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missbryden's review against another edition
5.0
After getting past preconceived ideas of what the book might be like based on the cover and the title, I really enjoyed the story, found it very engaging, was caught up by the emotions and relationships and wanted to know where it would go. Plus the literary behind-the-scenes is very interesting.
I worried the story would be limited to what the title makes it sounds, like various other titles where the title female character is defined by her relationship as wife or daughter. Also with the title I thought the story would feature more of the years once Joy was actually Mrs. Lewis. Yet while Joy and Jack’s (C. S. Lewis) relationship, and the different kinds of love, is the impetus of the story, it touches on all her life: her childhood and family relationships, her work as a writer herself, her difficult (to put it simply and lightly) relationship with her first husband, also a writer, getting to know herself and forever learning about her relationship with God and how it compares to human relationships.
It’s made me want to read all hers and Lewis’s works, and her son’s writing about them, and track their lives through them.
I worried the story would be limited to what the title makes it sounds, like various other titles where the title female character is defined by her relationship as wife or daughter. Also with the title I thought the story would feature more of the years once Joy was actually Mrs. Lewis. Yet while Joy and Jack’s (C. S. Lewis) relationship, and the different kinds of love, is the impetus of the story, it touches on all her life: her childhood and family relationships, her work as a writer herself, her difficult (to put it simply and lightly) relationship with her first husband, also a writer, getting to know herself and forever learning about her relationship with God and how it compares to human relationships.
It’s made me want to read all hers and Lewis’s works, and her son’s writing about them, and track their lives through them.
annyleigh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
Prepare for your heart to soar. Prepare for tender softness. Prepare for an exploration of your own personal theology and beliefs and worldview. Also, prepare to sob.
bethlee's review against another edition
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Antisemitism
kristensreadingnook's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.5
“The only command nature demands of us is to look and be present. But do not demand more of her than she can give.”
Patti Callahan is fast becoming a favorite author of mine. I have always enjoyed CS Lewis’s books so reading upon Once Upon A Wardrobe by Callahan two years ago endeared me to her as I was transported back in time to when Lewis was writing the Narnia series. With Becoming Mrs. Lewis, I was once again transported to England while Lewis was writing and falling in love with the woman who would eventually become his wife. Joy Davidson (the woman who became his wife) was such an interesting woman! She had a hard life but gave her all to support her sons while escaping an awful situation of her own.
Patti Callahan is a masterful storyteller and she brought together words penned by Lewis and Davidson in such a lovely way while also creating a narrative in between that drew me in to the details of their lives.
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Read if you like:
CS Lewis
84, Charing Cross Road
Writing that makes you feel deeply
Historical fiction
Patti Callahan is fast becoming a favorite author of mine. I have always enjoyed CS Lewis’s books so reading upon Once Upon A Wardrobe by Callahan two years ago endeared me to her as I was transported back in time to when Lewis was writing the Narnia series. With Becoming Mrs. Lewis, I was once again transported to England while Lewis was writing and falling in love with the woman who would eventually become his wife. Joy Davidson (the woman who became his wife) was such an interesting woman! She had a hard life but gave her all to support her sons while escaping an awful situation of her own.
Patti Callahan is a masterful storyteller and she brought together words penned by Lewis and Davidson in such a lovely way while also creating a narrative in between that drew me in to the details of their lives.
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Read if you like:
CS Lewis
84, Charing Cross Road
Writing that makes you feel deeply
Historical fiction
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up.
A really interesting look at the relationship between Joy Davidson (a wife, mother and writer in her own right) and C.S. Lewis. The author does a really great job bringing to light the challenges women had trying to fight for their own career outside the home, especially as mothers. Joy Davidson wasn't afraid to put herself first, striking up a friendship that slowly developed into more with the man behind the Narnia books.
She juggled motherhood, infidelity, her husband's alcoholism and her own declining health - all while still writing prodigiously in order to support herself and her sons. Highly recommended and great on audio. I learned so much about a woman I had no idea existed and her amazing love story with C. S. Lewis!
A really interesting look at the relationship between Joy Davidson (a wife, mother and writer in her own right) and C.S. Lewis. The author does a really great job bringing to light the challenges women had trying to fight for their own career outside the home, especially as mothers. Joy Davidson wasn't afraid to put herself first, striking up a friendship that slowly developed into more with the man behind the Narnia books.
She juggled motherhood, infidelity, her husband's alcoholism and her own declining health - all while still writing prodigiously in order to support herself and her sons. Highly recommended and great on audio. I learned so much about a woman I had no idea existed and her amazing love story with C. S. Lewis!
jennyyyyyyyyyyyy's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
reneesmith's review against another edition
5.0
C. S. Lewis once said, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
This quote sums up Becoming Mrs. Lewis for me. Joy Davidman Gresham Lewis came from just such a tawdry background. But two things about this strong woman amazed me: that even she was brought to her knees by a tender & forgiving Savior and that she was able to see past the façade to the treasure inside an aging, frumpy British professor. Her life was too short to see how her personality might have blossomed under their nurturing.
