4.5***** What a strong woman Joy Davidson was and what a beautiful but heartaching, heartbreaking relationship she formed with C. S. Lewis. I have to admit I'd never heard of Joy before reading a friends review of this book and other than a love of the Narnia series I know next to nothing about C. S. Lewis either. Joy was a wonderful character in this fictionalised retelling based on much research about both Joy and C. S who we come to know as Jack. She truly was inspirational in her ability to make the most of life and be willing eventually to take a chance on a new life in the hope it would be better for her and her children. My heartached for Joy through much of this story and the end, well, have a tissue or two ready. The story covers over 14 years of Joy's life and 10 of those cover her correspondence and relationship with Jack. Watching this relationship grow and change was really wonderful. The connection these two people had was incredible and the impact knowing Joy had on Jack and his writing was huge. After reading this I'd like to read some of Joy's work and some more of Jack's. A beautiful love story about two incredibly talented people.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for a copy in return for an honest review.

Long before Joy Davidman was known as the wife of renowned British author C.S. Lewis, the ambitious and sharp-minded American writer was carving out her own spiritual and literary journey. In this historical novel, Patti Callahan places Joy in the role of first-person narrator and enlivens her fictional voice with details from biographies, personal letters, and other factual sources; she even features stirring excerpts from Joy’s recently discovered sonnets. Joy is a confident scholar and an eloquent poet who is captivated by the prophetic beauty of this world, even as she navigates such challenges as loneliness, chronic health issues, and painful family relationships.

Rather than rush into the romantic stage of Joy and C.S. Lewis’ courtship, Callahan offers the reader a leisurely, detailed portrait of their blossoming relationship. Joy and Jack, as Lewis was known to his friends, first meet through the writing of letters. At the time she was in the midst of a troubled marriage to author Bill Gresham, an abusive alcoholic with a history of adultery.

Their correspondence begins as a meeting of the minds—an invigorating forum for rigorous religious debate and soulful contemplation between two “mid-life converts” from atheism to Christianity. Their connection as prolific “pen friends” deepens even further into a tender friendship when Joy visits England.

In the years that follow, Joy and Jack discover what it means to be truly known beyond the protective masks that humans so often hide behind. The two amuse, challenge, and comfort each other, as well as guide and champion one another’s writing. Together they come to more honestly embrace their “belovedness” as children of God and eventually commit to life together as husband and wife. When tragedy strikes, they find the strength to faithfully face the difficult questions of how to trust God in times of suffering.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis is an intimate and imaginative chronicle of the fascinating love story between two brilliant people with a gift for artfully pondering the mysteries of the Christian faith.

(Banner review)

Oh how I love to be swept away into the world of a well-written tale! From the first line of the prologue I was pulled in, held captive, totally intrigued. The prose—superb. The mood—established. I couldn’t stop turning pages.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis is best described as an intellectually stimulated love story. Two cerebral people intrigued and fulfilled. That’s not to say that their stories and relationships aren’t flawed, but could very well be what makes this story work. This work of fiction is smartly written.

I’ve never read anything by C.S. Lewis. I have little knowledge of his writing or his personal life, or that of Joy’s, but this fictional account is a great introduction to them both.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers and NetGalley.

This was a very interesting read, and filled in a lot of information about CS Lewis and his life as well as Joy Davidson. The author really brought Joy to life. She used fragments of her sonnets as introductions to the chapters, adding a great feeling of authenticity to the emotions. It was a moving account of a marriage gone bad, and a woman struggling with her identity as a wife, mother, woman, and writer. Through her correspondence with Lewis, she literally fell in love with his mind. Their relationship did not become a romantic one for a number of years, because Lewis felt that the love of friends was the greater good for them. Callahan has a gift for painting word pictures, and the descriptions of Lewis’ home, Oxford, and Magdalen College were very vivid as a backdrop for Joy’s struggle with her feelings. It moved a little slowly, so it would not be a quick light read

A fictional take on the story of Joy Davidman and CS Lewis. I had previously seen and adored the film Shadowlands, so I came to the character of Joy Davidman informed by Debra Winger's strong performance. Winger was actually very good, with not a lot to go on, but Joy Davidman comes fully to life in this novel. Patti Callahan gets inside the head, heart, and psyche of a brilliant, unfulfilled woman poet who has transitioned in her life from young artist/Communist to unhappy Christian wife, married to an alcoholic fellow writer in upstate New York, and the mother of two boys. The journey Joy takes is quite remarkable, since it involves years of increasingly intimate friendship in England with CS Lewis, an Oxford don and author of the Narnia books as well as books on Christianity.

