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And God Came in: An Extraordinary Love Story
When it was announced in London in 1956 that Anglican society's most famous apologist, C.S. Lewis, was to wed an American who was not only accustomed to speaking her mind freely, but was also a divorcee, born into a Jewish home, and a self-proclaimed athiest, it sent shock waves throughout the world. And God Came In chronicles the spiritual odyssey of this brash, challenging woman.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
About the author
Lyle Wesley Dorsett
41 books26 followersLyle W. Dorsett received his B.A. in history (1960) and M.A. in history (1962) from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and his Ph.D. in history from the University of Missouri-Columbia (1965). He began his teaching career at the University of Missouri, moving briefly to the Univ. of Southern California and University of Colorado at Denver, before he joined the history department at the University of Denver.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
August 23, 2013
This was one of the most satisfying biographies that I have ever devoured. I laughed and I cheered for Joy - and I wanted to cry for her at times. The margins of my book are filled with penciled notes, because I simply couldn't help myself. Mr. Dorsett is a gifted writer. By the time I finished the book, it felt as if I'd actually met those whose lives have already been lived.
Since reading this book, I have an even greater respect for C.S Lewis and also a new-found one for his wife, Joy, whom I'd only learned of recently from the screenplay "Shadowlands".
I heard of this book and decided to read it after I attended a conference in Atlanta about "The Enduring Legacy of C.S. Lewis". During the conference, again and again the name "Lyle Dorsett" came up. Now I see why that was. The man did a fabulous job of going directly to the sources of the real story and didn't fabricate anything to fill in blanks. No revised or politically correct history here (and how refreshing THAT was!).
Even if you've seen "Shadowlands", you're missing more than half of the story. If you admire C.S. Lewis or his writings and want to learn more about his "heart", read this book. You simply must.
Since reading this book, I have an even greater respect for C.S Lewis and also a new-found one for his wife, Joy, whom I'd only learned of recently from the screenplay "Shadowlands".
I heard of this book and decided to read it after I attended a conference in Atlanta about "The Enduring Legacy of C.S. Lewis". During the conference, again and again the name "Lyle Dorsett" came up. Now I see why that was. The man did a fabulous job of going directly to the sources of the real story and didn't fabricate anything to fill in blanks. No revised or politically correct history here (and how refreshing THAT was!).
Even if you've seen "Shadowlands", you're missing more than half of the story. If you admire C.S. Lewis or his writings and want to learn more about his "heart", read this book. You simply must.
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February 5, 2026comprehensive and beautiful; this is the most complete, satisfying look into Joy Davidman's life that i've read.
the biographer is sometimes misogynistic in his interpretation both of Joy and her actions--for example, he cites Joy as being the seducer of and full partner in an 'affair' with a professor when she was still in her teens and he (if i recall correctly) in his forties and also her professor, amongst other not great things. older men in power seducing young girls has always been and will always be rape, but neither he nor Joy would acknowledge as much--naturally enough for the time of the latter and the sex of the former.
that one thing said, there's such richness here and such a comprehensive breadth of knowledge and insight (plus the gathering of letters and searching out of sources not previously known or tapped), and what i can only describe as such a love and appreciation of Joy, that it's easier to overlook the occasional unpleasant and/or sexist remark
the biographer is sometimes misogynistic in his interpretation both of Joy and her actions--for example, he cites Joy as being the seducer of and full partner in an 'affair' with a professor when she was still in her teens and he (if i recall correctly) in his forties and also her professor, amongst other not great things. older men in power seducing young girls has always been and will always be rape, but neither he nor Joy would acknowledge as much--naturally enough for the time of the latter and the sex of the former.
that one thing said, there's such richness here and such a comprehensive breadth of knowledge and insight (plus the gathering of letters and searching out of sources not previously known or tapped), and what i can only describe as such a love and appreciation of Joy, that it's easier to overlook the occasional unpleasant and/or sexist remark
March 14, 2025
Very well written.
Joy Davidman was a flawed woman; aren’t we all? Whenever she chose to do something she did it with all her heart, mind, and strength. Be it Communism, family, or a sudden revelation of Jesus Christ that she dove into with abandon for the rest of her life. She still made mistakes, but she pressed on. I didn’t agree with all her theology- I don’t even agree with all C.S. Lewis'! -but she loved God, realized how deeply He loved her, and tried to share that with others.
