Tammy’s Reviews > Dorothy and Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers and C. S. Lewis > Status Update

She talks about the gender barrier. I understand Sayers on that front. I think being outnumbered at Oxford enabled her to have male friendships. My college experience was similar and, after I left the Navy, it took me awhile to figure out friendships with women. The hard part for everyone is not letting a friendship slide into something inappropriate if it is a work friendship or if either are married.

December is finish-books month! I laughed to hear this well-read author had not explored Narnia as a child. I adored Tolkien. Homeschooling led me to Lewis and MacDonald. Lit Life podcast led me to Sayers. The friendship of Lewis and Sayers was unorthodox for many reasons. My closest companions are different from me and different from each other. It is good to seek what you lack as long as you are pointed to God.

There were no female inklings, but many look at her as an honorary inkling. The Wade Center chose Sayers as one of the seven influential Christian writers that include MacDonald, Lewis, and Tolkien. She talks about the struggles that the church and Christians have in friendships between men and women, even though Jesus had a lot of female followers.

The introduction presents a brief compare-and-contrast about the personal lives, personalities, and interests of Dorothy and Jack. They both lived extremely busy lives, and their friendship is documented in letters. Their friendship began in a fan letter from Dorothy and Jack. He had several female friends, and he married one. They often asked for and gave each other advice about their projects and challenges.