But Joy wants much, much more. The tragedy of the story is that just as she gets what she wants, Lewis's passion and declaration of love, she is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Her ultimate fate is to be erased, albeit in a loving way. His protective shadow blurred her brilliance. Callahan sees some of the irony here, I believe, but also traces a beautiful and shatteringly real love story that changed both of these figures irrevocably. She restores something to Joy Davidman that has been lost to time. The book was published by a Christian press, but Joy's edges and relatable struggles have not been softened. The snippets of her love sonnets that start the chapters (which, amazingly, were only rediscovered a few years ago!) are harrowing and beautiful.

Callahan almost takes on the role of a literary daughter here, illuminating Joy Davidman Lewis as tenderly as only a daughter could.

"To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness in yourself." Aslan, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis

This quote comes early in the book, and to me epitomizes the general theme of the story. Knowing nothing beforehand of Joy Davidman & CS Lewis, I chose this out of curiosity. She expresses her atheism, and her life seems to be overall in not a place of contentment.

Writing in the first person is a little heavy going for my taste, so much self reflection can get monotonous. It does allow for understanding the depth of Joy's journey, which is an interesting one. As a person of faith my entire life, I hold a lot of interest in those that experience a change of heart, and spiritual transition.

The correspondence between Joy & Jack, and the ultimate connection portrays that life altering path of faith for Joy, and was different from other books I've read. Interesting read from the author who is new to me. At times it did feel a little like a memoir.

Thanks to Netgalley & Thomas Nelson for the eARC. This is my honest review.

My Thoughts...


Have you ever read about someone and wondered what their life was really like? Seriously wondered, so much that you day dream about it? What is life like for a famous singer, actress or athlete? That’s what Becoming Mrs. Lewis felt like, a daydream about a love story.

Luckily, Patti Callahan is way more informed about C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman than I am about most of my day dream subjects. Honestly, who doesn’t want to know what it’s like to be Lebron James, George Clooney, or Oprah? Ms. Callahan doesn’t have to wonder, because she so thoroughly researched both individuals. The story moved so well, that I can honestly assume this book is a factual representation of their lives.

There were times, reading this book, that I really did feel Joy’s pain. I went into this book thinking it was about C.S. Lewis and the woman he married. I was so wrong. This was a story about a woman, like so many women, who had to balance her career, motherhood, health, and an increasingly difficult love life. She succeeded, she failed, she laughed, she cried, she was us every day.

The beauty of Joy’s story is that it is our story, but in post-war England, with professional writers, and a little bit of Narnia.



The Characters...

The character being based off of real people is one of the great things about this type of historical fiction. People I have heard of my whole life come alive for me based on documents and accounts of their lives.

CS Lewis, or Jack, was no exception. I didn’t know as much about his wife, but her character was no less vivid. I empathized with so many of her feelings, as they were described so fully and in such beautiful detail.





* Special thanks to Patti Callahan, Thomas Nelsom, and TLC Book Tours for providing a copy of Becoming Mrs. Lewis in exchange for an honest review.

I have always found that the best books leave the word "more" in your mind. More of that novel, more of that author, or more of the topic. In the case of Becoming Mrs. Lewis, because I have read most of Patti Callahan (Henry)'s novels, the more relates to Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis whose love story is told within the pages and is interwoven with philosophy and discussion.

I knew nothing of Joy Davidman and little of C.S. Lewis so I arrived to their story as an objective newcomer. Callahan does a wonderful job of showing what it must have been like to be Joy Davidman, an intellectual woman and writer in the 1950s, when women still had to go the extra mile to prove that they could be and were intellectual equals to men.

Through correspondence Davidman and Lewis develop an affection for each other that increases when Davidman goes to England to heal from continuous bouts of sickness and fatigue. Their love represents something of the intellectual's ideal of love: falling for thoughts and concepts and philosophy as well as the individual.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis is about human beings with their foibles and about the search for an understanding of God. Davidman is presented as a gifted, self-aware woman who submits that she is far from perfect. Her previous marriage to an alcoholic writer given to fits of rage as well as parents who were quick to tell her she frequently wasn't good enough left her with insecurity and self-esteem issues. However, despite this, she also seems to possess enviable self-confidence.

While parts of Becoming Mrs. Lewis dragged a bit for me, I was also frequently mesmerized by many of the passages, which left me wanting to know more. Callahan's portrayal of Davidman is intriguing. On the last page, I definitely felt as if I had read one of life's great love stories. And, I will, of course, seek out more.

