Letters to an American Lady

by C.S. Lewis

On October 26, 1950, C. S. Lewis wrote the first of more than a hundred letters he would send to a woman he had never met, but with whom he was to maintain a correspondence for the rest of his life.

Ranging broadly in subject matter, the letters discuss topics as profound as the love of God and as frivolous as preferences in cats. Lewis himself clearly had no idea that these letters would ever see publication, but they reveal facets of his character little known even to devoted readers of his fantasy and scholarly writings—a man patiently offering encouragement and guidance to another Christian through the day-to-day joys and sorrows of ordinary life.

Letters to an American Lady stands as a fascinating and moving testimony to the remarkable humanity and even more remarkable Christianity of C. S. Lewis, and is richly deserving of the position it now takes among the balance of his Christian writings.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Biography, Christianity, Classics, Theology, Christian Living

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 1966

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.

Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]

Reviews

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love CS Lewis then you are not going to want to miss this group of letters sent over the course of many years to an American lady named Mary. Several things make these incredible. First, the quick glimpses of genius that crop up here and there. Second, the unbelievable patience Lewis has for this quite cranky lady. We don't even get her side of the conversation but it is clear that she is a pathological complainer with a chip on her shoulder. Lewis ministers to this woman year after year, treating her with respect and honor and gently coaxing her to trust the Lord. Third, the glimpses of Lewis at home and at work, with Joy and Warnie over the years. Fourth, Lewis gave this woman money over many long years. His attitude about this is terribly convicting. Did she deserve it? I seriously doubt it but to Lewis that was irrelevant. As someone who struggles to answer email and IMs, I am astounded once again by CS Lewis's genuinely kind nature.

I suppose in one sense Mary Shellborne fulfilled her purpose in life by being the conduit of these letters.

Letters are my new favorite genre!

[Tori Samar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read countless books that helped me get to know C.S. Lewis the Christian. Recently I have turned to books that helped me get to know C.S. Lewis the literary scholar. But this one helped me get to know C.S. Lewis the man. With these letters, I feel it far more appropriate to talk about my encounter with Jack, not Lewis. His Christianity is still very much at the forefront throughout, but I saw it from a different angle than when I read the theological/apologetic books. Here, it comes flowing from a kind, generous, patient man trying to encourage someone else. Really, I was rebuked at how gracious Jack’s letters were time and again to this woman whose feathers always seemed to be ruffled about one thing or another.

The other reason why I said this book helped me get to know the man is that the letters offer a glimpse into Jack's daily life and interests. At various points he talks about his family, the weather, his health, his worries, current events, and even cats. (Seriously, don’t miss what he has to say about cats—it is delightful!) Truly, this book is everything that I love about reading letters.

(The Literary Life Podcast 2023 Reading Challenge – Book of letters, diaries, or journals)

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good. Read it again in January 2018, and it remains quite good.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In describing this book, I wrote to a friend today:

This summer when Amanda, the boys and I were visiting with her family, Jessica, Amanda's sister-in-law, wanted to take the girls “antiquing.” In fact, this may be one of my wife's least favorite activities. In short, she is not a shopper. Nonetheless, because she is a good sport and because she loves Jessica (who is married to her younger brother, Wade), she obliged.

At some little hole-in-the-wall shop, in a small town in this nondescript state of ours, my wife found a 1967 copy of C.S. Lewis' “Letters to an American Lady.” Being the enormous Lewis-ite that I am (and not ashamed to admit it!) she purchased the book for the bargain sum of five or six dollars. It has been, without a doubt, one of my favorite reads, ever. In the short 100 or so pages, I have learned more about Lewis the man than a dozen books or biographies would have ever shown me. It is a truly amazing look into how his theology actually impacted his “normal” every day life. I think I will read it again soon. And often.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of letters is proof that C.S. Lewis is a more patient and pious Christian than I. Had I been the correspondent with this American lady, I would surely have left off after fewer than half a dozen and ignored any further attempt on her part. Had I been titling this collection, it might have been "Letters to a Pietistic, Pessimistic Hypochondriac." Fortunately for my spiritual well-being, I neither had the privilege of being this lady's correspondent nor of titling the book, which meant that I could read Lewis's 100+ letters that, year after year, encourage the American lady to endure suffering with patience and never to worry about past or future. His own patient, gentle dealings with what we must imagine were the overly long, complaint-laced letters he received provides a gentle reminder to all of us that we all need to repent and to forgive and to pray constantly.

