I enjoyed this book so much I did not want it to end. The writing is lyrical without being pretentious, and I found myself whisked away from my covid world back to scholarly Oxford in the 1950's. We follow C.S. Lewis and American poet Joy Davidman as their relationship grows from penpals across the Atlantic, to great friends in Oxford, and finally to marriage partners.
An exceptional amount of research went into the writing of this book, and it shows. A beautiful read!

A ersatz biography written in the first person, well researched and well written. However I never did connect with the character of Joy. She was a woman of her time, as the author says, "trying to live an authentic life". As a non-theist I could not relate to her search for meaning in a relationship with a personal god. I love the C.S. Lewis children's books as myth but I take no inspiration from his spiritual pursuits.
So not my kind of book, not my kind of characters, but there is certainly an audience out there who would find comfort and inspiration from this book.

This book of fiction inspired by the relationship between Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis is a gem. It is beautifully written and well researched by author Patti Callaghan. I could not put it down. The book contains additional materials and discussion questions for book clubs. Highly recommended.

This was a beautiful story based on the relationship of C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman. A wonderful historical fiction read. It prompted me to look up more details about their relationship. Highly recommended.

Historical fiction based on the lives of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis, this is also a story of the woman behind the man. Their faith and genuine love is remarkable. There is a list of further suggested reading as well as a discussion guide for book clubs.