If you are a fan of C.S. Lewis, Joy Davidman, and/or historical fiction, I highly recommend Becoming Mrs. Lewis.

Thanks to Ms. Callahan and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Up until now, all I knew about Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis, was from watching the movie Shadowlands (a favorite in our house.) The novel started a little slow for me. Joy, a talented writer, is trapped in a bad marriage with an abusive, alcoholic husband. Distraught, She begins corresponding with C. S. (Jack) Lewis about life and faith. These letters go on for a while -- hence the slow part -- but she eventually goes to England to meet Lewis and the story really comes to life. Joy falls in love with the London literary world, Oxford, and eventually Lewis who shares her love of books, writing and treats her as an intellectual equal/adversary. Eventually, she leaves her husband, bringing her two young sons to live with her in London. Their love story is beautiful and tragic -- no wonder it was made into a movie.

Full disclosure, I haven’t read the Narnia books and I know next to nothing about C.S. Lewis’s life beyond the fact that he wrote the Narnia books. Now I have seen the Narnia movies and I love the story and when my boy is old enough, I plan on reading the Narnia books together with him.

So it didn’t take much convincing—–ok any convincing—-for my to read this book about Lewis’s wife. I didn’t even need to read the review pitch, the title told me everything I needed to know.

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 (summary from Goodreads).

This book right here was about equals. Equals in intellect, love, and in life. I loved the portrayal of both Joy and Jack. I thought the author did an incredible job at making them both interesting and realistic. Novelizations aren’t always easy, but I think that the author made them a flawless pairing and I loved reading their romance.

It wasn’t a romance that quickly evolved, instead the author took her time building it up throughout the book and her efforts showed. It was well researched historically and the romance was so solid because of the care she took developing it, that it made it so vivid and real.

I never wanted to put a bookmark in this one. It kept me up well past my reading time because the characters were so lovable and their romance so endearing that I couldn’t help but want to read more and more. When it needed it left me feeling happy and hopeful and I couldn’t have asked for me in a romance. It now makes me want to read the Narnia books even more now!

This was a book that I didn’t even plan on reviewing. Had someone not suggested it to me, it probably would have flown under my radar and I would have missed out on a fantastic novel! I am so thankful that my friend (and tour coordinator) was able to recognize a book that I would probably love, because I absolutely loved this book!

And finally, whoever designed this cover did an outstanding job! It was engaging and eye catching and made me want to read this novel!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: Becoming Mrs Lewis by Patti Callahan

Kindle Edition, 432 pages
Published October 2nd 2018 by Thomas Nelson
ASIN B07BB5PSJF
Review copy provided by: Publisher/Author in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own
Recommendation: 5 out of 5
Genre: Historic fiction, romance
Memorable lines/quotes:

Based on a true story, Becoming Mrs. Lewis takes place from the POV of Joy Davidman, a New York writer caught in a rut in both her work and her marriage. Her creative slump leads to her reaching out to the writer C.S. Lewis, who is a professor at Oxford in addition to writing the Narnia series and other theological works. Joy and Lewis, who she comes to know as Jack, develop a friendship via their letters, and when she finally visits England to work on her writing and meet him after years of correspondence, she finds that she cannot go back to her ordinary life after being introduced to Oxford and the intellectual life Jack leads.

Any casual C.S.Lewis fan probably knows of the book he wrote about grief in response to his wife's death. Joy is that wife, but as the book explores, their romance was far from traditional and quiet. In romance terms, their romantic relationship had quite the slow burn, and the book captures that perfectly. I rarely see such a strong, relatable portrayal of unrequited love and its tendency to make you doubt what would be considered flirty coming from another person, and Becoming Mrs. Lewis captured that beautifully. I related to Joy's insecurities and her frustrations in her relationship with Jack, who is so charming and lovable. My rating of this book would actually lean more towards the 3.5-star ranking, and that is because of the delicious, insanely relevant writing. Like Joy, I have a deep love for England and my experiences there, and some of her observations about falling in love with the country felt so familiar to me.

While the writing is a treat, the story itself is fairly basic. It feels very much the formulaic historical fiction that zooms through time quite quickly and doesn't really bother developing characters beyond the narrator and a love interest. Without the strength of the writing, the plot of the entire book may have seemed a little weak and dull, but I think Callahan's lovely prose really saved the story for me.

