This week Lynn spoke with author Patti Callahan ahead of the release of her new book Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C S Lewis"
A very engaging novel written after four years of extensive research and which looks at this beautiful love story through the eyes of Joy Davidman. Released in the US late last year, it will only be hitting our bookshelves in Australia this coming week. Available NOW
BECOMING MRS. LEWIS
Patti Callahan
One of the great love stories of modern times, Becoming Mrs Lewis reveals the passionate, private lives of the beloved, world-renowned author C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman, the fiercely independent woman he called his ‘whole world’. For fans of The Paris Wife and The Orphan’s Tale.
A heart-rendering historical romance, and a glimpse into the life of an extraordinary woman and writer.
Poet, atheist and communist, New Yorker Joy Davidman is an unconventional woman – and an unlikely partner for one of England’s best known academics and theologians.
With her own marriage crumbling, she begins a correspondence with Narnia author C.S. Lewis, not for love, but for guidance from a writer that she admires.
In Joy’s letters, Lewis discovers a kindred spirit, and an intellect to equal his own. Bonding over a shared love of literature and ideas, a deep connection is forged between the two.
Embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, Joy travels from America to England and back again. Facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith. Against all odds, the couple struggle to secure a love that will endure forever.
Buy the Book (UK)
Follow the Journey with Joy and Patti
Now a USA Today and Publishers Weekly Bestseller
Praise
"Making full use of historical documentation, Callahan has created an incredible portrait of a complex woman.”
—PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY Starred Review
“Mesmerizing.” —BOOKLIST review
"It's not supposed to be a technical biography of my mother. It's a novel. And it's a very good one. . . extraordinarily accurate. . . more accurate than most biographical essays that have been written about my mother." — Douglas Gresham, son of Joy Davidman, wife of C.S. Lewis.
"Patti Callahan breathes life into this fascinating woman whose hunger for knowledge leads her to buck tradition at every turn." —Diane Chamberlain, NYT bestselling author of The Dream Daughter
"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."
—New York Journal of Book
"While I've read all the biographies on CS Lewis and Joy Davidman, this is the one that broke my heart by sending me on the experience with them. Brilliant, and utterly poignant, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is one of the best tellings of one of the literary world's greatest love stories. Five out of Five shields." —(NarniaFans.com "Tumnus' Bookshelf"
"Layered with personal reflection, poignant life events, and the Davidman-Lewis journey toward respect and love, Becoming Mrs. Lewis may very well become a literary classic of its own." —Hope by the Book, GOLD STAR review
"Patti Callahan's lyrical novel Becoming Mrs. Lewis details American author Joy Davidman's unconventional friendship-turned-romance with famed author and Christian apologist C.S. Lewis . . . The thoughtful narrative reads more like a memoir than fiction."
—World Magazine
"Patti Callahan has inhabited her subject so convincingly that Joy's light can finally shine brightly. Highly, highly recommended!"
—Historical Novels Review
Buy the Book (US)
"In Becoming Mrs. Lewis, Patti Callahan Henry 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's Tale
'Patti Callahan's prose reads like poetry as she deftly 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 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 Beach House Reunion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times best-selling author of fourteen novels, including the historical fiction, BECOMING MRS. LEWIS—The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis. Her fifteenth novel, THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER, (Southern Contemporary Fiction) will be published June 4, 2019, and available now.
A full-time author and mother of three children, she now resides in both Mountain Brook, Alabama and Bluffton, South Carolina with her husband. Read More
VIDEOS & Podcasts Becoming Mrs. Lewis
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