Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Becoming Mrs. Lewis

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan

12 reviews

boiler_bookworm's review

3.25

adventurous emotional informative sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

nataliealane's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Becoming Mrs Lewis is a vivid portrait of the woman who inspired, and loved, the famed author and theologian CS Lewis. As Callahan points out in her Author’s Note, the women involved with famous male artists, authors, creatives, and other historical figures are too often ___ to the footnotes of the story. Here, Callahan allows Joy Davidman, also a writer, to step into the light.

I do think having background information in her relationship to CS Lewis is importing before reading the book. A lot of my fellow book club members expressed frustration over how slowly the romance developed (they don’t kiss until nearly the end of the book) and how the book focuses so much on Joy’s life and relationship before she and Lewis married. However, I knew from my time studying the Inklings in college how the story would end, and went into the book expecting just that.

If you like yearning, unrequited love, or slow burn type romances, Becoming Mrs Lewis may be for you! However, don’t expect a simple historical romance; there is also tons of character development! Joy is messy, imperfect, impatient, jealous….. as another club member pointed out, the title is BECOMING Mrs. Lewis, capturing Joy’s transformation over the years of knowing CS Lewis.

Major content warning for domestic violence, alcoholism, cancer

Content Warnings

gatorpam's review

4.5

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I loved this book about the love of C.S. Lewis’ life! (The book is based on Joy’s writing) I felt I was transported to Oxford England and got to be a fly on the wall at a local pub. I loved the feel of the intellectual community and the loyal friendship that Joy, Jack and his brother Warnie shared. This is one I will read again. I really loved there was no explicit sex or profanity!

Content Warnings

lanayagraham's review

4.0

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I found this biographical fiction read to be truly bittersweet. It follows the life of Joy Davidman (wife of C.S. Lewis) from her first years of motherhood, married to her first (unfaithful and abusive) husband, to her marriage with Lewis and the end of her life. Joy had so many difficulties in life, so much of he story was heavy, however, her resiliance, brilliance and relationsjip with God brought levity to the sadness. I felt uncomfortable with the depth of Joy and Jack's friendship during her first marriage to Bill. I was torn by her obvious need to leave him, and the safety she found in her growing relationship with Lewis while STILL married. This novel is a story of co-exsisting truths- complex and painful- when we talk about divorce and remarriage.

Content Warnings

lizisreadingagain's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It’s difficult to review this fictionalized story of the relationship between C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman. I found most of the book to be a page-turner because of the way it is written and how I’m intrigued by C.S. Lewis, but some things bothered me that leave me torn on my opinion.

I’m very fond of letter writing, so when ongoing correspondence is an element in a story, it has my attention. This book had plenty of it.

I really loved the story, the people, and the literary atmosphere, and I was prepared to say it’s probably the best book I’ll read this year. So what has me torn? It’s the way Joy was portrayed. I felt uncomfortable at times. The book is written in Joy’s voice, and as she begins realizing she’s in love with Jack, the descriptions of her feelings and thoughts were sensual. It was clear that she wanted to be intimate with him. After a couple of these descriptions, I checked the back of the book to make sure it was a Christian publisher. It seemed out of place to me and unnecessary. There was enough information to know she was in love with him without inserting the sensual. I know I’m quite conservative and understand that other readers will not be bothered by it at all.

I want to give 5 stars for the storytelling but pull back for this bit of content that bugs me. I guess I’ll land on 4 stars.

Content Warnings:
🙊: Mild language
❤️: Several sensual descriptions, and one brief married intimacy scene without graphic descriptions
⚠️: Emotional abuse, infidelity, frequent alcohol consumption

Content Warnings

bethlee's review

4.5

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

author2223's review against another edition

4.75

emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

kfrickle's review

It started off with some hard topics, and there were some parts that were too descriptive for me.

I didn't like that her husband made excuses with his infidelity, specifically in chapter 6, and it was one of those descriptive parts. I also wasn't a fan of Joy having an emotional affair with Lewis though she didn't think she was. She also didn't seem present with her family and boys for she was thinking of Lewis and their correspondence with each other. I also felt like she leaned a little on the victim mentality side. Even though the narrator for the audio book was great, I decided to stop at 12% because Joy was about to leave to England leaving her husband and children behind. (She did go because of her health but considering she already was thinking of Lewis and being with him, it bothered me). <Spoiler>

Content Warnings