Becoming Mrs. Lewis

Meet the brilliant writer, fiercely independent mother, and passionate woman who captured the heart of C.S. Lewis and inspired the books that still enchant and change us today, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea.

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 professor and the beloved writer of The Chronicles 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, found 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.

This expanded edition includes:

  • Map of Oxford
  • Expanded discussion guide with 20+ questions perfect for book clubs
  • Timeline of Jack's and Joy's Lives
  • Joy's (imagined) letter to Jack
  • 10 Things You May Not Know About Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis's Love Story
  • Behind-the-scenes essay: Oxford--The City

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448 pages

Average rating: 6.79

87 RATINGS

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2 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

tylertank
Mar 28, 2024
8/10 stars
Love this book. What a sad story, yet also incredible in so many ways. I loved to hear the ways that Joy and Jack loved and supported eachother. Reiterated the truth that the most important decisions you can make in life are who you marry and your decision to follow Jesus. I love the slow game of letters. I’ll take that truth to my grave.
DD86
Sep 27, 2022
10/10 stars
Normally, I race through fiction books, reading for the story and then for the language. Becoming Mrs. Lewis gave me an added gift and therefore, I savoured every page. This historical fiction novel is about the encounter and subsequent friendship and romance between Joy Davidman (her perspective) and C. S. Lewis (the incredible writer of the Narnia Series and so many other great books). The added gift of this novel is the introduction of the creations this relationship made. Their love of writing and discussion was saturated in the love of God which pushed them to higher exploration of love, faith, devotion and suffering. Their relationship was symbiotic - it gave and took to create wondrous works. Some of Lewis' best and deepest works came through his relationship with Davidman. As a reader, I couldn't put this book down. Callahan's love of language wove together a place in which I wanted to exist, to live and to love. It is clear from the outset that Joy and Jack had found a place of mind and then heart that united them with each other. Lewis' idea of four loves was masterfully entwined in this novel - agape, storge, philia and eros. Starting each chapter with a sentence of Davidman's work introduced us to her lesser known writing as well. Callaghan did a lot of research and it is evident that the subject was endearing to her as it now is to us. This is such a moving novel and I am sure we all long for a love story like this in our lives.

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