Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold

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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.

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.

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.

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.

'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

Not what I expected but still a good read. Unlike some of Lewis's other works, this book does not have such obvious links to Christian theology since it is based on Greek polytheism. However, the book does deal with the theme of how our limited knowledge of God and ourselves means we cannot often understand why difficult events in our lives happen from a theological perspective. If Lewis's Narnia books are a fable version of "Mere Christianity" then "Till we Have Faces" is loosely a fable version of "The Problem of Pain".

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Look, forget any praises of the book you have heard because it "has strong female characters" or because it's not "in-your-face Christian apologism." There are lots of things to praise about this book, but those two praises are entirely misplaced.

For one thing, as long as we're discussing Lewis's improved!female characters - so far as I'm concerned, Orual is Lewis's typical example of any soul that is still prideful, in all of its grubbly and idiotic self-will (but she can use a sword well, so that will be enough for some). Psyche is someone who has conquered that self-will, but most would see her as a goody two-shoes saint. Asnit is a wife and widow - and that's about all. Redival is a typical Lewisian villain, almost absurdly sneaky and two-faced, with the added femmy element of being boy-crazy. And a magnificent fighting queen farther north is mentioned - once. I'm not saying I have anything against it on these grounds. But it's absurd to come to "Till We Have Faces" looking for a feminist book.

As for the idea that this book has less overt Christianity for the non-Christian reader to swallow - well, superficially, the gods in this book are all pagan. But there are large whacks of this book I imagine I would have found very boring before my conversion - boring, melodramatic, and vague. In fact, Christian point of view aside, the two conversations between Orual and Psyche in the Shadowbrute's valley could have used an editor's red pen. The views of the Fox and Bardia (who are both good, loving men nevertheless) are examples of the ways believers can be fuddled and led astray. And towards the very end Orual is using blatantly Christian verbage: "I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?"

Of course, anyone could read it, and many enjoy it. For example, the "worldly" parts of the book are very interesting from any viewpoint - life under the temperamental petty king (who, seemingly, would have found in Henry VIII a kindred spirit), the purchase of the Greek captive Fox, who becomes the girls' tutor, the skirmishes between the King and the Priest of Ungit, veiled Orual learning to fence and challenging a king in combat (with Fox saying that its "foolish and, what's more, unseemly"!), and the details of the Queen's busy and shrewd reign. And we've all been trained to appreciate Greek pagan aesthetics, so that's another element to the book anyone will like - Lewis is rich (perhaps overrich) and pretty in his symbols and pictures and visions for Orual.

But this is a morality to Orual's eventual, mature judgment of herself that not everyone is going to share. For example, not everyone would have thought it shameful to admit that she (at one point!) appreciated and even encouraged Prince Trunia's flirtacious banter. For those who do, of course, it's a rich dimension to the book.

The details of life in Glome are well-envisioned and enjoyable.

So why did I give this three stars? I love Lewis's nonfiction works, but I've yet to read one of his fictional ones that didn't leave something to be desired (mind, I haven't yet read Perelandra). Perhaps because he is sometimes trying to be too allegorical, his characterizations usually suffer. Several in "Till We Have Faces" are maddeningly flat. This is the best fictional work of Lewis's I've ever read. But it's far from the best fictional work I've ever read.

Although they are, by now, superfluous, I add my five stars to the constellation that's already gathered around 'Till We Have Faces' in part to underline the comments already made by many reviewers and in part to hide from you what those comments betray. For 'Till We Have Faces' is a tale whose telling is as much a reason to read the book as the tale itself. It is a story whose characters, places, and very language will haunt you in the most wonderful ways--its sounds and smells will seep into your subconscious and change the way you see and feel. It is story-telling at its most vivid and lucid and profound.

Above all, I wish to emphasize that this is a book about mysteries, religious, psychological and philosophical. Consequently, the very way in which the story unfolds leads the reader (and the main character!) into a darkness suddenly illuminated by a dazzling revelation. And so this is why I began my review by saying that one of my goals was to hide from you what other reviewers give away. If you want to experience the mysteries and revelations of 'Till We Have Faces' with all the intensity felt by Lewis' heroine Orual, please stop reading the reviews here. Read on, though, for marvelous plot summaries and reflections on the book. But no matter what you choose, please READ THIS BOOK for a story that is as achingly beautiful as it is richly insightful.

The first time I read this novel, maybe twenty years ago, I was a bit disappointed. From Lewis, I expected Christian fantasy or philosophy. Who was this pagan god of the mountain who came to love Psyche? What was going on in the confusing dream-like sequences towards the end? Where is God in all of this?

Now I love it. I've pushed it on other people, and found most "got it" faster than I. Some of my best Japanese students have read it in my first-year English reading class, and those who have, liked it. (I recommmend it to them partly because of the brilliant way Lewis depicts ancient Greek and tribal cultures and thought.) Some appreciate the insight and sensitivity with which Lewis depicted his female leading character. (Thanks, maybe, to his love at the time of writing for a woman of a similarly realistic and strong temperament.) One noted that "This story will tell you how not just Orual but every mortal has an ugly soul." She told me that she'd been reading a bit about Greek philosophy, and the book was interesting for that reason, too. Another said she liked the single combat, admitting, "I know it isn't the most important scene, but I just like it." A relative, to whom I gave a copy of the book, told me she read the whole thing (it's not that short) in one sitting.

So I think there's a good chance you'll like the book, too. As for God, while He is hidden in this story, (as He often is in life) that hiddenness is another layer within the depth within depths that is this novel. I now tend to think Lewis deserved a Nobel Prize for writing it.

author, Jesus and the Religions of Man

I've always liked C.S. Lewis's allegories and writings on faith, but I never thought that he would produce such a beautiful and subtle work of fiction. This was actually assigned as a summer reading project in English, and I was also surprised at myself when I not only enjoyed it, but liked it better when I had to map out all its themes and parallels. The novel takes place in the times of ancient Greece, when myths are still being made, and it is interesting just to see the myth of Cupid and Psyche from another's point of view, Psyche's older sister Orual --especially the angry shock when she finds out how much the "true" story has been altered by the tellers of tales. It is also interesting to see how the gods themselves -- in this case, Aphrodite -- exist in all cultures but have different forms, and the beautiful goddess of the Greeks can be the vengeful hag of Orual's people. The myth structure is used to explore a number of themes: the nature of love, the nature of the gods, and the personal journey every person must make.

Besides all this, though, there are two things that surprised me most of all: the main character, Orual, is multi-dimensional, and very female (even though her circumstances are different from most women). Whether you like her actions or not, you understand them, and you find yourself sympathizing with her even when she is being greedy or selfish. The other characters are interesting, too. The other thing is the way that Lewis masterfully combines the elements of myth and the ancient, polytheistic religion, and brings them to very Christian revelations. But if whether you are a Christian or not, you will still be moved by Orual's discoveries at the strangely satisfying ending.

If you're looking for a book to keep you company and entertain you on a stormy night, C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces will do quite nicely. If on the other you're looking for a book that will teach and inspire you, Till We Have Faces will do just that. If you're in search of a book that will do both, that's right, you need look no further, Till We have Faces will keep you turning the pages and open your eyes to greater things. C.S. Lewis is a master story teller. This book will send your mind on a journey, taking you to a unknown land, and there spin a story that will make your mouth water with anticipation. Though the story is an adaptation of a Greek myth, and maintains some fantasy, the characters are so real and emotionally intricate that it evokes perfect pathos. The lives of the characters that Lewis portrays causes the reader to evaluate their own life, their own loves, and helps them see a better, purer way to love. It has the power to reach most everyone. There really is nothing static about this book. It can suffice for pure entertainment purposes. The story is compelling, and demands the readers interest as to how the conflict will be resolved. The story telling is vivid and brings the tale to life. And throughout the story Lewis communicates issues of faith and love, that no one can escape, issues that effect everyone. It's practically perfect in every way. I have no qualms whatsoever about suggesting this book to my closest friends and family. To say that it is good reading and thought provoking only scratches the surface of what this book can do. I believe that everyone can enjoy and benefit from reading Lewis' Till We Have Faces, it will bring you into a new and brighter world.

I first read this book in my high school sophomore English class. I sort of enjoyed it and saw some value in it but, for the most part, it was obtuse.

A year or so after high school, I saw it in a bookstore and, since I'm an avid C. S. Lewis fan, thought that I should read it again. I'm so glad I did! It instantly became my favorite book, and defends its place up to this day.

I've talked to other people about it, who seem to come at it as if it were an allegory. If you read it that way, you will be disappointed! There is an intriguing depth to it, but as the priest says, "holy wisdom is not clear and thin like water, but thick and dark like blood." This book will give you a glimpse into the depths of reality, but not in the same way "Pilgrim's Progress" does.

I'm rereading it for probably the fourth time, and my love for it continues to deepen. You have to learn to take the story the way it is and let your understanding of it grow before you can enjoy the marvel and mystery of this book. Yes, it has a deep allegorical element in it, but it's because of what the story is, and not the other way around.

I can see why C. S. Lewis thought this was his best novel. It was also his last, and has a very personal nature to it. It is a masterpiece of modern fiction, but it seems like few see it that way. But if you love George MacDonald, J. R. R. Tolkien, or Charles Williams, you should really give this book a fair chance.

that I have read Till We Have Faces. What an amazing book. Lewis had an uncanny knack for reaching in and grabbing hold. I must admit I started reading this book and couldn't stop. It made me feel a little bit like I was drowning, but I think it was wonderful excercise for my mind. I have so long been reading what is passing for Christian fiction that my brain had become numb. What a wonderful way to brush away the cobwebs and really dig in to something substantial. It made me uncomfortable to a degree, like something that hits just a little to close to home. Greedy, all-consuming, self-centered love at the expense of others, or worse at the expense of those you are supposed to love best. Ouch. I am a Lewis fan now and ever more.

As there exists a wealth of [mostly] helpful reviews, I will try to add to the current body rather than restate it all.

Till We Have Faces is known, by now, to be an allegory using the myth of Cupid and Psyche. For those who want a primer, Lewis has Apuleius' version of the myth summarized at the end of the work, which is helpful for keeping the allegory in mind, rather than trying to figure out what is going on with the plot.

By far, my impression is that Lewis' strength in this work is his stunning use of characterization. He makes both Orual and Psyche, as well as the King and Fox, so incredibly consistent-consistencies that required `tweaking' of the myth itself in order to implement-and consistencies that are required in order to make them seem more real. The result of such piercing characterizations is the ability to find pieces of ourselves in the characters, which adds to the meaningfulness of the allegory and the satisfaction from the story.

Here I wish to warn the reader: the climax and denouement are gentler in this story than they are in The Last Battle, The Space Trilogy-I should just say, gentler than Lewis' normal style. It is no less impacting, and no less worthy, but a careless read will cause the reader to miss it. Unfortunately, many (not all, of course) readers tend to speed up near the end, where things `get good'. I would advise against this: for those readers who know they tend toward this, tread carefully in Part Two.

I also cannot declare that it is Lewis' best fiction: maybe such a thing differs depending on which of his works personally speak to which readers. However, it is certainly worth the time and energy, and there are many benefits to the way he chooses to retell the myth. I personally do not find that it detracts from the myth in any way, but that each can be savored separately.

Enjoy!

--The Medieval Chick

I was given this book as a gift several years ago for Christmas from my sister and brother-in-law, and promptly wrinkled my nose and put it on my bookshelf without really bothering to see what it was about after I saw C.S. Lewis as the author. However, while taking my collegiate Latin class, my instructor mentioned it while we were reading the story of Psyche and Cupid in our text. With his recommendation and now knowing its subject, I decided it would be something I'd like to read.

The book doesn't take long--it's 300 pages, but they go by quickly and it's interesting, so it keeps you turning the pages. Some of the ends of the chapters have that device of young adult literature, the cliffhanger, so even when you vow you're going to stop and go to bed you end up reading further than you intended.

This book is in the grand tradition of "Grendel" or "Wicked"--that is, telling the myth or story from the point of view of the "evil" person in the story (although, as this book was published in the late fifties, it seems it started the tradition rather than continuing it). This makes it incredibly interesting. It is written from the viewpoint of Princess and then Queen Orual, older half sister of Istra, known as Psyche to Orual and their beloved slave, the Fox, a Greek who teaches Orual his native language and looks after her. Psyche's mother dies in childbirth, and Orual and the Fox become her caregivers. However, Psyche is sacrificed to the local goddess, Ungit, and Orual receives an enormous shock when she goes up to the mountain on which Psyche was sacrificed to bury her remains.

I won't say more, as I don't want to give away anything in the book. Every now and then, it seems like something is included and really does not have much to do with the larger story, but this does not take away from the book's entertainment value. While I would not number it in my top ten favorite books or anything like that, I am not regretful of having read it. It raises interesting questions for all of us as we witness Orual's struggle over whether her intentions were as pure as she originally believed, as well as the ever-enduring issuing of questioning God or, in this book, the gods.

This is prime beach reading or rainy day reading. Not only that, but it tricks you into thinking about certain issues by embedding them into a heartbreaking, beautiful story.

C.S. Lewis' book Till we Have Faces is a fantastic literary achievement that shows how important point of view actually is. We are all familiar, I'm sure, of the Greek myth of Psyche and Cupid. The myth in a nutshell says that Psyche was married to Cupid, but she could never know to who it was she was married. Psyche was extremely happy, although she never saw her husbands' face. She lived in a big palace, and was pretty much set for life. Psyche's sisters, however, came to visit her one day and saw her big home and her happiness, and they became extremely jealous. They decided to ruin Psyche because that is what all good sisters do. They convince Psyche to turn on the lights that night to see who her husband is. She does and becomes doomed to wander the Earth aimlessly. She later is forced to do impossible labors for Cupid's mother, who is jealous of her beauty. Eventually Psyche becomes reconciled with Cupid and she becomes deified. Then they live happily ever after. C.S. Lewis version of this story casts a very different light on the story when it told from Orual's, one of Psyche's sisters, perspective. This is why this book is so interesting. In C.S. Lewis version we learn that Orual's intentions are really quite pure, and that she inadvertently brings about Psyche's downfall. She then blames herself for years for bringing such misery upon the sister she loved so dearly. So by simply changing the point of view of the story, Lewis creates a character who is sympathetic rather than spiteful. It is this message of looking at things from different perspectives that is one of the main themes in this story.

The other theme of this story is that beauty, true beauty, is found on the inside. I have wondered why Lewis chose to name this book Till we Have Faces, and I am still not sure of the significance of it. It is possible that the whole theme of beauty is what this title suggests. When we are beautiful on the inside, then it shows in our countenance and our faces. Our faces then reflect what we are, and people see us in that way. It is interesting that until Orual veils her face, she is considered ugly, but once she does veil it, she is considered to be very beautiful because she then allows her true, beautiful self to take over. In this way, people really don't see her true face until she veils her ugly one.

This book is a great read. It is full of symbolic elements that are interesting to try and interpret. Lewis is a great author, and this book lived up to all of my expectations for it. If you do plan on reading it, plan a huge block of time when you can read the entire thing, because once you start it, you won't want to put it down. I really enjoyed it because it made me think. C.S. Lewis is a terrific author, and he does not disappoint with this book.

I went into this book not knowing what to expect; I'd never even heard of it before. The first time I read it, it blew my mind. The second time, it struck me in different ways, all just as powerful and intriguing. I can safely say that this is one of my favorite books of all time.

The story follows the "ugly sister" of the Eros/Psyche myth -- the one who seeks to destroy Psyche's happiness in the original fairytale. Here, the myth gains new life as it is stripped of its fairytale trappings and set into a realistic world. In short, it explains why the myth is the way it is, and at the same time it is an engaging tale of the true nature of "love."

Just thinking about what Lewis manages here is amazing enough. I don't think I've ever read a book that so effortlessly entwines 1) an engaging story, 2) a strong allegory, 3) a philosophical treatise, 4) beautiful character development (beautiful characterization all 'round!), and best of all, 5) pure entertainment. Most incredibly, Till We Have Faces effortlessly "instructed" me -- one of those rare books that left me looking at my own character and my relationships with other people. Anyone 13 and up can enjoy it -- the writing style is sharp and concise, communicates much with very few words, delivers some wonderful turns of phrase, and in general is very earthy and strong and rich. In my mind, Lewis is easily a master of the genre.

This is not a "perfect" retelling of the Eros/Psyche myth and takes some liberties by focusing only on the ugly sister, but it only serves to emphasize the meaning behind the myth. In fact, I find the story far more engaging because of its altered focus. Don't be fooled... the Psyche myth is here, and it's absolutely integral; this book is all about the myth and how it reflects Orual's life. It's running inbetween the lines if one would care to look for it. In fact, I much preferred reading about the far more complex and interesting character of Orual (the ugly sister) than her sweet and perfect sister Psyche who, in my opinion, was annoying.

There are only two reasons I can think of that would turn off the potential reader. Firstly, it may be boring if you dislike reading about somebody's daily life. If such exposition is painful for you, you'll probably hate this book. That said, the way Lewis described the daily life of these ancient people brought the entire culture alive for me. The second way you might find it painful is if you dislike having thick philosophy stirred in -- and the allegory/philosophy comes to a head near the end of the book in such a way that will spin an unprepared reader's head. The first time I read this I had to read it about three times and I still didn't get it. The second time it was much clearer, but obviously Lewis was an excellent philosopher, which I am not.

One can enjoy this book on its superficial level and come away feeling oddly relaxed and good at the end, even without completely understanding why. And if you dare to dig deeply, you will get more than you know what to do with. Lewis found it important to really know what one was saying -- to say what one really meant, one should get at the foundation of a word. If you want to get some extra oomph out of your reading, if you want to expand your mind and your understanding about the integral concept of "love," this is the book for you. If you want an entertaining ride, the book is this, too.

I do not understand why it doesn't have any more critical acclaim; perhaps its Christian allegory is part of this, in which case it is a shame. This book manages what most "artsy" books can almost never claim: it is entertaining at the same time that it is thought-provoking.

Without one mention of Christ in this book, C. S. Lewis was able to open my eyes to Christianity. In the way that Orual bears Psyche's pain because she loves her and by then equating Orual with Ungit, I was able to realize that one of the major points in Christianity is that love is greater than justice. And furthermore, as Orual bore Psyche's pain, Christ suffered to bear our pain. This book's message is an analogy for Christianity.

To my mind, this is perhaps the finest piece Mr. Lewis ever produced: an allegorical re-telling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. It is neither bogged down by excessive detail and fatuous elements that go seemingly nowhere, nor does it seem too spare...in a word, this flows...and does it beautifully...almost mirroring Alan Paton in terms of sheer smoothness and comfort of read. While spare, the prose does not seem to lack for anything...Lewis constructs his story well, patiently, building us slowly to climax.

This is, as mentioned earlier, a re-telling of a myth. It is also an exploration of love, false love, attachment, jealousy, envy, pride, limitation of human understanding, and, above all, the power of grace to redeem even the least lovely and least desirable among us. This is a lovely piece, giving a marvelous message of both hope and comfort. I recommend it most highly.

