While this book is fiction, it is based off of a real-life love story. Of course I had heard of C.S. Lewis, but never of his wife, Joy Davidman. This book follows Davidman from her struggles in a marriage to an alcoholic and unfaithful man, to her developing a relationship with "Jack", C.S. Lewis. Lewis and Davidman initially corresponded through letters where they connected on a deeper, intellectual level, then the relationship quickly grew from pen pals to something more after her visit to England.

This was a novel of self-exploration and love. While mostly enjoyable, it did seem drawn out at times. Overall, a solid 3.5 star book.

I really, really liked this book! Historical Fiction is not usually my first pick in books. I don't like getting bogged down in history, but this book was not like that at all! The story of Joy (we share this name) was beautiful!

The marriage of her first husband Bill and the birth of her boys brought this timid almost boring person. I felt like she didn't have a clue who she was as a person or as a writer! Her penpal with CS Lewis brought out this beautiful writer. Her journey to God and learning about love was just joyful!

I am embarrassed to say I knew nothing about C. S. Lewis before reading Becoming Mrs. Lewis. I fell in love with this story because so often we read stories with unrealistic expectations of love and marriage, but this story based on a true story, showed the realities of a miserable marriage that led to something magical and beautiful. The writing was easy to read and you just won’t want to put it down. Now I really want to read books by both C. S. Lewis and Joy!

“From the very beginning it was the Great Lion who brought us together. I see that now. The fierce and tender beast drew us to each other, slowly, inexorably, across time, beyond an ocean, and against the obdurate bulwarks of our lives. He wouldn’t make it easy for us – that’s not his way.” - Opening lines of Becoming Mrs Lewis by Patti Callahan

Patti Callahan writes Becoming Mrs Lewis from the first-person biographical perspective of Joy Davidman who, over several years, goes from pen pal to wife of the famous C.S. Lewis.

The letters focus on the journey from atheism to Christianity as Joy works through the life difficulties of living out the Word. Much of her world in America is broken, her marriage and the economy included. C.S. Lewis, known as Jack, walks her through scriptures and offers friendship. Their connection deepens and develops into an in-person friendship and, finally, marriage.

Knowing all this before the book began, I hoped to gain insight into the discussions they had on Christianity, on being authors and on overcoming life’s challenges. I didn’t anticipate the intense descriptions and the moment by moment account of Joy’s day to day life. I’m not one who particularly enjoys this style of storytelling but, if it appeals to you, this is a well-written one. Joy’s life has very little joy and light in it, even in the end with Jack, so I found the story meandering and depressing. Bearing that in mind, I can only give it a three out of five on the en-JOY-ment scale,

I enjoyed this unique perspective on C.S. Lewis, as well as learning more about Joy Davidman. Although fictionalized, this feels well-researched. A n interesting addition to the Lewis story.

Becoming Mrs Lewis by Patti Callahan is a most beautiful Christian historical novel about the friendship and love of C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidson. It is a work of great beauty, a fictional account of two private people.
The reader descends into a state of peace and a feeling of calm and great love. “God did not love us because we are lovable, but because He is love.” This love of the F ather radiates from the novel. The friendship of C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidson reaches beyond the pages and touches the reader’s heart.
There are many godly lessons to be absorbed. The reader sees how God passionately pursues us. “How could I not have believed when my heart always knew?” There is a longing inside each one of us for God if we would only recognise it. We chase after all sorts to fill the hole that is God-shaped.
Beautiful descriptive passages bring 1950’s Oxfordshire to life. Patti Callahan perfectly paints the scenes with her words.
“There is a difference between religion and God.” Religion presents rules. God desires relationship with each and every one of us. “Being a Christian isn’t… all rules and regulations… It is all trust and surrender and transformation.” God calls us to follow Him. Will you answer His call today? “There was a solid sense that He was with me, had always been with me.”
Pain is a part of love. C.S. Lewis calls pain, “God’s megaphone”. This book has pain within its pages. It will make you cry but it has great love too – and it is a love that will remain long after the final word is read.
A work of great beauty.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I enjoyed Becoming Mrs. Lewis and it was a interesting thought experiment to read it after having read Lewis' A Grief Observed. I recommend it for anyone who is a fan of C.S. Lewis.

This historical novel reads like a memoir. It richly imagines the relationship between C. S. Lewis and the American divorce' who became his wife. Well written and a must read for those who like a charming romance and for fans of C. S. Lewis.

Beyond loving his books, like The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, and The Screwtape Letters, I knew very little of C.S. Lewis and his personal life before Patti Callahan’s Becoming Mrs. Lewis, which made my reading experience fascinating—but Callahan’s book is about more than just C.S. Lewis. It explores the life of a courageous woman, Joy Davidman, who perseveres through her struggles, lets faith change her life, and finds a friendship and love she never expected. Becoming Mrs. Lewis is a beautifully told story, respectful of the characters, the faith that drives them, and their growth through the events, and offers much about which to think. I loved it and highly recommend it to fans of C.S. Lewis, historical fiction, and ultimately, romance.

