This is one of my favorite retellings, ever, as well. Lewis offers a stunningly complex characterization; the story of Psyche and Eros, told from the point of view of one of the "ugly sisters." And, honestly, I was blown away by this. This book is one of the best books I've ever read--being both in my favorite category of story and amazingly, beautifully written.
This book makes me long for more mythology and fairy tale retellings from Lewis... I guess I will just have to read the rest of his books, instead!
I cannot recommend this enough. Whether or not you like the Narnia books, if you love mythology and retellings, you need to read this book.
Till We Have Faces is one of my favorite Lewis books as well! I love it because I could relate personally to the main character (and it's a Psyche retelling, which endears me even more to it), but I know some people who don't like this book at all because it feels foreign to them. I think a lot of times people go into it expecting something Narnia-like, which it certainly isn't. But that's the beauty of Lewis. He has such a wide range of styles!
ReplyDeleteI think I like it all the more for being non-Narnian... not that I don't enjoy Narnia, obviously. The ideas in Till We Have Faces are so much more... effervescent. Anyone who reads this can't possibly make the argument that Lewis is only an allegorical writer. (Well I guess they can, but we know the truth!)
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