To put into words how I feel about Till We Have Faces is an impossible task. It would be easier to put into words abstract feelings, than describe to you the pure genius of this book. C.S. Lewis is truly a master storyteller, and his magically gripping ability to involve the reader from the very first page is truly unparalleled. If you have ever want to read a book that can relate to your life this book is it. Till We Have Faces is defiantly one of the best books I have ever read. The story of Orual is a story of extremes. The book at points takes on many aspects of a psychological thriller in much the same fashion as Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Orual is constantly being pulled by different characters that represent the extremes of her own mind. The internal strife of having to deal with issues surrounding her sister Pschye, propels Orual on a voyage of self-discovery, that in the end shows her the true nature of life, happiness, beauty, and self-worth. Lewis employs some great techniques to get his points across to the reader. On the surface and the obvious level, Lewis gives the reader a great story about an ugly sister, great love for her goddess like beautiful sister. The story contains sword fights, wars, famines, death, sacrifice, gods, goddesses, and natural disasters. All the ingredients necessary to make a great page turning novel. However, just beneath the story lies Lewis attempt to make a statement. That statement being: Self Worth is not measured by beauty but actions and the person themselves. The book in the interpretive sense is very much a story about the trial and tribulations one must endure on this earth, and why they must be endured. Lewis will always be a great author. Generations from now his stories will be considered classics. Stories such as the Chronicles of Narnia will always be considered Lewis's greatest works. I feel that Till We Have Faces could easily join the ranks of Lewis's greatest books. Not only that it is a must read for anybody. The book itself is easy to follow and comprehend. The youngest of children could pick up on the moral that Lewis is presenting to us in this book, yet the wisest of adults could find deep and meaning insights into life and love also. The book truly contains something for everyone, and I highly recommend it to anyone. I personally sat down and didn't get back up until I had read the entire novel.

This is a book that makes you grow. It changes you in ways that last a lifetime. I first read this years ago, and I'm still growing from the memories of the story and from the parallels to daily life. It can help resolve lingering anger issues, just by reading a simple story that seemingly has nothing to do with you. It removes you from your own life for the moment and at the same time gives you clarity over it. I once read an excerpt to a friend who was, at the time, in the process of watching her health deteriorate and she said it gave her "chills" it was so good. It's a book that helps you grieve, also. It helps you sort through the pain of a loss (of any kind) very well and brings about priceless peace of mind when you need it most. I know that CS Lewis is seen as a Christian writer, but I don't see this book as a Christian book, personally. I see it as a story about what it is to be human. You will inevitably see yourself in at least one character in this story. I feel this book helped me mature as a young adult and I still gain something from it with every read. I have the audio cd of the book as well. It's nice in many ways, but I feel the reader (Nadia May) over-dramatizes the prose at times which I feel detracts from it. Still, in listening to it, I picked up on things about the story that I didn't pick up on when reading the book. No matter the method in which you experience the story, however, it is a story you should be told.

This is, I think, Lewis' best fantasy novel, written close to the end of his life. Many elements that annoyed me about his earlier works (such as his occasional flashes of misogyny) are refreshingly absent here, in a story very much focussed on strong female characters.

This is usually sold as religious fiction (which it is, in a roundabout way). But it has plenty of the usual fantasy trappings (a cool warrior queen, swordfights, weird pagan gods, human sacrifice, battles and other fun political intrigue among ancient kingdoms, etc). It is no more religiously-inspired (though arguably no less so) than his Space Trilogy, or his Narnia series, which you often see shelved in the fantasy sections of bookstores, and is in some ways better than any of them. Lewis is a compelling read, and the pages just fly by. On the other hand, it is no doubt far too introspective for someone looking for the latest Dungeons & Dragons style action adventure.

Anyway, if you like intelligent fantasy, but find the title a little off-putting, may I suggest you just pick it up from the shelf in your bookstore and read a few pages. If you are intrigued by the beginning, I doubt you will be disappointed by the remainder.

ADDENDUM 4/23/2006: A more recent post has inspired me to add a few comments. They are as follows:

(1) Since this forum is not set up for debate, it might be best if reviewers stick to reviewing the book rather than reviewing eachother's reviews.

(2) I stand by my review and my choice of words. There are obviously many ways a character can be "strong". I trust the reader will understand what I mean (and what I do not mean) after he reads the book. It would make no sense to give away half the plot with an extensive discussion of the issue.

(3) I was intrigued by Lewis' treatment of the middle sister, which does not neatly compare to any other character in Lewis' fiction. I can see, however, how she might be misunderstood by a very inattentive reader. To say more would be a spoiler.

(4) Because I really liked this book, I hoped to convince others to read it. My review is mainly addressed to those who to some extent enjoyed Lewis' other sci-fi/fantasy fiction, but who might not have considered trying this title. I trust no-one will be misled into believing this is a radical feminist tract.

I wanted to finish the book since so much more reading is piling up. As it is I stay up late doing my Bible reading by flashlight. So I just finished the book. I read the last half in about 2 days. I should know better than to do that. Reading deep stuff so quickly always makes me cry.

I found myself crying at the end, because it was my story, my prayer. The whole story, as I guess Lewis intended, and Orual's final prayer. "Long did I hate you, long did I fear you," she says at the very end. Oh God, that was so me! Now, 10+ years after reading this the first time, I understand. I understand so clearly. It moves me to tears. How could I have been so blind for so many years?

I had always thought of Ungit as somehow good. Gods have to be good, right? I never saw that she was a metaphor for all that was ugly and sinful in us - a profane love that was not really love.

It is odd to read this book through new eyes. We are Psyche. What that means I do not know. But reading this book a second time I see many of the layers I missed the first time. This is not like the Narnia series where the metaphors are often easy. This is a hard, deep book, meant for adults. I see many Christian metaphors I missed the first time because my head was with HER instead of Him. It's like how I used to read the Bible and it never made sense. Then, after I became a Christian, it became the most wonderful book and I began to study it with new eyes, and saw many things I'd overlooked before.

And still I feel I've missed so many nuances in the book. Many things, I think, have double meanings. Lewis was a master with words. Something will have a meaning in the book, and another, deeper, Christian meaning.

All of this went over my head the first time. I didn't understand a tenth of what Lewis was trying to convey. I guess I did not have a face then; I was not ready to listen to the truth, both the truth about me, and the truth about God (there's that double meaning again!).

I could go on forever. There's not time nor space enough to write everything Lewis wove into this story. All I know is I thank God for showing me my life in these pages. The girl who was first handed the book was Orual, not able to hear the truth, not yet ready for the answer that would unmake her, change her. I know I'm not perfect. I won't truly have a face until the day I die and stand before God. But every day I die a little and become more the woman God wants me to be. "Long did I hate you, long did I fear you." But no more. No more.

I must admit that the first time I read "Till We Hae Faces," I could not comprehend it. It was only until I re-read it years later that I discovered the grandeur and the genius of Lewis' story. I guess it had to wait for me to read other books, including the friend of C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, whose hand is clearly seen in it.
Orual sees herself as the victim in most of the book, until at the end she finds that she was the true opressor, not the gods that she accuses. "You also are Psyche." says the god when she does her act of spite against her sister, thinking that she is only acting for her good.
It reminds me of an epitaph Lewis once wrote:
Erected by her sorrowing brothers
In memory of Martha Clay.
Here lies one who lived for others;
Now she has peace. And so have they. (Poems, p. 134)

This has to be one of Lewis' best books, well worth reading. Orual does find her face in the end, in a stunning twist.

"Till We Have Faces" lacks some of the traits which make us love Lewis' other works - it's un-English, un-donnish, it lacks his quirky sense of humour, it is not edifiying; yet there are a kind of coherence, a unity of tone and majestic pathos which make the novel impressive in a unique way. Above all, Lewis handles myth - the subtitle is "A Myth retold" - with a respect of which he alone among 20th century writers seems to be capable. There is no demythologizing, and yet the reader understands the implications, the power, and the tragedy of the myth of Psyche and Cupid in a completely new way.

The story is told by Orual, Psyche's older sister; she is such an impressive and strong female character than one is surprised an utterly conservative man like Lewis could have created her. She rebels against the gods and the people who won't leave her beloved beautiful sister Psyche alone. - Telling more about what happens might spoil the reader's enjoyment of the book, so I won't do it. - Read this book and get to know a C.S. Lewis you have not met before; but above all you will enjoy a supremely crafted work of fiction.

I read this book in one sitting. It was less important that it was well written, and what was written about, than the character behind it. Orual's character is explained in great detail through her actions and how she analyzes herself for the first part of the book. She tells a fascinating story of a woman who has lost everything and blames the gods. She is ugly and will never be loved; her sister she adores she destroys out of love; the kindest treatment she receives is from those who look at her as a man. The results are a hardened and bitter woman. She has reigned as a great queen but lost her humanity. She has no life or love to look back upon, and all is a cruel joke. She has been wronged horribly. She finishes with a denunciation of the gods. But as Orual starts in with the second part of the book, her entire manner has changed. Other people have become more open to her, offered her new perspectives. Her younger sister she thought despised her was lonely. The man she loved she worked to death because she was blind to his own needs. Although it is not pleasant, she begins to see how selfish and blind she has been. As she sees things differently, her feelings soften. It's amazing to see, mostly because we have all had similar experiences. We see what happens, assume we understand it, and paint for ourselves a story. It is only later that someone or something else opens our eyes (almost literally, when Orual is on top of the mountain) and we feel remorse, shame, or compassion. We are seldom honest with ourselves. She admits at the start of the second book that to leave the story as she first saw it would be to lie. As she re-examines the evidence, she is forced to admit her conclusions were wrong. Fortunately, there is redemption for her, even after all of her shortcomings. The wrongs she has committed against loved ones are righted by the very gods she denounced. We, too, so often discover how narrow and clouded and short our own vision is. C. S. Lewis has managed to explore some of the emotions we all feel and assumptions we all make. In Till We Have Faces, he has revealed clearly part of what makes us human.

I found Til We Have Faces to be extremely thought-provoking and it made me drown in a pool of emotions. When I began this book, I wasn't sure where it was going. I wasn't even sure I liked it. Eventually, the story got deeper and deeper. Characters intertwined and morphed in and out of eachother. That is the key element of the story; the psychological feel that it has. You suspect certain things may happen, but at least in my case, most did not. I enjoy books that are not readily predictable. What I enjoyed most, however, was all the emotion the book made me feel. C.S. Lewis brings the characters to life in your mind, it made me actually feel pain, happiness, and confusion for/towards them. Everything related to eachother, and even when the book ended, I still felt like the story was continuing without me. It was very real, and made you think. True, I lost interest in some chapters, but on the whole, the book had a very unique overall point, that if discovered, is one of the most amazing and fascinating points to discover. All the emotion the characters felt, the things they saw.. the work was beautiful. I suggest this reading, but only if one is willing to read closely and grasp underlying ideas. The book is one that should be closely read, I don't really think it is a pleasure book, though it was extremely enjoyable. Everyone should give the book a try, the message of the book is too unique not to.

This is for me C.S.Lewis's greatest work. But I've known others who have read it and found little to appreciate in it. If you can relate to the psychology of the characters in this book, and to the religious context in which the tale is set, it will be a book read many times. If you can not, it will be at best no more than a charming but rather obscure tale set in a distant land.

It is a book that tells a tale completely divorced from the self, while being (if it captures one) intimately about the self. It sets rhyme against reason; love against hate; beauty against ugliness; the Gods against humanity; doubt against conviction; the priesthood against the state; the profound against the profain; dark superstition and blood sacrifice against the devine and sacred; what is real against what is illusionary; and culminates with exploring the issue of how life itself can through all of these conflicts be discovered to be not what it always seemed while lived.

It is ultimately a character study in how we may each live a lifetime oblivious to who we really were; how we can blame anything but ourselves for all our own perceived misfortunes; and only discover at our end that nothing was quite what it till then seemed. It is in that moment when we find our faces (see ourselves as we really were) that we know both the damnation of all that we have till then been and the salvation of finding all our accusations against the Gods finally answered.

The book sugar coats these (and many other) deep philosophical and spiritual issues in a story that is fast paced, gripping, absorbing, and once read ever remembered as a haunting tale about a quaint land and time not ones own brought to life through C.S.Lewis's wonderful skill at painting memorable pictures with words. This is a tale that stretches from the cradle to the grave, and then if one believes such things beyond.

Personally I take huge exception to the number of Christians here who claim that this is somehow a "Christian" tale, in some sort of attempt to claim this book as their own. It is nothing of the sort. Indeed my personal experience has been that Christians tend not to like this book, because it is set in a religious context more druid than christian, and deliberately so for I think that C.S.Lewis wanted to throw away the trappings of his own religion the better to explore the nature of religion itself.

The tale is of a greek myth retold in an even more pagan setting, set in an ancient time, perhaps 200 or 300 BC. It is a philosophical and intellectual exploration of that pagan myth, and as such this book would be as accessible to a muslim, an atheist, a buddist and/or and a jew. This story is not one intended to teach the reader what to believe but rather one designed to speak to the whole issue of belief itself, and to challenge ones own beliefs in subtle and not so subtle ways no matter what they are.

Be careful of the somewhat slow beginning because I almost didn't get into this book... and I am so glad I did.

The story of Orual, the ugly sister and Psyche, the beautiful sister sneaks up on you. As the reader, you become more and more drawn into identification with Orual. Then CSLewis artfully reveals Orual's limits, slowly but surely, as Orual forces Psyche to go against everything Psyche understands. It takes an excellent story teller AND theologian to show the error of Orual's thinking and actions as inexorably as he does, and it is poignant to experience it as the reader, since you can't help but urge Orual to re-evaluate her position.

Are Aslan and Chronicles of Narnia CSLewis' best representation of his theology? After reading Til We Have Faces, I'm no longer sure.

One review I read before I decided to buy this book said that there were Christian overtones in a pagan setting. I would say that the Christian message is delivered loud and clear through Orual's life of struggle with her sister, father, and queenship.

A great book, and you do not have to know the story of Psyche to enjoy the book.

C.S. Lewis is a genius; I cannot say this emphatically enough.

Till We Have Faces retells the traditional story of Cupid and Psyche. It does not mess with the storyline, but builds on it and makes it real and true, with live characters and so much detail. I would suggest being familiar with the original myth before reading it (it is written in the very back of the book) because I didn't understand just what was happening the first time I read the book through.

The story is...beautiful. Amazing. It draws you heavily into the atmosphere of the time, into Orural's obsessive love of her sister, Istra (Psyche), hatred of her father the king, learning of philosophy through Fox, the Greek prisoner, and the fear of Ungit (Venus).

Till We Have Faces offers so much insight - into holiness and love, among other subjects. It is interesting to see Lewis's work not directly relating to Christianity but through pagan mythology instead. I do not think I could compare the book to C.S. Lewis's other fiction; they are so entirely different in spirit. I will say that it is worth the read - worth many, many reads, for I notice new truths in Lewis's writing every time.

Till We Have Faces is a myth retold. The myth of the love affair between Cupid and Psyche is the basis of the story, which is about a young princess that is so beautiful that no man would dare pursue her, because she was thought to be a goddess. This makes the goddess Aphrodite terribly jealous and demands that Psyche be offered as a sacrifice to the god's. Aphrodite instructs her son Cupid to put a spell on her to desire the worst of mankind; however, Cupid falls madly in love with Psyche because she is so beautiful. Because Cupid is a god and Psyche is a mortal, Cupid hides himself from her even though he is her husband. Psyche's two evil sisters come and deceive Psyche into uncovering her lover, and therefore, bring the punishment of exile on her. Aphrodite is happy again.


Lewis takes this sad legend and transforms it into a story of redemption. The novel is written with the literary theory called "the broken-hearted reader" motif. This means that the narrative is written in a self-justifying prose that, in the end, exposes the brokenness and weakness of the writer. Something like Nathan's prophecy to David about the coveted lamb would be a good Hebrew example.


The story is told by one of the supposedly "evil" sisters named Orual. Orual is leads a tragic life of one love and loss after another. Her father, the king, is an abusive tyrant who despises her, not only because she is a woman, but because she is ugly. Orual's greatest love, however, is reserved for her younger sister, Psyche, who is ripped away from her by a strange sacrificial demand for her life by the goddess Ungit. Orual is devastated, yet hopes that Psyche is alive, and finds her one day in an obscure forest. Psyche is blissful and full of life. She is passionate about the love of her "husband" and refuses to return with Orual to the kingdom. Orual's jealousy corrodes her mind, and out of "love" manipulates Psyche into betraying her husband. Psyche is lost, and Orual remains bitter.


The king finally dies and Orual comes to power. She wears a veil to cover her ugliness, and becomes a legend throughout the land. She is cunning and brave as she rules her kingdom with the sword and her good counselors beside her. One of her counselor's is a man named Bardia, who is a commander of the military whom Orual is in love with. Yet, she also resents him because he is married. She despises him and makes him work long hours away from his family which in the end takes his life. Orual grieves for him and goes to comfort his wife who accuses her of murdering her husband with hard toil. Orual is disheartened.



However, the biggest blow comes when Orual is told the legend of Psyche by a temple priest. The story is told in such a way that makes Psyche the victim of her "evil sister," and Orual is outraged. She labors mightly over a book accusing the gods of injustice and defies anyone to tell her she is wrong. Orual accuses the gods of stealing Psyche from her, and pours out her complaint to them in a divine courtroom. However, as Orual is reading she realizes that she made Psyche violate the god not because Orual cared not for Psyche's life, but because she so wanted the highest place in Psyche's love.

Orual is interrupted by the judge and realizes that the gods have no need to defend themselves. Orual's protest is its own indictment. Orual then knows she has condemned herself. Her essential jealousy has been the jealousy of the godsa desire for their power, the beauty the posses, and the love they receive. Hence, Orual becomes the broken-hearted reader.


However, there is redemption. Orual is allowed to see the journeys of Psyche through her exile. Orual is humbled to see that Psyche has been bearing her grief working to restore her broken sister. Orual's story ends with an encounter. Her heart has been finally prepared for the grace she is about to receive. In her last vision she is visited by the god who is "all that is dreadful and all that is beauty" and beholds herself reflected in a pool beside her sister, both of them made beautiful!


The book ends abruptly, but that is only to show how inadequate words are to describe the feelings of reconciliation, peace, and forgiveness. Lewis writes about the book, "I ended my first book with the words no answer. I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice? Only words, words; to be led out to battle against other words"

I'm really very sorry that I cannot agree with most of the reviewers.
I've tried very hard to enjoy this book, but unfortunately it didn't appeal me so much as I hoped.
I was sadly disappointed.

Sometimes during the reading I was tempted to put it off, because I found it slightly *boring*, but I kept on hoping to find something *more*, I had faith in Lewis and hoped I could at last discover and feel the same emotions the other readers were inspired (and I am in such a need for them!).

The book isn't bad at all, it's maybe my fault that it was too much different and diverging from my expectations.
I expected something wonderful, explosive and utterly original, something that could "change my life" with a sort of "epiphany": I wanted to be given strong emotions and shocking existential revelations. I had instead soft hintings and delicate characterization.
It was not what I was looking for.

At least, thanks to C. S. Lewis, I will never forget the myth about Eros and Psyche, and my culture has a bit increased.