[Miclea Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce suflet cald, C.S Lewis ăsta. Să tot ții legătura ani de zile cu o doamnă (cu D mare) care se plânge mult, deși ești profesor universitar, te însori, ești răcit sau orice altceva. Asta mi se pare cea mai mare formă de a-i sluji pe ceilalți. Se vede cum pe parcursul timpului sfaturile primite de la Lewis au ajutat-o să se maturizeze spiritual. Ce m-a frapat a fost cât de puțin scria despre problemele lui și câte rânduri acorda plângerilor ei mai banale- pisici, mutat, experiențe neplăcute la stomatologi (dacă era pacienta mea îl scuteam pe Lewis de vreo cinci scrisori, asta este).
Oricum, spre sfârșit(-ul vieții și cărții) îi ajung bătrânețile și încep să își pună problema morții. Mi-au plăcut mult scrisorile acestea și aș putea să citez pagini întregi, dar mă rezum viitoarea mea formulare de rămas bun când voi fi la pensie: "Prietenii noștri ar putea chiar să parieze cui o să-i sune primul ceasul! Binecuvântări."
Printre altele, susțin și eu ce a zis el, că "Abolirea omului" e prea underrated, pisicile sunt ce trebuie și că "femeile trebuie să învețe să stea locului și să-și vadă de treaba lor: iar bărbații, să sară să rezolve."

[Justin Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tonight I finished reading Letters To An American Lady by C.S.Lewis, which I got for free at work a few weeks ago. I have never actually read this one by Lewis before. It was a moving correspondence between Lewis and this American lady about anything from cats, food, pain, death, health, prayer, finances, the weather, faith, books, theology, daily experience, the resurrection of the body, loss, and love. The few letters in this volume written by Warnie Lewis, Joy Davidman, and Walter Hooper, were very quite good too.
This will be a book to go back and re-read again numerous times.

[Megan Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, where to start? This book is so appealing on multiple levels--first, it appeals to the nosy snoop in me, which SO enjoys reading other people's mail, especially people in whom I have such an interest. Thankfully, this book allowed me to do that without breaking any federal laws--here or abroad. Secondly, it made 'Jack' Lewis even easier for me to love than he had been before.
The situation was this: Lewis, already known worldwide and well respected literarily and academically, received all kinds of letters from all kinds of people. Returning them (all of them) was an exercise in self-discipline and subjection of his talents, in spite of a rheumatic wrist and a supreme distaste for letter-writing. When he returned Mary's first letter, he was kind and brief, and invited no reply...but he got one anyway, and HER letter did beg a response (we don't see her letters, but by his responses we can tell that she expected one).
What developed was a long-term relationship as 'lopsided' pen pals that lasted until Lewis' debilitating illnesses finally made him retire from all activity, and he died soon afterward. Lewis' responses are interesting in and of themselves, but they also give a glimpse into the woman to whom he wrote, and I admit that finding her between the lines was not the least of this book's charms. (Mary herself was not very charming, from what I could tell: she tended to complain, was somewhat prideful, and was--above all--presumptuous! But somehow the relationship between them was charming.)
But what I loved most in this brief collection (which became, for me, a real page-turner) was seeing Lewis as 'the man at home,' who got sick, experienced grief, and still made time for pen pals everywhere, personality notwithstanding, and prayed for them daily. I do believe that I detected the inklings of a genuine enjoyment of his correspondence with Mary toward the end, and it is neat to think that they have met at last in Heaven. As for me, I am excited to read more of his works while I can, and meet Lewis when I can't read anymore.
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Second time through--August '12
Becoming more intimately acquainted with the trials of old age and ill health since my previous reading (by becoming a caregiver for my grandmother) made C.S. Lewis's many physical hardships truly stand out to me. And even though I am still young, I thought of the things that slow me down or stop me in my tracks even now--most particularly, the sinus headaches that won't go away (from which, oddly, both Jack and Mary, his American correspondent, suffered). Add to that rheumatism, a weak heart, trouble sleeping at night, trouble staying awake during the day, a wife with cancer, a wife who died of cancer, two stepsons whose mother died of cancer, and also his regular work as professor, lecturer, and author, it is a wonder to me that he responded so faithfully to the inevitable onslaught of the post. I was genuinely inspired by his example of putting others first. Although I can't stop my body from acting up sometimes (and I'm sure much more as I age), by the grace of God I can stay humbly dependent on Him and serve Him with as much energy as He's granted for that moment. Lord, may this be my pursuit.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite his growing fame and voluminous fan-mail, CSL diligently responded to each of his letters, by hand. This could take hours each day. Sometimes this birthed a longstanding correspondence as this collection shows. He wrote these particular letters to an anonymous “Mary” in the US from 1950 until shortly before his death in 1963.

