Till We Have Faces

Rating:
Summary: This is Lewis's masterpiece
Review: 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 There is some historical reference to Henry VIII and Elizabeth I (Lewis's professional speciality was the Renaissance, and he wrote a text on _Sixteenth Century English Literature, Excluding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

Rating:
Summary: A departure from Narnia and apologetics
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Till we have faith
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Lewis' most accomplished work of fiction
Review: "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.

Rating:
Summary: Very Deep & Beautiful
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Love is greater than justice
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Classic again
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Face to face with the honest questions
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A new favourite
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Half remembered story
Review: 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