Becoming Mrs. Lewis

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

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 Story She Left Behind.

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.

"Callahan crafts a masterpiece that details the friendship and ultimate romance between the real Davidman and Lewis . . . a magical and literary experience that won't be soon forgotten." --LIBRARY JOURNAL, STARRED review | ". . . an incredible portrait of a complex woman." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, STARRED review | ". . . a deeply moving story about love and loss that is transformative and magical." --PAM JENOFF | "I was swept along, filled with hope, and entirely beguiled." --LISA WINGATE | "This is the book Patti Callahan was born to write. Becoming Mrs. Lewis is a tour de force and the must-read of the season!" --MARY ALICE MONROE

It makes me want to know even more...

I hadn't given a lot of thought to the person of C.S. Lewis to be honest, and didn't even know about Joy. One day I heard the author do an interview on the Todd Starnes Radio/Podcast. The book sounded very interesting and now that I've heard the whole book, I want to learn even more about these people. Well done!

I almost didn’t buy the audible, glad I did!

Many of the reviews I read said the narration was so awful they had to return the book and while I could see the narrator taking some getting used to, it wasn’t bad enough to return. I did struggle with how she made Joy sound, sort of dumb, whiny American accent, which Joy Davidman was not. All the other voices were fine for what they were.
The story is lovely, though the use of so many similes and metaphors on almost every page got pretty old overtime. Good read and intriguing story.

What a wonderful story!

The narration was perfection! Patti did a superb job in weaving the known story with supplemental conversations to show the development of love between the two.

An abiding live story almost ruined by the performance. I listened to it all because the story was so good.

I wish the author who read the prologue had been the reader of the whole book.
I would still recommend this book as to
It’s wonderful story and writing. I really felt I got to know Joy very well and love and respect her and her journey.

Such a lovely life story.

Loved it! Couldn't stop listening. The love story is so wonderful. Really enjoyed it! Now I want to read more of Joy's work.