She had a temper, yet she had such patience at the same time it rivals what I can understand. <3
A good insight into C.S. Lewis, from a different angle, as well.
I'm glad I read it.
CWs: Mentions of sex
Coarse language here and there throughout. (In quotes.)
Joy Davidman was a flawed woman; aren’t we all? Whenever she chose to do something she did it with all her heart, mind, and strength. Be it Communism, family, or a sudden revelation of Jesus Christ that she dove into with abandon for the rest of her life. She still made mistakes, but she pressed on. I didn’t agree with all her theology- I don’t even agree with all C.S. Lewis'! -but she loved God, realized how deeply He loved her, and tried to share that with others.
She had a temper, yet she had such patience at the same time it rivals what I can understand. <3
A good insight into C.S. Lewis, from a different angle, as well.
I'm glad I read it.
CWs: Mentions of sex
Coarse language here and there throughout. (In quotes.)
August 4, 2011
This was the first full-length biography ever published of Joy Davidman, who, though a noteworthy poet and author in her own right, would be most remembered as the wife of British scholar and author C.S. Lewis. The story of their marriage and of her tragic, premature death from cancer was already familiar to me from a number of sources, mostly focused on Lewis; yet I knew only generalities concerning Davidman's earlier life in America. AND GOD CAME IN does much to correct this and is built on extensive research into her many letters, the reminiscences of friends and surviving family, and her own writings. The endnotes at the back of this new edition thus span seventeen pages!
Dorsett himself is not a flawless writer, but overall I found his work here an engaging and very helpful new perspective. The hardships (even those somewhat self-inflicted) of Davidman's younger years, and her once deeply ingrained biases, cast her later Christian faith in a fresh and more impressive light.
The first edition of this work was also the source of many elements portrayed in the original 1985 BBC-TV rendering of SHADOWLANDS -- details I had encountered nowhere else and had long thought apocryphal. However, while that interpretation was far superior to the better-known 1993 cinematic version, Dorsett, in a new Preface, here expresses his dissatisfaction with either film's depiction of the Lewis/Davidman relationship, and takes the opportunity of the book's reissue to set the record straight on various points.
Although this story is deeply moving -- of two very different individuals who found (or were Led to) each other at a time when they needed the love and support their friendship and eventual marriage would provide -- Dorsett is correct in asserting that Joy deserves better than to have her own life's record 'obscured by the shadow of C.S. Lewis'. I rather think Jack would have been the first to agree, and to applaud this admirable attempt at re-introducing the world to a remarkable woman of ardent faith yet full humanity (with all the complexity which that implies).
Dorsett himself is not a flawless writer, but overall I found his work here an engaging and very helpful new perspective. The hardships (even those somewhat self-inflicted) of Davidman's younger years, and her once deeply ingrained biases, cast her later Christian faith in a fresh and more impressive light.
The first edition of this work was also the source of many elements portrayed in the original 1985 BBC-TV rendering of SHADOWLANDS -- details I had encountered nowhere else and had long thought apocryphal. However, while that interpretation was far superior to the better-known 1993 cinematic version, Dorsett, in a new Preface, here expresses his dissatisfaction with either film's depiction of the Lewis/Davidman relationship, and takes the opportunity of the book's reissue to set the record straight on various points.
Although this story is deeply moving -- of two very different individuals who found (or were Led to) each other at a time when they needed the love and support their friendship and eventual marriage would provide -- Dorsett is correct in asserting that Joy deserves better than to have her own life's record 'obscured by the shadow of C.S. Lewis'. I rather think Jack would have been the first to agree, and to applaud this admirable attempt at re-introducing the world to a remarkable woman of ardent faith yet full humanity (with all the complexity which that implies).
July 9, 2015
A rare and exciting story about someone who discovered that God made more sense than dialectical materialism (Communism). The intellectual journey of Joy Davidman, the woman CS Lewis married, should be encouraging to any Christian who thinks they've met a person with impenetrable spiritual walls.
August 13, 2026
Lyle Dorsett is an amazing writer and brings the story to life in great ways. Jodi had the privilege of having him as a professor at Wheaton College when we were there. Joy Davidman lived such an interesting life and was radically reshaped when she was born again. It feels like much of this took place around Oppenheimer‘s time and many overlapping stories about life in this era. I have always admired CS Luis and I have watched Shadowlands, which is their love story but the book, of course, was way more accurate and actually made the story more interesting and amazing. A very encouraging read!
