From the Back Cover:
In a most improbable friendship, she found love. In a world where women were silenced, she found her voice.
From New
York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan comes an exquisite novel
of Joy Davidman, the woman C. S. Lewis called “my whole world.” 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 don and the beloved
writer 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, finding 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 is a video about the book told by the author, Patti Callahan.
My Review:
I was looking forward to reading this book to learn more about the one woman that C. S. Lewis loved. I knew that he had written a book called Grief Observed about how he had felt after his wife died, but I didn't know anything about her. Becoming Mrs. Lewis is told from Joy's perspective on her life, and how she met C. S. Lewis even though they were an ocean apart. Not having any prior knowledge of Joy Davidman, I cannot express whether this portrayal of her is an accurate description of her life. Her life story is definitely one of searching for truth, as she was not only an ex-communist but also an atheist. I liked how through her awful circumstance God reaches out and she for the first time acknowledges someone greater than herself. This point in time is what propels her to search for the Truth. She also struggles with trying to find love through relationships, and I feel the author portrays her as being addicted to physical relationships. Even after turning to Christianity, while she is still married to her first husband, Bill, she pursues this relationship with Lewis that is drawing her toward Lewis emotionally. And again before her divorce is final, she commits fornication while in London with another writer before marrying Lewis. The author also talks about drinking quite a lot and uses the British swear word "bloody" and "hell" quite a bit too. So overall, this book can be quite controversial with all that is included in the story. On one hand, the author has included all the good and the bad just like in real life. On the other hand, is it too much?For me, this book was informational. I'll have to do some other reading to find out if the author did justice to the portrayal of Joy Davidman in this story. The author does include a list of books in the back of the book for further reading. Also, because of seeing the influence that Joy and her sons had on C. S. Lewis' life, it will make me look differently at many of his life's works.
Now, that being said, I would only recommend this book with caution to the reader. I was disappointed with all the controversial material in it, but also that there really wasn't much truth of Scripture mentioned in this book. Although there is mention that C. S. Lewis did read his Bible every morning, the characters quoted more from books than the Bible.
***I received this book from BookLook Bloggers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
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