As far as I know, this book was out of print for a long time. Most people know CS Lewis through the Narnia books, the Perelandra Trilogy, and possibly the Screwtape letters. I don't know of any other author who would have made a heroine out of a woman who was thought to be so ugly that she had to hide her face from the world. He then chose to use an ancient Greek myth to do it.

Many authors try to recreate life as it was, once upon a time. Few when going back this far manage to do it convincingly. CS Lewis did it, and did it well enough that I could sink into the story and feel like I was there too. Even the Perelandra books did not manage that part of the time. His nonfiction works rarely managed it at all, but your mileage may vary on those.

Part of his treatment of the subject matter may well have something to do with when he wrote it. This book was published posthumously, and was written after his wife had died of cancer. Her experiences as a Jewish woman who had converted to Christianity and wound up in England may well have fed into the way the book's central character sees the world and reacts to it.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading the entire CD Lewis catalogue,and anyone else who likes an interesting read. It's not an easy book to handle, and it's definitely not to everyone's taste.