Well written, enjoyable story about Oxford don, C S Lewis and the fraught and unusual relationship and slowly developing love story between him and Joy, the woman he married after her divorce from her alcoholic husband. The characters are treated gently and respectfully, even the alcoholic husband, and the story feels real, and not fictionalised too extensively. Thank you to Net galley for and advanced copy.

A beautifully written love story. It drew me in and kept me turning the pages until the end. I read through it so quickly, that I may need to return to it in the near future to see if I missed anything. I didn't anticipate how much I would enjoy this one. I almost always enjoy a historical novel about a famous person and their significant other, but this book brought me happiness and I frequently found myself smiling while reading it. Highly recommend it!

This was a hard read for me. There was a lot of sadness in this book that made me uncomfortable to read. However, the writing was very beautiful. It was just the subject matter made it very heavy for me. I still look forward for the author’s next novel.

I have been interested in C.S. Lewis since reading Til We Have Faces. I loved that this book touched on the inspirations and gave me insight into that work. Also beautifully written.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thought-provoking fictional account of Joy Davidman, who would become the wife of C.S. Lewis. I was first introduced to their friendship during a senior year religion class at my Jesuit high school when we watched "Shadowlands" with Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. Over twenty years after watching that movie, their relationship still lingered in my mind and I was eager to read Patti Callahan's new book.

An accomplished writer and poet in her own right, Joy Davidman (Gresham) struggles to find a way out of her abusive marriage in the early 1950s. Striking up a pen pal relationship with C.S. Lewis, Joy eventually goes to England to recover from her various medical ailments. Though 17 years her senior, Joy and Jack (as he is called), are kindred spirits and equal intellectual sparring partners. The philosophical and theological discussions are eloquently recreated by Callahan. One of the most important themes in the book is the different types of love there are, as defined by the ancient Greeks. Jack continually insists that he and Joy share philia, a love of friendship. But eventually things change.

There were only two things I would have changed to make this a five star book. The first half of the book has many epistolary exchanges between Joy and Jack. But the letters were stuck in almost randomly in the middle of the rest of the story, severely breaking the flow. Callahan ceased doing this in the second half of the book, since Joy and Jack were at that point living in the same country and writing less letters. (The letter excerpts are Callahan's creation and are not quoted from the real ones, since many of the letters exchanged between the two were destroyed.)

The other thing that prevented me from giving this a five star review was the title, "Becoming Mrs. Lewis." While it's catching, it's nevertheless demeaning. Joy Davidman was a woman ahead of her time, tired of the social mores of being a housewife and mother. She wanted to be a writer and didn't want to be held back by a man (like her ex-husband). Entitling the book "Becoming Mrs. Lewis" severely downplays the independent woman and feminist themes that are central to this book. At the beginning of the book, Joy states that she does not want to be defined as someone's daughter or wife, yet Callahan perpetuates this with the title that minimizes her to the role of only being C.S. Lewis' wife. Wasn't she more than that? Didn't she deserve a better title?

A historical fiction novel that provides both information and insights about the wife of one of the greatest storytellers of modern Britian. Fans of Melanie Benjamin and Paula McLain will learn and love this lyrical story.

I love CS Lewis. His work has been a mainstay throughout my life. When I learned Becoming Mrs Lewis had been written, I thought yes! The publisher has provided generous support for the work of this beloved by many author.
This book was a gift I gave to more than several friends this season and I hope it inspires all who read it to delve deeper into the writings of Mr. Lewis.

By far, one of the best books of 2018. Patti Callahan does a phenomenal job of telling the story of Joy Davidman, the wife of C.S. Lewis. I had no idea of the beautiful life story that they shared, or of the life his wife endured prior to their eventual marriage. Excellent, excellent book!

Io struggled with this book because the pace of Joy Davidson's relationship with CS Lewis moved so painfully slowly. Perhaps the author was trying hard to convey the length of time they were just "friends", but it made it so I had to keep putting down the book in frustration.

Historical fiction is not usually my jam. But C. S. Lewis always is. So I was a little unsure about how I would feel about this book, which uses the facts that we know about Joy and C. S. Lewis to weave a fictional story about Joy's life before she encountered Lewis (Jack) in his writing, began corresponding with him, met him in Oxford, etc. But I absolutely loved it. I will definitely be reading it again. And reading it now also renews my desire to read Joy's own writings.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It seems very little is known about Mrs. Lewis. I thought the author did a good job of presenting the people as they were in her eyes. Though they weren't always likable. It's easy to say what Joy should or should not have done, but much harder to live her life.