Lucy & Desi: The Love Letters

by Lucie Arnaz

A treasure trove of previously unseen love letters between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, spanning their courtship through I Love Lucy fame and beyond, tells the couple’s real-life love story in their own words, alongside rare photos from the family scrapbooks.
 
After Lucille Ball’s death in 1989, dozens of private letters between Lucy and Desi Arnaz were discovered. Now, for the first time, daughter Lucie Arnaz shares the complete collection in this remarkable volume that reveals the romance of one of the most famous couples in history more intimately than anything that has ever been written about them. At turns the letters disclose longing, ambition, jealousy, humor, and, above all, a passionate love affair that has claimed the world’s interest for more than half a century.

This extraordinary collection takes readers back to America during World War II, to the lives of a young couple in the early years of their relationship, with budding careers in Hollywood that were still far from their heyday as the nation’s top stars. Each letter contains a bit of history as they talk about where they are, what they are doing, and what is going on in the world around them—whether it be a wardrobe fitting with a celebrated designer, remembering the last sensuous night they spent together, or trying to buy just the right refrigerator to please your mother-in-law during wartime rationing. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz weremarried from 1940 to 1960, and while the bulk of the letters were written in the early 1940s, the compendium reflects their entire relationship, from an early courtship, through long periods of separation due to work and world events, to a bittersweet end after nearly two decades.
 
This stunning book takes readers as close as possible to the actual letters by featuring reproductions complete with envelopes, stamps, postmarks, and Lucy and Desi's own custom stationery. Further illustrated by rare photos from the Arnaz family scrapbooks, this volume is a revelatory look at a complicated and captivating love story that will amaze even longtime fans who think they have seen it all.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

233 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Jami · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely coffee table book of Lucy & Desi's (love) letters, mostly during the war & up to 1943, then they jump to 1954 & beyond. Admittedly they were together more thereafter & had little need to write, but still a little jarring with the 11-year leap. But Lucy fans especially would enjoy this book :)

[Diane OLeary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovingly illustrated book of letters shows how deeply in love Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were before their childhood traumas and the show business world brought out the worst in each other. Lucy and Desi were one of those couples who in the end could not live with or without the other and this is a sad yet romantic story. These letters with beautiful penmanship were a treasure and preserving them in book form was an excellent idea and it made me realize how difficult separations during World War II had to have been on relationships. This is a poignant and intimate look at an iconic couple.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt very invasive reading this ... but I'm giving 5 stars because how am I gonna give someone else's love letters like 3.5/5 like it doesn't work like that. I think I've always had trouble understanding that they are a different couple than the one shown on TV so this book finally made that make sense for me. So I enjoyed it even though it was invasive of me. What can I say I am a huge fan.

[Eva Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so wonderful and so heartbreaking! Very thankful that these letters were released.

[Erika Drammissi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad and happy to see how much love there was between Lucy and Desi, knowing how it didn’t work out. But I enjoyed a deeper look into their life together ❤️

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly wasn’t sure how to review this because it’s not a typical book in the usual sense. It’s essentially a collection of love letters exchanged between Lucy and Desi at the beginning of their marriage, when he was injured and recovering in an army hospital and she was working and spending time at their ranch.

And that’s really all it needs to be.

I’ve always loved Lucy, so being able to read their actual words to each other felt incredibly special. There’s something deeply intimate about reading letters that were never meant for the public, and yet this book presents them in such a respectful and beautiful way. You can feel the love, the longing, the tenderness, and the reality of marriage in those early days.

The book itself is wonderfully put together. Seeing photos of the actual letters alongside the transcriptions made it feel even more personal and emotional. It didn’t feel like a gimmick or a cash grab. It felt like a genuine window into their relationship and their lives at that moment in time.

This isn’t a book you read for plot or twists or drama. You read it to sit quietly with it, to appreciate a real love story told through real words, written in real time. It’s soft, sentimental, and heartfelt in the best way.

If you already love Lucy and Desi, this book is an easy recommendation. If you enjoy letters, history, or glimpses into famous relationships that feel human rather than polished, this is worth your time.

It was simple, beautiful, and meaningful. I really enjoyed it.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has copies of the original handwritten letters between Lucy and Desi between 1940 and 1958. There is also a typewritten copy if you can't make out all the penciled and penned words between the two of them. They truly loved each other but it was very apparent that Desi was a flirt and enjoyed attention. He was also very jealous and was always accusing Lucy of seeing other men. There were one or two letters that showed his temper as well. However, they made a fine team and did so much for the entertainment industry, including television.

[Susan McAulay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was something of a disappointment. Part of it I can't blame on the book itself but the format. When there are actual letters handwritten, reproduced in the book, they lose something in the Kindle experience. This is really more of a coffee table book rather than one that is read in an e book.
The other thing is that the letters, while sweet and indicative of their passion (which had both benefits and flaw), were repetitive. You've seen a few, you've seen them all. I did learn that Lucille Ball was several years older than Desi and that was considered odd for the time. There were a few letters that were a little risque and pointed to a very physical relationship that tells us more about Lucille than Desi. However, I would wager than most of us who are reading this have read and seen other things about their lives together so that most of what is in the letters is not particularly a novelty. If this is the readers' introduction to the couple, they might enjoy the book more.

[Jill VanWormer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really sweet to be able to get an inside look at Lucy and Desi’s relationship through their letters. You can see their passion, jealousy and love coming through. It was also nice to see a little look into their day to day lives.

[Brett Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very intimate look into their relationship. Most of the letters are during Desi time in military hospital. Learned a few new things, good insight to them.

[Sophie Sternschuss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely intimate look into the relationship between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Most of the letters being sent during their time apart during the war. This did feel the most personal we’ve ever heard from them due to the personal nature. I did find it a little confusing and disjointed to have to flip to the back of the book for further context and would have preferred this to be along side the text.