When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis in 1950, she was looking for spiritual answers, not love.
In Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis, author Patti Callahan, who also writes as Patti Callahan Henry, brings us the story of the woman C. S. Lewis called “my whole world.” This unlikely love story is made more poignant by the lack of sensationalism in its telling. Joy Davidman’s life is described in an understated, straightforward way, leaving room for readers to be entertained and inspired all at once.
Prominent themes in this book include the “unfolding” of Christianity in one’s life and the sometimes messy paths we take toward redemption. Traditional women’s roles, and the challenges of not fitting into them, are also addressed.
Readers familiar with works by C. S. Lewis will appreciate peeking at his life from a different angle. Narnia events take shape in Lewis’s mind as he plays with Joy’s children in the woods and on the pond at his Oxford property, the Kilns. After answering endless questions about what will happen next in the series, Lewis dedicates The Horse and His Boy to Joy’s sons, Davy and Douglas. A Grief Observed arises from the depth of Lewis’s pain after Joy’s death.
In “A Note From The Author” at the back of the book, Callahan shares that although Joy Davidman rarely seemed to care what others thought of her, Callahan did care—so she wrote this story to give an often-misunderstood woman some overdue credit.
This work of fiction was meant not only to explore her life, work, and love affair, but also to delve into the challenges she faced as a woman in her time—or by any woman even now trying to live an authentic life while also caring for her family and pursuing her creative life, art, or passion. We are often woefully negligent of the women next to the men we admire, and Joy Davidman is one of those women.
Now it’s your turn, reader.
It has been said that with every great man there stands an even stronger woman.
Do you agree? Are you in a place today where you’re supporting the worthwhile work of someone you love? Let’s hear your story, too.
Here with you,
Laura
(Interested in reading other works by Patti Callahan Henry? Click here to read my review of The Perfect Love Song: A Holiday Story.)
