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    Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis
    Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis
    Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis
    Audiobook12 hours

    Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis

    Written by Patti Callahan

    Narrated by Patti Callahan and Lauren Woodward

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.

    • Full-length historical novel about the wife of C.S. Lewis
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThomas Nelson
    Release dateOct 2, 2018
    ISBN9780785218586
    Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis
    Author

    Patti Callahan

    Patti Callahan is the New York Times, USA TODAY, and Globe and Mail bestselling novelist of fifteen novels, including Becoming Mrs. Lewis, Surviving Savannah, and Once Upon a Wardrobe. A recipient of the Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year, the Christy Book of the Year, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year, Patti is the cofounder and cohost of the popular web series and podcast Friends & Fiction. Visit her online at www.patticallahanhenry.com; Instagram: @pattichenry; Facebook: @AuthorPattiCallahanHenry; Twitter: @pcalhenry.

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    Reviews for Becoming Mrs. Lewis

    4.5/5

    450 ratings56 reviews

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    • 5/5
      It was so real, so full of heart, so full of faith in the God who walks with us in every circumstance!!
    • 5/5
      Very well written. Felt like I got to peek into the Private lives of CS, Lewis and his wife Joy.
      Made me want to read CS Lewis‘s books which I haven’t yet.
    • 5/5
      The reason why I decided to give it a 10 out of 10 is because I found it to be extremely enlightening.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely breath taking, I love it, so many to tell about this book.
    • 2/5
      Narrator really doesn't fit the book. It would be awesome if they re-recorded it with a more experienced, sensitive narrator. This one is too forceful for this style of book.
    • 5/5
      Brought so many emotions alive in me — a sign of a good book!
    • 5/5
      This was a wonderful book and I could not stop listening!
    • 5/5
      This was a beautifully written, well-researched book. There were many surprises in it. But it showed love, passion for God, and man's search for relationship with God and with another human being in a beautiful way.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. Entertains & interesting. I highly recommend.
    • 5/5

