not received the attention and status as a great piece of literature that it deserves. This is an intense and very eloquent novel which is, I believe, one of the greatest of this century.
  
  

• Because it's worthy of ANOTHER review...
  By on 1999-11-15
  Why, oh, WHY write ANOTHER review of this book! Because it captures the soul. Like multitudes of others before me, I've read it numerous times. It IS a masterpiece. The themes, emotions, depth and sheer beauty of this work are unmatched by any fictional literature I've ever read. Don't bother to borrow it from a friend or the library. You'll want it on your bookshelf.
  
  
• A literary masterpiece
  By A1O294P80YCP81 on 2000-05-14
  Till We Have Faces is a magnificently textured work, a tale of self-discovery and epiphany. The central character, Orual, is the ugly and seemingly unlovable daughter of a cruel monarch (her father hits her for sport and calls her 'goblin daughter'). She is loved, however, by a spiritual-emotional triumvirate: Psyche's compassion, the Fox's conscience, Bardia's courage. It's interesting that Lewis retells the Psyche myth from the point of view of the stepsister. Orual's perspective allows the reader to experience and question the things she does on an intimate level. Her journey matches that of many people who feel a sense of inadequacy and spiritual longing. Fox is her tutor and voice of reason, a captured Greek fond of quoting philosophy and giving lip service to the gods. He's the agnostic of Orual's life. Bardia, the captain of the guard, provides Orual with the skills to defend herself, allowing her to go from shrinking violet to warrior queen. Psyche is the true believer. She has seen the gods, but finds that convincing Orual is futile. Orual longs to be with the beautiful, but fears what she will find. Her belief is a forced one, a faith through fear, and therefore she can't see clearly what Psyche sees. It is not until the end of her life that she sees clearly: "I saw well why the gods do not speak to us openly, nor let us answer. Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?" This evokes the words of St. John, "we know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is."

  Lewis uses language the way it was meant. He eschews flowery prose; rather he conveys the complexity of emotions in a simple yet not simplistic fashion. He provides profundity and clarity both, not merely one to the exclusion of the other. The mysteries of the spiritual are always seen more deeply and clearly in great works of literature. Till We Have Faces is one of those works.
  
  

• A review of Til l We have Faces
  By on 2000-10-09
  I bought Till We Have Faces based only on a familiarity with the Narnia chronicals that I read as a kid. Knowing nothing of the "classic myth of Cupid and Psyche", I let this book sit on my bookshelf for months before I opened it one rainy day. What a mistake! I was drawn in by Lewis' elegant, simple story of two sisters and how their relationship colors their lives. The plot and characterization are accessible to the casual reader, but the allegorical relationship to the ancient myth gives it deeper meaning. This is one of the rare novels which nourishes your soul while providing pure enjoyment.
  
  
• Face to face with the honest questions
  By A1WMYA7UP9CO2F on 2004-09-27
  I've only read this book once. I devoured it, and now I am just waiting for some time in my crazy schedule to sit down, pick it up again, and let it seep into my soul.
  
  Lewis subtly carves the most blunt, honest questions of the human soul into the woodwork of this masterfully-retold Greek myth. On the first read, the plot will keep your attention. On the second, the text will veritably explode with parallels galore to the Christian life...indeed, to life itself. Not meant to be an all-encompassing theological exposé--just a long, gritty, detailed look into the human psyche and its relation to God.
  
  If you have ever questioned God; ever doubted his goodness; ever raged against him; ever endured Job-like terrors that he seems to do nothing about, this book is for you. If you wonder why he utters no answer, why he hints and hovers and never shows himself clearly--here is your commiseration. I hope you will not be disappointed.
  
  
• C.S. Lewis' Most Effective Work
  By A3F9CF5XXBW239 on 2005-09-02
  Lewis seems to be giving the same message of Christian love in all of his literature, but he does it far more powerfully in 'Till We Have Faces' than in any of his other novels, essays, or poetry. 'Faces' is particularly effective because of its wide accessibility.
  
