Ahhh. This book. I loved diving into this book! I love C.S. Lewis, and reading his love story was a treat.

Patti Callaghan’s newest book Once Upon A Wardrobe got me onto a CS Lewis kick. After reading it I wanted to know more about the life of CS Lewis as well as his wife. I love how Callahan included the letters in the story. It really added depth to it. I feel like I know so much about Joy and it made me want to find her works. Great piece of historical fiction!

Words can’t even explain how beautiful Patti Callahan's book is or how it came to me at such a perfect time.
I needed her words. I needed Jack’s words. And most of all, I needed Joy’s.

“If we should ever grow brave, what on earth would become of us.” ~Joy Davidman

A masterful exploration of the relationship between Joy Davidson Gresham and CS Lewis. Captivating writing that builds a story that mixes with history filling in the gaps in a way that feels real and right.

I’m really struggling to write a review for this book. Ultimately I enjoyed it but it took a little while for it to grab me. At the end of it all I found it to be a sweet love story of two friends who eventually become lovers and how both Joy and C.S. Lewis each inspired each other throughout their lives.

Joy is a writer and mother living in New York with her two sons and alcoholic husband. Her relationship with her husband is strained, they're trying to make it work. Along the way, she and her husband begin a correspondence, which is solely taken over by Joy, with C.S. Lewis. Through his influence and readings, Joy converts to Christianity. Joy travels to England for her health but also to escape her marital issues and hopefully to meet C.S. There she meets him and falls for him.
I haven't read anything by this author or by Davidman, but I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia. As such, I was very intrigued to read the story of his wife's life and to learn of their courtship and marriage. I felt that the way Callahan handled characterization in this story was impeccable. You had such a strong sense of character motivations and feelings, how they interacted with one another, etc. I also felt that we very always had a good sense of place. I so enjoyed the exploration of place through the characters. I at times, almost felt as if we were getting guided tours through Oxford, the Kilns, etc. It was such fun! I found myself a little lost only in some of dialogue. Joy was sometimes inconsistent? I realize that between the U.S. and England turns of phrase will be different. Maybe what I was running into was a bit of ease that she was feeling in England. I'm not sure. But it felt almost as if at times a different character was talking.
Otherwise, I did really thoroughly enjoy this book. I felt I got such great insight into Joy and "Jack"'s life. Thank you!

I wasn't sure how I'd like this book since it wasn't entirely factual. But I loved this look at what Jack and Joy's relationship might have been!

I did not know anything about Joy Davidman and very little about C.S. Lewis before starting this book. Although this is a work of fiction, I can tell that the author did a lot of research before writing this book. I liked the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, most from Joy's writings. It was a very interesting story and I liked how the characters were described with all of their flaws and attributes. Joy had a hard life in many ways in childhood and as an adult. She did not fit many of the expectations that society had for women. Her relationship with Jack started with her questions about spirituality and grew over time to treasured friendship and more. Joy became more accepting of herself in England where she felt more comfortable and free to be who she was without preexisting expectations. I was surprised by the story in some ways and was sad when it ended.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have been to London, Cambridge, and Edinburgh so I could just visualize what you were writing about which made it all the more fun. For one to finally find their one true love is all that we all hope for in this life. And when it can happen for a few it makes it all worth it. Thanks for the great read Patti!

It took me awhile to read this book. Just the beginning when Joy receives a distressing phone call from her husband, Bill, who leads her to believe he was going to commit suicide. She is by herself at home with small children and no car. The author had me. I had to stop for awhile and went back to the book a few months later. I am glad I did. This piece is well researched by the author. Slow at times, I felt many emotions as Joy and Bill and then just Joy corresponded with C.S. Lewis (her “Jack”).

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 4 STARS
2019; Thomas Nelson/HarperCollins Christian Publishing
(Review Not on Blog)

Many years ago I picked up a DVD for $3 on C.S. Lewis - the Narnia writer. It was a movie about C.S. Lewis meeting and falling in love with Joy Davidman, a fellow writer and Christian. Since then I have been wanting to read more about the writers and their love story. When I saw this novelized account up for grabs, I jumped at the chance to finally actually read more on Lewis and Davidman. Callihan did such a wonderful job of bringing all the characters to life. How much is fact or fiction, I am not sure but this novel was well done and I was so absorbed in the setting. Becoming Mrs. Lewis has only teased my curiosity and I want to read more of their writings and biographies on them. Their faith - which brought them together - is also an interesting aspect of their story. It is something that saved them individually and only made them stronger together. Callihan seemed to be passionate about this story as she has much compassion in her writing. I am looking forward to reading more books by her. This book has really increased my TBR list, lol. While this novel is published by a more religious press, and is about two people that were steeped in religion, it is not just for religious readers (or trying to convert anyone). Like reading a book on a different culture, you find out a lot about Christianity but only in context. I would recommend this novel to those that enjoy historical fiction, especially based on true events/people.

***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***

I absolutely loved this book! It is the story of Joy Davidman who feels stuck in a loveless marriage and bogged down by her family life. When she starts a correspondence with the author C.S. Lewis, she feels she has met the one person who fully understands her. She eventually makes the decision to travel to England and meet the author. They forge a connection that makes Joy believe in the power of love. It's based on a true story. Patti Callahan's writing is so spell-binding and the story made me think about love and marriage in so many different ways.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

When Joy Davidman reads an article about C. S. Lewis, she feels a kinship in that they both became Christians later in life. Joy found faith when praying in her sons' bedroom for her alcoholic husband to come home safely. She sends Lewis a letter with spiritual questions, never expecting that he will reply, and they will begin a deep friendship. When Joy has a chance to go to England to research a book she is writing, Joy has the chance to meet “Jack”, as C. S. Lewis went by, in person. Joy returns from England to find out that her husband has fallen in love with her cousin, and they want to be together. Joy takes her sons and moves back to England. Through their letters and friendship, Joy falls in love with Jack, but he keeps telling her that he doesn't want to lose their philia love with eros love.

