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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Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Becoming Mrs. Lewis; The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis Thomas Nelson, Oct. 2, 2018
Patti Callan, Author of “Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis, has written a thought-provoking and intriguing novel. The Genres for this book are a combination of Historical Fiction and Fiction. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated.
Joy Davidman, poet and writer starts questioning spiritual answers for things. She is unhappy in her marriage. Joy starts corresponding with C.S. Lewis, the author of “Narnia”. C.S.Lewis , also known as Jack enthusiastically writes back to Joy. The two bond over letters, and Joy travels to England. Jack has been a bachelor, and lives with his brother.
When Joy returns to America, she finds betrayal by her husband, and is determined to take her sons back to England with her. Joy finds her inspiration to write in England, and makes friends. Often Jack and Joy read each other’s work, and sometimes, Joy will type up Jack’s stories.
Joy lived at a time, where women were not as independent as today. She also voiced her opinions freely. Joy was a mother, as well as an author and writer. This is a well written book about love of literature and seeking love. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy Historical Fiction.
Becoming Mrs. Lewis
by Patti Callahan
It was amazing!
Why did it take me so long to pick up this title? I started it Monday. The only reason I put it down was because my Kindle had to charge (I wish I had this title in print form). I ho hummed around the house until I finally had enough battery life to continue before I had to force myself to go to sleep. Seriously, everyone in the house was asleep except me, and sleep is vital for work and such. I snuck in a few moments before going to work and straight back to my Kindle as soon as I could get to it after work. It’s that good.
Joy has shared a life with Bill for quite sometime. They have two sons, Davy and Douglas. They have a picture perfect life, but it’s all a facade. Bill is an emotionally abusive, alcoholic, and unfaithful husband and father. He works from home as a writer. Joy spends her days tending to the children, the house, cooking, cleaning, laundering, and mending with little time for her own passion of writing. She always falls short of being the wife that Bill expects her to be.
On one such night, when Bill has left the house on a binge and left her with a haunting call, threatening suicide, Joy finds herself broken with worry until she feels GOD around her. And in that moment, Joy is changed and hungry to know more about a GOD that she never believed in. It is during this time that she begins to delve into the works of C.S. Lewis. A mutual friend encourages Bill and Joy to write to C.S. Lewis to seek answers for their questions.
Months later, Bill and Joy receive a response, to which Bill has little interest in, and Joy can barely wait to rip open the letter. Joy and C.S. “Jack” become pen-friends. And despite his lack of interest, it is apparent that Bill resents the budding friendship.
Joy’s health begins to decline, but Bill still has his expectations as to what his wife should be. But, rather than to be supportive and offer a helping hand in the day-to-day things as she recovers, Bill once again steps outside of his marriage to have his needs met…this is of course Joy’s fault. And, Joy feels the shame in his faults as her own.
When Joy’s cousin and children move in with the family temporarily, Joy is given the opportunity to find respite outside of the home, trusting her cousin to care for her world. And, this is where the story begins and ends and builds…can Joy find herself and become the wife and mother that is expected of her? Or, will she find that there is far more to her than Bill has ever allowed her to see?
It’s a wonderful book and has quickly found a place in the favorites list.
“To me . . . you are star, water, air, fields, and forest. Everything.”
A pulsating love story fraught with numerous obstacles and miraculous opportunities. Two, whose faith journey included many of the same questions with many of the same, and often competing, conclusions. It seems that Helen Joy Davidman and Clive Staples Lewis live on, not only in eternity, but in the hearts and minds of those who still love and appreciate their brilliance.
“This work of fiction was meant not only to explore her (Joy’s) life, work, and love affair, but also to delve into the challenges she faced as a woman in her time . . . . .”
“I reread many of my favorites (of Lewis’ works) with a new eye – seeing Joy’s influence . . . how had I not seen it all along?”
Becoming Mrs. Lewis.
Becoming Mrs. Lewis by author Patti Callahan is a compelling read about the woman who would become Mrs. C.S. Lewis, Joy Davidson. Stunningly written, Callahan deeply researched and presented a love story like no other I’ve ever read.
Becoming Mrs. Lewis is at once a story of a deepening and loving relationship beginning with the most wonderful friendship, but it is also a story of simply becoming. Becoming who she truly was meant to be.
Becoming is a journey, a life journey. Joy Davidson pursued her life’s journey with passion.
Becoming Mrs. Lewis is a beautiful work that will stay with me as I continue to pursue my own journey…becoming.
Highly recommend.
When Joy Davidman Gresham had a spiritual experience convincing her there was a God, she wrote to British author C.S. Lewis looking for answers. What followed was a correspondence that would become a meeting of minds and eventually a marriage of hearts.
