Becoming Mrs. Lewis - Book Review

To be perfectly honest, I had forgotten C.S. Lewis was married until I picked up Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry. This historical novel is based off the letters, biographies, and works written by or about Lewis and Helen Joy Davidman (called Joy), the woman he fell in love with and married. This book is told from the perspective of Joy and is a fascinating look at this remarkable romance.

Plot Summary

Joy Davidman Gresham's marriage to her drunk, moody, adulterous husband, Bill, begins to takes its toll on her when she first becomes a Christian. Bill also becomes interested in religion and a mutual friend advises them to write to C.S. Lewis (called Jack by his friends) and seek his thoughts on Christianity. Bill quickly loses interest, but Joy continues to correspond with Jack and a friendship grows between them.

When Joy's health begins to give her trouble, she takes a trip to England in order to see Jack and regain her strength. As her marriage spirals towards divorce, she moves from America to England, both for herself and for her sons. Her and Jack's relationship is still strictly in the confines of friendship, but what if they were meant to be more than friends?

Content Warnings

There are a few cuss words and once Joy sleeps with someone. Bill's affairs are talked about often. Joy's desire for Lewis is mentioned.

Personal Thoughts

Wow. I learned so much about Joy Davidman in this book. The author's extensive research shows and I was fascinated by this side of Lewis's life. While Joy is by no means a perfect heroine, she's one who's trying to improve and in the end becomes the person she's meant to be. Her relationship with Jack can certainly be termed a slow-burn, but the ending is worth it. I almost cried at the end, which is rare for me. Overall, this was an engrossing read for me.

The book lays out the good, bad, and unusual details of Joy's life. The author manages to be accurate without being dry.

Notes

This book is best for teens and adults. This book appears under the name Patti Callahan and Patti Callahan Henry.

Steam Level: 💋💋💋💋

For those of you who have read Becoming Mrs. Lewis, what did you think of it? For those of you who have not read it, would you?