Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Joy Davidson and C. S. Lewis: A Love Story


Joy Davidson was struggling with her conversion to Christianity and with her writing career. When a friend suggested she write to C. S. Lewis, she didn’t expect much. She received the response to her first letter and the feelings they shared evolved into a correspondence that sustained both of them.

During this time, Joy’s marriage was falling apart. She loved her two sons, but her husband was a womanizing alcoholic. When her cousin Renee, came to live with them to escape her alcoholic husband, things came to a head. Joy was ill and Renee suggested that she get away to get better. Joy chose England where she and C. S. Lewis met. The attraction was instantaneous, but Joy couldn’t completely leave her boys. When she returned home, things were even more stressful than when she left. Her husband and Renee had become lovers.

This is a very emotional story and well developed by the author. The love story was a much a meeting of the minds as it was a romance. Indeed, it seemed that it might never become consummated. I could feel Joy’s desire and pain. It was a very moving experience.

I highly recommend this book. It is a love story, but it also takes you into the atmosphere at Oxford. I loved the descriptions. The book has an obviously religious background, but it can also be enjoyed as a character study of two very cerebral people falling in love.

I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for this review.

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