  The story is essentially a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, although no familiarity with the original story is required to enjoy the novel. Orual is the oldest--and by far the ugliest--of three princesses. Istra, or Psyche, is the youngest and most fair and pure. When Istra is married to the invisible and enigmatic God of the Mountain, son of Ungit, a powerful and jealous goddess, Orual finds herself unable to accept Istra's complacency with a life filled with comforts that are invisible and undetectable to anyone but Istra and her husband. She plots to destroy Istra's happiness, masking her true intentions behind a veil of sisterly concern much like she later veils her ugly face from the world.
  
  Orual is at once a remarkably unique character and an "everywoman." She personifies the universal weaknesses of pride and possessiveness while tempering her negative qualities with a strong sense of justice, a confidence born of her veiled ugliness, and all the other attributes one would expect to find in a great queen. Orual's narrative is full of excuses, and all but the most hardened readers will be sorely tempted to listen to them. After all, this warrior queen is torn between the world of reason presented to her by her beloved Greek tutor and the dark, bloodthirsty religion of her pagan upbringing. It's hard to blame her for her uncertainty and manipulation of the innocent Istra. She rails against the gluttonous, possessive goddess Ungit while, at the same time, becoming Ungit herself as her jealousy and confusion over her sister's good fortune and happiness combines with her growing power to turn her into a minor goddess in her own right.
  
  The story is essentially about a convert to Christianity (Istra) who has found joy in something that simply doesn't seem to real to non-believers. Orual, who lacks her sister's faith, can not understand Istra's dedication to her invisible god. Eventually, Orual comes to see herself unveiled and naked at last. It is only then, as Istra sacrifices all to bring Orual the greatest possible gift, that the old queen understands the futility of her possessive love.
  
  This book is a beautiful and sometimes painful examination of what it means to truly love another person. Many readers will find themselves feeling ashamed after reading the book, yet longing to read in again at the same time. Lewis' oft repeated message rings so true (ironically in a story that takes place in a pre-Christian setting) in the pages of this, his greatest novel, that everyone, Christian or not, can appreciate its power.
  
  
  
• Bad transition, Great book...
  By A28ZN9L5P6PDKP on 2002-10-31
  Till We Have Faces is one of the greatest books I have ever read. It tricks the reader into sympathizing with the supposed oppressed. Then it rips out your heart as it shows that the oppressed is truly the oppressor. The real sting of it all is that it reveals the oppressor within each of us. Each of us is wrapped within the confines of our own experience. Each of us, like Lewis' Orual, tends to see only our own challenges. Each of us tends to most hurt the ones we love. Are we alert enough, focused enough on other's needs to live the truly "good life?"

  The greatness of Till We Have Faces is not that it hits us with a self-convicting surprise. Its greatness is in showing how prevalent the problem is. Even those of us with the greatest of intentions are infected by self-interest and sin. Read Till We Have Faces--it is a life-changing book.
  
  

• just read it
  By A2O4LUZSW00MON on 2000-04-05
  Till We Have Faces is definitely a book I would recommend reading. One of the reasons it captured me was because C.S. Lewis, who is a man, was able to portray the life of a woman so perfectly. In this novel, we are pulled through the thoughts and events of a woman who is raised to believe that she is ugly--ugly enough to hide her face behind a veil for nearly all of her life. Through everything she endures; her father being a deadbeat king, her youngest sister adored and worshipped as a godess by many, and her own ugliness, she finds strength through her love for the people around her. She is a heroine. She is smart, she is powerful, and she can fight with a sword. She takes over her father's kingdom and makes it ten times better than he could have made it. If she had been gorgeous, we would find ourselves drowning in yet another boring novel where the beautiful maiden is swept into la-la land by a handsome god. Of course she is not perfect. It is her love that drives her to make a decision that will send her sister, who she has raised like her own child, on a painful journey. But she is sent on a journey of her own. She must find what truly lies beneath her veil and overcome the painful belief that she is the horrible person she makes herself out to be.

