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Summary: Very deep and passionate!
Review: 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.
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Summary: Because it's worthy of ANOTHER review...
Review: 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.
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Summary: A very insightful novel.
Review: 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.
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Summary: This is truly a terrific book.
Review: 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.
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Summary: Orual's love was severely challenged
Review: 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.
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Summary: The excellent book that I dislike
Review: 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.
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Summary: Till We Have Faces: Personality and Beauty
Review: 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.
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Summary: This Book Was sooooooooooooooooo Awesome
Review: 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.
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Summary: A new perspective of mythology
Review: 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.
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Summary: Till We Have Faces is a psychological masterpiece
Review: 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.
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