As a long-time fan of CSL’s books, I discovered that these private letters provide a unique glimpse of what he was like on a more personal level. It is wonderful to get a feel of his conversational voice as he relates everyday matters, and consoles and encourages his pen pal as she goes through trying life circumstances.

There are many memorable pearls of wisdom interspersed throughout these letters, but the thing that strikes me most as I read through them is Lewis’s overarching kindness and forbearance. I found myself getting annoyed with Mary’s seemingly incessant whining and complaining. But Lewis was unfailingly kind and gentle with her. Just taking the time to respond to each of her missives was clearly a chore for him, but he persisted, even when in poor health himself. He even started sending her money when she fell upon financial difficulties. Which reminds me of this passage that he wrote apparently after she had complained about someone asking her for money (and this was years after he began sending her a stipend):

“I do most thoroughly agree with your father’s principle about alms. It will not bother me in the hour of death to reflect that I have been ‘had for a sucker’ by any number of impostors; but it would be a torment to know that one had refused even one person in need. After all, the parable of the sheep and goats makes our duty perfectly plain, doesn’t it. Another thing that annoys me is when people say ‘Why did you give that man money? He’ll probably go and drink it.’ My reply is ‘But if I’d kept [it] I should probably have drunk it.’”

What a remarkable man. In the introduction to The Weight of Glory Walter Hooper says this about him:

“The worst over, there was a return of the high spirits and uproarious sense of fun that I found one of the most attractive things about Lewis. But it would take someone of Boswell‘s talents to give the right idea to the completeness of this remarkable man, to show how naturally the humour blended into the more serious side, and indeed was one of the causes of his greatness of heart, his large intellect, and the most open charity I have ever found in anyone. He was a man, many of us had come to see, of common instincts combined with very uncommon abilities. Perhaps it is worth recording that I knew—I just knew—no matter how long I lived, no matter who else I met, I should never be in the company of such a supremely good human being again. Of all my memories this is the most indelible and is certain to remain so.”

[Matthew Richey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a little strange reading someone's mail, but in this case a blessing/encouragement. These letters are written to a seemingly lonely older lady who shares her anxieties, worries, and struggles and he patiently and faithfully responds, encouraging her Christian walk and faith. Worthwhile.

[Mike Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is beautiful - not truly a book, but a wonderful work of charity, filled with delightful wisdom. Jack shares so much with this woman who seems to be his friend only because she keeps coming back, though to be clear, she is a friend indeed. This appears not to be a friendship of equals, like that with so many of the Inklings. But that might make this a greater deed than any of his intentionally public work, for it exhibits such an admirably Christ-like spirit. One wonders reading these letters, what it would be like to have Jack for a friend, but we can all have one greater if only we ask, and instead we should wonder what it would be like to be a friend like Jack.

And some day I may get back to this and append some of my favorite quotes, but that seems a larger task than I am able to meet tonight. Consider this then a waved salute rather than a complete review.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read as much C.S. Lewis as I would like (I've read neither all of Mere Christianity or The Screwtape Letters, horror of all horrors), but I've very much liked his more autobiographical works - Surprised by Joy and A Grief Observed particularly. I first read some of Lewis' letters in A Severe Mercy where Sheldon Vanauken begins a correspondence and friendship with him - an influential one, to say the least.