  I think this novel is making a comment on faith, as well as showing how beauty is found within, not without. If you look into the story carefully, you can find subtle hints of C.S. Lewis's view on faith and Christianity through the characters of the Fox who is always questioning the gods, and the the house of Ungit, which is wrapped up in mystery and "holiness" to the people around it.

  Another thing that is remarkable about this story is that it has unexpected turns. C.S. Lewis has taken an ordinary myth and transformed it into a fascinating story. You will be absorbed by the emotions that it brings out in you.
  
  

• It keeps growing on you
  By A2O5VXXYIMKY45 on 2002-09-13
  I first picked this book up as a child. My mom had read it in a course on C. S. Lewis in college, and remembered it as good, although she told me it was very confusing. Now, years later, after having read this fine novel a number of times, I would describe it not so much confusing as so multi-layered that the reader can get lost at first among them. This is not a failing, however, but a great strength that has made this novel very well received among critics and those who have read it. Unfortunately, relatively few people, including fans of Lewis' other works, have ever even heard of Till We Have Faces, much less read it.

  Why is this? Maybe some think it looks boring; just one more retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth, with perhaps a few twists, but essentially the tale we all learned in high school Greek mythology. This is far from the truth. C. S. Lewis uses the myth as a basis for exploring history, and issues ranging from God to family interactions to faith, and ultimately redemption. The story builds slowly throughout, and eventually gains so much emotional momentum that you feel simultaneously drained and uplifted when you finish the final page. If you want a novel that makes you think about more than superficial topics, and is in actuality highly original, then I cannot recommend this highly enough.
  
  

• Simply Gorgeous
  By AAMM2PAJUL762 on 2002-11-10
  I can't say enough good about Till We Have Faces. This deep, strange, profoundly Christian book changed my life when, as a young agnostic attorney, I read it in 1985 and realized I was reading an allegory about, of all things, a religion (Christianity) which until then I'd dismissed as shallow myth. Till We Have Faces woke me up. Since then I've learned it's I who am shallow. I can't see His depth because I lack eyes. I can't see His face because I don't have a face. Christ's purpose is to help us shape our divine face if only we're willing. As Hamlet realized: "The readiness is all."
  
  
• Psyche, the unvieled soul...
  By A3QNJ0RVNE4X9D on 2003-05-08
  CS Lewis has created a wonderful unique view of the Eros and Psyche myth and transported his ideas into an awesome creative story just for all of us! The original plot of the myth has always appeared very didactic to me, especially for women who need to find the strength inside themselves to conquer the seemingly undaunting tasks which are necessary for a joyous reunion with their heart's truest desires. I believe this story takes this one step further and makes the focus of the myth about the unveiling of one's soul into a new light. The story's three main women (Ungit included) all hold some piece of the vieled soul (i.e. the ugly and shameful elements) inside and the unconscious quest that Lewis puts them on in this story is to have these women uncover these shadows within themselves and bring them to light. That's what I got out of this book anyway. It's all there on the higher plane. I was very impressed with this intricate, subtle, beautifully crafted "double myth". That's what I'm calling it. You get the Eros and Psyche amazing story plus this wonderful new myth about wanting to find your true face. It's under there hidden with the dark and musty viel of fear-based thinking and belief systems. This book knocked my socks off...It's one of my favorites! Like the Fox says "How can they (the gods) meet us face to face till we have faces?" This means we need to uncover all our dusty negative agreements that sit in our soul and bring them out in the open. We need a cleansed face (soul) one that embraces clarity and balance, calmness and beauty. No zits, hopefully! CS Lewis has said this is his favorite piece he ever wrote...I totally agree. This book will give the reader a lot to think about if you really want it to, one needs to be patient and let it speak to the parts of you that are hidden. Open your dusty souls and READ IT!!
  
  
• An Inspired Work
  By A3AH227GYIWV9O on 2000-04-06
  Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold is truly an inspired work. C.S. Lewis admits this himself, taking little credit for the masterpiece it is. It all began as he read Eros and Psyche, the original myth. While reading, he felt the inspiration that led to this work, the idea "forced itself upon" him. This idea worked its way into his mind allowing him to capture the beauty and power of the original myth, while intertwining the deeper theme of love.