CS Lewis, the master Christian apologist, was also a fabulous storyteller, as well as a sort of Classical scholar. This book is a synthesis of his theology, his love for the classics, and his storytelling ability. It is a reworking of the Psyche/Cupid myth, spun by Lewis in such a way as to teach important moral values--values which Lewis propagated in his Christian writings, but which he proves (in this book) to be important to all cultures. One of the most compelling things about this novel is that it is set in a `barbarian' society, with many gods comparable to those of the Greeks. Even in the midst of this foreign religion, however, Lewis manages to teach his Christian moral values with surprising success.

In a nutshell, this is a story about too much love. Orual, Psyche's sister, loves Psyche more than anything. Her love, however, is a selfish love, and Orual ends up destroying her sister because of that love. The central message of this book (to me, at least) is that people often treat their love protectively, and that jealousy often prompts people to hurt the one they love in an effort to keep the beloved all to themselves. The result, in this story and in others, is that someone (like Orual) who claims to love another person (like Psyche) ends up being the person in the world who hurts them the most. This culminates, in the novel, with Orual using Psyche's love for her as blackmail to get Psyche to destroy her life with the god Cupid.

Readers familiar with Lewis's `The Screwtape Letters' and `The Great Divorce' will recognize this familiar theme of love gone too far. As always, Lewis provides insights in this book that are both profitable and that hit close to home for many of us. This is a great work of fiction by CS Lewis, both for its theological content and for the narrative itself. I couldn't put it down until I'd finished it, and both enjoyed and profited from the reading.

NOT!!! I'm 14 years old and I LOVE THIS BOOK! It is so creative and it has a lot of dialog- which means it never got boring- and it was so interesting! I loved it and rate it 5 stars!!

*****

A Lewisian telling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche from the viewpoint of one of Psyche's sisters, drawn as a very sympathetic character. As always, Lewis writes well, with insight into the depths and heights of human psychology, and with subtle allegory and a taste for grand and weighty endings. It's a good book, not ponderous but sometimes deep, easily worth the time.

Also as always, I have the feeling that Lewis has introduced some quiet saboteur memes into my brain, and that some day they'll all join together and I'll wake up and find myself a Christian. It hasn't happened yet, though! Perhaps, having been brought up on the Narnia books, I've developed some immunity...

In his masterpiece address, "The Weight of Glory," Lewis says, "if our religion is something objective, then we must never avert our eyes from those elements in it which seem puzzling or repellent; for it will be precisely the puzzling or the repellent which conceals what we do not yet know and need to know."

Through the retelling of an ancient myth, Lewis deals with the uncomfortable issue of God's justice in light of what seems a very unjust world. Why have the gods always seemed indifferent to the afflictions of man? Why must holy places be dark places? Why can't the gods just answer us without all the guesswork and riddle?

If these questions bother you, you will be able to relate to the book's protagonist, a woman named Orual. That is the great thing about this work, if we are honest, we shall see ourselves in Orual. And while admittedly not answering all the questions that arise along these lines, the book, I feel does succeed in giving us a glimpse of at least that part of the problem that we can control and at some level understand.

The main issue that is dealt with in this book is perhaps the most puzzling aspect of faith. There are clearly those things that go far beyond our ability to control, and each of us shall leave this world in ignorance and most assuredly in wonder, why this, why that? But to his credit, Lewis does an amazing job of taking these tough questions and once again through myth, helping his readers to understand a bit more clearly perhaps, the most mysterious of all things, the human heart.

Once we understand (in some measure) our own hearts, perhaps we too will agree with another of the book's characters, The Fox, when asked by Orual, "are the gods not just?" He answers, "Oh no, child. What would become of us if they were?"

The Blackstone Audio of this book is excellent by the way. I read the book once and found (as I do with most of Lewis's works) that I enjoyed it even more upon the second reading. I hope you will enjoy it as well.

C.S. Lewis' "Till We Have Faces" gives a contemporary twist to the original myth of Cupid and Psyche while remaining true to the original. Lewis takes the story to another level with marvelous depth and revelation. Although the setting and society are very different from that of our present day, Lewis uses his knowledge of symbolism and tone to adapt the story into any culture. The theme of conditional love and knowing oneself are consistent throughout the piece.
Set in Glome, a "barbaric pre-Christian" society, Lewis tells the story of Orual, Psyche's ugly older sister. Orual first struggles with secrecy not only in her family but in the world around her. Orual's father was the king of Glome and Orual was to stay inside the castle at all times. Psyche, who was the most beautiful girl in the land, was thought of as something different, something dangerous. Orual looked after Psyche during her whole childhood and felt a deep and eventually harmful love for Psyche. After a horrible crop season and famine spreading it was decided that Psyche would be offered to the God of the mountain. After the sacrifice Orual goes to give Psyche a proper burial. Orual eventually finds Psyche alive but thinks that she has gone crazy. Psyche tells her of a palace in which she eats, sleeps, bathes, and is visited by a God during the darkness of the night. Orual leaves mad at Psyche for having believed such things were true and ends up going back for Psyche. Orual tells Psyche to turn on a lantern one night while the God is there to see him for the first time. Psyche knows that she will break the God's trust, but Orual threatens to commit suicide if Psyche does not comply. Psyche does what Orual tells her and is sentenced to a life of wandering and exile. The God tells Orual that she will have to live with the guilt of having led Psyche to such a fate. This is the point in which Orual's love for Psyche becomes less love and more of a demon inside Orual. When Orual returns from the mountain she is a changed woman and eventually becomes the Queen of Glome. Once she is older, Orual begins to understand that there is no such thing as unconditional love and that beauty is as important to the God's as it is to humans. She constantly wears a veil over her face and loses herself in the role of Queen. Once a person has created an image for themselves they begin to create a soul and the sense of self. This is what becomes important and until one can realize this they cannot be acknowledged and understand the truths of life. Orual loses herself in the constant demands asked of her and she eventually realizes that there is more she has to do in order to truly survive.
C.S. Lewis' style is that of tone, dimension, and underlying meanings. He doesn't give anything away, but presents the situations to the reader in a way that gives support. His style supports his scholarly reputation and the targeted audience. This piece just adds to Lewis' long list of scholarly significant works. Other works by Lewis include "Out of the Silent Planet", "The Screw tape Letters", and "The Chronicles of Narnia". Lewis wrote this contemporary fiction after the death of his wife almost as a testimonial of Christianity and the human struggle between love and hate. The society that Lewis portrayed in this piece was reminiscent of Greek society in which the belief in Gods and oral myth was the absolute religion. Fox, Orual's mentor and teacher, taught her to think beyond what she was taught. In the end all of Fox's teachings and wisdom turned out to be wrong and he admitted his misconception.
This piece of literature provides a fascinating modern look at the struggle between humans vs. Gods, good vs. evil, and ugly vs. beautiful. C. S. Lewis was able to take the Greek myth to another level of meaning and also provide a brilliant story of love.

I admit, I was not completely "blown away" by this book. Maybe it's because I'm not an avid book-reader, I possess limited English vocabulary and Greek mythology interests me as much as cowboy music (shudder). A friend introduced me to this novel and I borrowed it from the library, wondering what this raved book contained and which made people write, "you must read this!"

It's a very captivating book and C.S. Lewis does wonders. To someone like me, he managed to get me to continue reading, even though I didn't understand everything. Yes - I'm guilty of reading Cliff Notes and I would say I would purchase one for "Till We Have Faces" if there's one out there. This novel (to me) contains symbols and many philosophical ideas and it's not like I hang out with people who discuss them. I don't think like this, I don't carouse with people who do - so sue me! There's my vent...

My favorite parts are the dialogues and especially love how Orual comes across as someone you know in real life, perhaps even a reflection of yourself and your own thoughts. I love how C.S. Lewis describes the beauty of Psyche and the love/hate relationship Orual has with her. Lewis has a way of expressing what I want to express, except he has a better way of articulating it! Part II is also another favorite section of mine, even though I found myself asking, "What's up with this dream sequence?"

I decided to read Amazon reviews to shed some light after completing the book. I honestly did not see God in this, as reviewers said, and believe I will have to read this book again in the future. I really hope it will be as good the next time as others say it is.

I read this book as an Honors English assignment earlier this year. At first, it seemed like a brief respite from the dense and monotonous novels we had read earlier. However, upon further reading, I found that this book was the worst one that I have read throughout the course. My primary complaint on this book is that the story of Cupid and Psyche was almost left out. Instead, the protagonist, the cliche, jealous ugly duckling that never becomes a beautiful swan, narrates her trials and tribulations against the gods that have plagued her. In fact, most of the Cupid and Psyche myth is removed until the end of the book, where it is told with no descriptive language or immagery. The rest of the book is the protagonist whining about her life with an overly symbolic, pretensous and confusing resolution and an absent climax. If you don't aprreciate literature and entertainment at all, this book is for you. But if you love to read entertaining and thought provoking works of literature, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!

i have never read a book that so drew me into the so called "bad character" i knew the original myth of pysche and cupid but this truly does not focus on pyshce but instead on her "ugly" sister. the trials she goes through as she changes from a scared child to a queen is fascinating. the beautiful phrases lewis uses are aw inspiring as his eloquence is put forth for all to view. i would recommend this book for anyone who needs something other than mindless mush. it's beautiful and heartbreaking all in the same stroke and you sob with and for each character, definetly a great book and a complete classic. ( one finally not exclusively for english teachers, instead it's for their tortured students looking for something past the scarlet letter) :)

Masterfully written, by a man who knew how to write and keep the attention of his readers. This myth retold, created by C.S. Lewis, has both the sensitivity and power to give the reader a true sense of all that's taking place in the story, pulling them into the plot and giving them both an internal, and external view of all that goes on. In the beginning, a woman begins her story of growth, renewal, worship, confusion, and eventual success in finding whom she, and those around her truly are. The setting is a barbarous land, where the people worship various gods, and offer sacrifices to them, devoting their lives and themselves to images and ideas they truly don't understand. But, Lewis is able to put a twist into the tale, helping it to come around in such a way that many of the more endearing qualities and characteristics favored by the Christian world are brought into play by the various characters. Orual, a princess, and the teller of the tale stands at center stage, guiding us through the thickening plot as we journey into a different land and time. With a masterful hand Lewis uses his descriptive language, and the very actions of the people around Orual to help give the reader and understanding of who she is and at what age she is, so they can then gain an understanding of what it is that is truly going in the tale. Small details, used in unison with general understandings help bring vivid images to the mind of the reader, showing them all that is taking place. One of my favorite things about the tale is the very manner Lewis uses his words to bring out emotion in his characters. All of us have experienced the same ranges of emotion he depicts in Orual, her beautiful sister Psyche, her tyrannous father, and all the rest. Precision of word and use of language help to paint a clear picture of Orual as she grows, gaining experience in all the aspects of life she will need as she later becomes the Queen and ruler of her kingdom. We are told of beggars and peasants coming to the gates of the castle, begging for the princess Psyche to come out and touch them, believing she is a goddess and can heal them of their sicknesses because of her unimaginable beauty; the human offering that must be made to the god of the grey mountain to end the drought that has plagued the land; and the powerful god who falls in love with the beautiful Psyche, building for her a heavenly mansion that her loving sister cannot see. Of the greatest qualities of the tale is its ability to help the reader see how confusing the thoughts and feelings of man can be, and how easy it is for anyone to avoid the truths in their lives as they pad the pain they have felt with excuses and scapegoats. We are shown the very deepest of thoughts and feelings come into play through the decisions and actions of those in the tale, and we are also shown the truth that compels those thoughts and feelings. Till We Have Faces is a literary accomplishment, written by a man who has had many. The power of the tale he tells, and the deep perspectives he shares about the very essence of who we are is very much worth the time invested to read it.

C. S. Lewis again weaves personal philosophy into a magical story. Much more than a children's fable, Till We Have Faces is a retold myth about three princesses: one beautiful, one ugly, one perfect. Spell-binding and thought-provoking, this novel delves into Orual's intense struggle to discover herself. What she ultimately finds is a pure inner love that equals all beauty. Orual's teacher and mentor, The Fox, exemplifies wisdom and rational thinking. Schooled in logic, he teaches Orual to shun the blind following of common thought and to test truth for herself. Because of the young princess's admiration of The Fox, she comes to question many of the traditional customs and beliefs of her people. Orual's acquisition of knowledge is of itself unusual in her kingdom as she is a woman. On the other hand, Psyche represents the metaphysical realm of imagination. Her ability to heal her diseased subjects by her touch is one evidence of her divinity. Unparalleled beauty and goodness are qualities she alone possesses. Too perfect for her mortality, she is wedded to a god and taken to live in a golden palace. Caught between her love for The Fox and Psyche, Orual is an embodiment of the struggle between the rational and supernatural. When she stabs herself in the arm, Orual convinces Psyche of her seriousness and concern. But more importantly, this action symbolizes Orual's grasping for reality; in a physical sense, she attempts to convince herself that her world is not one of mystical gods and imaginary palaces. As she persuades Psyche to steal a glance at her husband's face, her realism speaks out and is the source of torment to Psyche as well as to herself. Yet when she herself views the palace of the gods, her reason submits itself to wonder and belief. Even the supernatural must be subject to reason and be proven with Orual's own eyes. As time distances her from Psyche and she takes over the affairs of her kingdom, the Orual of fantasy is lost to a Queen of reason. The veil that Orual dons to disguise her frightful appearance is symbolic of her disillusionment; no one, not even Orual herself, truly knows who she is. Some villagers eventually come to believe that she hides her face because it is unbearably beautiful. They do not even consider the fact that her face might be hideous because of her valiant and majestic actions as Queen. Her engagement in a fencing match and her courageous defense of her country and allies forever solidifies Orual's noble reputation. Her nobility of character paints a face, at least in her subjects' eyes, that is exquisite. The veil hides her face, but symbolically it hides the past. Orual thinks less and less of Psyche as the years go by. But just as her face is still present behind the veil, so is her memory and love of Psyche. Orual begins to experience unusual dreams that are so real she feels like she's living them. They prove to be manifestations of her commitment to Psyche and the devotion she never stopped giving her. The new priest of Ungit is a representation of Orual's realization of truth. The old priest had frightened her because of his supposedly awesome powers, but Arnom's powers are not at all mysterious to her. Orual finally understands that the bird-like masks, holy rituals, and bloody sacrifices were created by her ancestors and became traditions of her people; she relates these traditions with The Fox's Greek beliefs in the gods and goddesses whose actions explain the natural phenomena of nature, such as rain and harvest. Just as Orual is finally able to define her beliefs, she ultimately is capable of defining herself. However, she first sees herself in the wrong light when she compares herself to Ungit. Like Ungit, she is ugly, and no one can fully comprehend her character. Like Ungit, she is revered. Like Ungit, she is not perfect. Orual's love for Bardia is tainted with selfishness. She fails to see his ever-weakening state as he faithfully serves her. Orual's confrontation with Bardia's wife opens her eyes to her own cruelty. But for a brief moment when she admits her deep love, she literally and symbolically takes off her veil and catches a glimpse of the person she is. That person is Psyche, not Ungit. When the veil is forever stripped from her face and her understanding is complete, Orual sees herself in true light. She is Psyche; her love for her allowed Orual to live for Psyche. Her beauty is perfect. C. S. Lewis forces his reader to ask himself, "What veil do I wear, and what do I hide in wearing it? Do I know who I really am under such a facade?" As we contemplate these questions, we are forced to see ourselves in a new, untainted light. The final question we must ask ourselves is this: "Can we, like Orual, discover a balance between our fantasies and realities that ultimately reveals our inner beauty?"

Considering that at the time I'm writing this review, it's had over 150 five-star reviews, I hesitate to add another little voice to the huge chorus, but here it is. This is one of the most haunting novels I've read, and I've read it three times. I'll read it many more. Whenever I meet someone I like a lot - I give them a copy of TILL WE HAVE FACES...

The first time I read Till We Have Faces, upon finishing the last page I immediately returned to the first page and began reading it again, something I have felt compelled to do only one other time in my life. It was Lewis's last work of fiction and, in spite of being written in first person from the viewpoint of ancient queen in a largely mythical past, his most personal. His deepest thoughts on God and faith are entwined throughout the story, though it is certainly not an allegory, even in the less formal modern sense which encompasses the Chronicles of Narnia. Certainly metaphors and symbols abound (readers familiar with Lewis's life will see a certain level of autobiography in the tension between the Old Fox and the priests of Ungit) but they often flow along complicated currents. Lewis once said that life is like a tree that branches out as it reaches towards perfection, not a pool that gathers towards unity. Till We Have Faces represents the highest branches, arrived at in the last chapter of the author's life.

C.S. Lewis was of course the author of the "Narnia" children's stories, the moral comedy "The Screwtape letters" and a number of other novels and books about religion, most of them told from a more or less openly Christian perspective.

This brilliant retelling of the legend of Psyche and Cupid is unusual for C.S. Lewis in that it considers the relationship between human and divine while stepping outside his Christian perspective. It is also possibly his best novel.

The story reads as a memoir written in her old age by Queen Orual of Glome, who had been eldest of the three daughters of the previous King. Orual herself is wise but ugly, and loves her beautiful younger sister Psyche in a way which is genuine but fierce and also jealous.

During a famine, The priests advise the King that there is a curse on the land and to lift it he must leave his daughter Psyche chained in the wilderness as a sacrifice to the gods. Orual is frantic and offers herself as the sacrifice instead but neither the King nor the priests will hear of it. Psyche is left chained in the wilderness, and when she is not there the following morning everyone assumes she has been killed. Instead, however, Cupid the God of Love takes her as his wife, refusing to let her see his face.

In the original legend, Psyche is allowed to receive a visit from her two sisters, who are consumed with envy at the sight of the luxurious home which the God has given Psyche, and trick her into shining a light on her husband while he sleeps. Furious at this disobedience, the god condemns her to wander the earth in great misery.

This version is similar, but with two key differences: the first is that Orual cannot see the beautiful house which Psyche believes she is living in. To Orual's senses Psyche is living in the open air and dressed in rags. Orual's motives in persuading Psyche to shine the lamp on her sleeping husband are far more complex and less unequivocally evil.

The second difference is that, where in the original legend the Gods cause the malicious sisters of Psyche to die soon after their betrayal of their sister, in Lewis's version Orual survives her father and becomes Queen. Indeed, Orual's struggle to rescue her country from the mess in which her father left it provides some of the most powerful scenes in the book. (I'm not giving away anything here: the narrator introduces herself in the first pages of the book as Queen of Glome and makes quite clear that she is describing the events of her youth from the perspective of old age.)

When she starts the narrative, Queen Orual is writing it as a complaint against the Gods who have mistreated her and slandered her. By the end of the book Orual's perspective has changed.

This is a magnificent and deeply moving story. If you like the Narnia books, think of it as Narnia for grown-ups.

This was nothing short of amazing. I have yet to read anything by Lewis that did not amaze me. For some strange reason I've been looking for this, and BOOM! I ran into it, and I had to pick it up. The title doesn't really give too much away as of what to expect. Then I read the back cover, (uh-huh, 2 sisters, and one is ugly, and it is set in the backdrop of Glome. OK! Cupid also plays a role in this) and not really knowing that much about myths, I basically cracked the first page and uttered to myself, "Here goes!" I knew that this had to be something good: I just had to find out what it might be. You talk about the old saying, "More than meets the eye..." Uh, YEAH!