This story of the five year correspondence between C.S. Lewis (he of Narnia fame) and American poet/writer Joy Davidman begins when Joy experiences the presence of a God she never believed in and writes to the well-known Christian apologist Lewis seeking answers to her many questions. Initially Christianity is their lodestone and their relationship is platonic until Davidson takes a six month trip to England, where she falls in love with the country as well as the man. The descriptive writing of Ms. Callahan will make reader’s want to hop on the first plane headed “across the pond” to experience the beauty first hand.

In Becoming Mrs. Lewis, author Callahan walks a thin line as she lays out the couple’s relationship with family, friends and each other as well as their personal relationship with God. This is one of those books where readers looking for a romantic story may feel there is too much “religion” and those looking for Christian lit might want a little less of the romance. Overall, I thought Callahan did an excellent job of delivering a well-rounded study of the lives of two fascinating people.

In the movie Shadowlands, which covered some of the same ground as this novel, Debra Winger and Anthony Hopkins portrayed Lewis and Davidson. Keep those Hollywood images in mind when you read BECOMING MRS. LEWIS. Afterward you may go to Wikipedia, as I did, where you will see pictures of the “real” couple which will prove to you that the Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways. That aside, I did love this book.

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 am very grateful to have received a copy of this book from NetGalley, and from the author, and the publisher, Thomas Nelson. I loved this one, and gave it 5 stars.
Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis were in many ways an unlikely couple; she was American, a Jewish convert to Christianity, and married with two sons, when they first began corresponding. He was a long time bachelor, a Brit, and Oxford Don. Both were authors, both in the process of writing new books.
Joy’s marriage had become a sham, her husband alcoholic and sometimes abusive. With deteriorating health, it was difficult for her to care for herself, much less her two young sons. Beginning in 1950, Joy had been writing letters to C.S. Lewis, whom she called Jack, to talk about her own struggles with her new found Christianity, knowing that he was also a later-in-life convert. When her doctor ordered her to take time away from her family in 1953, Joy sailed to England. She spent several months there visiting with various friends, but her greatest enjoyment was meeting Jack, and spending time with he and his brother. She also became a great helper to Jack in his writing, editing and making suggestions that he began to feel were invaluable.
The friendship between Jack and Joy grew as they talked for long hours about their love of literature, and about the growing faith they were both experiencing. When Joy’s marriage ended soon after her return to New York, she moved with her sons to England. For several more years, Joy and Jack remained only the closest of friends, and it was only when she was near death in the hospital that Jack realized he had been lying to himself about his true feelings for her. They were married while she was in her hospital bed, and due to a remission in her cancer, they had three years of marriage before her death.
I had read A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis several years ago, so knew something of the love between he and his wife, but really knew little else about her. Patti Callahan did a tremendous amount of research while writing this book; she reread all of Lewis’ s work, as well as all of Joy’s letters, poems, essays, speeches given by both of them, and biographies that have been written about each of them. She was given access by Joy’s son to all of her unpublished collection of papers. In the author’s statements at the end of the novel she states that she was not trying at all to make this a scholarly work, but wanted to stay as close as possible to the existing factual skeleton. She also wanted to capture Joy’s courage and fierce determination, her intellect, and deep love for Jack. She did a tremendous job of making both of these individuals real for the reader.

Joy wants to live every day as if it it filled with wonder, not exhausted by the chores of maintaining a house and being a wife and mother. Her mind is filled with questions about God and Christianity, and what to do about her alcoholic, cheating husband, which she formulates into poetry and essays. Then, fatefully, through her husband, also a writer, she contacts the famous author C.S. Lewis and begins a lifetime of correspondence and intellectual and spiritual debate. Their friendship guides her out of darkness and helps her find purpose and answers to many, though not all, of her life’s questions, and inspires her seek the truth and to write more.
While the excessive use of direct address can be rather distracting, and sometimes the inner dialogue a bit repetitive, this fictional account also contains a very honest, very human narration of the mental battle of doubts and faith.
Joy is portrayed as very human; at times, uncomfortably so, when the book particularly crosses the line in an awkward sexual moment with Mr. Lewis. Not that either character is a prude. But some of these elements detract from, rather than add to the power of their story. However, the longing Joy has for “Jack” (Lewis) is very evident, if dragged out to the point of frustration, but this is probably the author's aim as the novel builds to a climactic ending.
This is a book for romantics, not precise biographers or historians. Ultimately it is a story about a woman finding God's grace, in relationships, in pain, in circumstances, and even in her faith, as it conquers her misconceptions of a wrathful God and displaces fears with peace she finds, in life and with death.