Six months after the first letter was sent, C.S. Lewis responded. At the time, Joy was trapped in a tumultuous marriage with Billy Gresham. Like herself, Billy was a writer, but one who resorted to alcohol and affairs to numb his anger at not selling manuscripts. His work always took precedent over Joy’s, and he expected her to give up her intellectual dreams in order to be the perfect housewife, taking care of their two boys and putting dinner on the table. As their marriage went from bad to worse, Joy’s health began to deteriorate. She began to take refuge from the horrors of everyday life in the letters she regularly received from the Oxford don, seventeen years her senior. Eventually, she took an extended trip to England to recuperate, to do research, and to meet her mentor, C.S. Lewis.
In this exquisite novel, Patti Callahan captures the great divide between Joy, a Jewish New Yorker, and “Jack,” an aging English professor. She also shows the meeting of minds, the yearning of hearts, and just how influential Joy was on Lewis’ work. Many obstacles conspired to keep the two apart (not the least of which was Joy’s divorce), and anyone who has seen Shadowlands knows that the ending of the book is destined to be a real tear-jerker.
The story alternates between Joy’s first person narrative and excerpts of letters, mostly those exchanged by her and Lewis. The flow of the book was seamless, and I could not discern whether these letters were original or fictitious (a question which the Author’s Note answered for me at the end of the book). I recognized many quotes from Lewis’ works in the dialogue, and I came away from the book wanting to dive back into his fiction and his philosophical writings.
This book highlights the fact that Joy Davidman was Lewis’ intellectual equal, and that he highly prized both her own work and her contributions to his work. As with all fictionalized biographies, I am sure some liberties have been taken, but nevertheless, this book resonates as a beautifully told love story and an homage to both the author of Narnia and the woman who moved from philia to eros in his affections.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
PCH has long been one of my favorite authors. This was a bit different from her usual writings and definitely one of her best. I listened to this via audible and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Even though this is fiction, I feel I learned a lot about not only about Joy, but C.S. Lewis himself. It actually made me want to dive deeper into their story. A beautifully written and put together historical fiction book that you don’t want to miss.
There is probably no Christian author as well-known and loved as the creator of a magical land called Narnia and a lion named Aslan. C. S. Lewis’ work has lasted through the years and influenced many a Christian. Yet, Patti Callahan proves that, perhaps, we will never fully know everything about this man whose friends called him Jack.
Toted as “The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis,” Becoming Mrs. Lewis is ninety-five percent Joy’s story. A woman who was born Jewish, converted to atheism and later communism, much like Lewis, Joy came to Christ later in her life (in part due to a couple of Lewis’ books). Trapped in a marriage with an alcoholic, unfaithful, and later, abusive husband, Joy fights to love the man she married. To be content with her life for herself and her boys.
When she begins corresponding with Lewis (who invited her to call him Jack) through letters, she finds a place to share her life. From the mundane to the struggles and trials of her marriage and faith, the letters between them flowed. Monetary issues, a crumbing marriage, and recurring health issues test Joy’s faith, and she savors and cherishes each of Jack’s letters. Later, she visits England and falls in love with the country.
Callahan’s beautiful portrayal of Joy and Jack presents readers with a story not easily forgotten. Despite Lewis’ popularity and revered writings, the man was human with faults and vices we often overlook or ignore (or maybe didn’t even know about). The author does justice to Joy Davidman who greatly influenced many of Lewis’ later works.
Readers are swept away to the majesty of England, from the countryside to the kilns to the pubs where writers groups like Lewis’ Inklings gathered. This book wasn’t quite what I was expecting, it was so much more.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Content warning: Because this is a Thomas Nelson publication, readers should be warned there are a couple swear words and several references to sex in this book as Joy became a Christian after many worldly experiences and her life is shaped by those those
I will start out telling you that I’ve never read anything by Joy Davidman or C.S. Lewis – yes, I’ve heard of C.S. Lewis but for some reason have never read his books. Despite the fact that I went into this novel very blind to the two main characters and the biographies written about them , I found this to be a well written, emotional novel. I am now very interested in their lives and plan to read some of the books by both authors.
In the late 40s, Joy was in a loveless marriage with two young sons. She was an author and a poet and searching for answers in life when she started writing letters to CS Lewis, one of the most influential and intelligent Christian authors of the 20th century. Despite the fact that Joy was an American and a feminist, she and Jack (CS Lewis) became great friends. When her health deteriorated, she went to England to recover and spent time with Jack and their friendship deepened. 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.
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.
This was a lovely well researched novel that shows the strength of these two people that grew even stronger as their relationship became more solid.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. (less)
After reading C.S. Lewis’ wonderful Surprised by Joy and reading many of his other works, I was interested in finding out more from Joy Davidman’s point of view. I’ve struggled to read and finish this book. I was excited about it in the beginning but the more I read, the more I realized how fictionalized the account really seems to be. Everything I’ve ever read about C.S. Lewis and his Christian beliefs seemed to be in conflict with much of the personality he’s portrayed as having in this book. As for the way he described Joy in his writings and her fictional character in this book – they seem worlds apart. Perhaps I’m just not ready to have Christian historical characters crossed over with fictional characters in telling their stories. I was provided an ARC of this book by the Publisher and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.