Congrats to Patti Callahan for writing such a thorough, dramatic story! This book brought the people and time period to vibrant life. Though not a gentle story, I definitely saw God’s grace through the changes going on inside Joy as she followed her path to joy!
This quote sums up Becoming Mrs. Lewis for me. Joy Davidman Gresham Lewis came from just such a tawdry background. But two things about this strong woman amazed me: that even she was brought to her knees by a tender & forgiving Savior and that she was able to see past the façade to the treasure inside an aging, frumpy British professor. Her life was too short to see how her personality might have blossomed under their nurturing.
Congrats to Patti Callahan for writing such a thorough, dramatic story! This book brought the people and time period to vibrant life. Though not a gentle story, I definitely saw God’s grace through the changes going on inside Joy as she followed her path to joy!
rosannelortz's review against another edition
5.0
When Joy Davidman Gresham had a spiritual experience convincing her there was a God, she wrote to British author C.S. Lewis looking for answers. What followed was a correspondence that would become a meeting of minds and eventually a marriage of hearts.
Six months after the first letter was sent, C.S. Lewis responded. At the time, Joy was trapped in a tumultuous marriage with Billy Gresham. Like herself, Billy was a writer, but one who resorted to alcohol and affairs to numb his anger at not selling manuscripts. His work always took precedent over Joy's, and he expected her to give up her intellectual dreams in order to be the perfect housewife, taking care of their two boys and putting dinner on the table. As their marriage went from bad to worse, Joy's health began to deteriorate. She began to take refuge from the horrors of everyday life in the letters she regularly received from the Oxford don, seventeen years her senior. Eventually, she took an extended trip to England to recuperate, to do research, and to meet her mentor, C.S. Lewis.
In this exquisite novel, Patti Callahan captures the great divide between Joy, a Jewish New Yorker, and "Jack," an aging English professor. She also shows the meeting of minds, the yearning of hearts, and just how influential Joy was on Lewis' work. Many obstacles conspired to keep the two apart (not the least of which was Joy's divorce), and anyone who has seen Shadowlands knows that the ending of the book is destined to be a real tear-jerker.
The story alternates between Joy's first person narrative and excerpts of letters, mostly those exchanged by her and Lewis. The flow of the book was seamless, and I could not discern whether these letters were original or fictitious (a question which the Author's Note answered for me at the end of the book). I recognized many quotes from Lewis' works in the dialogue, and I came away from the book wanting to dive back into his fiction and his philosophical writings.
This book highlights the fact that Joy Davidman was Lewis' intellectual equal, and that he highly prized both her own work and her contributions to his work. As with all fictionalized biographies, I am sure some liberties have been taken, but nevertheless, this book resonates as a beautifully told love story and an homage to both the author of Narnia and the woman who moved from philia to eros in his affections.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Six months after the first letter was sent, C.S. Lewis responded. At the time, Joy was trapped in a tumultuous marriage with Billy Gresham. Like herself, Billy was a writer, but one who resorted to alcohol and affairs to numb his anger at not selling manuscripts. His work always took precedent over Joy's, and he expected her to give up her intellectual dreams in order to be the perfect housewife, taking care of their two boys and putting dinner on the table. As their marriage went from bad to worse, Joy's health began to deteriorate. She began to take refuge from the horrors of everyday life in the letters she regularly received from the Oxford don, seventeen years her senior. Eventually, she took an extended trip to England to recuperate, to do research, and to meet her mentor, C.S. Lewis.
In this exquisite novel, Patti Callahan captures the great divide between Joy, a Jewish New Yorker, and "Jack," an aging English professor. She also shows the meeting of minds, the yearning of hearts, and just how influential Joy was on Lewis' work. Many obstacles conspired to keep the two apart (not the least of which was Joy's divorce), and anyone who has seen Shadowlands knows that the ending of the book is destined to be a real tear-jerker.
The story alternates between Joy's first person narrative and excerpts of letters, mostly those exchanged by her and Lewis. The flow of the book was seamless, and I could not discern whether these letters were original or fictitious (a question which the Author's Note answered for me at the end of the book). I recognized many quotes from Lewis' works in the dialogue, and I came away from the book wanting to dive back into his fiction and his philosophical writings.
This book highlights the fact that Joy Davidman was Lewis' intellectual equal, and that he highly prized both her own work and her contributions to his work. As with all fictionalized biographies, I am sure some liberties have been taken, but nevertheless, this book resonates as a beautifully told love story and an homage to both the author of Narnia and the woman who moved from philia to eros in his affections.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
author2223's review against another edition
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Gaslighting