  Till We Have Faces illustrates the contrast between a divine, unconditional love, and the frail thing we too often consider to be love. Three princesses live in the kingdom of Glome: Orual, Redival, and Pysche. C.S. Lewis stylistically portrays each daughter with varying degrees of love. Redival has a self-centered attitude that gives her the need to feel loved by others. Orual, is slightly less self-centered, needing others to feel her love and to be loved by them in return. Pysche has a true, divine love for others with little thought for herself. Throughout the piece, C.S. Lewis shows us the strengths and trials that each face, and their relative outcomes.

  Redival changes drastically through the work. As it begins, she is young and beautiful, but also self-centered. She seeks the attention and love of others, but doesn't receive it from her father or sisters, finding it only from young men. Throughout the play, there is a progression, until the end where she has lost her beautiful figure and become a respectable woman. She learns not to focus as much on herself; allow her love to develop towards others.

  Orual's love is a jealous love. She shows love to others for the purpose of feeling it in return. What she believes is love, in many instances is jealousy. The contrast between the jealous love of Orual and Pysche's pure love is obvious to the reader throughout the work, yet hidden to Orual. She even goes to the extreme of threatening to kill Pysche, all in the name of her supposed love. She doesn't realize that what she supposes to be love is mere jealousy. It isn't until she is able to see things from another point of view, as an observer of what she has done, that she begins to realize the frailty and weakness of her love.

  Pysche begins in the work as a beautiful young girl that takes little thought of herself. She struggles to be of service to others, desiring to help them out. But in return for her devotion and pure love for everyone, they turn against her. Their jealousy of her beauty and kindness, lead them to sacrifice her, rejoicing in her imminent death. This contrast and inconsistency in what we call love is beautifully displayed. It's difficult for us to recognize our weaknesses, especially when it comes to love. C.S. Lewis allows us to do just what Orual did, to look at life from an objective point of view, to take a step away from our narrow vision and see life from a new perspective. As we do so, it helps us understand how we can improve and develop a pure, true love the type of love that Psyche demonstrates.

  Few books have left me pondering so deeply; Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold is one of them. Just like Orual, I found how superficial my love for others truly is. Through his inspired piece, C.S. Lewis has given us objective means to measure our love, giving us an understanding of how we can improve the lives of others and our own through this pure love.
  
  

• A story of Leadership Relevant to Us Today
  By A1YRV8ICHSL41F on 2005-06-18
  The main character, Queen Orual, in C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces has a bit of an image problem.  She was very ugly as a youth and the ghastly response her face evokes from others causes her to wear a veil in front of them.  Physical beauty is almost always an invaluable asset for a leader to possess.  It helps enhance their image and how others perceive them.  Lewis explores the effect of appearance as well as other different aspects of image in this remarkable book.
   
  On the surface, this is a sophisticated retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth (my favorite one, actually) from the point of view of one of the jealous sisters.  We get to learn much, much more about Psyche, her family and the culture into which she was born.  We are presented with an in-depth exploration of a pagan, pre-Christian, barbarian tribe on the fringe of Western Civilization and how they come to be influenced by the blossoming and dominant Greek culture and philosophy.  Lewis uses iconic characters to display the great, cultural shift from a barbaric, pagan worldview into the civilized Greek philosophy.  So sophisticated is Lewis' narrative that you can also anticipate how the worldview will shift from Greek philosophy into Christian philosophy, which is itself a further refinement of Aristotle and Plato. 
   
  The way the story is constructed, told in first person by a Queen reflecting on formative moments in her life, likely had an influence on one of our favorite authors, Gene Wolfe.  The character of Orual and the way she tells her story seem to be a precursor to Severian (c.f., The Book of the New Sun) and perhaps even Silk (c.f., The Book of the Long Sun).  Near the end of the book, a pagan priest finishes up the tale for her, just like Horn chronicled the Patera Caldé.  We also notice a broader picture of the events occurring around the characters, although they may not realize the importance of them at the time.  Names also are translated into their literal Greek meanings such as the character Lysias who is always referred to as The Fox.  We see this type of thing often in Wolfe.
   