From the title of the book, or if you look them up on the internet, you know that they will obviously end up married. I enjoyed the story Patti Callahan crafted to show Joy and Jack's journey to falling in love. She clearly did thorough research to include as much fact as possible in this novel. Each chapter begins with a quote from either Jack's or Joy's writing. The beginning was a little slow, but then the story became compelling, and I didn't want to put it down.

I did not finish reading this title as I found the beginning disappointing. I was hoping for something along the lines of Paula McLain but felt this didn't offer the same insight.

This was an unexpected pleasure to read. A fictionalized account based on true events and found documents, this story about friendship originating through letters and common curiosity, to an eventual meeting and gradual growing closer lived up to my expectations and more.
Although not a rabid C.S. Lewis fan, I have enjoyed his works and adaptations from them. I have come across Joy's writing but never really put the two of them together until I came across this book.

This was a book to escape into, to get lost in and to just leave the world as we know it today behind.
It is a gentle drawing back into a past with all the typical troubles that come with a marriage, the growing stale, and the added difficulties of alcoholism. Joy is looking for an anchor, something to believe in, a way to make sense of life and why she is even here.

This is also an interesting look into a writer's mind.

I took my time and picked this up in spare moments and enjoyed reading it at a slower pace.

An atheist who was raised in a Jewish family, poet and writer Joy Davidman finds herself searching for God after she experiences a “spiritual awakening”. Stuck in a deteriorating marriage with a husband who expects her to give up her writing career and manage the household while he pursues his writing, Davidman begins to correspond with author CS Lewis on questions of faith.
Davidman was a woman before her time. She struggled to balance caring for her family while trying to nurture her creative self and develop her writing. Her relationship with CS Lewis was both intriguing and frustrating. Overall this was an interesting read. Davidman is a much overlooked writer who inspired some of Lewis’ most acclaimed work. I would recommend this book to book clubs as Davidman’s life and life choices make great topics for discussion. Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I arrived home in London from overseas, jetlagged. In the foggy moments of coming back to myself, what better than to pick up a book and read? The novel I chose was Becoming Mrs Lewis, and I was wary at first, for it’s fiction based on real-life people.

Although I’m not an expert on Joy Davidman and C S Lewis, I’ve read some books by and about them, so I wondered how this novelisation would fare. On the whole, with a few provisos, very well.

Writing from the point of view of Joy, the author brings alive their story. She successfully gives voice to a woman who became increasingly important to Lewis in his own thinking and writing – and personal life.

The story begins briefly in Joy’s childhood before moving to her troubled first marriage to Bill, a fellow writer who became a jealous – and philandering – husband. Seeking to understand a spiritual experience, Joy writes to Lewis, and soon they correspond regularly.

When Joy’s health starts to fail and the doctors order her to rest, she travels alone, without her children, to England from New York for more than six months. (Not something many mothers today would countenance.) For many, the story is so familiar, but to avoid spoilers I’ll leave it there – although by the mere title you’ll figure out what happens!

What I appreciated about the novel was feeling like I was there with Joy, experiencing her relationship with Lewis and his brother Warnie, and all of the wonder (and sometimes pain) of life in literary England. I liked the fleshing out of Joy’s life before Lewis. And I pondered the emphasis on their moral choices, such as when Lewis explained to Joy why he wouldn’t pursue a relationship with a divorcée: “I’ve spent all of my life in an attempt to find Truth and moral good, and then to live it. I can’t discard my moral habits for feelings, which are just that – feelings.” (In contrast, how many today use feelings as their moral compass?)

But I found a few things jarring, even in the later British edition of this novel written by an American.

For instance, I can’t imagine an Oxford don, George Sayer, saying in polite conversation, “You obviously haven’t yet seen the bloody English fog.” (Followed by him saying “jolly fine” in the following sentence.) Or of Joy and Lewis and the boys eating “clotted cream and biscuits,” by which I’m guessing the author meant scones with cream (and jam).

If you can overlook those small errors in translation, however, and stretch your imagination, Becoming Mrs Lewis is an engaging read of what could have happened between two interesting and influential people.

One of my new favorite books! This author has such a way with words the pages flew by in no time! I can’t wait to see the next work by this author! This was such a joy to read!

What lovely prose from Patti Callahan Henry in this historical novel. Becoming Mrs. Lewis is the lovely story of author C.S. Lewis and the love of his life Joy. I fell in love with the settings so beautifully drawn by Ms Callahan Henry. I eagerly went along the journey with the complex and layered couple. Yes, it's fictional, but I read it with ease and wanted to know more about the couple, so I appreciated the introduction of the Lewis' into my life.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

While this book is fiction, it is based off of a real-life love story. Of course I had heard of C.S. Lewis, but never of his wife, Joy Davidman. This book follows Davidman from her struggles in a marriage to an alcoholic and unfaithful man, to her developing a relationship with "Jack", C.S. Lewis. Lewis and Davidman initially corresponded through letters where they connected on a deeper, intellectual level, then the relationship quickly grew from pen pals to something more after her visit to England.

This was a novel of self-exploration and love. While mostly enjoyable, it did seem drawn out at times. Overall, a solid 3.5 star book.