Book Reviews: Becoming Mrs. Lewis and A Grief Observed
Becoming Mrs. Lewis, written by Patti Callahan, is a well-researched historical fiction story of the life of Joy Davidman, the woman who married C.S. Lewis. Much of the correspondence between Lewis and Davidman has been lost but thanks to a newly discovered treasure trove of sonnets written by Joy during her friendship with Jack, as his friends called him, Miss Callahan has given us a very good picture of the woman who captured Jack’s heart.
Overwhelmingly, this story made me sad. Joy Davidman lived a hard life. Her search for meaning took many twists and turns including communism and atheism. Eventually, her search led her to Truth and to C.S. Lewis. Both met Jesus as adults. Both had incredible minds. Their faith was no wishy-washy thing based on feelings or the faith of others. Their faith was well-reasoned and thought through. It is no wonder their faith journeys led them to each other.
As she grew, Joy discovered that God had been pursuing her throughout her lifetime. This is what I loved most about this book, because God’s pursuit of Joy is no different than his pursuit of us. It is constant and unconditional. We may all spend our lifetimes discovering this truth, as Joy did. We are not so different than her.
For those who do not know their story, I will not spoil the end for you. It is worth reading the whole book to learn how they walked through the end together.
Becoming Mrs. Lewis is captivating. It’ll keep you up till late hours turning page after page. It would also make a good beach read.
The day I finished Becoming Mrs. Lewis, I booked it over to the library (see what I did there?) to grab a copy of A Grief Observed, written by C.S. Lewis. This is not fiction. This book is C.S. Lewis’ journal, verbatim, of his journey through grief. It is filled with emotional turmoil and spiritual doubt. It is honest and gut-wrenching and, for me, extremely relatable.
This little book felt more honest than anything I’ve read so far on grief and suffering. I found my own emotions within its pages. The circumstances surrounding our griefs are vastly different, but the emotions are the same. I grieved (and still grieve) the loss of my health. I didn’t realize how much it mirrors the grief others feel at the loss of a loved one. I do now.
Lewis shared how his grief brought new doubts to his faith. This is not something I experienced but I could still relate to it because what Lewis found is what I continue to find, a God who remains the same. Different pain, some comfort. Different stage in life, same faithfulness. Our God is the same, yesterday, in Lewis’ day, in my day and forever.
If you are grieving the loss of something or someone valuable to you, I recommend reading A Grief Observed. May it help you process your emotions and faith as it did me.
Together, these books helped me see C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman as real people. They are way too smart for me. If we were to sit together over a pint at “The Bird and Baby,” they would do all the talking. I would have nothing to add to the conversation. Yet, after reading these books, I feel less intimidated by their brains. They have become real to me and I would very much like to sit at that table just to listen to them banter. Perhaps one day, in heaven…
For more book reviews and encouragement dropped straight into your inbox, just click the button.