  All comparative analysis aside, the book's greatest achievement is demonstrating how image helps a leader motivate people and maintain order.  Perception, rather than reality, can make or break a leader.  Controlling how others perceive you is one of the main jobs of someone in a leadership role.   Like the works of Machiavelli or Robert Greene, this book highlights the reasons why it is important for a ruler to appear a certain way and to always maintain control over emotions while in front of others.   For example, a leader must never appear weak or foolish.  The rabble wants a strong leader, not a buddy.  When times get tough, and they always do, the rabble will turn to the leader.  If the leader is weak, they will turn ON him.  If he is strong, they will trust him, even if he is brutal as long as the brutality is does not push them into rebellion. 
   
  We get to know two main political leaders, each displaying a different level of "image" control.  First, we meet a Warrior King, who--although valorous on the battlefield--is cowardly, blustering and tyrannical.  He is politically backward and does not tend to his image at all.  As a result, he spends a great deal of time and energy stamping out insurrections and fighting pointless, pyrrhic skirmishes with neighboring kingdoms.  After his much celebrated death, his daughter, Orual takes over.  She is very focused on image, even taking the drastic step of hiding her ugly appearance behind a veil.  Not only does this mask her foul looks, it actually creates an aura of mystique around her, enhancing her image.  Below the superficial, though, Orual is brave, diplomatic, wise and merciful.   Before you get too worried, dear reader, take heart.  This isn't feminist "women good, men bad" stuff.  It is highly unlikely that an Inkling would espouse such beliefs.  
   
  Underlying the image control of each leader is their unique leadership style.  The King relies too heavily on his oppressive power and blustery personality to sustain his reign.   He neglects nearly all other aspects of his kingdom and does not build a very good infrastructure to counter the bad times.  The Queen, however, always tries to appear calm, majestic and wise.  She never loses her composure in front of her subjects.   She instinctively understands how this will undermine her credibility.   As a result, her people trust her and she motivates them to new levels of achievement.  She also has an eye on the future and invests time into her kingdom rewarding and recruiting talented artisans, craftsmen, builders and scholars.  It is initially an expensive venture, but ultimately her investment pays off.  Her backwater, barbaric kingdom flourishes and becomes a rich and mighty center of culture.   Her "command and control" father ruled with an iron hand and would have never invested money on builders when he could conquer and enslave a smaller, neighboring kingdom.
   
  A very good example of the contrasts between these two managerial approaches is shown by the attitude each ruler takes towards their kingdom's only valuable commodity, silver.  The kingdom has several mines in operation during the king's reign.  The king does not see the potential in the mines and primarily uses them for capital punishment.  He sends his prisoners, enslaved enemies and political adversaries there to work hard labor until they die.  As one would expect, output, production and profits are not pouring out of these mines.  Orual, however, clearly sees the potential in the rich, silver deposits and completely overhauls the mining operation.  She frees the slaves and prisoners and replaces them with skilled laborers.  These laborers are allowed to keep any silver they mine over a certain quota.  Since skilled, motivated, profit-sharing laborers are always more productive than slaves, the mines are soon working to full capacity.   The wealth pouring forth begets technological and cultural innovations which then lead to even higher levels of wealth and satisfaction.  The kingdom is rich and the people are happy and fulfilled.  Orual has done well.   Her fair and democratic managerial style has reversed the nearly fatal autocratic style of her bumbling predecessor.   
   
  Orual's focus on image and how she is perceived by her subjects plays a large role in the success of her administration.   It allows her to inspire confidence in her people, challenge the status quo and turn around a failing enterprise.  These lessons are as true today in our modern business world as there were in the pagan, uncivilized and barbaric world of Till We Have Faces.
  