These letters, however, are a another kettle of fish altogether. They are one side of clearly a voluminous correspondence of thirteen years, and nothing is seen of what was written to him. But, somethings do come out, looking at his responses. In truth, I would certainly think that they started as fan mail - and of a strange sort. Come, do tell me if you were writing to your favorite author would you mention that your back hurts, your friends are mean, your dog is sick, and you can't find a job? Or, persist in writing him long letters to which he can't help but respond in short and say, 'I really do hate writing?' And, have him say almost plaintively for three years in a row, please do not write (or expect an answer!) during Christmastide!

And yet, there is something very comforting in Lewis' continued kindness, seen from his reactions to her letters to him. He assures her of his continued prayers, doles advice, and even supports her via a stipend from his American publisher. There is the hint of the scholarly professor who got up early, wrote his books on the side, can laugh at a joke, and misses his long walks but wouldn't trade his health for that of his dying wife's. Indeed, one of my favorite parts of the book, however, was a letter written by Joy Davidson Lewis (writing in his place, when he was conducting exams at Cambridge) - there you can see some of the spark that hides behind the bare 'H' in A Grief Observed. And that strikes me as one of the more telling parts of this correspondence - yes, this may have been a marvelously one sided conversation at times, but whether it be simple responsibility, kindness, or Christian charity, it continued for thirteen years, even when he himself was facing a great deal of pain and personal grief.

One of the questions that came to me while reading this book was why were these letter published as a collection? Indeed, their very ordinariness was appealing, I suspect, but really, how did they reflect said "American Lady"? And what becomes obvious is this: these were some of the first letters given to the Marion Wade Center at Wheaton College right when they were beginning to collect writings by Lewis and others of his circle. Their publication - and the collection's curator who as the book's editor has an obvious admiration for Lewis - did much to recommend the rather new center and its collections, I would think. And who can begrudge them that?

There is nothing particularly special about these letters, no great insights or bursts of wisdom. But there is a steady stream of kindness, wisdom, and patience, one that makes me rather jealous I never had the chance to write to him myself.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a time when people still communicated by writing letters and sending them in the mail, C.S. Lewis had many correspondents whom he had never met in person. The "American lady" was one such person. She initiated the conversation and saved Lewis' responses, offering them after his death to Wheaton College with the proviso that her identity not be revealed.
Lewis hated writing letters, something that is mentioned a number of times here. He came to dislike Christmas, partly because so many more letters arrived.
If these were hints, the American lady didn't take them, continuing to write -- even around Christmas -- and complaining if she thought Lewis' responses came too slowly.
Lewis felt it was his duty to respond to all letters, and as his fame increased so did the burden.
I can't help but wish the American lady had reduced that burden ever so slightly by keeping her correspondence to a single fan letter. But the happy result is this book, which offers plenty of spiritual insights but also more insights than we see in most places into C.S. Lewis the person.
On big events:
I'm not a man for crowds and Best Clothes.
On his fears:
Poverty frightens me more than anything else except large spiders and the tops of cliffs.
On Christmas:
This season is to me mainly hard, grueling work -- write, write, write, till I wickedly say that if there were less good will (going through the post) there would be more peace on earth.
On cats and dogs:
We were talking about cats and dogs the other day and decided that both have consciences, but the dog, being an honest, humble person, always has a bad one, but the cat is a Pharisee and always has a good one.
On journalism:
I never read the papers. Why does anyone? They're nearly all lies, and one has to wade thru' such reams of verbiage and "write up" to find out even what they're saying.
On journalists:
That journalists can be saved is a doctrine, if not contrary to, yet certainly above, reason!
On rumors:
What on earth is the trouble about there being a rumour of my death? There's nothing discreditable in dying: I've know the most respectable people do it!
On hospitals:
I know only too well what even the nicest hospital is like; how the nurses all vanish at the one moment of the day when you really need them, how the televisions and wirelesses all around make night hideous, how the night nurse wakes you up from the first really refreshing sleep you've had in a month, at midnight, to give you your sleeping pill.
On early morning:
I love the empty, silent, dewy, cobwebby hours.
On charity:
Another thing that annoys me is when people say, "Why did you give that man money? He'll probably go and drink it." My reply is "But if I'd kept [it] I should probably have drunk it."