So Orual is embittered because Psyche is loved by a great lover. Sounds simple, maybe a little too simple, but it isn't all that simple! Some may call Orual jealous, maybe even self-possessed when it comes to Psyche. What the heck is Lewis trying to say here? He always paints a picture, but what did he bring to the canvas this time? Take a closer look, a good look, and you'll be looking in the mirror. What? Yeah, I felt like putting it down a few times. But I know I would've missed something very revealing. How obsessed are we with ourselves? We are strange creatures! This time it is beyond special, and a favorite work of C.S. Lewis. One of his personal favorites!

Nothing will really prepare you for what is to come. A king, a knight, maybe even a servant or two? That doesn't even crack the surface! Being a myth retold (as the title suggests), you might even say that the gods come into play. In short, I found this to be some heavy stuff. I believe I found it heavy because Lewis never offers the easiest of answers. Yeah, leave this alone if you seek an easy popcorn read. This is meant to get into the head a little. It's also meant to prick the heart just a little bit more!

I'm not a big C.S. Lewis fan. He writes well, but I dont really care for his overall stories. However, TWHF is a book that even readers who dont like Lewis' normal over-the-top christian themes can enjoy. I know I did.

I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone. The protagonist is angry at the gods for the problems in her life. She questions their existence and condemns them for their arbitrary nature due to the difficulties that she faces.

As I read this work I could see many of less desirable traits I possess in the protagonist. I, like many people I suppose have bemoaned "why me" and "when oh Lord is it my turn". Reading this book provides a mirror of such emotions.

I highly recommend this work for anyone but especially for someone who might wish to indict the Gods.

Sadly , and with great disapointment. If i am honest i will have to say that this is the most boring and awful book i have ever read. Like the last commenter i had to put it down well before the end. the title should read "a truely boring book"

i am an avid reader. I love the classics. but this has nothing in common with the real myth and the book is distressing. i found myself wanting to slash my wrists because it was such an awful and boring hysterical book that never takes off. I kept reading because of the comments of other readers. However i could not carry on and had to put this book down. I dont think i have ever read such a boring and moronic text.

Myths are often a distillation of human experience and knowledge, pared down to an easily digestible story that is both memorable and instructive. No less so here, as Lewis takes the tale of Cupid and Psyche and adds a small change to the basic tale - but that change reverberates and focuses the message that Lewis is imposing on the tale, a message about what love is versus what many normally think it is.

Lewis sets the tale in the `barbarian' country of Glom, with a King obsessed with getting a son, and thereby cursed with three daughters. Orual is the supremely ugly one, Psyche just as beautiful as Orual is ugly, and the third sister is the personification of greed and petty jealousy. But it is Orual that the book follows, down deep into her basic outlook about herself, her relationship with the Gods, and most especially how her feelings for Psyche and her sense of propriety cause her to commit blackmail in the name of love. Lewis clearly shows that love that does not place the desires of the loved one above any personal sense of right/wrong/duty/honor is not a true love, but rather the product of selfishness, of the `I know what's best for my love' syndrome.

But this is merely the beginning to the layers of philosophy present in this book, as it calls into question not only if there are gods, but just how mortals can or must perceive them if they exist, and how much `God' is present in everyone. Masks are a symbol here, from the veil that Orual takes to wearing, to those masks used by the priesthood when performing their embassies for their god, to the masks that everyone presents to the outside world. Also covered is the value of good deeds versus an irredeemable sin, what vital tasks man is burdened with during his short lifetime, and even the value of philosophy as a field of study. All this and more is hidden underneath this apparently simple story, with little direct exposition of these ideas until this last portion of the book, which is written as a dream allegory.

The characterization of Orual is excellent - she is person you can recognize and feel with, and her dilemmas are ones we all have faced, though perhaps not in such grandiose terms. Psyche, the King, and Fox, the sister's Greek slave teacher, are drawn with enough depth to understand their motivations, and provide the proper environment so that each person's actions are understandable and the plot action inevitable.

I did feel that the last section of book went a little too far in the way of symbolism and philosophy, that perhaps a more action-oriented explication of the points Lewis was trying to present in this section would have been better. But this is certainly a book that is good for more than one reading, with a timelessness to its messages, and told with skill and great thought.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

This is not anything against C.S. Lewis as a writer because I am a huge fan of his Narnia series. This is just a note of caution to the reader, I am an avid reader of mythology and the story of Cupid and Psyche is one of my absolute favorites. It has to be said that anyone who truly loves that myth should be forwarned before reading that it practically has no resemblance to the myth and is told from the viewpoint of one of Psyche's older sisters. I came to the book with preconceptions and was severely disappointed when I read it. I could not even completely finish the book.

Maybe it was because I didn't know the story of Cupid and Psyche before I read the book- but I was not overly moved by this book. I especially did not enjoy Part II, when I just kept wondering, what the heck is going on??? Thank goodness that Lewis included the summary of the traditional myth at the end- it might be helpful to read this part first.

I have never read a book with such power to haunt, to inspire. Till We Have Faces held me spellbound the first time I read it, and it's power has done nothing but increase with each re-reading. There are thoughts expressed here, thoughts that perhaps each of us have known on the flickering edge of our consciousness, but have never known to put into words. This book is incredible in the way that it matches gritty realism with a soaring myth, and make the myth so much more powerful because it becomes real. Reading this powerful book will change you.

In order to understand what a truly amazing book this is you have to realize three things: (1) The author was an INCREDIBLY BRILLIANT man, (2) he was an INCREDIBLY BRILLIANT scholar of medieval and ancient literature and (3) he is one of the most brilliant fiction writers of all time.

How Brilliant is Lewis? So Brilliant that I can't imagine him writing this story at all and let alone so beautifully. After all what does a staid, middle age typically British male have in common with a young girl from a far less repressed culture?

Lewis is known as a scholar and lecturer on Christian theology, but I can just about bet that future generations are not going to remember him for that. What they will remember is the powerful ability that Lewis had to tell a tale. Besides, if there is anything of Christian Dogma in this work it is the aspects of it that are universal to all societies and religions.

The story is described as the retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth, but it is in actuallity a story about a young woman who grows up to discover that not only is beauty in the eye of the beholder, but the elements of ones personality are what make a person "beautiful". In the end, individuals are respected for their character and the actions that they display.

What kept me involved in this story (I too read it in one sitting)was Lewis' masterful prose. While Lewis wanted us to believe in the vibrancy and color of the sights and sounds of Narnia, here he wants us to believe in the workings of the main characters mind. Lewis' use of language also draws the reader in and keeps one riveted to each page. One other highlight here is all the research that Lewis did on Hellenic (Ancient Greek style) cultures to bring authentisity to the story.

My recommendation is to read this book more than once. There is so much there to experience.

I, by no means, wish to criticize C. S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces, but forgive me if I did not enjoy the book. This, I understand, is a result of my own preferences and tastes. The novel is well written and exciting. Lewis is able to retell the myth of Cupid and Psyche very well. Perhaps Lewis crafted the characters and told the story in a way that made me pity them to the point that I could not enjoy the book because I could not stand to see them suffer. Perhaps I did not enjoy the book because it deals with gods and dreams and tells such a fanciful tale that I personally lose interest, on account of my dislike for such fantasies. I maintain, however, that the novel was beautifully crafted, and I would readily recommend it to others.

C. S. Lewis uses words in a beautiful and skillful manner in Till We Have Faces. He is able to convey the emotions and sorrows and anguish of the narrator, Orual, in such a manner as to move the reader with pity and sympathy for the horrible life that Orual was forced to lead. The words and phrases themselves draw the reader in, enticing the reader into reading further, into turning page after page and forgetting the bed that awaits him or her, forgetting the other pressing matters of the day. Indeed, the craftiness of the novel sucks the reader almost into another world, a world that the reader can well imagine, due to the descriptions and imagery that Lewis uses. As Orual walked, so did I, and as Orual suffered, so did I. Several times I wanted to put the book down, only to free myself from the horrible sufferings that I, through Orual, had to endure, but kept reading only to find what the words would reveal on the pages between my fingers. Perhaps my involvement in the novel was the reason I disliked it. Perhaps it was that I wanted to rest the book when I could no longer stand to read of the life of Orual because I suffered with her. Lewis tells the myth of Cupid and Psyche through the viewpoint of Psyche's sister, Orual. The book tells of Orual's fierce love for her sister, of Orual's possessiveness of her sister. Orual blames the gods for her suffering and for Psyche's suffering, and, indeed, for any suffering endured by anyone at all. In trying to save her sister from false happiness, she becomes the reason her sister must suffer. By the end of the novel, the reader has come to understand what the god meant when he said, "You also shall be Psyche." Orual takes on her sister's suffering, who then is able to perform her tasks happily, as Orual suffers for her.

The book is almost depressing. The parts that I most enjoyed were parts that avoided the issue of Psyche, when Orual's suffering was not quite so evident. When her father died and she ruled the kingdom, I loved to hear of how she governed and of all the reformations she brought to her kingdom. I loved to hear of her relationships with those who worked closely to her: with Arnom, Bardia and the Fox. I enjoyed also hearing of how she got to know the nobles in her kingdom. I was pleased by her popularity. Though Orual was not truly happy during these times, though she admits that her happier times were with the Fox and Psyche years before, I enjoyed these times most. Orual came to be loved by others and that pleased me (indeed, I believe it pleased me more than it apparently pleased her). Perhaps I enjoyed reading about these times because she did not dwell so heavily on her sufferings.

If I truly did not enjoy the book, then on what grounds can I recommend it? What would move me to tell a friend, "You should read this book." I fear, though I am not certain, that I did not enjoy the book because it was not happy, because it moved me to pity, to anger, to sorrow. How masochistic would it be for me to say, with a smile on my face, "Oh, yes, this was a good book, a very good book"? The book makes you think, but at what cost?

At what cost, indeed? The book did make me think, unlike the happy pap that perhaps I am more inclined to enjoy. The story and the suffering of the narrator make me feel. They make me think, not only about the novel and the decisions, reactions and sorrows of Orual, but also of my own life, decisions, reactions and sorrows. I am inclined, after reading this novel, to evaluate my own life, motivations and irrational thoughts, feelings and fears. If this reaction will be mimicked in any reader of the book, then I will not hesitate to recommend it to others. I cannot, in good conscience, withhold the feelings that this book may stir in others just because the feelings are not happy. I cannot discourage others from having the opportunity of reading this book just because they may suffer as Orual. The book made me think, however uncomfortable or unhappy the thoughts were. I also was Orual.

I first read this in elemenatary school, and every once in a while I would remeber this book set in Egypt or Greece about a girl who was really ugly so wore a veil (mind you this was 20 years ago) I remembered exactly where in the library it was but never the title or author, recently one of my friends and I was discussing Lewis, and she mentioned it!! I had to go reread it and it made much more sense now that I have had more Greek mytholigy under my belt. Irecomend this for EVERYONE who loves diffrent views of classic stories

I recently read Till We Have Faces again, having read it with disappointment over a decade ago when I was still in high school. After my first reading I sold or gave away my copy of the book, thinking I would never desire to read it again. I'm glad I changed my mind and gave it a second shot. It is a gripping tale which probes deep into the soul as it explores the destructive fruits of self-centered love and the need for reality in facing the deformities in our own souls. I couldn't put it down and plan to read it again in the future. Needless to say, I will hang on to this copy . . .

This book is by far one of the best I have ever read. It is an exploration of feelings of love and hate, and it channels deep within the human heart to display openly feelings we all have, yet very rarely express. Its beauty is in its honesty. I also was particuarly taken with the character of Psyche. Her vunerablity and her forgiving/trusting nature so a softer side to the harsh reality of her life in the book. This book is a treasure, an excellent find...I myself am only 17 and I feel in love with it instantly. CS Lewis has created a masterpiece.

This book is an uncanny display of how Lewis writes from a female perspective--and succeeds most excellently (see all the ecstatic reviews?). Lewis was a master thinker, observer, writer, and story-teller. Till We Have Faces awes me, for Lewis artfully writes from a very Other perspective. He does this so very well in That Hideous Strength, as well (third in his sci-fi trilogy). Enjoyable! Wah-hoo!

If you've read the reviews, wondered why everyone raves about TILL WE HAVE FACES, stick with the book till Chapter Ten. It's a little sluggish till you reach Chapter Ten, but make no plans once you turn that page. You won't put it down after that point.

I am amused, I think, by the rigid assertions of some reviewers, as to what Lewis was trying to say with this tale. If you are put off by any of those assertions, ignore them. Plain and simple, don't listen to what a single person on here says the book means.

Because the first time you read it, you'll understand it one way. The next time, after you yourself have grown, changed, aged, oh sigh, yes even matured, you will understand it another way. You will identify with one character more than another depending on who you are and are becoming, you will read the philosophy/theology differently depending on what you believe at that moment.

But -- once read, it's likely you will read it again.

You'd think this was just another myth. But not if it's written by CS Lewis!

Somewhat of a cross between the story of Cupid and Psyche and a science fiction novel, you travel through the mind and heart of a woman who begins as the ugliest woman in the world, and becomes one of the most beautiful. Often dark and sad, the allegory surprises you into understanding of the human and the divine.

I give this book 5 stars only because there is no 6 star option. From the very beginning, the book grabbed me and pulled me into a deep, but extremely followable plot. C.S. Lewis uses his skillful word choice and masterful story telling to put the reader directly in every situation, action, and thought. The situations presented to you all throughout the book are explored in full detail until it almost feels as if the decisions made were your own and not the character's. Besides being a joy to read, this book also makes you think. Lewis does a good job of putting just enough spin on the old fable until it seems as if the fable really should have been written his way to start off with. You'll find yourself second-guessing old assumptions you have, and re-addressing your thoughts, fears, feelings, and judgments. If you're looking for a book to put you to sleep at night, this is not the book for you. But if you're looking for a book that's fun to read, interesting, and deeply engaging--a book you can treasure forever--Till We Have Faces is what you're looking for.

There is something about classic stories retold that totally changes the way I feel about the story. The change of perspective and point of view has the power to evoke new emotions and responses. This is the effect that Til We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis, has on the myth of Cupid and Psyche. By telling the story from the sister's point of view the story changes completely. When seen through her eyes her actions make more sense. What was accepted for fact in the original story becomes a misunderstanding. It all goes back to hearing both sides of a story. When only one side is told the reader is conditioned to think one way. But when the other side is told the whole picture comes into focus. There are so many points of view from which this story could be told. By choosing Psyche's sister, Orual, C.S. Lewis changed her from a jealous, plotting, sinister sister into one that loved Psyche so much but made a horrible mistake and suffered for it the rest of her life. With this change in perspective the story transforms into an in-depth tale of the joys and struggles inherent with loving someone too much. The joy that is a part of Orual's life with Psyche is so great that she suffers unceasing torment when Psyche is no longer with her. This is really very different from the original. Yet this change in perspective makes it into a very different tale. Lewis took an old tale and made a new one that is wonderful to read. From Orual's perspective it becomes apparent that there is nothing of jealousy in her for Psyche's beauty and her own lack thereof. Orual has a sisterly love for Psyche that supersedes everything else in her life. Nothing that Orual does in life means more to her than what she does to Psyche. In fact her life revolves around Psyche. Without Psyche's company Orual ceases to be herself and becomes something not quite human. Soon after Psyche left for good she changed into something called The Queen, whom even she didn't really know or understand. The real Orual lies deep within this new being and comes to the surface only to feel deep pain and remorse. All the struggles that Orual goes through really bring the reader into the book. It is easier to relate to someone who has problems and feels pain than someone who is perfect. That is the essence of the whole book - dealing with pain and loss. Orual is a very complex character. First she is ugly, which she accepts, then she hides her face and out comes the inner beauty which everyone else sees but she has a very hard time accepting. It's as if she can accept the bad about herself but never the good. When she does something right she doesn't really believe its her doing it. It's either The Queen that does it or one of her advisors. She won't take credit for it. This really makes me feel for her. She has a very low self esteem that is the result of her circumstances. She is an easy character to get close to because of her weaknesses and faults. Since she isn't perfect it is only natural to relate to her and her feelings. Lewis does an excellent job of making Orual a real, living character. Her experiences, while bizarre, really brought me into the story. Her sufferings reached out to me and cried for help. This book was very easy to read and hard to put down. I really enjoyed seeing this other side to the classic myth. By having Orual tell the story it was easy to relate to her. The reader knows everything that she is thinking and feeling. Which is wonderful when it comes to really being able to understand a character's point of view. Through all of her joys and pains Orual truly develops into a wonderful person.

The homely Queen is writing this message to explain (and excuse) her actions in the past concerning her step sister, Psyche, and to state her case so to speak. She looks deep into her mind and soul and bares her heart, showing us her pain and regret, yet is cold and unyeilding in her belief that the gods are against her so she is not to blame for her wrongdoing. It was cleverly conceived, this format, and the author is creative in the details. You can picture the scenery and atmosphere perfectly. He brings the unique characters to life. However, I found the book very disturbing. It was so incredibly harsh and brutal many times, then mysterious and otherworldly at other times. I felt the Queen's complaint is my complaint... someone was messing with my mind. She felt the gods were purposely throwing all sorts of riddles and confusion in her path of life to trip her up. I felt the author threw all sorts of riddles and confusion into my mental path to make me wonder which way was up. Perhaps you have to be in a certain frame of mind for this type of literature, but it was not my cup of tea whatsoever. I found it very dark overall and without any sort of conclusion or moral or point, just a wild ride through the imagination.

To be sure Till We Have Faces is written poignantly, eloquently and descriptively in the style our parent's and grandparent's generation came to expect from C.S. Lewis. Lewis is at his core a master story teller. Like his popular work (Chronicles of Narnia) this one flows along, captivating the reader and often delivering the unexpected. However, a good exists reason why Till We Have Faces never reached the popularity and acclaim of C.S. Lewis' other works.

In his retelling of the Latin novel Metamorphoses (the story of Cupid and Psyche) Lewis rewrites the story with a more ambivalent motive and a different character for the heroine. The story remains mostly faithful to the original but many odd and unbelievable passages exist in the book; contradictions that cannot be overlooked. First, we are led to believe that young Orual (central character) is magnificently endowed with the powers of persuasion, natural authority, god-like bravery and ruthless discipline when she is suddenly made Queen. For the first portion of the novel Lewis paints Orual as a kind if homely, playful if brave, emotional and sentimental character. We are given no indication that such a fantastic transformation of her character would seem possible so quickly (even after her grueling pilgrimage up a mountain). Furthermore Lewis would have us believe that the King, who had a palace soldier castrated for secretly courting his other daughter, would run a household whereby Orual could merely slip away for two days without being noticed by the King's servants and confidants. The Queenly, warrior-like personality shift that Orual undergoes as her father dies is sudden, awkward and the reader is unlikely to believe the transformation. Once Lewis commits this transgression the rest of the novel takes on an unbelievable tone. Meek Orual, now Queen, slaughters men in battle, wages war and rules with an iron fist.

