About BECOMING MRS. LEWIS …
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.
What people are saying …
Making full use of historical documentation, Callahan has created an incredible portrait of a complex woman.” —Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review
“Spanning more than a decade, this slow-burning love story will be especially satisfying to writers and C.S. Lewis fans, as there are many references to his literary canon and his famous stories of Narnia. Callahan’s prose is heartfelt and full of grace.” —Bookpage Review
“Readers familiar with the life and work of C.S. Lewis will relish learning about the woman who inspired some of his most famous books. Others will find the slow burn of the romance between the two mesmerizing. All fans of women’s fiction, particularly works with religious themes, will appreciate reading about this vibrant and intelligent woman.” —Booklist
“Callahan crafts a masterpiece that details the friendship and ultimate romance between the real Davidman and Lewis…Fans of Mary Alice Monroe will enjoy this book. Callahan’s writing is riveting and her characters spring to life to create a magical and literary experience that won’t be soon forgotten.” —Library Journal
Patti Callahan took a character on the periphery, one who has historically taken a back seat to her male counterpart, and given her a fierce, passionate voice. For those fans of Lewis curious about the woman who inspired A Grief Observed this book offers a convincing, fascinating glimpse into the private lives of two very remarkable individuals. —The New York Journal of Books
“Patti Callahan seems to have found the story she was born to tell in this tale of unlikely friendship turned true love between Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis.” —Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife and Love And Ruin
“I love Patti’s narrative voice, and her illumination of Joy Davidman’s life is soul stirring. I have read it twice already!!” —Amy Grant, Grammy award winning singer-songwriter
“Patti has conquered a new game! In this insightful historical fiction she reveals an intimate portrait of Joy Davidman, the woman who married C.S. Lewis …. I loved it!” —Stephanie Crowe, Page & Palette
“The story of Joy and Jack will stay with you long after you read the last page.” —Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books
It’s all here: Bill’s betrayals. Joy’s boundless hope. Davy and Douglas, energetic but vulnerable. The faithful Oxford don used by God. Jack and Joy, arguing over a kiss. In a novel awash with authenticity, we learn their story through the voice of Mrs. C.S. Lewis. I suspect the man himself would say of Patti Callahan, “She’s a corking good writer.” —Carolyn Curtis, Women and C.S. Lewis: What his life and literature reveal for today’s culture (Lion Hudson, Oxford)
“In Becoming Mrs. Lewis, Patti Callahan breathes wondrous fresh life into one of the greatest literary love stories of all time: the unlikely romance between English writer C.S. Lewis and the much younger American divorcee, Joy Davidman. Callahan chronicles their complex and unconventional relationship with a sure voice, deep insight into character and eye for period detail. The result is a deeply moving story about love and loss that is transformative and magical.” —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan Tale
“Soulful, poignant, lyrical, Becoming Mrs. Lewis unearths a lost love story that begs to be remembered and retold. I was swept along, filled with hope, and entirely beguiled, not only by the life lived behind the veil of C.S. Lewis’s books but also by the woman who won his heart. A literary treasure from first page to last.”
—Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours
“Becoming Mrs. Lewis illuminates the raw humanity of seeking faith in a distrustful world. We’ve heard C.S. Lewis’s narrative. Here, Callahan keenly demystifies poet Joy Davidman’s story and in the telling, shows us the power of a greater love. I was wonderstruck by this novel.” —Sarah McCoy, New York Times and international bestselling author of Marilla of Green Gables and The Baker’s Daughter
“Becoming Mrs Lewis is at once profoundly evocative, revealing an intimate view of a woman whose love and story had never been fully told…until now. Patti Callahan brings to life the elusive Joy Davidman and illuminates the achingly touching romance between Joy and C.S. Lewis. 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, New York Times bestselling author of The Beach House and Beach House Reunion
“Patti Callahan has written my favorite book of the year. Becoming Mrs. Lewis deftly explores the life and work of Joy Davidman, a bold and brilliant woman who is long overdue her time in the spotlight. Carefully researched. Beautifully written. Deeply romantic. Fiercely intelligent. It is both a meditation on marriage and a whopping grand adventure. Touching, tender, and triumphant, this is a love story for the ages.”
—Ariel Lawhon, author of I Was Anastasia
“Intelligent. Witty and charming. Becoming Mrs. Lewis is a stunning foray into the wilds of faith—from doubt and discovery, to the great adventure of living it out. Patti Callahan’s invitation into Joy and Jack’s love story is as brilliant as the lives they led. I’m left as spellbound as the first time I met Aslan… with these characters now just as dear.” —Kristy Cambron, author of The Ringmaster’s Wife and the Lost Castles series
“With an artist’s touch, Patti has woven flesh and bone onto an unlikely love story and given us a glimpse into a beautiful and storied romance. I read this through an increasing sense of awe and admiration. By the final page, I realized Patti had crafted an intimate and daring literary achievement.” —Charles Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Mountain Between Us
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About Patti
Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times bestselling author of thirteen novels, including the upcoming BECOMING MRS. LEWIS – The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis. A finalist in the Townsend Prize for Fiction, an Indie Next Pick, an OKRA pick, and a multiple nominee for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) Novel of the Year, Patti is a frequent speaker at luncheons, book clubs and women’s groups.