[Hamster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I confess I knew this book from the title alone, and I assumed it would be Lewis's correspondence with Joy Davidman before they married. I was rather disappointed to discover it was another American lady that he also had a long correspondence with.

But as it turns out, that is a more interesting premise than I expected. Through Lewis's letters, this book chronicles the friendship of two individuals separated by an ocean but experiencing many of the same issues and doubts. We see the growth and continuation of the friendship of two people who never even met.

This book becomes, therefore, a charming look into Lewis's personal life. We find out about his day to day struggles (including the act of letter writing!). Lewis may have written a spiritual autobiography, but in some ways this book is just as helpful in figuring out what he was really like.

Of course Lewis drops the occasional nugget of spiritual wisdom, but that isn't really what this book is about. I really appreciated we did get of that, but I was also content without it. This isn't a page turner, but it's a great read anyways. I honestly preferred it to the mammoth volume of Tolkien's letters.

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book to end the year on. I love these letters. Even though Mary was probably sometimes a nuisance to write to, you get to see Lewis’ long-suffering, patience and kindness. I believe in an effort to encourage her to be faithful to the end, what more can we have in a friend? And I do believe they were of a sort. I was thinking how wonderful it was that he had someone close to his age to write to about growing older, especially after Joy died. I cracked up at several parts and loved getting to know Lewis more and as his life drew to a close here on this earth, I grew sad at loosing a friend, because even though I knew it was coming, I felt a little closer to him. My absolute favorite part was him encouraging her to pray for him and him for her.

[Ada · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a delight to read these letters, in them we can see how the daily life of C.s. Lewis (with pains, dullness, cats and regular things) is sprinkled with deep, challenging and transforming faith and how the answers to our troubles(may them be small or big) are rooted in Christ.

[Joseph Leake]

Lewis' letters from this particular correspondence are mostly short and compact, but they are overflowing with warmth, graciousness, and a sound and gentle wisdom. A delightful collection.

[Ella Edelman]

Such a treat. Lewis is also afraid of “large spiders,” as it turns out. The last third or so of the letters during the last couple years of his life turn toward the hope of “…better things ahead than any we leave behind,” and were particularly moving.

[J. Alfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We were talking about cats and dogs the other day and decided that both have consciences but the dog, being an honest, humble person always has a bad one, but the cat is a Pharisee and always has a good one." I very much enjoyed seeing Lewis, my hero, kind of behind the scenes like this-- there's always another facet of him to know. This collection of letters is at times touching, at times encouraging, and at all times fascinating for the Jack-junkie.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book shows a different side of C.S. Lewis – not the great apologist, but the simple everyday piety of a godly man praying for someone he has never. Lewis developed a friendship with this woman over the course of several years. These letters cover every imaginable topic, from pets and weather to the forgiveness of sins; many are simply an attempt to encourage each other as their bodies decay from old age. Very encouraging, very convicting.

[Ciara Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely insights into the power of a simple friendship. Nice to get a glimpse of the very ordinary aspects of Lewis.

[Drew Fajen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This record of correspondence between Jack and Mary showed Lewis' casual wisdom and wit. Even in the everyday letter writing of good ole Clive, his writing convicts, teaches, and challenges. I loved so much of this book. This book deals with challenges like death, illness, family drama, politics, and faith in Jesus. It's really fun to read one side of the letters and try to figure out what Mary wrote to lead to Jack's response.