Many other passages exist in the novel that are puzzling. For example, the King is consistently portrayed as a brute that beats and insults his daughter, and executes, punishes and humiliates men arbitrarily. And yet one of the novel's most noble and trusted characters, Bardia, states "....he's no bad master to soldiers, shepherds, huntsmen and the like." Likewise, the castrated soldier reappears towards the end of the novel. The eunuch has somehow survived his disgrace and sentence of hard labor, miraculously reintroducing himself as an ambassador to a powerful King from a far away land. Unbelievable? Till We Have faces is peppered and ultimately drained by these sorts of small but ultimately damaging contradictions and flaws.

For all of his beautiful writing and occasionally triumphant literary sequences, C.S. Lewis delivered an inconsistent, disjointed work with Till We Have Faces. His more notable works show a thoughtfulness and a maturity that Till We Have Faces simply never achieved.

Lewis' tale is a reworking of the Psyche and Cupid mythology. I'm not familiar with that myth so reading this novel was a fresh experience. Psyche in NOT the main character in this tale. Instead Lewis has made Orual, the eldest of the three princesses of Glome, the heroine. I think this is a sensible choice because Orual certainly made a more sympathetic, accessible heroine than Psyche who seems too perfect. Psyche is extremely beautiful and graceful, a virtuous woman, and superior in almost every way than most women, including Orual. Orual is a rational, thinking woman who happens to be rather ugly. She is called a goblin by her brutish father, the King of Glome.

Orual is educated by a Greek slave named "the Fox." The Fox has immense influence on Orual and gives her fire to make her case or accusation against the gods. Orual's most joyous times were when her beloved Psyche, the Fox, and herself were together learning, studying, and observing nature. Those times were soon cut short.

Because of her undesirable face, Orual is fated to remain a virgin throughout her life. But she wouldn't complain all that much about that cruelty if it weren't for losing Psyche. The goddess Ungit (Venus), jealous of Psyche's beauty, demands that Psyche be sacrificed to the brute. Orual is in total despair over her beloved Psyche, whom she considers as a daughter. Orual is driven to do things that end up making life worse for Psyche. This drives her to writing this accusation against the gods.

Bardia, a captain of the guards, teaches Orual fighting and riding skills. Soon enough, Orual finds herself in love with the already-married Bardia. Orual decides to veil her face at all times after losing Psyche, and she finds that this veiling grants her more respect and a sort of power over people.

The fighting skills she has learned come in handy later when her father becomes incapacitated, and the throne is turned over to Orual. She quickly becomes the renowned, veiled Warrior Queen, deadly in combat and strategy. Her improvements to the kingdom are numerous, as she is wise and depends on loyal and faithful counselors, mainly the Fox and Bardia.

The ending is a bit bizarre, what with the visions Orual has and her accusation against the gods finally being heard by the assembly. However, the ending does tie up some loose-ends and gives the story the mythical quality of the original tale.

Lewis does an excellent job of portraying this story through the eyes of the sad but not pathetic Orual. She comes into her own in a big way, despite her aesthetic shortcomings, by becoming the "most wise, just, valiant, fortunate, and merciful" ruler of Glome.

I can't resist stopping by to review this because it is one of the best works of fiction I have ever read. It is in my top 3 and, sadly, I don't have the words to describe why except to say it's lean yet full, rich and interesting, deep with meaning and even funny... It is truly a masterpiece.

This is one of my favorite novels. It is everything a novel should be: compelling characters, beautiful writing, well plotted. Lewis has written his novel from the point of view of a minor character (the jealous step-sister) in the well known myth of Cupid and Psyche. In this, Lewis prefigured an approach to novel writing that later writers have adopted (e.g., Wicked, Wide Sargasso Sea, etc.)

"Till We Have Faces" is not, as some reviewers have suggested, "just a fairy tale," although it is hard to imagine that Lewis would have rejected that appellation, given that other great writer of fairy tales, George MacDonald. Also, it is very much a work with a Christian viewpoint and themes. The fact that so many reviewers have said otherwise should indicate that it not didactic or entirely unsubtle. The characters are pagans, but the theme is undeniably Christian. It is almost an allegory, but that would imply that the meaning is buried beneath a layer of representation, which it is not. In any event, the Christian theme is easy to understand if one recrognizes that Cupid is the God of love, and there is only one true God.

I first read this book when I was in my early teens, and I just reread it for the fourth time, now that I'm in my early fifties. It still has the power to move me, to engage my mind, to make me stop and think about myself. I was choking back a sob as I read the last words.

I think it is C.S. Lewis's fiction that gets his messages across (although his non-fiction is incredible as well). Not to sound trite, but this has always been one of my favorite books. I could analyze/compare/critique, but that has all been done. All I can say is, give it a chance.

Of all the fictional work by C. S. Lewis, this is the most mature in that he took time to craft the novel more than in previous works. It is a beautiful picture of Christianity. Just as Christians have a "husband" (God) that cannot be seen, He still is taking care of them and loving them. Although young readers can enjoy the novel on a story level, it will take a mature reader to see the symbolism and appreciate the various emotional levels of the book. It should be read and re-read.

Lewis has said that he never wrote anything that he did not refer to something that George MacDonald wrote, or quote from him. The title in this book is the reference. In MacDonald's Lilith, there was a couple who were skeletons, stripped of the flesh, to learn how to depend on each other. Later, there was a sanctuary which had crumbled, stripped of it's building material, and left as a shell of roses, (the spirit of the sanctuary), which had covered the building. Into this shell, came dancers who were fully clothed and also fully clothed in flesh, except for their heads, which were fleshless bone, a gibbeous cranium, a faceless skull. These were the people who were learning how to be who they were, in death, the couple who didn't yet have enough humanity to have flesh, and the dancers, who had learned to be human, but who did not yet know or have thier individual identities, their faces. Read this book while first understanding Lewis's reference.

Why anyone in the world would not like this book is beyond me. It is one of Lewis' best! I can't say much about it because everyone who has reviewed this has already said all that is to be said.

I bought this book on recommendation from a friend and I could not agree with her positive opinions more. The story was engaging and exciting. I found myself identifying with the characters while at the same time wondering at their actions and words. Also, I found that while most books have unsatisfactory endings, this book has one of the best last paragraphs I've ever read.

This book was a fast read, and coupled with the fact that I really couldn't put it down, it was a really fast read.

CS Lewis is one of my favorite authors, I have many of his books, and currently have a few more on my "to be read" shelf. I love the way that he can be a cogent and articulate theologian in such works as Mere Christianity, but then he can switch hats and write wonderful works of fantasy, which have strong undertones of Christianity such as the Chronicles of Narnia (I really need to go back to those, because the more I read snippets of them, the more I realize just how Christian they are), or the Space Trilogy, or this book.

What CS Lewis has done here is to take the classical Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, and rework it. Now one might say, well that myth is a classic, why mess with a classic? Well, read the book and find out. In a way he reworked it, but in another way he wrote an entirely new story unto its own.

This book is the most amazing book that I have ever read. It illuminates ultimate truths and truth in a way that I though impossible. Through a life of pain and the process of redemption outlined within we see our own sufferings and the possibility of our own redemption and healing.

I think I got confused while reading this book I hope that I am not the only one. When you are done reading it you think you see what Lewis is trying to say and then it disappears like last nights dream. But all in all Lewis put words together and spins the tale better than a spider spins a web you get caught up in it and cant put it down.
Great Awsome and as I said I need to read it again.

'Till We Have Faces is the work of a person whose faith and identity have been matured by love, suffering, and loss. I love Lewis and own most of the xian works he wrote, but I have to say that in this work, his concept of the nature of life and humanity are most sensitive, forgiving, and his understanding of grace most developed. I believe he himself considered it to be the best thing he wrote.

I love this book even though the ending confused the heck out of me. C.s. Lewis did a great job of retelling this myth i had not heard of this myth befor until i got to the end of the book where the author tells you about the real tale and how he changed it he did a great deal the tale and he changed it for the good wich made the whole character change and gave her a different out look throughout the whole story in the real myth the main feelings of the character was jealousy twards her sister psyche and in the myth retold the feelings of jealousy arent twards her sister Psyche she feels anger twards her sister at times and she feels that her sister does not lover her anymore because she wont come home to her. This tale has many twists turns ups and downs like a roller coaster and if you miss something you might not get certain parts of the book. I still think I need to read it again. I hope this might of helped and I hope that you enjoy the book.

C.S. Lewis is so good at mixing faith with stories. Maybe that's why his stories are the most gripping. This retelling of Psyche and Eros is unpredictable and very moving. If Narnia is for children then "Faces" is a teaching fable for all adults.

Till We Have Faces puts a new twist on the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche. C. S. Lewis spices it up with making Psyche's castle invisible to the sister, changing the setting and the characters and adding characters. Lewis places the story in a fantastical land that believes in their own goddess named Ungit (the Greek Aphrodite). As in the original the king has three daughters, of which the youngest is the most beautiful. Her name is Istra, but her older sister Orual calls her Psyche because of the stories she has heard of the Greek myth. I really enjoyed how Lewis unfolds the whole story and how he tells it from Orual's perspective. It really seems to come more realistic from her viewpoint. Orual reacts to things in much the same way as the rest of us, whereas Psyche seems almost god-like from the beginning. I really delighted in the religious allusions that Lewis always manages to include in his writings. The similarities between Jesus Christ and Psyche are amazing. Everything that she did and went through could compared to His life in some way or another. Orual's growth of understanding and knowledge progressed throughout the story, which helped me relate to her a lot more. As I go through life I learn from the experiences and come to understand that although I don't understand everything that is going on, there is a purpose for it. Other of Lewis' new ideas such as making the castle invisible helped me to understand how hard it would have been to believe that Psyche was married to a god. If I saw it, I don't think it would be as hard to fathom as if I didn't. That kind of alludes the basis of faith. Seeing is not always believing. Lewis has an amazing ability to write and is able to get his message across very well. His twist on the old Greek myth brings in the more modern thoughts of Christianity.

Till We Have Faces is a great novel. Lewis' character Orual is one that I hope will stay with me throughout my lifetime. I can relate to her more than any other character I've been introduced to. The discoveries she makes have opened my eyes so that I see myself, my life, and my relationship to God in a new light.

Till we have faces by C.S. Lewis not only retold a myth from another point of view, but also gave an insightful look into to a battered life. He cleverly took the story of Cupid and Psyche, originally told from Psyche's view point, and flipped it to a different dimension. The whole basis of his story is the struggle that Orual, the oldest sister, faces because of her love for Psyche. King of Glome has three daughters. The oldest, Orual, is extremely ugly. The second daughter is beautiful, but is surpassed when Psyche is born. Psyche's mother dies at birth. This is important because Orual becomes her surrogate mother. Orual, who also lacks a mother and attention from her father, channels all her love and attention onto Psyche. Her somewhat happy life is shattered when the townspeople turn on Psyche and demand she be sacrificed to the Gods. Here C.S. Lewis pulls the reader into the novel. I sat on the edge of my seat as I watched the events unfold. Although the events were nerve wrecking, the pain the Orual faces caught my interest. Lewis brings the reader alive as he unfolds her emotions. At first the reaction is to dismiss her duty of love and believe that it is exaggerated, but after a moment I realized that such love does exist. Our parents are living examples. We know that they would willing give their lives for us and would do all in their power to protect us. Christ is the ultimate example because he did give his life for us. Orual seems to act irrational but her intent is to only protect Psyche. I enjoyed watching the thought process of Orual as she struggles to accept the divine qualities in herself. That paralleled my emotions. Since I strive for perfection, I always look for fault. I fail to see that beneath my mistakes there is also good. Orual strives to purge herself from ungodliness and doesn't see her attainment until someone tells her. Later when I was discussing the book, someone brought up the question if having a man write the book effected the portrayal of the woman. I reflected that it had, because I could relate more with Orual than with her others sisters. Orual was more mannish then her younger sisters. She also seemed more realistic because of that. The other sisters were distant from me because they floated in aa world of beauty where everyone worshiped them. Orual had plenty of rejection. Her own father for one rejected her. This made her seem as if life had a grasp on her. This book explored the faithful love of Orual. This love was blinding at times even causing her to bring more pain onto her sister. It also blinded her so she could not see the beauty within herself. All the other character achieve the purpose of helping to expand and test Orual's character. This was successfully done so at the end we feel that we know who she truly is.

This book is nothing short of a true work of art. Lewis captures human struggle with a depth of insight unmatched in anything I've ever read, with the exception of the Bible. He does this through the most unorthodox of vehicles one would expect a devout Christian to employ; a woman protagonist, and overt pagan mysticism. His use of these elements, in the analysis of his message and final product, is nothing short of genius. Lewis entraps you with his smooth flowing story line, and then grabs you suddenly by sculpting it into something entirely different than what one was expecting. While this story does retain some allegorical elements, they wrap inside of each other like entraping vines, beckoning the reader to discern their path. If the path is discovered (it took me 3 days of contemplation to discover what Lewis had done to my consciousness with his words, and ultimately what the meaning of this story was) one not only has a serene sense of accomplishment but is left with an awe for this writer's incredible mystic wisdom

Anyone who is a fan of C.S. Lewis may be somewhat shocked by "Till We Have Faces" for it is unlike any other piece of writing Lewis ever published, yet it is distinctly his own and aligns seamlessly with his other works. "Till We Have Faces" is a retelling of the myth of Psyche and Cupid, but it goes far beyond the classical story to a reinvention that is better than the original. For this work is not only about the myth, but about human nature in general and how we all too often mistakenly see the world around us.

The tale is narrated by Princess Orual, the oldest and ugliest princess of Glome. She did not always know of her ugliness, but it is made plain to her especially by the birth of her youngest sister, Istra, who is beautiful beyond comparison and worshipped as a goddess among the village people as she grows up. When famine and plague come to the land, the people are convinced that Istra is to blame and she is sacrificed to the Shadowbrute. Orual is devastated by the loss of her sister but cannot come to terms with what has truly happened to her for in her eyes it is a fate worse than death. Yet for the rest of her life, even as she becomes Queen of Glome, Orual searches for a way to reconcile herself to not only her lost sister, but to herself and to the mysteries of the gods.

"Till We Have Faces" is a philosophical examination of the classical myth of Psyche and Cupid. Lewis created a world that instantly comes to life and characters who are very real in their struggles even when those struggles are supernatural. It is a thought-provoking work about the nature of love and worship and how all too often our eyes remain closed to the truth that exists within the myths we create for ourselves.

This book is incredible! The writing is wonderful, and the way it is put together is very well done: the pages are the right size and material, and the font easy to read. The only thing I don't like is the strange, Renaissance-y cover art. However, the writing is gripping and the plot both meaningful and exciting. A rare artistic retold myth about the way we view God!

Lewis triumphs again with a stunning retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. It is so beautifully written and as always in his writing, challenges your mind and touches your heart.

I don't think there's much to say about this book. It's a solid retelling of the Eros and Psyche myth, but if you already know that story, then you already know what's going to happen (for the most part). It was a quick read and the ending was different.

My only problems with it were the names and some underlying ideas. I know that he's trying to portray a barbaric society, but, seriously, renaming Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, UNGIT, of all things? Almost all the women's names sounded masculine to me, and vice versa. Also, CS Lewis seems to be trying to tell us that women aren't as good as men, though I guess that can be blamed on the time period in which he wrote.

Wow, this book strongly affected me in a positive way. The first 50 pages were okay, because period pieces are not always my favorite. I hung in there since C.S. Lewis is my favorite author. I'm so glad I did because I got hooked. By page 50 I was so engrossed I couldn't put it down. By the last 50 pages I finally understood what the book was REALLY about and finished the book sobbing at 4 in the morning. It's been over ten years since I first read it and I think of it often. It makes you think about your own life and if you are having an impact on those around you for good. Why are we here and what are we doing about it?

A beautiful retelling of the famous Greek myth; I reread this one every other year or so and am constantly surprised with new insights on each new reading.

Till We Have Faces is a pretty story told in fairy tale style, but C.S. Lewis fails to bring the magic of his other fiction writing to this novel. Lewis fails to create characters whose feelings and actions ring true; in particular, the main character, Orual, is not very believable. Throughout the novel her obsessive actions don't seem appropriate for the character-her development is too shallow. Lewis fails to capture the female perspective for his characters, and this gives the story less impact on the reader. The truest moment comes toward the end, in a twist on the little developed character of Redival . . . if only all of the characters could have had so insightful a background.

This could be a fun quick read if you like mythology, but don't expect classic literature.

I purchased this book to read it for the first time. It was wonderful, like all of the other works of Lewis that I have been able to read. I found myself thinking, even as I was reading it, that it would deserve a second visit. The story itself is very intriguing, but Lewis intends to communicate a lot about how we can know truth.

Highly Recommended.

This is the first book I have read by CS Lewis. His style is a bit different then I am used to... scattered at times but very realistic.

This story is the re-telling of the myth of Psyche and Cupid, only the author adds his own twist to it.

The reading was a bit slow at first but by about page 80 I could not put this book down. It is hard to describe just what this story is about, there are many elements. Essentially it is written as one woman's account against the gods, claiming they have wronged her and ruined her life. Just read it and see.

I look forward to reading more of CS Lewis.

It does give an explanation of why Psyche was prompted to see who her mysterious husband was. The book just needs to be taken in the context it was written. A good read but I was a bit disappointed with the ending. Typical strangeness of C.S. Lewis but too cryptic and drawn out for me.

This books is amazing. It offers faith to the sceptic and traces Lewis' own path of belief. It follows the reader through so many stages of trust and religion. It lies at the core of Lewis and will lie at the core of you.

This is truly one of the most moving and epic stories I have ever read. Orual and Psyche can come to represent any one of us in our everyday lives. A journey of moral development, coping with jealousy, and sibling love and rivalry. This is possibly the greatest of Lewis's works. Anyone who has read The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia is sure to love Till We Have Faces

Till We Have Faces is an amazing, wonderful book. I love Lewis's style; at once thought-provoking, half-humourous, and deep. The characters are so clear and precise, there is no mistaking who they are. In fact, I have ceased to view them as 'characters', but now I think of them as people.

The story itself is so intricate and deep that you feel as though you can never quite comprehend it entirely. I have read the book three times, and I still stumble across new things that I have never seen before. Just like the Chronicles of Narnia, this book bears the marks of a true classic.

I highly recommend this book. However, don't read it if you don't want to have to think too hard. At times, the reality of the story can be disturbing.

Save for the science fiction trilogy, this was Lewis's only venture into adult fiction, and he considered it his best work. Unfortunately, reviews at the time were tepid, and, daunted, he did not try again. This is a shame, as the novel is a brilliant read, and should acquire classic status. The story is told by Orual, Psyche's ugly sister, and it is her voice, at once erudite and lucid, that lends the novel its charm and power. Lewis made one mistake: he added a section at the end tying the novel closer to the myth. The first section forms a perfect whole. My advice: read the second section once, but discard it on subsequent readings.

The book is brilliantly written as long as it concerns itself with Orual's passionate indictment of the gods. It loses its power, however, when Lewis falls prey to his tendency to preach. Part 2 undermines the rest of the book first by telling the reader what to think and then by couching the lessons in an implicitly Christian moral context. In this way, it is reminiscent of "The Last Battle," a coda which mars the otherwise enjoyable "Chronicles of Narnia."