August 13, 2021
One cannot study the life of Lewis without also studying Joy Davidman. A short, but informative biography on her life. I learned some things I didn't know. Naturally, Lewis is included as well, but the focus of this book is where it should be, on Joy. Worth the read for sure.
August 18, 2025
Excellent.
January 22, 2018
This is a very quick read on Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis. It is a straightforward telling of how exactly Joy ended up in England meeting Lewis. And it is an honest look at her marriage to Bill Gresham and what transpired to lead to divorce.
I was struck by the lack of friends Joy found in Lewis's friends; she was met with suspicion that never went away. Her funeral was notable because of all Lewis's friends who refused to attend.
Lyle W. Dorsett manages to convey the utter sadness Lewis felt at Joy's death without melodrama.
It is a quick read easily managed in a sitting or two.
I was struck by the lack of friends Joy found in Lewis's friends; she was met with suspicion that never went away. Her funeral was notable because of all Lewis's friends who refused to attend.
Lyle W. Dorsett manages to convey the utter sadness Lewis felt at Joy's death without melodrama.
It is a quick read easily managed in a sitting or two.
October 28, 2024
A friend lent this to me, knowing of my love of all things C.S. Lewis. It’s a biography of Joy Davidman, a Jewish-American convert to Christianity who befriended Lewis over letters, then later moved to England and became his great love, writing companion, and wife. Although I knew a fair bit of Joy from the various Lewis books I’ve read over the years, especially the letters and Lewis biographies, the closest I’ve come to a direct biography of her is Becoming Mrs. Lewis, a novelized version of her relationship with Lewis. And God Came In is a small but engaging work, one that emphasizes Joy’s intellectual gifts and love for argument — both qualities of which made the Lewis boys, Jack and Warren, instant fans once they’d met her. We meet Joy as the child of two secular Jews, who have no use for religion and pass that along to their daughter, who — as she ages — becomes interested in the social promises of Communism, and joins a local communist party. Despite this, Joy evinces an inexplicable interest in Jesus and the Crucifixion, and as her intellectual talents begin disassembling the arguments of Marx and Lenin, she simultaneously had an experience with the Divine which would put her on the path to converting to Christianity. Interestingly, she choose the closest church to her, a Presbyterian one, and appears to have taken on its animosity toward the Roman Catholic Church, as her writings frequently attack it and its doctrines and practices. If I’d known Joy had a connection to leftist politics, I’ve long since forgotten it, so reading this portion of her life was interesting. Although Joy loved to write, she found her talent was best applied as a collaborator, and this made her and Lewis into working partners as well as friends when she moved to England to get away from her abusive drunk of a husband who was also having an affair with her sister. I enjoyed encountering her here as a thinker and critic in her own right.
Related:
The Long Loneliness, Dorothy Day. Autobiography of another activist for whom the love of the poor manifested itself in both politics and religion.
Davita’s Harp, Chaim Potok. Secular child of Jewish socialists grows to find meaning through Judaism, not politics.
Related:
The Long Loneliness, Dorothy Day. Autobiography of another activist for whom the love of the poor manifested itself in both politics and religion.
Davita’s Harp, Chaim Potok. Secular child of Jewish socialists grows to find meaning through Judaism, not politics.
October 14, 2022
Really fun to read for a biography! Really surprised by how much I liked it. Still, it was only as interesting as a story can be without clear dialogue and all the details/drama. Dorsett added plenty of journal entries and excerpts from letters that helped fill in this void, which was nice, but letters can only do so much. I think it’s be be dry interesting to just have a whole book of the correspondence between Lewis, Joy, and anyone else mentioned.
I did gain lots of clarity on who Joy Davidman was. I’d seen a documentary on Lewis before—left out a lot of important details about his marriage, and almost painted them in a bad light. This cleared some things up and was really sweet to read!
Of course, there were some references to Sheldon Vanauken, from A Severe Mercy. I always lose it over any reference to him and Davy. Unfortunately, no reference about Sheldon’s own wife’s death and how Lewis counseled him through it—prepping him for his own grief—and I thought that was kind of an sad exclusion of info.
Overall, loved it though. Now I feel motivated to read Surprised by Joy and A Grief Observed!
I did gain lots of clarity on who Joy Davidman was. I’d seen a documentary on Lewis before—left out a lot of important details about his marriage, and almost painted them in a bad light. This cleared some things up and was really sweet to read!