  
  
• Redeeming Humun Sorrow: C.S. Lewis' "Till We Have Faces"
  By A139OX502BA4SE on 2002-05-29
  Most fortunate was the day I stumbled across this book while rummaging through my mother's library. Of all the books I have read thus far, I believe "Till We Have Faces" the most poignant and the most profound. C.S. Lewis uses the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche as a basis for his tale of two sisters, one guiltless and beautiful, the other good but ugly of face. He employs their lives as an allegory of the incarnation and sacrifice of Christ to answer the timeless question of why God allows bad things to happen to good people.
  Superficially, "Till We Have Faces" is a grave and at times grim fairytale of the sister princesses Orual and Istra in the dark primeval kingdom of Glome. The book is constructed as the complaint of the homely Orual (who comes to represent a virtuous, but flawed mankind) against the gods for the sorrows of her life.
  Through the embittered Orual coming to see her own selfishness of heart and how futile it is to try to fathom the designs of the divine with mere mortal reasoning, Lewis does not belittle human sorrow or suffering in comparison to the greatness of God, but rather attempts to represent salvation as a power to heal the deepest wounds and the greatest sorrows.
  
  
• Lewsis at his finest
  By AXZ2GNYIZUC0Q on 2005-09-07
  CS Lewis wrote incredible works of theology and apologetics. He also wrote one of the most treasured children's book series of our time. Till We Have Faces has been overshadowed by his many other great works, and it is truly a hidden treaure. A lifelong CS Lewis myself, i can honestly tell you this is not only my favorite book by Lewis, but my favorite book by any auther and of any genre. Well worth the read, over and over again.
  
  
• A C.S.Lewis Masterpiece
  By A1XIKU9AUG3DOU on 2001-06-21
  This book is best out of all C.S. Lewis' adult works. I am generally in love with how he has told and written this novel. "A Myth Retold" is the perfect subtitle for this book. Lewis is never cliche in this book, he has taken something and molded it into a psychological and profound masterpiece.

  Orual is a daughter of a King and sister to Psyche. Cupid/Eros and Psyche's story is recongnizable. This only skims the surface of the book. Lewis makes a Orual into a character with jealous love for her sister Psyche. In Lewis' version, Orual is never jealous of Psyche. She is rather selfish and wants to have Psyche for herself. She is a deep and compex character plagued by many things. Her situations, her feelings, her jealous love are all told beautifully by Lewis.

  It is rare that I read such brilliant character developpement. Orual seems real when you read the words Lewis has told, you feel her almost. Even through this descriptive and deepened world, Lewis' writings are easy to comprehend and this book is flowing. His storytelling is aesthetic and undoubtly talented.

  The book makes you feel for Orual at times. I did give immense pathos and empathy to Orual at times. Lewis did a wonderful job wrapping you into this book. If you doubt the beginning of the book, at least give it more of a try and read through the WHOLE book because it gets more better as it goes on.

  By the end of this book, you'll have appreciated Lewis' talents in writing, storytelling, and characterization. This is one of his best books. A must for his fans. If you like great literature, this is something you should read right away. Rarely have I felt so flung into the character's life and feelings. As many have said, C.S. Lewis will always be a great author. This is truly one of his best works ever.
  
  

• It's About Love
  By A2OP1HD9RGX5OW on 2002-12-31
  I find myself recommending this work more than any other of Lewis' fiction. It is a painting of general revelation, where Lewis builds on the ideas within The Last Battle, where a character who has always worshipped the demon god Tash finds that he so loved Tash with true love, that he was actually worshipping Aslan, whom he never personally met. In Till We Have Faces, Lewis looks at how someone could come to Christ who lived at the time of the Israeli kings, far to the North, in a country where the protagonist, Orual, could not possibly know anything of the Judeo-Christian tradition. It is two love stories in one, building on the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, to explore how Jesus woos us to love Him with all that we are- each in different ways, in a personal relationship.

  The book is mythic in style, and the beginning has a feel of timelessness and legend. Orual and her sister, Psyche, grow up together, learning about the ways that men objectify and treat women based on their appearance- for a woman, appearance is everything in the eyes of their society. (Somewhat familiar.) And then Psyche finds a mysterious man, that Orual knows nothing of.

