Now a USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestseller! “Patti Callahan seems to have found the story she was born to tell in this tale of unlikely friendship turned true love between Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis, that tests the bounds of faith and radically alters both of their lives. Their connection comes to life in Callahan’s expert hands, revealing a connection so persuasive and affecting, we … affecting, we wonder if there’s another like it in history. Luminous and penetrating.” –Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife
In a most improbable friendship, she found love. In a world where women were silenced, she found her voice.
From New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan comes an exquisite novel of Joy Davidman, the woman C. S. Lewis called “my whole world.” When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis–known as Jack–she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn’t holding together her crumbling marriage. Everything about New Yorker Joy seemed ill-matched for an Oxford don and the beloved writer of Narnia, yet their minds bonded over their letters. Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, finding a love that even the threat of death couldn’t destroy.
In this masterful exploration of one of the greatest love stories of modern times, we meet a brilliant writer, a fiercely independent mother, and a passionate woman who changed the life of this respected author and inspired books that still enchant us and change us. Joy lived at a time when women weren’t meant to have a voice–and yet her love for Jack gave them both voices they didn’t know they had.
At once a fascinating historical novel and a glimpse into a writer’s life, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is above all a love story–a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all.
“Patti Callahan Henry breathes wondrous fresh life into one of the greatest literary love stories of all time . . . The result is a deeply moving story about love and loss that is transformative and magical.” –Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan’s Tale
“I was swept along, filled with hope, and entirely beguiled, not only by the life lived behind the veil of C. S. Lewis’s books but also by the woman who won his heart. A literary treasure from first page to last.” –Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours
“Profoundly evocative, revealing an intimate view of a woman whose love and story had never been fully told . . . until now . . . Becoming Mrs. Lewis is a tour de force and the must-read of the season!” –Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author of Beach House Reunion
“Patti Callahan somehow inhabits Davidman, taking her readers inside the writer’s hungry mind and heart. We keenly feel Davidman’s struggle to become her own person at a time (the 1950s) when women had few options . . . An astonishing work of biographical fiction.” –Lynn Cullen, bestselling author of Mrs. Poe
“Patti Callahan breathes life into this fascinating woman whose hunger for knowledge leads her to buck tradition at every turn.” –Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author of The Dream Daughter
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Sweet story of how CS Lewis met and fell in love with his beloved.
As a Lewis fan, I’m naturally interested. Having lived in Great Britain for a few years, I’m naturally interested. As a supporter of Israel and the Jewish people, I’m naturally interested. What’s there to not like!
C. S. Lewis once said, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
This quote sums up Becoming Mrs. Lewis for me. Joy Davidman Gresham Lewis came from just such a tawdry background. But two things about this strong woman amazed me: that even she was brought to her knees by a tender & forgiving Savior and that she was able to see past the façade to the treasure inside an aging, frumpy British professor. Her life was too short to see how her personality might have blossomed under their nurturing.
Congrats to Patti Callahan for writing such a thorough, dramatic story! This book brought the people and time period to vibrant life. Though not a gentle story, I definitely saw God’s grace through the changes going on inside Joy as she followed her path to joy!
A hundred thousand times YES to this book! “Becoming Mrs. Lewis” is a novel based on the real-life romance between C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman. Two gifted writers, two separate continents, brought together by a passion for words and a devotion to faith.
I tend to shy away from books that center on a love story. Based on the back cover copy, I probably would have left this one on the shelf, honestly. But then a fellow reader at church literally shoved her personal copy into my hands and told me to read it. Out of respect, I decided to read at least the first chapter. I have never been hooked faster by a story.
I love anything about C. S. Lewis. I really liked the story written from Mrs. Lewis’ perspective.
Very well written! I loved it!
This may sound like I’m exaggerating, but this is one of the best books I’ve ever read. The writing is gorgeous, and the storyline is super engaging for any CS Lewis fan. I checked it out from the library, but ordered my own copy to keep before I was even a quarter of the way through. 🙂
‘Exceptional, exquisite writing, a real page turner. by Callahan.. C Paul Di Tullio – writer
One of my favorites of 2019.
One of the best books I’ve ever read. Found out more about C S Lewis who I love. Just awesome
I was entranced by this fictionalized but thoroughly researched story of the love between Joy Davidman Gresham and C.S. Lewis. Lewis’s writings always enlighten and inspire me, and I’ve long been intrigued by how his relationship with Joy came about. However, I learned things in this novel that I never knew—how their closeness evolved over time and how they collaborated as fellow writers. The unfolding of their romance was poignant, often heartbreakingly frustrating, but ultimately fulfilling as two hearts meant for each other in so many ways finally came together. A deeply moving novel.
To get an insider perspective on the lives and love of Jack (CS Lewis) and Joy is a gift and inspiration. Their faith in God and each other give all of us hope for the impossible. Beyond their relationship, I also loved the detailed descriptions of historic locations as Oxford and the Kilns. I appreciate the research and effort that went into a book like this!
I wasn’t sure about this when I bought it but I am so glad I did. The story was about the important things in life and finding faith. Very well written!
This book is a “must read” for anyone who has an interest in the life of C.S. Lewis. It’s hard to remember that this is a novel – the characters are realistic and storyline is fascinating. I HIGHLY recommend this book!
Wonderful book!
Loved this book!
An interesting and sympathetic look at Joy Davidson and her pursuit of CS Lewis, written entirely from her point of view. I very much enjoyed this book. 4 1/2 stars.
Becoming Mrs Lewis by Patti Callahanis a remarkable book that tries to take on a remarkable story. Written with a distinct voice as you would expect from a story about C.S. Lewis, this book reads like a love story. Overall, I think it is a wonderful book. The task that this author undertook was monumental, with a character that is larger than life. Yes, I agree that parts of the book are certainly romanticized, but that is exactly what C.S. Lewis himself did after his wife’s death. To me, it fit the story’s narrative and purpose. I deeply enjoyed this book and recommend it. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. I also purchased a copy. These opinions are entirely my own.
I would’ve given this one more stars, but the idea of “fictionalized non-fiction” bothers me a little. The author’s writing is beautiful at times (and overwrought at times) and Joy Davidman’s poetry is beautiful at times, but those two things aren’t the same thing. If you’re looking for “fictionalized non-fiction,” you might like this one. If you want biographies that don’t put words in the subject’s mouth, then maybe this one isn’t for you. I did learn interesting tidbits about C.S. Lewis. (Who knew he considered Adam and Eve to be fiction?)
I just finished this wonderful book this morning and I’m suffering serious book hangover. I was not really familiar with Joy Davidman Gresham Lewis’s story before reading this and it was so emotional getting to know her through the amazing literary portrait that Patti Callahan painted of her. I cried tears of joy, frustration, and sorrow throughout the read and I already miss her, Jack, Warnie and the boys. A truly beautiful life of devotion and love. An instant add to my favorites list.