Here are my favorite parts of the book:

"The change from, say, thirty years ago, consists largely in the fact that nominal Christians has died out, so that only those who really believe now profess." 14-15

"Anxiety is not only a pain which we must ask God to assuage but also a weakness we must ask Him to pardon-- for He's told us take no care for the morrow." 22

"The presence of God is not the same as the sense of the presence of God. The latter may be due to imagination; the former may be attended with no 'sensible consolation'. The Father was not really absent from the Son when He said 'Why hast thou forsaken me?' You see God Himself, as man, submitted to man's sense of being abandoned... and I'm the spiritual marriage of God and the soul it is the same. It is the actual presence, not the sensation of the presence of the Holy Ghost which begets Christ in us. The sense of the presence is a super-added gift for which we give thanks when it comes, and that's about it." 36-37

"I think God wants us to love Him more, not to love creatures (even animals) less. We love everything in one way too much (i.e. At the expense of our love for Him) but in another way we love everything too little." 58

"One never had been "independent." Always, in some mode or other, one has lived on others, economically, intellectually, spiritually... we are members of one another whether we choose to recognize the fact or not." CSL, 109

‪"It will not bother me in the hour of death to reflect that I have been had for a sucker by any number of imposters; but it would be a torment to know that one had refused even one person in need.‬" C. S. Lewis, Letters to an American Lady, 105

"Can you not see death as the friend and deliverer? It means stripping off that body which is tormenting you: like taking off a hair shirt or getting out of a dungeon. What is there to be afraid of? You have long attempted (and none of us does more) a Christian life. Your sins are confessed and absolved. Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave it with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind." CSL 114

"Think of yourself just as a seed patiently waiting in the earth; waiting to come up a flower in the Gardener's good time, up into the real world, the real waking. I suppose that our whole present life, looked back on from there, will seem only a drowsy half-waking. We are here in the land of dreams. But cock-crow is coming. It is nearer now than when I began this letter." 116

Even the weathers river
winds somewhere safe to sea.
117

[Stephanie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by how fast I whipped through this book. My second time reading it, but it's been a long time since the first read and I couldn't remember much.

While some of the material becomes repetitive (his sympathizing with her health troubles and his reminding her that writing is the bane of his existence!) I still found so much of value in this collection. C.S. Lewis was so encouraging to Mary (the American Lady) and good at reminding her of truths that they both believe while avoiding being preachy. He also showed his real personality. These are not mere polite letters. They are at times curmudgeonly or almost annoyed (like when he says he is sure he has written to her since her last letter), but often deeply sympathetic. (How did he manage to remain so sympathetic over all her troubles?) He felt free to disagree with her or defend his opinions.

And despite the fact that the correspondence sometimes comes across as a burden to him, he clearly also cared for this American lady. He prayed for her consistently and took the time to ask his wife, brother, or secretary to write when he was too ill to do so.

No great apologetics here, but rather an example of how one Christian man dealt with aching joints, complaining friends, old age, cats, and letter-writing.

[Amy Marquis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated this three stars and I didn’t know I would ever rate Lewis less than 5. These are letters sent by Lewis to a lady who wrote to Lewis for over a decade. He, ever generous, responded to her every letter. You don’t get to read her letters but it is easy enough to tell from the context of Lewis’s response that very nearly every single letter was about her financial problems, her health problems, her cat problems, her family problems and constant questions about whether it was a sin that she should consider herself a superior to others because of her high bred lineage. Frankly, she sounded like someone I have met many times before and each time wish I hadn’t. I muscled through it though because, in spite of the repetitious nature of each letter, there were some really hilarious moments where he decisively gives her a thorough but gracious set down.. I’m so sorry about your health problems by the way did I mention that my wife died this morning? Or mg favorite bit was when she was delighted that he went to Ireland for a weekend and wondered if he saw adorable wee fairies? He told her sternly that fairies were neither sweet nor wee and something of a very dangerous problem to the Irish people . They were the size of men and a terror to the locals. Adore.
Read is just for his thinly veiled irritation and actually very gracious patience.

