Becoming Mrs. Lewis
The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis
by Patti Callahan
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Pub Date 14 May 2019 | Archive Date 30 Jun 2019
HarperCollins | Harper Inspire
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Description
***SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 ROMANTIC NOVEL AWARDS***
'Luminous and penetrating' Paula McLain
A heart-rending historical romance.
Poet, atheist, and communist, New Yorker Joy Davidman is an unconventional woman--and an unlikely partner for an English academic and theologian. And when she starts a correspondence with Narnia author C. S. Lewis, she isn't looking for love. Her own marriage crumbling, she seeks refuge in her work and guidance from a writer she admires. But in Joy's letters Lewis discovers a kindred spirit and an intellect to equal his own. Bonding over a shared love of literature and ideas, a deep connection is forged between the two. Embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, Joy travels from America to England and back again. Facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, against all the odds, the couple struggle to secure a love that will endure forever.
Advance Praise
“Luminous and penetrating” Paula McLain (Bestselling author of The Paris Wife)
“Transformative and magical” Pam Jenoff (Bestselling author of The Orphan’s Tale)
“A literary treasure from first page to last” (Bestselling author of Before We Were Yours)
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9780310104803 |
PRICE | US$16.99 (USD) |
PAGES | 400 |
Featured Reviews
Becoming Mrs Lewis is the fictional retelling of Joy Davidson, who married C.S Lewis. The novel begins with Joy, an American, in an unhappy marriage trying to bring up her two sons, write and work out what her faith means to her. She begins a letter correspondence with C.S. Lewis and eventually meets him in person during a visit to England. As her own marriage ends, illness repeatedly threatens and she relocates to the UK this story follows her life, love and work.
I think there is always a large amount of courage needed by an author to tackle a real life story and create a fictional account of it, especially of someone whose life is well documented as is the case here. However Callahan stuck well to fact and in the introduction mentions she has been in contact with Joy Davidson’s second son, so this help to place my concerns to one side. I did struggle a little bit with the narrative and writing style of this book to begin with however somewhere between one third to half way through I fell into the story and Callahan had me hooked until the last page. While I felt it lacked a certain spark, it was nevertheless charming and interesting and has encouraged me to do a bit more research into the lives of Lewis, Tolkien and Davidson.
Thank you to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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