I was very excited about this book when I first heard about it several months ago. I've always enjoyed Patti Callahan Henry's writing and I think it is great that she chose to write about one of the most captivating figures in modern history, C.S. Lewis. However, this book is challenging to read. It's rather boring. I was hoping when I got to the part where they met for the first time, that the pacing would improve. I'm afraid I'm losing interest and I am not going to finish it. Thank you for the opportunity. I will not post a review.

It is often very hard to find true love, searching for it, we so many times stumble looking for that one person who makes us whole, who makes us feel valued, who makes us feel loved.

In Becoming Mrs. Lewis, Patti Callahan explores the love story between C. S. Lewis, a well known older author living in England, and Joy Davidman, a young poet, mother, who was trapped in a marriage to an alcoholic and philanderer. She writes to C.S. Lewis and over time through their letters finds herself falling deeply in love with Lewis's words which represent the man he is. Both Joy and Lewis were former atheists, but found religion and god to be a solace. Joy is restless. She needs to provide some stability in her life and it is through her correspondence and later meeting Lewis that she finds that stability. This book of fiction imagines that world where Joy and Lewis correspond, meet and eventually marry after many years and as the story continues we see the tragedies of their lives unfold.

Joy's first foray to England because of health problems, was her entrance into the world of Lewis and his alcoholic brother. She, leaving her boys behind with their father and her cousin explore Lewis's world, that of Oxford and Cambridge, and of course finds herself falling for the author. She is conflicted by her love for her boys, and growing hatred for her husband. Returning home, eventually the marriage breaks apart, and Joy and her boys return to England and to Lewis where she lived out the rest of her life.

There were some wonderful reading moments in this story as the author interspersed Joy's poetry and sonnets with the text of the story. Not always did I feel for Joy though. She seemed to leave her children and spend months away from them knowing the environment in which they lived. It was at times that I found her character difficult to connect with. Baring that, this was a poignant story of friendship and love, of happiness found, and of knowing that at any time when life seems to be at its lowest ebb, there is hope. Recommended to those who love the idea of literature connecting people to one another, of finding love and hope at any age, and living a life that leads to a true path of caring, devotion and fealty.

Thank you to Patti Callahan, Thomas Nelson Publishing, and NetGalley for a copy of this commendable novel.

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)

Our library community including myself are widely fascinated with C.S. Lewis and his works such as Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia but when Joy Davidman writes letters to him looking for spiritual guidance, she eventually falls in love with him. In the letters back, Lewis calls himself Jack and then later realizes the incredible woman behind these letters and falls in love with her. In a time period where women are silenced, Joy is blessed to find such a man that can guide her to the life she has always wanted.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. We will definitely consider Becoming Mrs. Lewis part of our Christian Fiction collection in the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars!

I’ll be the first to admit. I’m not good at writing book reviews. If the book is really great (as this one is!), I struggle with wanting to convey my thoughts while at the same time not giving too much away. It’s a conundrum!

I have always enjoyed books that, while fiction, are based on someone’s true life. I was sent this book to read by the publisher, and from the first page, I was immersed in a story that made me laugh out loud on one page and cry on the next page.

This is the story of a love that developed between Joy Gresham Davidman Lewis, and C.S. (Jack) Lewis, author of such great books as ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, ‘The Screwtape Letters’, ‘Mere Christianity’, and more.

Joy was an extremely unlikely person to not only fall for C.S. Lewis, but to actually have a relationship that led into an equally unlikely marriage. Did they marry for love? Convenience? Something else? I’ll let you figure that part out. Remember I’m trying not to give anything away here.

Joy, experiencing what I would call a crisis of faith, decided to write to “Jack” Lewis because she saw him as someone who may be able to answer some of her deep, theological questions. Both came to Christ out of atheism, so Joy may have felt that he was a kindred spirit who could lead her in the right direction during her spiritual journey.

Jack answered her letter and thus started a few years of letters flying back and forth across the ocean from Oxford, England to upstate New York. They forged a friendship and bond through those letters, as Joy dealt with rejection as a writer herself and an alcoholic and verbally abusive husband.

Joy eventually visited England for an extended trip; health reasons she said (although we all know it was really her deep desire to meet Jack in person).

Their relationship grew in a way that will have you surprised, frustrated and anxious to see what comes next.

The entire book is written with a sense of expectation, and I found it hard to put down. Callahan’s style of writing is breathtaking and makes you want to devour every word on every page.

If you’re looking for your next guilty pleasure, do yourself a favor and grab this stunning book. And while you’re at it, grab the tissues and take a few days off work. You’ll need it!