Of course, there were some references to Sheldon Vanauken, from A Severe Mercy. I always lose it over any reference to him and Davy. Unfortunately, no reference about Sheldon’s own wife’s death and how Lewis counseled him through it—prepping him for his own grief—and I thought that was kind of an sad exclusion of info.
Overall, loved it though. Now I feel motivated to read Surprised by Joy and A Grief Observed!
February 27, 2024
The reason why I grabbed this book was because it said that was based on the life of the wife of the famous writer C.S. Lewis. I had no expectations on it but I ended really enjoying this biography,it was so interesting to know joy’s life,who had a unique story,full of trials,showing how God can redeem your life and bring actual purpose and fulfillment to your soul,the thing that Joy tried to look in other things,like her grades,achievements…but could not find.
It also portrays how important it is to actually embrace your faith with skepticism at the beginning in order to actually understand its meaning and value,that brings an impact to your whole perspective on life,mostly in those people who grew up in church.It was brilliant how her intellect accompanied by God’s wisdom could debate with other philosophies and at times it actually makes you reflect.
It also portrays how important it is to actually embrace your faith with skepticism at the beginning in order to actually understand its meaning and value,that brings an impact to your whole perspective on life,mostly in those people who grew up in church.It was brilliant how her intellect accompanied by God’s wisdom could debate with other philosophies and at times it actually makes you reflect.
September 28, 2020
This was a very good book. Shirley and I are listening to an audiobook that is a novel about Joy
Davidman. I was wondering how much of that book was fiction and how much was actual history.
After reading this biography, I see that so much of the novel is true to the facts. I will comment on that more when we finish listening to it and I review it.
This is a well and interesting biography. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. There was much sadness in
the life of Joy Davidman, but there was also a great deal of God’s grace.
Davidman. I was wondering how much of that book was fiction and how much was actual history.
After reading this biography, I see that so much of the novel is true to the facts. I will comment on that more when we finish listening to it and I review it.
This is a well and interesting biography. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. There was much sadness in
the life of Joy Davidman, but there was also a great deal of God’s grace.
June 6, 2020
Because I had already read Lenten Lands by Douglas Gresham, I felt that much of what I read in this book was already known. However it was still a good read and I’d certainly recommend it. Clearly the wife of C.S. Lewis had extreme sharp intellect which attracted her to him in the first place. A unique love affair of two very gifted people who placed God first in their lives.
December 12, 2025
I learned a great deal about Joy from this carefully sourced biography and see much in to admire about her. My understanding of Lewis, too, has been much broadened: though I was already quite familiar with his thought and biography, Dorsett’s account of Lewis’s life with Joy has for me added another dimension to my “feel” for Lewis a fellow man.
December 6, 2017
I didn't know anything about Joy Davidman except that she married C. S. Lewis. As with most people, there was a lot more to it than that. This book was fascinating and so was she. It was very interesting to learn more about her and her life.
October 15, 2019
After reading two biographies about Joy Davidman Lewis, this one was rather thin but did offer some insight into her growth as a Christian, and the attraction she held for Lewis as a friend, companion and wife.
November 11, 2021
This is an excellent book about the story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis. Excellent book about Joy Davidman's early life and then her years with C.S. Lewis. I would highly recommend for any C.S. Lewis fans.
May 15, 2018
outstanding. loved the subject, loved the story, loved the writing.
August 25, 2018
Enough detail to be worthwhile, but brief enough to sustain interest. Fascinating and thought-provoking!
May 25, 2019
A short yet concise biography. I enjoyed reading about Joy’s life and marriage to CS Lewis. Very interesting!
October 6, 2020
Yet another book recently read in my research of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis. Nice never-before-seen photos and more of Joy's personal words from letters and essays. I enjoyed every page.
November 26, 2020
I feel like i know her a little more than i did.
August 25, 2021
Fantastic book about an amazing woman.
June 17, 2022
4.5. Well-written, powerful conversion story.
January 21, 2024
You have to make it to the fourth chapter, then the whole thing is worth it.
October 2, 2025
God works all things together for His purposes ! Another miracle…
March 15, 2026
I’m claiming I read this book only because I actually read “A Love Observed” by the same author. The prefaces were exactly the same and the title of chapter 1 is the same.
August 11, 2026
Biographies have my heart. Reading about Joy Davidman and the influence she had on such a profound author, spurs me on. Lyle Dorsett does such an incredible work of sharing her life and impact.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews