diff --git a/src/DataStrings.jl b/src/DataStrings.jl
index dc1360c..ac0bf64 100644
--- a/src/DataStrings.jl
+++ b/src/DataStrings.jl
@@ -522,11 +522,14 @@ Base.Symbol(s::DataString) = Symbol(String(s))
 Base.promote_rule(::Type{DataString}, ::Type{String}) = String
 
 function Base.write(io::IO, s::DataString)
-    n = 0
-    @inbounds for i = 1:ncodeunits(s)
-        n += write(io, codeunit(s, i))
+    n = ncodeunits(s)
+    # a view's content is one contiguous run of its retained buffer
+    n > INLINE_MAX && return GC.@preserve s unsafe_write(io, pointer(s.data, payloadpos(s.p)), n)
+    m = 0
+    @inbounds for i = 1:n
+        m += write(io, codeunit(s, i))
     end
-    return n
+    return m
 end
 Base.print(io::IO, s::DataString) = (write(io, s); nothing)
 
diff --git a/test/construct.jl b/test/construct.jl
index c8d4ab1..e2c83e1 100644
--- a/test/construct.jl
+++ b/test/construct.jl
@@ -71,6 +71,12 @@ end
         @test read(io,String) == "αβ"
     end
     @test DataString["a","b"] == ["a","b"]
+    longs = StringVector(["first long string value", "second long string value"])
+    for s in (DataString(""), DataString("αβ"), DataString("twelve bytes"), longs[1], longs[2])
+        io = IOBuffer()
+        @test write(io, s) == ncodeunits(s)
+        @test String(take!(io)) == String(s)
+    end
     values = Union{String,Missing}["a", "a long value retained by a view", missing]
     col = StringVector(values)
     retained = col[2]