Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, Paperback: 324 pages, Publisher: Harcourt Brace & Company; First Harvest/HBJ Edition edition (July 9, 1980), ISBN-10: 0156904365
Rating: 5 of 5 STARS
Source: Advent Books selection
I read this probably 10 years ago, maybe. I am a H*U*G*E C.S. Lewis fan. He's probably by far my most favorite author. Brilliant. So, when I read Till We Have Faces all those years ago I was distressed that I didn't like it. About five years later my daughter read it as part of the Omnibus curriculum in the classical Christian school she attended. She loved it as did the other kids in the class.
My friend Lynn (who was E's fabulous Omnibus teacher) always gave me this odd look when we talked about this book and I'd say I really, really didn't like it. (We talk about books a WHOLE lot when we're together!) So, when her church book club decided to read Till We Have Faces I thought it was a good time to give it another try.
Wow.
Rating: 5 of 5 STARS
Source: Advent Books selection
I read this probably 10 years ago, maybe. I am a H*U*G*E C.S. Lewis fan. He's probably by far my most favorite author. Brilliant. So, when I read Till We Have Faces all those years ago I was distressed that I didn't like it. About five years later my daughter read it as part of the Omnibus curriculum in the classical Christian school she attended. She loved it as did the other kids in the class.
My friend Lynn (who was E's fabulous Omnibus teacher) always gave me this odd look when we talked about this book and I'd say I really, really didn't like it. (We talk about books a WHOLE lot when we're together!) So, when her church book club decided to read Till We Have Faces I thought it was a good time to give it another try.
Wow.
What was wrong with me the first time I read it? My only thought is I must not have been in a place spiritually where I could appreciate the depth of the story. It's awesome. Incredible. Rush out and buy your very own copy to keep and treasure!
I could outline the plot for you (it's a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche.) I could go into all the symbolisms (it's an allegory.) I could tell you how very much I relate to Orual (Psyche's sister-queen who took a life-time to learn how to truly love and to figure out who and what the 'gods' really were.) But there's so many resources out there that do a much, much better job than I ever could. Lynn's already posted one entry here on it with a link to this article. I'm sure she'll post more soon since her club met last night to discuss it. So check out the Advent Books blog.
My book has many, many pages dog-eared to mark passages that I want to go back and savor. Maybe I'll do a "Good Words" post later... it would be a long entry. But, I'll leave you with my favorite passage for now... Orual's last entry in her "book" just before she dies:
"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. Long did I hate you, long did I fear you. I might --"
Yes, the Lord is Himself the answer to all my questions. Amen.
I could outline the plot for you (it's a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche.) I could go into all the symbolisms (it's an allegory.) I could tell you how very much I relate to Orual (Psyche's sister-queen who took a life-time to learn how to truly love and to figure out who and what the 'gods' really were.) But there's so many resources out there that do a much, much better job than I ever could. Lynn's already posted one entry here on it with a link to this article. I'm sure she'll post more soon since her club met last night to discuss it. So check out the Advent Books blog.
My book has many, many pages dog-eared to mark passages that I want to go back and savor. Maybe I'll do a "Good Words" post later... it would be a long entry. But, I'll leave you with my favorite passage for now... Orual's last entry in her "book" just before she dies:
"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. Long did I hate you, long did I fear you. I might --"
Yes, the Lord is Himself the answer to all my questions. Amen.
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1 comment:
Thanks for visiting my blog! You said that Lewis was your favorite author, and I remembered that I had read a book review on your blog of "Till We Have Faces" that I had meant to comment on. I love (and relate to) the quote you chose to highlight. I read this book a while ago, but I need to read it again. So much truth. This journey to know Love and the One who is the answer is not always easy. That's why I loved the character of Orual.
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