      The reading and Mr. Lewis was dreadful
      The story was amazing
    • 5/5
      This is a beautiful book and describing it in words is too mundane. It’s a gem.
    • 5/5
      You feel like you know these people so well. When the book is over you miss them. You feel like you have experienced their tragedy.
    • 2/5
      The book is WONDERDUL - the audio recording was painful to listen to. I was able to push through because I enjoyed the stories so much… But man, I almost didn’t. The accents and the emotions that the reader used just took away from a beautiful story.
    • 4/5
      Good historical fiction should make one want to read the original works and accounts. Patti Callahan Henry has accomplished that. I want to read Joy's sonnets, her letters. I want to read the works of Lewis that were most directly influenced by Joy. Sometimes the narrator's voice grated on me, bored me, but overall this audiobook was satisfying and inspiring.
    • 4/5
      Just lovely the human connection when times where not so complicated on some levels of life
    • 1/5
      Way too long, the author made Joy an impossible character to like. Personally, it was difficult to finish as it just dragged on and on. I enjoyed getting glimpses into C.S. Lewis’s life as a writer and learning about him. But those moments were few and far between all the chapters of listening about Joy drone on and on about her incredibly dysfunctional marriage to Bill.
    • 5/5
      Just loved this book. Learned so much about CS Lewis and before listening had not heard anything about Joy and her influence on his life. Thank you!
    • 4/5
      The narrator was superb! The story was also great. Would recommend.
    • 5/5
      I received this book for free as part of an Instagram tour (Just Read Tours specifically) I did to promote the book.I was interested in reading this book because I am a fan of C.S. Lewis. I hadn’t heard of Joy Davidman before, so I was curious to learn more about her. Please note that although this book is based on real people and real events, it is still a work of historical fiction. This book was incredible. It beautifully depicted the relationship between Lewis and Davidman. Their romance was unconventional but epic. The love they had for one another is truly remarkable. I loved how they influenced each other’s work and treated each other as equals. Joy was such a strong woman. I enjoyed learning her backstory and seeing how she had the courage to not only leave her alcoholic and cheating husband, but also to start a new life with her children in another country. I loved the epilogue. It really gave Joy a voice. She comes from a time where people often silenced her voice and contributions. I liked that the author let Joy have the final word. Since this is a book about C.S. Lewis, is also discusses the Christian faith but it doesn’t go overboard with it. If you’re worried that it might be too religious, don’t be. The heart of the book is really their love story. Lastly, the endpapers of the book feature a map of Oxford which I found to be a really nice touch, since the Narnia books are known to have maps. Overall, this is an amazing read! If you are fan of C.S. Lewis or love books about incredible women, then pick this one up!
    • 5/5
      Captivating story! I loved it and couldn’t stop listening!
    • 4/5
      Title: Becoming Mrs. LewisAuthor: Patti CallahanPages: 416Year: 2018Publisher: Thomas NelsonMy rating: 4 out of 5 stars.I am always looking for a good book to read. Are you? Do you choose it by the cover, who endorses it, the synopsis on a website or are there other criteria you utilize? For me, when choosing a book, I use the previous list and sometimes authors whose other works I have previously enjoyed. Here though is a new author to me, and frankly so is the subject of the historical work of fiction, Joy Davidman. C. S. Lewis’ works I have read but I was totally caught off guard to learn that Mrs. Lewis also wrote prolifically.While the author concedes that much in the story is from her imagination, she does interject words that were written by Joy for example in her correspondence with C.S. Lewis. The bibliography in the very back of the book has a treasure trove of sources to learn more about Joy Davidman, her faith and her writings. Someday I may just pick up some of them to learn more about the woman behind a well-known man.The writing pulls readers in and not just mentally but by the heart too! There were times in the story my heart felt heavy just thinking about what Joy might have experienced or felt in different seasons of her life. It is clear from the onset that her father demanded much from her and her mother was elusive, or is that fiction too? You the reader will have to decide.There were different times I had to put the book down because the scene was somewhat depressing. There were other times I wondered if Joy may have done what action was described in the narrative for real. In either case, the author spurred my desire to want to know who the real Joy Davidman was before she met C. S. Lewis, their relationship and their marriage until her death. Even if it is a work of fiction, I am glad to be spurred on to learn more about this woman from the past, her life, her love and her faith.Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.
    • 5/5
      I finished Once Upon a Wardrobe and had to reread the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and then I went back to this one. I really enjoyed it and love getting to know JOy Davidman. Needless to say I now have many more books to add to TBR from the Screwtape letters to Joy Davidman's prose. An unconventional love story but loved exploring their mind and love as it grew.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful story of love a Christianity.The story of the amazing C. S. Lewis and the lady who he fell in love with. Joy was a writer and an excellent foil for Lewis.
    • 5/5
      Information about their private lives was previously unknown to me. Years ago I read, A Grief Observed, to find answers to my own grief. I now feel that I know Joy and understand more fully Lewis’ overwhelming grief at her death. This is truly a beautiful love story; love of writing and of family.
    • 5/5
      This book is beautifully written, highly quotable, and made me want to know so much more about both Joy and CS Lewis. I just loved it. It's a beautiful look into what real love is often like. Messy and imperfect but stunningly beautiful and worth all the pain for even just a taste of it's truth.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      C.S. Lewis was a theologian who taught at two prestigious English colleges. Famous for his Chronicles of Narnia series, he also wrote many scholarly books regarding religion.When Joy Davidman, an American married Jewish woman who was transformed when becoming a Christian, she wrote to Lewis about her new-found commitment to God. She did not expect C.S. Lewis to return a response. When he did, it led to many letters back and forth from both of them. As her marriage was crumbling apart and her husband continued with his many indiscretions, she tried to hold it all together for the sake of their two young sons. She wondered what God's purpose was for her life.When invited to visit the famous C.S. Lewis and his brother Warnie, she went to England. Changed by both the stunning beauty of the countryside, and the many intense conversations she shared with him, they developed an intense friendship, and she found that she loved him deeply.This is the story of how that love, and their shared intelligence, had a life-changing impact on both.I very much enjoyed this book that I randomly found on a sale rack for $4.99. Already, reading a different book, I switched gears to this one. It is a book that I recommend for anyone who is familiar with C.S. Lewis and his thoughts and writings.Excellent!!! 4.5 Stars
    • 4/5
      I'm so glad that I took my time with this book. I read several chapters a day in the bedroom while my little Havanese ate her meals! I didn't know that much about C.S. Lewis and even less about Joy Davidson! What an incredible story!
    • 2/5
      When New York author Joy starts corresponding with C.S. Lewis, she is beyond thrilled. They discuss religion in their letters and she is happy to be able to travel to England to meet him (while leaving her husband and two sons behind). Of course, she falls in love with him. I listened to the audio, and though I lost focus sometimes in the first half, I was pretty much paying attention in the second half, but it didn’t help the story any. I probably did miss some things in the first half of the book, as Joy eventually accused her husband of abuse, but that’s something I completely missed (although he did cheat on her with her cousin). With regard to the “relationship” between Joy and “Jack” (C. S. Lewis’ nickname), apparently this was based on real life (I had just assumed it was completely fictional), but in the story itself, I didn’t see or “get” it. Yeah, she was head over heels for him, but I didn’t see that he loved her at all. All the gushing at the end was just ridiculously eye-rolling and gag-inducing to me. I didn’t believe it. Oh, and the religious stuff bored me.
    • 3/5
      Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan is a 2018 Thomas Nelson publication. This book is the fictionalized version of the love story between Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis. I have been meaning to read this book for ages and have been wildly curious to see how Callahan approved the material. While I did like the story, and appreciated the way Joy’s particular challenges were presented, I struggled to stay invested. The relationship is fascinating, their initial correspondence very insightful, especially from Joy’s perspective as a woman trapped by poor health, a bad marriage, and the longing to write and pursue her career as a poet and writer. I am familiar with C.S. Lewis, like most people, but I never studied his personal life. I was aware, vaguely, there was a tragic love story, but I knew nothing about Joy. Her story is a bit melancholy, no? I am so happy she found her spiritual/Christian calling, which is quite a feat considering her background. I am also happy she found Lewis- who was a beacon to her as she navigated unfamiliar territory. I am also happy she found comfort and love after the years she spent in an unhappy and abusive relationship. I’m sorry though, that she never enjoyed the fullness of marriage with the man she loved, which, in my opinion was unnecessary, and I’m sorry her health was so fragile, and she died so young. Her characterization here, though, is terribly somber. The story is flat- bland, even, and I had to force myself to keep going at times. A book I thought would be inspirational, only left me feeling a little bereft, instead. I was SO positive I was going to love this book, and am disappointed it didn’t grab me, as it has so many other people. I do have “Once Upon a Wardrobe” on my Kindle and will read it shortly. I’m sure I will have better luck with that one. Overall, I am a little let-down I didn’t have the experience I was hoping for with this book- but I did like the book enough to give it a three- star rating- mostly based on the quality of the writing and that I learned a lot about Joy’s life and found her journey to be unique and interesting, if very sad.3 stars
    • 5/5
      Patti Callahan transported me to 1940's and 1950's England, and the love story of C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidson. This book has it all: Provocative spiritual discussions, suspense, love, fear, and a rich setting. Patti's writing is superb. I can't wait to read the accompanying novel Once Upon a Wardrobe once it releases. One of my favorite books read in 2021--be sure to grab it if you haven't read Becoming Mrs. Lewis yet!