[Kristen Chung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun, insightful, and convicting read. Spanning over 10 years, C.S. Lewis's correspondence with this American lady (whom he'd never even met) illuminates his human side--his thoughts on cats and dogs, his home life with Joy, his love of the "empty, silent, dewy, cobwebby hours" of the morning. More than anything, these letters demonstrate how Lewis's faith and theology permeated his "normal" everyday life. I found myself often chuckling at his thoughts and also amazed by his dedication to continue his correspondence with this random American lady (who often came off as an avid complainer and honestly just grumpy). So many golden nuggets of Biblical truth are embedded so casually throughout these letters. Encouraged by the ways Lewis, or "Jack", ministered and encouraged this woman, even up to his death, and grateful that she kept & published the letters so readers like me could also benefit :)

I laughed at this line as Lewis is joking about animals wearing clothes:
"What sort of collars will giraffes wear? Will seals and otters have ordinary clothes or bathing suits? The hedgehog will wear his shirts out terribly quickly, I should think."

[Zofia Chmielewska · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Musimy starać się przyjmować życie chwila po chwili. Zwykle można znieść ciężar teraźniejszości, jeśli nie powiększy się go o brzemię przeszłości i przyszłości. Chrystus miał rację mówiąc, że nasze siły „wystarczą na dzisiejszy dzień””

„Listy do nieznajomej” są jak baryłka miodu z łyżką dziegciu w środku. Bo czyta się je wspaniale, poznając tego wybitnego człowieka zupełnie od środka - dotykamy jego serca, które pociesza, radzi, poucza, komentuje i odkrywa przed nami jego zakamarki. Ale w tej korespondencji ujawnia się żywy człowiek, który pomimo swojego niezwykłego poczucia humoru i ogromnego dystansu do siebie, przeżywa trudności, bolączki i smutki takie, jak każdy z nas. Więc pisze - o Miłości, Bogu, prawdzie, duchowości, wytrwaniu w czasie kryzysu, a jednoczenie komentuje sytuację medyczną w kraju, zachwyca się kotami i narzeka jak bardzo nie lubi pisać listów. Po tej lekturze mam ogromną ochotę sięgnąć po jego następne pozycje 🤍

[Lauren Fee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to describe how much I enjoyed this book of letters. I feel confident it would make a "favorite books" shelf. I want to pick up multiple copies and strategically leave it lying around the house to just pick up and peruse in spare moments to feast on quick bites of wit and profound truths. In a larger sense, this book served as the best discipleship I have received to date on how to welcome death--putting off the old and embracing the new joy to come. It is obvious that he was so faithful to renew his mind of these truths daily as well as to share it in letter form with his friend. I also was spurred on by his sense of duty in tackling letters received from the public and felt sympathetic towards him at the same time in this plight. I couldn't recommend more highly.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever wished you could know CSL, maybe write him a letter and hear his response, this is the next best thing. Here he is, exchanging correspondence with a woman in America whom he never met in person, for a solid 13 years. He listens to her complaints, prays for her burdens, is patient, sends money when she needs help. When she's humiliated, he gives the advice we all need when we are humiliated: offer it up to the Lord as a way of sharing in His suffering. When she's at the end of her life, he gives the encouragement we all need when we come to the end of our lives: believe what you say you do, think of the life to come, ask yourself was this world such a kind place that you hate to leave it? This book gives you CSL the person, a man who hates to write letters but wants to do good; an intellectual who not only writes enduring works of literature, but also talks about cats. I love him more with every book.

[Isaac Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely little book. The American Lady began the correspondence in 1950, but it became much more regular in the spring of 1953. This book contains all of Jack's letters to her from that time up to the point of his death in 1963.

I've read a lot of Lewis, but this one was special. It's a unique window into his personal life, and it only made my respect for him increase. It was especially illuminating to read his thoughts on his own books, especially the ones that were published over the course of this correspondence.

The letters are full of great one-liners. I read through quickly this time, but I hope to come back soon to re-read!

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of over one hundred letters sent by Lewis (or, in a few cases, Lewis’s wife Joy, brother Warnie, or secretary Walter Hooper) to an American correspondent named Mary. The letter begin in 1950 and run through the remaining thirteen years of Lewis’s life. They are by turns funny and serious but winsome and thoughtful throughout, and they are painfully moving near the end, as death approaches and these two old people (Mary was five years older than Lewis) anticipate the end. Wonderful reading, and full of Lewis’s wit and bon mots.