For all C.S.Lewis fans this book is a 'must-read'. The story really draws you in and you feel you are really living in the harsh olden-times in which this book is set. The book finishes in typical C.S.Lewis fashion with a 'happy-ever-after' Christian theme. There is a strong Christian thread in the 2nd-half of the book, but it is more like an historical myth in the first half. There is a magic and a wonder about the story which shows Lewis at his best. The heroine of the book is made to see her motives for what they really were and herself as she really is, but everything works out well at the very end!

The first time I read this book, it entranced me. To put it tritely, "I could not put it down." This book is amazingly enchanting, though can seem a bit obtuse. I confess, I had to re-read it before I began to understand the point. You will find yourself discovering new facets of the story each time you read it, which I have done several times. It is a piercingly beautiful story, written with Lewis' clear, sharp talent.

On the most superficial level, C.S. Lewis' novel, Till We Have Faces, is somewhat of a fairy tale. It involves three sisters-Orual, Redival, and Istra (or Psyche)-who are daughters of a king. The eldest, Orual, is the plainest and most abused, while the youngest, Istra, is revered as a goddess. It is a story full of double meanings, sacrifices, valor, and hidden identities. However, many of these hidden `identities' can be found in the underlying themes of the story. I believe this story to be primarily a commentary on the meaning of true worth. Throughout the story, Orual is completely disregarded because she does not meet society's standards. Her father rails at her and beats her every time something in life displeases him. Even she understands that the world will despise her and make her their scapegoat because she is different or "ugly." From an early age, she knows that the would "would be cureller to [her] than to Redival because of [her] ugliness" (Lewis, 12). Her only value to this jaded society is in her knowledge. When her father hires a tutor for his family, he tells the Greek slave who fills the position to educate Orual well: "See if you can make her wiser; it's about all she'll ever be good for" (Lewis, 7). In contrast, the youngest princess, called both Istra and Psyche, is the most extravagantly revered person in the story, save Ungit, their equivalent of the Greek Aphrodite or the Roman Venus. Solely on the basis of her beauty, she is equivocated with a goddess. Her subjects even go so far as to make offerings of sorts to her. As if appeasing her would bring prosperity, they lay "down a branch of myrtle at [her] feet and bowed and put dust on [their heads]." In the time of a plague, they nearly tear down the castle walls, insisting that the only one who can save them is Istra: "Send out the Princess with her healing hands...She has beauty enough, that's one thing. And spirit" (Lewis, 31). And when things do not improve, they typically call her the Accursed one. The society does not have faith in her intellectual skills or her practical knowledge. If this were so, they would have turned to Orual in the first place. Instead, they first and foremost look to the tangibly worthy. This draws a strong parallel to our own society, a point that must have been intentionally made by Lewis in his construction of the story. I was amazed by the society's superficial devotion to such a weak force as beauty, then was struck by the poignancy of Lewis' message on the false gods we worship. The most powerful blow came near the end of the book. Orual discovers that she, herself, is Ungit. Throughout the book, Ungit has been the most highly respected force of the society. She is the goddess of love, lust, and prosperity and is unrivaled in her beauty. The point of revelation of Orual as the true force behind this power, though she is despised as the antithesis of everything society worships in this goddess, is the most powerful moment in the entire story. It reveals that it is not material beauty that mankind should worship, but the true beauty that comes from within the human spirit. In the end, C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces is a testament to the noble beauty that can be found within every person and a condemnation of the materialistic hovel we exist in.

I have now read this book about ten times. If you are intrested in greek myth, or the human mind, or in a great story, then read this book. Lewis at his best.

This truly is a "Myth Retold" as the subtitle indicates. Lewis uses the greek myths addressed as a beginning and a context for the story line of _Till We Have Faces_. I found Lewis' early shortstories to be compelling, but lacking the polish of his Christian allegories and apologetics. In _Till We Have Faces_, he brings together the inventive skill he shows in his shorter works and the refinement of his best work. The story is a wonderful look into identity and reality. It is one of the few works of fiction I have read that have crawled inside my head and changed the way I see the world. Unlike most of his other works, this book only briefly alludes to Jesus Christ. In fact many conservative or traditional Christians might object to the slight mention of it in a story about gods and goddesses, fate and the eternal soul.

I agree with the many other Lewis scholars who strongly believe that Till We Have Faces is Lewis' greatest work. His lifelong love of ancient mythology shines through as Lewis presents the classic myth of Cupid and Psyche through Psyche's older sister Orual, who is Crown Princess, and later Queen, of the kingdom of Glome. We suffer with Orual who has been cursed with acne scars all over her face, and a father who believes that her only virtue is that of the strong capability to run a government; and we admire her for her military prowess, her wisdom, her strength, and her courage as she fights, not only with the sword, but with her sharp intellect. The tale of this brave warrior woman belongs on the bookshelves of all those who love and respect great literature!

Two books in one. Till We Have Faces is divided into two "books" representing the protagonist Orual's movement from the logic of Greece to the metaphysical realm of the gods. Based on the myth of Psyche, the first Book outlines Orual's journey from ugly sister to righteous queen in Lewis's own doggerel medieval English. Book Two recounts Orual's visions and her quest for a true face, written in a profoundly metaphorical yet almost tactile description of mystical experience. Two books for two sisters, two states of being, two kinds of love. What makes Lewis so special is the way he persistently locates and beautifully depicts a kind of overlap, a special domain free of the duality that structures his novel and haunts the West. Allegory is the calculus of his special unified field, especially the extended allegory that is book two, in which Lewis describes the metaphysical and physical as one inseparable reality. It's breathtaking--almost worth slogging through the 250 pages of leaden prose better known as Book One. Maybe this is further proof that sacrifice is necessary for salvation. Or maybe Lewis just writes better allegorical fantasy than historical fiction.

C.S. Lewis dives into the depths of the human psyche in this novel. As one reviewer has already noted, the tale has some undercurrent of the ancient myth of "Cupid and Psyche", but you don't need to be familiar with the myth to read the book.

The story centers around a central character Orual, and the meanderings of her life and mind as she deals with the realities of her tough world. Her father was ruthless king, an alcoholic and abusive upon young princess Orual. Her tutor, and old man considered the "Greek", schools her in the philosophy of essential naturalism and Greek classics, and tries to offer her advice along those lines. The main religion of the day in Orual's kingdom involves ritual sacrifice and praise to a god named Ungit, whom she wonders much about, as he seems not to care or intervene but merely requires bloody sacrifice. At one point in the story, her sister, born beautiful and captivating and much loved by Orual, is taken by force and sacrificed by the elders of the community to an unknown "god of the mountain" to try to stave off a plague of raining arrows. Orual seems to become hardened more and more as the story goes on because of these sorrowful events.

Through the story, we follow Orual from a first person perspective. We can see into her heart and mind as she considers what all of these events and people mean, and who really is "god of the mountain" or "Cupid" or whoever it is that took beautiful Psyche away from her. Who has subjected her to such a tough and loveless life of suffering, and why won't they speak to her? The answer, as it turns out, is not what one immediately thinks.

In order to grasp the significance of this novel, you cannot read bits and pieces nor can you merely read the ending and hope to understand. But, if you read it in its entirety, you may need to read the final chapter several times to understand what the story means. It certainly was the case for me. In a monumental instance of indirection, CS Lewis invites us into a personal "leap" in which we consider who we really are and why god is silent.

On a personal note, anyone who is an adult child of abuse, or who is sick of ritual religion, or who is unsatisfied with various natural philosophies, should seriously consider this work. I could not recommend it more for a person seriously interested in the meaning of life.

Would that we all knew who we really are!

UPON THE CHORE OF MOVING ALL OF OUR STUFF TO ANOTHER CITY....
I had the job of selecting the ones I will keep. When I came down to Till We Have Faces, I looked thru it till I realized that it was only one I had failed to read! So it will be my next read after unpacking!

I have enjoyed the first few reviews here printed! I believe I have More C.S. Lewis than any other Author! It seems that my favorite ones have been The Four Loves, The Seven Storey Mountain, The Asian Journal, New Seeds of Contemplation, CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER, DIALOGUES WITH SILENCE! AS I RECALL BEING IN LOUISVILLE, I DROVE TO THE MONASTERY OF GETHSEMENE and I saw the little house in which he spent time in Solitude writing.

When I sat in the Choir for Morning Prayers, plus later in the day for other times of prayer, I realized the Power of Silence & Prayer connected to the litergy of Chants & Hymns! I surely returned to my Prison Chaplain's office with renewed Vigor!
Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood

This beautifully written novel by C. S. Lewis is not only an unusual and creative retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, but is also a novel that explores with great understanding and depth the nature of love.

The protagonist of the story is surprisingly not Psyche, but Orual, her sister. The novel is written in the first person with Orual stating her case against the gods who have wronged her by putting out a false version of Psyche's tale to the mortal world - the story of Psyche and her jealous sisters. Orual thus sets out the past and the reasons behind her actions to prove to the gods that her actions were based on love. We the readers are, therefore, members of the jury, and in this function we cannot avoid engaging in a personal soul-searching as well.

The poignant message of the novel is that love - at least mortal love - is seldom selfless. Orual, in the course of her narration, comes to realize this fact and reconciles with the gods.

This novel is bound to have a deep impact on the reader as it makes one evaluate one's relationships with others, and realize the inevitable truth that love is always selfish. Lewis also conveys the message that letting go of what one loves (something extremely difficult to do) is love in all its selflessness.

A must-read for all.

C.S. Lewis writes very well, and so almost anything written by him would be a pleasant read. What is more, he knows and understands ancient mythology very well. Many people know about ancient mythology, but few understand it as well as Lewis. Unlike his "Narnia" books, which are obviously Christian, this book is more 'human', therefore it could be enjoyed by people of any religious faith, or none at all.


Shawn T. Miller

I bought this book for a literature class, only knowing that I liked the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, and hoping I'd like this one as well.

I was very pleased. I could hardly put this book down, and that's not something I say often in regards to assigned reading material. The style is fluid, easy to read, although it was a surprise -- at first -- to realize it was a 1st person tale.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to read a mythological fiction work with a unique take to it.

TWHF is by far, one of the richest, most insightful works of fiction which traces the spiritual autobiography of a character. The truths and depths reflected in this work are marvelous. It is not always an easily accessible work. It must be read several times (at the very least twice) to fully enjoy it and even to grasp some of the basic truths. However, the reader will be greatly rewarded for his or her efforts.

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold is the most novelistic of the many books by C. S. Lewis. But don't expect it to satisfy on that level. All of Lewis' fiction is an allegorical exploration of man's relationship to God. Till We Have Faces deals particularly with the question of why God seems so distant.

The story is a carefully crafted version of the Greek myth of Psyche, a mortal woman who has a difficult romance with the god Eros. The point of view is that of a homely sister, Orual, who is consumed by unrecognized jealously at being ignored (as she supposes) by the gods. Over time, experience develops in her an independent spirit - a "face" of her own - that qualifies her to converse with God.

I enjoyed this book much more 30 years ago, when the pleasant narrative and the dream-fantasy sequences were enough to carry the allegory. But in my latest reading, the relatively weak characterization and the lack of real challenge in the protagonist's life detracts from the effect.

I respect C. S. Lewis highly as a clear-minded Christian theologian. But like princess Orual, his life experience was hardly rich enough to support the weight of his message.

this book was his favorite of all of the books he wrote. I'm right there with him.

9th grade English class, the last day of discussion, from the back of the room, "I am so mad I didn't finish reading this before today's class!!"

I think that says it.

C.S. Lewis retells the myth of Cupid and Psyche, making Psyche's sister the narrator. He changes the myth slightly, and the story starts considerably earlier in the order of things than does the myth that we all know.

Lewis brings his theological and philosophical skills to bear on such questions as whether gods perform evil acts, whether humans are capable of understanding their actions, and how events appear to different observers. A tour de force.

Well, to say the least, C.S. Lewis's work is awesome. I am a huge fan of the 'Chronicles of Narnia', which is what pushed me to buy this book. 'Till We Have Faces' is a great story, the tale of Cupid and Psyche. I visited a website the other day that was Anti-C.S. Lewis or something; the authors were crazy and called him a tool of the devil! Obviously they had not read his work; although it is wrong of a Christian such as Mr. Lewis to believe in Greek gods and goddesses, he uses these beings as a mere reference to his Christian theme. The book tells the story of a princess of the "savage" lands near Greece, and how the beautiful Psyche comes into her family and teaches her a life lesson. The book is about love, and faith, and selfishness. It is a great addition to anyone's bookshelf, even if the reader is an Athiest. In addition to great literature and a furthur explanation of God's ways, this book gave me inspiration to some of my own writing. I recommend it!!

This is a work of sheer beauty. An 'Oh My God, where did this come from' book you will clutch close to you forever. Don't miss this finest piece of fiction from Mr. Lewis.

Orual,the least beautiful of the princesses in the kingdom seems as if she uses the Golden Rule throughout the book. The Golden Rule states to treat people the way you want them to treat you. Orual treats everyone with love because she wants to be loved in return.

From begining to end a perfect example of the art and skill of Mr. Lewis. Unlike any other of his books. Yet just as wonderful.

This book introduced me to C.S. Lewis. I understand He is a great author and he shows his work in this great story. The book started slow but when you read on it unfolds into a marvellous story. Orual is a great fit for C.S. Lewis and I like the way he takes her and transforms her into a great character. I wasn't too familiar to mythology but I'm a fan now. Mr. Lewis made me a great fan of his with this work. I recommend it.

Till We Have Faces may have had a message to share but I am afraid I never gave the deeper points of the novel enough time to penetrated my young, ADD mind. I'll admit honestly that I enjoyed this book mostly for it's sparce, but well written, action scenes. I loved the swordfighting. I think C.S. Lewis paints a convincing picture of a dark and dramatic fuedal kingdom, complete with heavy-handed tyrants, oportunist nobles, superstitious peasants, eerie priests, and discontented princesses both beatiful and loathsome. From the very beginning, the book seems to be preparing for a really big adventure, but I spent the whole novel waiting without ever having my thirst for action completely satisfied. Obviously the author had something else in mind. The truly dramatic moments were few and far between, but when they did come they were vivid and believable. Though the philisophical and historical efforts of the author were, for the most part, wasted on me, though I did like the way he portrayed the helenistic lifestyle. When we studied greek mythology in high school english, I thought it was ridiculous that any group of people would have actually believed in the moody and promiscuous Greek gods or their Roman counterparts. I imagined the people back then probably chuckled through their togas as they wrote about Zues, Aphrodite or Apollo. However, C.S. Lewis effectively presents people that do believe in their gods, at least enough to kill for them. Till We Have Faces, a tale told through the eyes of a no-nonsense girl, makes a good case for believing in the unseen. Near the end of the book there is a switch from reality into a vision, or metaphorical dreamland I am not sure what. I feel embarrassed that I got lost near the end. I think a more careful reader might gain some important insights from the abstract portions at the end of the book. As for me, I just had to think too hard. Happy reading!

Till We have Faces is about a girl who is forced to face her own Abyss, and then find that Beauty can come from ugly honesty. A book full of eternal truth.

Probably one of the best books that I've ever read. I'm really looking forward to reading it again and seeing how my perceptions change, because the story and message are timeless.

As a teacher of college-prep high school English, I include Lewis' Till We Have Faces on the list of 20th century classics. Since first reading it some twenty years ago, I have reread this incredible story numerous times. Lewis' rich treatment of the themes of love and justice (among others) is outstanding. I'd love to have it in hardcover; my paperbacks keep wearing out from reading and loaning and reading and loaning...

As a passionate student of Grecian Mythology, I have read many interpretations on the classic tale of Cupid and Psyche, but never with such depth. C.S. Lewis cast upon this book a brilliancy that is reflected in each theme he uses in this book. It is in the view of Psyche's older sister, and a bit like the story of Ever After(the movie), if the movie were in the view of the chubby sister. I am not as gifted as Mr. Lewis to put into words the magic of this book, but, when one has familiarized oneself with the classic tale of Cupid and Psyche, one shall feel, after reading this book, as though they knew nothing at all of the story, before reading the book!

I loved Greek mythology when I was growing up. Unfortunately, the stories were were so single faceted. It was like reading Greek myths as told by Aesop. However, in Till We Have Faces, you run into a story that's a true work of literary art. For those of you who don't know the story of Psyche and Cupid, read the last segment of the book first for reference, because Lewis tells you the myth and then tells you how he altered the storyline. Don't worry, it won't really give anything away, and even if it does, it doesn't detract from the reading. One of the most interesting things I found about the book was that when Lewis altered the myth, I found an incredible amount of Christian themes running in it. Maybe I read to deeply into the story, but knowing that Lewis was a devout Christian by this time, it seems that the religious element was not merely coincidental. Orual and Psyche seemed to represent the humanity and deity of Christ respectively, especially because he makes the human appearance so unattractive as stated in Isaiah 53 which talks about the Messiah, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." The divine aspect (represented in Psyche) on the otherhand is as beautiful as the gods. In fact Psyche eventually becomes a goddess (again representative of Christ's deity). Again, maybe I'm reading way too much into this story. Nonetheless, it was a great read and I highly recommend this book not as a "Christian book" but as a wonderful work of literature.

This is my favorite type of novel: a captivating story that provides much food for thought. Lewis examines the age-old question "Why is God unfair?" and effectively portrays the limitations of our human perspective in even asking. His depiction of the selfish aspects of human love reminded me of his _The Great Divorce_ (also recommended).

"Are the gods not just, then?" "Oh, no. What would become of us if they were?"

Orual lashes out at the gods for the things that have come to pass in her life. She demands proof of their existence, and then later, a meeting; a hearing of sorts, face to face, where she can present her case and accuse them. Why did they take all she cherished away from her? Are they really there, or is it all just a cruel trick? Why are they silent? In this story that so deftly reveals our prides and passions, Lewis shows that when we encounter Diety, we've come across something so far beyond us that our thoughts and imaginings are undone. Some of us will surrender into Diety's keeping with joy, others reel back in hatred. It's not allegorical. It's sweeter, more subtle, and more powerful than that. The telling of the tale through the lens of Greek myth shows the stoke of the master artist at work. Holding on; letting go; pride; surrender. I've seen no other work that so aptly plays out the fabric of our lives torn between Heaven and earth, between love and pride, between the sacred and the profane.

This book by C.S. Lewis is perhaps one of the finest books of the twentieth century. Without even going into its ability to sum up one of the toughest questions of Chistianity, I would say Lewis wrote an imaginitive book that parrallells nothing I've read yet. His main character Orual, who is neither the protagonist nor antagonist, searches for the answer to why her god can allow evil into her world of ancient Rome. Lewis created such a realistic character in Orual that in the first section you sympathize with her adversities, but when you get to the second part you realize along with Orual that she and perhaps yourself have have been looking out an opaque glass at both yourself and the world around you. This in affect makes you question yourself and asks the supreme question of whether or not you truly have a face. Not only does this book so magically entertwine the subjects I have only touched the tip of the iceberg for, but C.S. Lewis also reaches out with all of his imaginative powers to grasp his readers in a lock they can't resist until they've finished his book. I strongly reccomend taking the time to read this book it will change your view of both Christianity, philosophy, and it will also raise your standards for literature.