  Through the wooing of the mysterious stranger, Orual and her sister Psyche learn to more fully love others. And because of the focus on female characters, this is some of Lewis' most feminist work- strong female characters who think and develop and become complete, and completely heroic.
  
  

• A Myth Retold
  By A7EN1VH2B8NOX on 2003-12-15
  The widely beloved author C. S. Lewis has a devoted following of readers, especially in regard to his works The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, etc. but many have never even approached his fourth and final novel, Till We Have Faces. This is unfortunate because Till We Have Faces simply has more substance as a novel than the Space Trilogy (excepting Perelandra) in the ways of the human soul in conflict. The novel is modeled after epic, in the true meaning of the term, mythology that retells Apuleius'erotic version of the marriage of Cupid and Psyche as included in his The Metamorphoses. Lewis structures his novel as a narrative presented from the point of view of the elder of the wicked sisters of Psyche. Lewis has this sister, Orual is her name, deliver her story as an accusation to the gods for having stolen Psyche from her. In this work Lewis quite often, sometimes subtly, sometimes not, gives tribute to the many classical influences that shaped his life and writings. Knowledge of Dante's Purgatorio may not be critical to understanding the major conflict of the story, but it certainly helps.
  Anyway, without revealing too much as well as for the sake of brevity, Lewis has created one of the most powerful and heart wrenching sagas yet written that attempts to tackle the questions concerning perverted love, inadequate love, and sacred love and the difference between the sacred and profane. Lewis presents arguments between the thesis of paganism(blood, sacrifice, mystery), the antithesis of intellectual paganism(rationalism), and finally the synthesis, Christianity. It begins rather confusing to most but if you stick with it, the novel has a very rewarding conclusion and an interesting "twist" ending that Lewis himself attributed to his conversion to Christianity.
  As high-brow as this may sound, this book is targeted to a wide audience and is very accessible ,yet can be read repeatedly with new insight, new depth, discovered by even the most discerning of readers. Fans of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings as well as of Lewis should definitely try this mythology and find out why the gods refuse to answer until we have faces.
  
  
• Perhaps my favorite book
  By A10T0OW97SFBB on 2006-05-16
  C. S. Lewis has created a masterpiece in Till We Have Faces, the retelling of the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche. The first time I read it, I thought it was amazing but did not understand it. The second time I read it I thought it was perhaps the best book I had ever read because I did understand it. Lewis takes 1 Corinthians 13:12, " For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known," and makes this his theme, masterfully weaving this theme into the story of Cupid and Psyche. Orual is the protagonist, the ugly sister of Psyche who is vilified in the traditional telling of the story. Lewis retells the story from her perspective, and through her questions about the justice of the gods are raised. In this book, Lewis rewrites in fiction what he wrote in the Problem of Pain, and in a much more eloquent mannor. Through Orual he asks the questions raised against Christianity and by Christians: why do bad things happen to me, where are the gods, why are the gods punishing me, etc. It is so well written that it is a great read even if you do not understand what Lewis is saying. It is all the better if you do.
  
  A good number of previous reviewers have glorified the fact that this is not as openly Christian as Lewis' Narnian Chronicles. I fail to see why this makes it so much of a better book. The reason that this book is better is not that it is not as Christian, but that it goes so much deeper into the questions of Christianity than his other books tend to (with some exceptions). It is not that he leaves off talking about Christianity, he simply approaches it from a different angle in this book. Most of what is said of the "gods" can be looked at as talking about "God." He simply set his story in a polytheistic setting, so talk of the gods was necessary, and it would hardly do to have openly Christian conversations when the setting is way before the life of Christ.
  
  Lewis said that he deemed this to be his greatest work. I am very inclined to agree with him.
  
  Overall grade: A+
  
  

• The Four Loves
• The Great Divorce
• Perelandra (Space Trilogy, Book 2)
• The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics
• The Weight of Glory