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Discussion on Becoming Mrs. Lewis

C. S. Lewis, his worlds, and his faith.

Moderators: coracle, Lady Arwen

Re: Discussion on Becoming Mrs. Lewis

Postby Lady Arwen » Oct 27, 2019 10:02 pm

Courtenay, I'm glad you're finding the introduction was adjusted! I have not read the book, but I would love to hear your feedback on it. You're definitely welcome to post about the book here, either in review form, or in commentary as you go along. I'm sure we're all quite curious!
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Re: Discussion on Becoming Mrs. Lewis

Postby Courtenay » Oct 28, 2019 9:59 am

Hi Lady Arwen and everyone,

I've posted my thoughts on Becoming Mrs Lewis in the Books thread, but would be happy to discuss it here if people would prefer. This might be a better place for it, really.

In summary (as my other post is quite long!), it started out as a light and fun read, but what eventually made me too uncomfortable to go on was that it's about real people and real events, but turned into an unremarkable piece of soppy romantic fiction. 16 chapters or so in (barely 1/3 of the total length), almost all we see of Joy is cliched musings on her unsatisfying life so far and her failure to fit into the typical role of wife and mother and her conflicted feelings about her first marriage and her efforts to suppress her growing feelings for Jack, with the melodrama laid on by spadefuls, needless to say. (-|

And yet as we don't hear much at all about Joy's spiritual journey — apart from a beautifully written couple of paragraphs in the first chapter about how she (as an atheist) prayed in desperation and suddenly discovered God, we get almost nothing of how her understanding of God and her relationship with Him developed from there (not even why she chose Christianity over her original Judaism and started going to church) — there's hardly any sense of WHY her correspondence with Lewis meant so much to her and what they actually talked about and how they became so close. Once I realised my originally avid interest was draining away fast, I flicked through the rest of the book and wasn't any more impressed, so I'm afraid it's now on my charity shop pile.

Anyway, as I said in the other thread, if anyone has read and can recommend a good biography of the REAL Joy Davidman Lewis, I'd definitely be interested!! :D

(Here's the link to my post in the Books thread)
"Now you are a lioness," said Aslan. "And now all Narnia will be renewed." (Prince Caspian)
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