Upon my first reading of this book as a rather fundamentalist Christian teenager, I was disappointed with its seeming lack of an "overt" Christian message. During my second reading (and following a conversion to Roman Catholicism) approximately 15 years later, I was moved tremendously by protagonist Orual's tendency to clothe herself in defensive strength rather than yielding to faith. The book suddenly seemed very "modern" to me. I smiled as I wondered what Lewis would think if he were able to see (and indeed, hopefully he is) how accurately the book he wrote some 30 years ago reflects the struggle of women in the '90s. There is something deep lurking in this spare and somber prose for female AND male readers. If you have ever longed to plunge into mystery, to learn to balance your ultra-rational side with the faith-filled portion of your soul, then I strongly recommend this book to you. (By Lori Pike, on a friend's E-Mail)

Since having read CS lewis's "Until we have Faces" I find it difficult to image ever discovering another novel with quite the same power of imagination in its unfolding, with the same ability to move the reader deeply at a level beyond the conscious understanding. Lewis allows the reader to taste unconditionally the unfathomable riches of the grace and mercies of God. George MacDonald's "Phantastes" is the only other novel that I've read that has moved me as deeply. My wife has also read this book and it has been something of substance to discuss, to try and understand it's deeper meaning in our lives, as this unique work of clarity and wisdom inspires one to do. I recall reading somewhere that Joy Davidman, Lewis's wife considered this his best ever work. I can't recommend this book enough as a rejuvenating experience for the spiritually disillusioned.

For anyone who enjoys reading tales of the classic greek gods, goddeses and heroes of ancient Greece and Rome then this book is a must. An excellent adaptation of the classic story of Cupid and Psyche, C.S. Lewis retells the story beautifully. His rendition of the story is extraordinary and the book tells the story in such a vivid and fascinating way. For anyone at all who enjoys Greek Mythology this book is a must. Not only is it a great read but it is a book worthy of being called a classic. :)

The book we ordered was in good condition and I would purchase from this vender again.

This is a high point in the writings of C S Lewis. Truly one of his best. Lewis wrote on a number of levels from children's works through to some pretty heavy going university lectures. While the cover of this book may suggest otherwise, "Till We Have Faces" is actually an easy enough read when considering the depth and complexity of the subject matter.
Also worth noting: this paperback is a nice edition with larger format and type and a quality feel. A masterpiece from the master.

If the purpose of the author's pen is to immerse you into the experiences of the characters in a book, C.S. Lewis exceedingly succeeds. I for one love the way that Lewis uses the English language to twist, stretch, and connect unused and unthought of analogies. I quite often found myself repeating phrases that deserved more than a cursory scan. This is Lewis' most mature foray into allegorical literature and is an attestation to his humility and brilliance.

This has been called the best work of fiction by C.S. Lewis and I pretty agree with that assessment (my weakness for science fiction makes me rank his Space Trilogy higher than this work.) The characters are well-developed and memorable. What I think makes this work the best of Lewis' fiction is although he is writing to answer a spiritual question that he has, namely the problem of evil, he is more subtle in this work compared with the Narnia series (though that series' defense one must remember that they are children's books.) There is a lot of food for thought in this book, making it an excellent read.

This is an excellent, exciting book. It is an interesting story with a much bigger underlying message waiting for you at the end. Enjoy!

I ordered the book for a Christmas present for my neice. I expected a shipping delay and was surprized when it arrived within three days(plenty of time before Christmas. My neice was thrilled with the book and the Amazon gift card that I added.

Read this with my 12y-o-daughter. We loved it!! We used the study guide/commentary offered by Veritas Press in their Omnibus curriculum which greatly facilitated our discussion and deepened our understanding of this excellent work by C.S. Lewis.

I didn't really look at what cover my purchase would have; I was only concerned with buying this book. When I got it, I was pleasntly surprised to have bought this beautiful edition. Perfect condition to add to my library.

This book was great. i read it for a book club and that helped me to understand the meaning of it all, but it was enjoyable to read as well!

Often Lewis' darker characters make me I cringe at the reflection I see in his mirror. This story was no exception. Orual's journey from innocence to confrontation with the gods has a familiar ring. A beautiful myth remade, the story is told with depth and compassion, yet with no sacrifice to the harsh realities of living and loving under the gaze of what feels like the capriciousness of the gods. Reading it again...

C.S. Lewis writes his most eloquent book here as he takes the reader into an ancient myth retold. His ability to describe setting, emotion, and thought processes of the main characters enable the reader to understand and intimately identify with the characters and the scenarios in the plot. This book is certainly recommended for those C.S. Lewis fans who have yet to add this book to their collection.

This review is for the audiobook version narrated by Nadia May. I will start out with the audiobook. I was very impressed with the narrator. I've heard her on several other classics and she always does a good job. This book is no exception. Her characterizations were done well and made it easy for me to determine which person was speaking. She has a very agreeable voice, and this book made for a very pleasant commute the last week or so.

I am a CS Lewis fan and this is my first time through this novel. Most of his books have a clear Christian slant, but I was surprised when this one didn't. This wasn't a problem, just unexpected. It did do an excellent job pointing out certain universal truths, but did seem to stick with the pagan mythical religious theme that this story was derived from.

I thought that his rewriting the story of Psyche and Cupid from the perspective of the ugly sister was very well done. One of the things I enjoy with great literature is looking at things in life from a different viewpoint and learning from it. This book shows how people sometime do bad things with the best of intentions. It also reinforced to me that I need to look at situations from many angles before making a decision or judgment.

I highly recommend this book and the audiobook was an excellent way to go through this book.

C.S. Lewis knows how to tell an excellent story and make a few important points at the same time. He brought the story to life; Lewis's version is much more believable and interesting than the original myth. The book is mainly about the main character's development, so as a reader I felt like I was even maturing along with the main character. I connected to many of the hard lessons learned in this book because they point to inherently human issues.

The main difference between the original myth and Lewis's version is that sisters were not able to see castle that the god created for the princess. This was a great twist, because it caused the characters to doubt instead of believe in the gods.

I had not been familiar with the myth of Psyche nor with the writing of C.S. Lewis prior to picking this book up, so I walked into this story with no preconceived notions at all. I really enjoyed the plot and characters, especially for the first half or so. Then, the book became quite bizarre and abstract, and I personally became less engaged. It wasn't until the last 20 pages or so that I once again was pulled back in. Lewis helps the reader gain perspective and insight into what we have read, and this is what helped make the story worthwhile. I am not sure I would read other Lewis novels -- not being a fan of fantasy or a particularly religious person -- but I am glad that I read this one.

Vivid, rich, and earthy, Till We Have Faces is Lewis's fictional writing at its best. The characters stand out, and will stick in your mind, with Lewis's keen description of their passion and pain. If only more myths were retold and remade this well.

However, for all of its strengths Till We Have Faces suffers from the common weakness of Lewis . . . his tendency to be preachy, and to damage his story by being heavy handed with the point he wants to make. The story would have been more startling, thought provoking, and well written if Lewis had ended the tale after the first part. Nonetheless, the central strengths of this story bears it up and in the end it remains a well worthwhile read.

This is the most insightful work of fiction I have ever read. Lewis is not only a genius in his capacity as the author, but as an observer of humanity, the self, and the deep truths that lie beneath the convenient names we often use to simplify them.

As other reviewers noted, the full power of this work is only apparent upon multiple readings. Astoundingly, Lewis' symbolic framework can effortlessly support at least two different mappings:

Orual, the middle sister, bears a strong resemblance to that part of our being where our reason, will, and emotion reside. Redival could represent the body, concerned only with base interests, and Psyche is the radiant center of our being, which seeks union with the divine.

On another reading, Psyche represents the spiritual side of human nature, and Orual represents religion, who through subtle missteps often contrives to rob us of our enjoyment of God as a person, a friend, a lover. (If you don't buy this reading, check out the scene where Orual realizes "I am Ungit.")

Under either reading, the really remarkable part of the book is that the narrative keeps building momentum and delivers a chain of aftershocks after the supposed climax of Orual's crime of blackmailing Psyche -- aftershocks that represent the stages of Orual's becoming undeceived about herself, her nature, and the truth about her good intentions... and finally there's her repentance and her labors to undo the damage she has wrought!

And besides all of that, you get the annals of Orual's reign as a wise and industrious queen and her rise as a swordswoman, which are great fun.

And there's so much more I haven't even touched on! Just go on and read or re-read it!

Up until this point, my favourite C.S. Lewis books were "The Chronicles of Narnia". This book hasn't taken away from the appeal of those books, but this book is on a level all its own.

This is a "reworking" of the tale of Psyche and Cupid, though the book has less to do with "Psyche and Cupid" per se, as it has to do with focusing on one of the historically "evil" sisters of Psyche.

The tale is fascinating, and once I got into it, I couldn't put the book down. It's a tale of a woman with a grudge against the gods. It's a tale of disappointment and suffering. But it's also a tale about love, and what love really is as opposed to what we think it is and what we try to make it.

This book is a masterpiece, and a recommendation for anybody who wants to read something substantial without being overly "heavy". I wish there were more books out there like this.

Lewis explores the human psyche in this literary masterpiece. You will go away with insights that you might not have considered before after reading this wonderful book!

Wonderful. Couldn't put it down. Very easy to read and thought provoking.

Retold in Lewis' own words, the myth renewed itself and kept me infatuated with it for days until I was done reading.
After the first few pages, I was convinced I would not like the book, as its not my usual style of reading. However, after the first chapter I could not put it down. To anyone who enjoys Lewis' works or this fantasy type of story, I highly recommend this book.

I read Till We Have Faces for a book report in high school. I have never been so moved and blown away by a book. C.S. Lewis could not have known in how many ways and details this story illustrates the greatest story and truth ever. It moved me beyond words. Take the time, read it, and grasp what it truly says.

Till We Have Faces is a deep, philosophical story you'll want to read again and again. It's one of those rare books that can change perceptions. Everyone should read it.

It is one of my favorite books. I just finished it and I don't have words to describe the power Lewis' symbolism has. His language, word choice and the message are amazing. Read it...you'll love it.

You may find this book slow-going at first, but stay with it. As Orual begins to "find her niche" she develops into a fascinating character and a strong protagonist. I thought this novel was extremely moving and highly enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys C.S. Lewis, mythology, or a story featuring a strong and likable female protagonist.

This was one of those all nighter's for me.

It's an incredible myth woven beautifully. Lewis nevers ceases to amaze me. Using the old tale of Cupid and Psyche he has written a haunting novel. Written as a testament against the gods, it's the story of Queen Orual, she gives a careful account of her life and of her greivances with the gods.

It's a little slow going at first, but trust me, it's well worth the wait.

The book "Till we have faces" is a retold myth by C. S. Lewis. The original myth was found in one of the few still known Latin novels, the Metamorphoses of Lucius Apuleius Platonicus, who lived around 125 A.D. The story talks about two princesses, one unattractive and the other one beautiful. The older one, who is also the unattractive one, was named Orual. She wrote the story in her older age, because then she did not have any fear anymore. It is written from her point of view. In the beginning of her story she explains, in her own words, the reason of writing the story down: "I will accuse the gods, especially the god who lives on the Grey Mountain. I will tell all he has done to me from the very beginning, as if I were making my complaint of him before a judge." (page 3; Chapter 1) The story begins with Orual getting a new sister named Istra or Psyche who was the beautiful princess. Her mom, Orual's stepmother, died while giving birth. The king, and father of the sisters, was very angry of having another girl instead of finally having a son. Because of that Orual raised and loved Psyche like her own child. They both had a wonderful and loving relationship. One day a fever came to their city. It was Psyche who nursed the Fox, their teacher. After his recovery, Batta -- their nanny-- spread the story of "how the beautiful princess could cure the fever by her touch; soon, that her touch was the only thing that could cure it." (page 30; Chapter 3) Psyche went out and tried to touch sick people to make them believe she could save them. Unfortunately, many people were not healed and suddenly a brute was also seen coming down from the Mountain. Because of these events the people said that Psyche was the source, "the accursed one". The belief was that things like that could only be cured with a human sacrifice. That sacrifice had to be special. Ungit, the God, did not only want just any human, but rather the most perfect human. The people's choice fell on Psyche. She was sacrificed and so Orual lost her beloved sister. When Orual went to the place of the sacrifice, thinking that she would find at least a few body parts of Psyche she found her near alive and well. She could not see what Psyche saw. She was shocked about the rule Psyche had to live by; every night after dark her husband came and spend the night with her, but she was not allowed to see him. Orual, who thought that was strange, convinced her sister to light the oil lamp and to look at him while he was sleeping. As she did what she was told a drop of hot oil woke him up. He got very angry with her and punished her and made her suffer. Since then Orual had to live with her knowledge of being guilty for her sister's sufferings. She would always hear Psyche's wining voice wherever she went. Whatever she tried her life changed dramatically. For me from this point of the book on it got more interesting. The rest of the book helps us to understand why the book is called "Till we have faces" . . . even the most unattractive person could look really beautiful. Reading the book one has many opportunities to think about certain points and views in one's life.

I had read many C. S. Lewis books before this one, so I was expecting it to be a pretty good book. I was surprised, though, with how much his writing style had changed from his other books. I felt like I wasn't reading a book at all, but rather was being told the story. It was more of a tale, than a novel.

The difference for me between a good book and a nice story is what happens after you put the book down. After reading a nice story, we immediately go about other business. A good book will make you think all the way through it, and even after you've put it down. A good book will help you discover things about yourself that you didn't know, or hadn't realized. That is what Till We Have Faces did for me. I found as I was reading, that I had acted in the past more like Orual than I wanted to. I struggled with her character because it was such an accurate reflection of the way that I had seen things. I have changed since then, but it was amazing how C. S. Lewis was able to portray a character that was so well-thought out and so accurate.

The book is neither easy reading, nor hard reading. It is somewhere in between. At first glance, the book seems like it would be as easy to read as a child's book, but with all of the description, imagery, thoughts, feelings, and emotion that Lewis put into it, you can't help but slow down. There is so much more going on than the story alone would denote. There is the conflict with Orual and others, the conflict between Orual and herself, and finally- and you only get this in good books-the conflict between Orual and the reader. I don't often find myself making vocal comments to fictional characters, but I did several times during the course of the book. With every little nuance of character that Lewis puts in this novel, you'll want to do yourself a favor and allow time for reflection.

Maybe the greatest part about this book-and this can be said of all great literary works-is that every time you are going to get something different out of it. It addresses so many topics that you could probably spend a whole college course just identifying and talking about what each one says. You might barely scratch the surface even then. This time I was focused on Orual's jealousy at losing what she felt was her rightful possession, the next time it may not be.

The approach that Lewis decided to take with the story was an interesting one. In the original myth of Psyche and Cupid, Psyche's sisters (Orual and Redival) see their sister's happiness and the life that she lives, and they want to destroy it all because they don't want her to be better than them. It is simply a matter of pride. Lewis takes a different route, though. In Till We Have Faces, Redival isn't even really part of the story and Orual's jealousy of Psyche's happiness is not motivated by hate, but by love. Orual raised Psyche almost as her own daughter and loved her with all her heart. But, she can't stand the idea of Psyche being loving anyone but herself. Throughout almost the entire book, Orual justifies her selfishness by placing herself as the victim. This was an interesting choice by Lewis because we, as humans, often do the same. Orual is so convinced that anything good for her is good for Psyche, that she practically destroys all happiness that Psyche has. Selfish motivations blind her into believing that she is doing Psyche a favor by destroying her marriage to the god on the Grey mountain. Orual uses every kind of manipulative technique throughout the book to get what she wants. She not only destroys Psyche's life, but everyone who surrounds her, including herself. Orual commits the biggest sin when she lies to herself, telling herself that she's doing all of this for her sister, that her sister could be making the biggest mistake of her life, and that Psyche's happiness is foolish. Orual is dripping with the "if only she could see things the way I do, the right way" attitude. It makes me sick, but mostly because as I stated above, it hits so close to home. Any book that can bring emotions out of you as strongly as it did to me is either a literary masterpiece or a piece of trash. I promise you that this book is the former, and not the latter.

I can't say I was pleased with the whole book, though. It is broken up into two parts. The first takes up about 9/10 of the book, and the second only 1/10. In the second part, Orual pretty much redeems herself for all the evil and sinful deeds she's done throughout the previous 250 pages. To me, this ending was completely unsatisfactory. It turns Orual into a hero, sets everything right. I didn't buy it for too reasons. One, it was way too easy. Orual's penance in no way made up for the horrible things she'd done. And two, it was a little to abstract for me. It didn't match the first section of the book, but was all dreams and visions. The second part let me down. I would have liked an ending based a little more in reality. I just couldn't relate to the second part.

The second part notwithstanding, it was a great book. A good investment of time for anyone I would say. It's not perfect, but it doesn't pretend to be. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a very thought-provoking good book. But don't take my word for it, read it yourself.

I was assigned to read this book for an intensive wrinting course at brigham young university. Needless to say i wasn't very excited about the assignment. It seemed like high school all over again, and besides, i was still trying to finish "King Lear" by shakespeare. and i'm still struggling to finish it. But anyways, "Till we have faces" was a great book. I'm sure you don't want me to ruin the book for you, but i'll tell you that it was a great story, taken from the greek myth about psyche and cupid (if you haven't read the greek myth, you're still okay, and you won't get lost in the story). But the novel is about two sisters (they have a third, but she isn't important). One of the sisters is really ugly, and the other is beautiful. the town has a plague, and the beautiful daughter is to be the sacrifice for the plague to go away. so they decided to sacrifice her. Lots of things happen after that regarding the beautiful sister (psyche) and the ugly sister (orual). Orual eventually becomes the queen of the land and she's a good queen, does lots of wonderful things, but eventually she decides to write down her life story when she's very old. so she does. but eventually Lewis has to end the book (maybe he was tired) so orual dies, and the story's over. If you want to know the details of the book, you're just gonna have to read it yourself, because i don't want to ruin it by telling to much, because i'm afraid i already have, although i hope i haven't really. So that's the book, buy it, read it, and ENJOY IT. Have fun, it's not as long as it seems, the time goes by really fast when you read it, so don't lose track of the world around you, or you'll end up late for work or something.

C.S. Lewis was endowed with a natural ability to tell tales. Whether they were fictitious or true, he was always able to convey his ideas clearly, through characters and ideas, such as in Till We Have Faces. Throughout the story, we are introduced to multiple characters which, when analyzed, are seen to have a foil of some form or another in the story. Lewis cleverly wove these characters to represent the opposing ideas and concepts of the main character, Oural. One such example of this were the characters of the Fox, and Bardia. The Fox was in fact an intellectual Greek who was sold to the King of Gloam, and raised Oural from childhood through adolescence. While rearing her, he consistently invited her to not only to questioning everything, but to analyze life's occurrences, and search for some logical explanation as to their purpose or makeup. The Fox not only created, but represented the logical portion of Oural's thinking, while Bardia was the exact opposite. Bardia was a warrior and a devout follower of his heart. He believed that supernatural forces did exist, and that there were some things in this world that were never intended to be explained. Both of these extremes would come to play a critical role when Oural convinced Psyche, her younger sister, to confirm the identity of her new found husband. The logical portion of Oural told her that her sister was in fact married to a thief who was using her for her "natural attributes," while her emotional portion told her that her, from the back recesses of her mind, that Psyche was in fact wed to a god. Once Oural discovered that Psyche had been married to a god all along, it is her emotional portion that kept her strong, when her logic failed. The use of the external characters to not only explain how Oural attained her qualities, but as examples of such was pure genius on the part of Lewis. Oural's struggle as to how to deal with the situation only became more evident in her sidestepping and/or outright lying to the Fox and Bardia as to what truly happened on the mountain that fateful evening.Lewis also created a simply brilliant contrast as to what beauty truly is. Psyche was, as described by the story, to be among the most enchanting and beautiful creatures to ever grace the Earth. She was even so radiant that the public of Gloam even began to worship her as a goddess. Her outward beauty was unmatched save only her inner beauty. While in sharp contrast, Oural was in fact quite an ugly individual. The King even told her on one occasion, that to strike her in the face would only be an improvement. Oural, because of this "curse," was never given much if any love as a child. Oddly enough, once she veiled herself, after Psyche disappeared on the mountain, and proved herself to be a noble queen the people began to see her as beautiful. The citizens of Gloam even believed that she was so beautiful beneath her veil, that to show anyone, would place all others in a distant second. Lewis purposely created Psyche to be so perfect, that we, as readers, would naturally withdraw ever so slightly from her as she represented that which is unattainable for mortals - perfection. While he created Oural with realistic qualities (the opposing physical traits), illustrating that true beauty does emanate from within, and that even physical shortcomings can be muted by dedication, love, and a pleasant demeanor. It is this contrast of beauty and representation of personalities that made this work so enjoyable to me, and will hopefully for you as well.

C.S. Lewis was endowed with a natural ability to tell tales. Whether they were fictitious or true, he was always able to convey his ideas clearly, through characters and ideas, such as in Till We Have Faces. Throughout the story, we are introduced to multiple characters which, when analyzed, are seen to have a foil of some form or another in the story. Lewis cleverly wove these characters to represent the opposing ideas and concepts of the main character, Oural. One such example of this were the characters of the Fox, and Bardia. The Fox was in fact an intellectual Greek who was sold to the King of Gloam, and raised Oural from childhood through adolescence. While rearing her, he consistently invited her to not only to questioning everything, but to analyze life's occurrences, and search for some logical explanation as to their purpose or makeup. The Fox not only created, but represented the logical portion of Oural's thinking, while Bardia was the exact opposite. Bardia was a warrior and a devout follower of his heart. He believed that supernatural forces did exist, and that there were some things in this world that were never intended to be explained. Both of these extremes would come to play a critical role when Oural convinced Psyche, her younger sister, to confirm the identity of her new found husband. The logical portion of Oural told her that her sister was in fact married to a thief who was using her for her "natural attributes," while her emotional portion told her that her, from the back recesses of her mind, that Psyche was in fact wed to a god. Once Oural discovered that Psyche had been married to a god all along, it is her emotional portion that kept her strong, when her logic failed. The use of the external characters to not only explain how Oural attained her qualities, but as examples of such was pure genius on the part of Lewis. Oural's struggle as to how to deal with the situation only became more evident in her sidestepping and/or outright lying to the Fox and Bardia as to what truly happened on the mountain that fateful evening.Lewis also created a simply brilliant contrast as to what beauty truly is. Psyche was, as described by the story, to be among the most enchanting and beautiful creatures to ever grace the Earth. She was even so radiant that the public of Gloam even began to worship her as a goddess. Her outward beauty was unmatched save only her inner beauty. While in sharp contrast, Oural was in fact quite an ugly individual. The King even told her on one occasion, that to strike her in the face would only be an improvement. Oural, because of this "curse," was never given much if any love as a child. Oddly enough, once she veiled herself, after Psyche disappeared on the mountain, and proved herself to be a noble queen the people began to see her as beautiful. The citizens of Gloam even believed that she was so beautiful beneath her veil, that to show anyone, would place all others in a distant second. Lewis purposely created Psyche to be so perfect, that we, as readers, would naturally withdraw ever so slightly from her as she represented that which is unattainable for mortals - perfection. While he created Oural with realistic qualities (the opposing physical traits), illustrating that true beauty does emanate from within, and that even physical shortcomings can be muted by dedication, love, and a pleasant demeanor. It is this contrast of "beauty" and representation of personalities that made this work so enjoyable to me, and will hopefully for you as well.

To say the least, I throughly the book Till We Have Faces. It was a book that once started could not be put down until I had finished - I actually read the entire book in two days. It is set in mythological times, and tells the story of Cupid and Psyche from a different perspective. I enjoyed the book for many reasons. The first was for the exciting storyline and great action - this was the main reason I couldn't put it down. I was completely caught up in the adventurous life of Orual, and those surrounding her. There was never a dull moment - new issues and episodes would always arise to keep my interest. The book is definitely successful in keeping the reader interested. The second, and the more important reason this book was good is because many lessons can be learned from the message it puts forth. Even though the setting is not in our times, many parts of the book can be applied to life today. Throughout the book the characters were very easy to relate with. This was the main reason applications to life could be drawn from the story. Orual, the main character, went through the most amount of change. Changing characters are the easiest to relate to because our lives and perspectives are constantly changing. As the book progresses from start to finish, we see different parts of Orual's character revealed. Her relationship with the Fox, Physhe, Bardia, and her father are all revealing to her character. The Fox helps her learn many lessons, and causes Orual to grow. He was captured from Greece and forced to become a slave in her fathers house. He was assigned to be Orual and Redevil's tutor. As the story progresses the Fox and Orual grow closer and become great friends. They even work together after her father dies. Orual learns to trust from this relationship. From her relationship with Phyche, Orual learns other important lessons. Phyche is the child of one of her father's wives. When it is found out that she is a girl, her father doesn't want anything to do with her Orual takes her under her wing and learns to love in an almost motherly way. It even gets to the point that she loves Phyche too much - she was willing to do anything for her. Her love for this child, her half sister, shape most of her life. In the story Bardia is the king's best helper. As the story progresses Orual comes to be in contact with him more and more. They grow to be great friends and they work together a majority of the time. She is forced to learn the bounds of this relationship, and in the end hurts much because of this. Orual never marries, and her relationship with Bardia is the closest she gets to experiencing this. Orual's father was king of the land. He was busy all the time with important matters, and he had a violent temper. Growing up, Orual knew that her father didn't love her. He made it plain to her that she was ugly and that he didn't think anything would come of her life. This helped Orual in more ways than it hurt her. She pushed away from him, turned to the Fox, and made something of her life just to spite him. The relationship helped her grow even though it wasn't a very healthy one. There were many other things that influenced Orual and caused her to change but these were just a few. Her relationships with others did most of the revealing. It made me think of how I relate to others, what I learn from them, and how I change. It provided a new perspective and I was very glad I had the opportunity to read the book.

C. S. Lewis' novel Till We Have Faces is highly thought provoking. It is a remake of the Greek myth about Psyche and Cupid. The tale is told from the perspecitve of Orual, the sister of Psyche. It involves her inner struggles over love and loss. Orual is pitifully ugly. She is told so from the day that she understands what the word means. In contrast, her younger sisters, Redival and Psyche, are beautiful. She must deal with the daily comparisons that are made between them. She tries to distance herself from jealousy, but the reader can see how close to the line she actually treads. On the surface, her actions seem to portray unconditional love for Psyche. Yet as the story progresses, the reader becomes puzzled by the strange love that Orual shows Psyche. Orual is near homicide in her love. For example, Orual goes to search out Psyche on the mountain (an act of love), yet when she finds her and realizes her happiness she can't control herself (jealousy). She seems to be upset that Psyche, who once worshipped her, was now subject to a new "lord." Orual cannot stand the competition for Psyche's love. Unconditional love would place Orual is ecstasy that her Psyche is so happy. That leaves the reader with the question "Is pure love peaceful or stormy?" The story also shows Orual's struggles to reach perfection. She constantly compares herself to people that she deems perfect and imperfect. This tempest that is beating in Orual's mind adds the question, "What is perfection, and how does one achieve it?" As the tale progresses and she gets older, Orual realizes that perfection has nothing to do with outer beauty, but rather inner beauty and the works that a person performs during his or her life. She discovers that all her life she has been searching for something that has always been inside her. The story is easy to read, but the symbolism is hard to decipher. The second book is also quite confusing. It is in this book that the psychological aspects of the tale are brought out. The whole story is rounded off in this section. I liked the book and would recommend it, but with a warning. It is easy reading, but if one is trying to analyze the text in depth, he or she must do just that. The reader must dig down deep in the heart of the story to understand it completely. I don't think that it is a normal work for C. S. Lewis. The meaning in it is different than that of the Chronicles of Narnia. I don't think that this book was specifically written for children, as was the Chronicles of Narnia. I found the book powerful and inspirational. If we could all realize in the beginning of our lives what it took Orual an entire lifetime to realize, we would lead happier and more productive lives. We would be satisfied with our talents and ourselves. In this way, the world would hopefully become a better place in which to live.

probably one of the most incredible books that I've ever read. Read most of his works, but this one is incisive and piercing every time I revisit the agony of reality it presents. "Lekhem panim" in hebrew refers to the bread of G-d's presence, but literally translated is "bread of faces" and resides in the Holy Place. Something that we need for the nourishment of our souls, and CS Lewis is definitely the consumate baker.

To call this merely a book, is like calling Niagra Falls, merely a water fountain. CS Lewis takes you on a tour of your soul, showing how the dragons and demons within, are ten times more frightening than the demons without. I tremble at how clearly Lewis can hold up a mirror and force us to look in it, and yet have us walk away with MORE compassion on ourselves and others. CS Lewis' lifetime of work, suffering and joy, is boiled down into this one book. Reading it is a life-changing event. But it will mean more to you if you read certain CS Lewis books first, especially Mere Christianity, Surprised by Joy, The Weight of Glory, Miracles and The Great Divorce. This is truly CS Lewis "dessert". Don't miss it, but save it for last.

C.S. Lewis is one of the most amazing writers of our time. He tells this story with haunting descriptions and a raw honestly. No aspect of a charecter is hidden. This is an amazing book.

Right now this is my favorite book, even after reading it 8 times. The book is divided into two parts: the first half is a "complaint against the Gods", where Queen Oural tells her life story and how "the Gods" have ill-used her and lied about her; and it seems that she is indeed ill-used. The second half of the book is an addendum, where she realizes that she's been a horrible person all her life; she's sucked the blood out of everyone that loved her and discarded them when she's finished; and about her redemption. Full of powerful symbolism and the terrible truth of God's love.

Lewis is a literary genius - that much is certain. But this book is extraordinary as no other I have known. With each reading, one is pulled into the depths of one's self, and forced to come face to face with new levels of truth. Each time you will take away with you a new revelation. If you have ever been angry at God, or wondered why things were so unfair, this is definitely the book for you. (Although I would recommend it to anyone.) Truly a magnificent piece of literature.

This is one of the more difficult books by C.S. Lewis to get through, but it is well worth it to keep going. I love this book so much, and the ending was very touching.

I purchased this book reluctantly. It started out methodically(as THAT HIDIOUS STRENGTH) but had an ending that literally knocks your socks off. I expect a Christian theme with Lewis, but this story delved into more morphous questions of diety and love. Definitely one of Lewis's top five.

Dear reader, I agree with you wholeheartedly that Till We Have Faces is an interesting book, but I do not think that the dear departed would appreciate being reffered to in the feminine. I know many great writers have suffered persecution both during and after their lives, and I realize you may not have known any better (which makes me wonder how you could have really enjoyed TWHF) but so as not to confuse any other readers or potential readers, CS Lewis was a man. Clive Staples may not have been the best name and he may have gotten beat up once or twice for it in elementary school, but please don't confuse him with a girl.

I give this fantastic book 5 big gold stars*****

I have read a book entitled Till We Have Faces by C.S.Lewis. This book is about two princesses: an ugly princess named Orual, and a beautiful named Redival. Orual is very wise but no one likes her except a red-headed man called Fox. Redival is a beautiful princess but she is not wise and she is really rude.This story tells how much Orual suffered with her family. If you want to know more read this interesting book. C.S. Lewis has a way of making you keep reading her book. She makes every page exiting and describes every single detail which will make that part seem real.

This book is often misunderstood due to the posibility that Lewis intended to be aligorical. The Book in general is an aligory of how we fail to understand ourselves and our world because we examine it only with our senses and perspectives. The perspective of the gods however, may be extremely different than our own as well as the use of our senses can keep us from understanding the spiritual.

You will really enjoy this book. Lewis is one of those rare individuals that is able to express the truth with clarity and power, and you can feel it in your heart. I found this book to be beautiful and exciting and believe that one day we will all have faces.

As a searcher for the meaning and truth of "Who and what is God? Is there only one way - one religion?" this is one of three books that have influenced my private theology and my personal relationship with God. The others two: "Kim" by Rudyard Kipling and "Sidhartha" by H. Hesse. I highly recommend that this beautiful fable be read by searchers and doubters and firm believers. Mr. Lewis certainly does not hit you over the head with his point of view. As with all messages of faith, each reader may find a different and personal meaning.

Like the title says, this story is so beautiful. I am a CS Lewis fan and I have read the majority of his books, and this is by far my favorite.

I had a friend of a friend hand this book to me, obviously excited about it. I thought this was odd at the time, until I read it. This book falls into the rare category of books that I will definitely re-read. And I'm not a fan of Chronicles of Narnia, or Lewis' other writings.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read. I could not put this book down. This book is a must read!!!!!

Perhaps the most unearnedly ignored piece of 20th century literature: the Christian market ignored it since it was about gods and goddesses and the secular market ignored it because it was by that "Christian guy who wrote children's books". This honestly should have made the modern library's 100 best books of the century; it's a pity it didn't.

My Review is short, this is the best book, I read it as a teenager twice, and I still pick it up and read it for motivation, it really is a book you will not be able to put down, maybe the beginning will sway you the other way, but it is so worth it to stick to the end.

Ok, well maybe not speechless enough to keep myself from writing a review. This book was one of the best I've ever read. I can hardly wait to read it a second time. C.S. Lewis does a fine job of illustrating his characters. He makes them totally believable, and his writing style sucks you into the plot line before you know what's happened to you. He explores the differences between sacred and profane love through Orual and her sister Psyche's relationship. The book is based off of the original Mythological tale of Cupid and Psyche. His rendition and interpretation of it is absolutely captivating. This book is a good one to read whether you are a Christian or not. If you are, C.S. Lewis will help you to become a stronger believer. I would encourage anyone to read this book. You will not regret it.

This is the best work of fiction by an engaging master of English prose. Like all of Lewis's fiction it mixes mythologies and suffers for it, but Lewis here has kept this peculiarity of his style restrained.

Upon reading, I was first confused, then elated that someone understood exactly what I was exploring in my own mind. I wanted to know which was the "right" side, and I couldn't decide. I wanted a black and white answer, and life simply doesn't have that many of them. I totally identified with the main character exploring logic vs blind faith in my Christian life. Each time I think of it I am more and more focused on living by the grace of God rather than the logical laws of His. I urge all to read it as if they were one of the characters, depending on the character I choose there is always a new lesson.

Quite possibly one of the best books ever written. The first time I read this book I was incredibly sick and promised myself (at about 7 pm) that I would read just 1 or 2 chapters and get to bed. At 1:00 that morning, I found myself turning the last page, awestruck, wishing I had the energy to read it just one more time before I slept. This book is surreal, empowering and cathartic all at the same time. It brings mythical characters who often feel cold and drab in mere textbook descriptions to life as utterly human, modern characters with a depth of feeling and thought beyond the scope of that captured in most novels.

I have read 'Till We Have Faces' many times and it has something new and important to say to me each time we encounter one another. This retelling of the Eros and Psyche Myth from the point of view of Psyche's sisters is still fresh and powerful even after so many years. Because it is a myth in itself its power to move and change the reader will never die. Like a many faceted crystal Lewis' work sheds light into some very dark places and there discovers beauty.

How does C.S. Lewis, with all his charm and insight keep hitting me between the eyes with something written just for me?? As thought provoking as only C.S. can be ... excellent!! Another one to have when on a desert island...

In his re-telling of the Greek Myth of Cupid and Psyche, CS Lewis communicates more of his understand of man's relationship to God than in any other work. Some of my Christian friends have asked me how a "Christian Writer" could write about "gods" other than the true God. My reply is Mr. Lewis' own (paraphrased), that all stories of gods are about man's faulty knowledge of the God. This is not a book of theology, it is a story of the persistence with which a loving God pursues each of us, without shame or hesitation, and most certainly without end. Mr. Lewis has combined his considerable talent as a story teller, and his personal knowledge of God, gained through reason and through experience, to convey to us a tale of both the misery and the mystery, the fear and the joy, the anger and the forgiveness, all both given and received, of really knowing God. The book contains it's own best summary in the statement "How can we see Him face to face, till we have faces?"

Lewis had been thinking about the story of Cupid and Psyche for decades, going so far as to try writing a new version of Lucius Apuleius Platonicus' METAMORPHOSES (circa 125 A.D.) in poetry. He abandoned the poetry in favor of a prose story, and I think TILL WE HAVE FACES the best of his novels. It is one of those works that fits the cliche "I couldn't put the book down." Highly recommended.

It is generally agreed among students of Lewis's works that, while _Perelandra_ is preferable on an emotional favorite (and Lewis's personal favorite), _Till We Have Faces_ is his masterpiece, and that the author himself thought so. There is a clear development in style, symbolism, and thought from _The Pilgrim's Regress_, Lewis's first book after his conversion, to _Till We Have Faces_, his last work of fiction (with the exception of a novel fragment and a few short stories). It demonstrates the deep influence of his wife, Joy Davidman, and the deep understanding of love which Lewis gained from their relationship. He always said that he wrote stories based on "pictures" he saw in his head, and books on Lewis report that he said the pictures stopped coming after Joy's death. The book is deeply psychological, and the three sisters in the story are representative of Plato's Tripartite Soul: Orual, the narrator, is the _Logos_ or the reason; Psyche is the _Thumos_, or the passions; and Redival is the _Bios_ or the animalistic passions. There is some historical reference to Henry VIII and Elizabeth I (Lewis's professional speciality was the Renaissance, and he wrote a text on _Sixteenth Century English Literature, Excluding Drama_). The book is based upon Apuleius' _Metamorphoses_, but adds a Christian level to the story. Like _The Space Trilogy_, it illustrates Lewis's belief, taken from St. Augustine's _City of God_, that the gods (small "g" is important) are not supreme beings, and are not incompatible with the God of monotheism. They are equivalent to angels and demons. So, in _Till We Have Faces_, the kingdom worships one major goddess, Aphrodite (standing for God the Father), her Son, Cupid (representing Christ), and a third figure embodied by the Wind (the Holy Spirit). The tree on which Psyche is sacrificed ("the Blessed must be the Accursed" -- the most holy person takes on the sins of the people). The other characters represent various influences: the King is the masculine stereotype