I read this book based off of a few quotes I had read on an Instagram account. I had never heard of it or the author, but if you know me, seeing that C.S. Lewis makes an appearance in this story is what hooked me. Reading what Sheldon Vanauken's story was about and his relationship with his wife, I knew this was going to be beautiful.

First of all, if you read this book, you have to start it knowing that (a) This is a true story, so Vanauken is writing this as memories. When you read non-fiction, it's hard to really judge it because it actually happened. It's not like you can say, "I feel like there are holes in the plot," or "It was so unrealistic," or whatever. This actually happened, so your opinion on the plot doesn't really matter. If you didn't like it, you probably just don't like the topic that was written. You probably shouldn't have read it. (b) This is both a love story between him and his wife, and a story of their conversion to Christianity. He writes about both because those journeys are so intricately intertwined, he cannot tell one story without the other. So going back to point (a), if you don't like reading about love stories or Christianity, perhaps you shouldn't read this. I happen to love both subjects, especially when they work together so well (and when C.S. Lewis shows up). So here are my thoughts:

Of course, the story is beautiful. Sheldon and his wife, Davy, have very similar personalities to me. They are both very pragmatic in how they approach things such as their relationship and Christianity, but they also have such a great appreciation for art and beauty. It was great to read about how they found a connection to each other right off the bat. Because him and his wife spent their entire relationship writing down their memories and thoughts together in a journal, his memories are so detailed that it reads like a novel rather than a memoir. The only real issue I had with the writing was that because he was writing out his memories, he often jumped back and forth in time, which was a bit confusing. It could have been a little bit better organized, which would have helped the flow of the story and made it easier to read. But honestly, it didn't really bother me as I got past those moments.

I really enjoyed reading his poetry, letters, and memories. Their relationship with C.S. Lewis was also really great to read. I've not read a biography on him, yet, but I feel like I really got a good glimpse of his personality and how great of a friend he was. These weren't essays or novels that he was writing to a general audience, but instead he is writing to someone he knows and loves. It's so much more personal, like he's writing to me. That was definitely my favorite part of the book.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about Christianity and how two people who were so much against it still found God to be true and worth loving. It's also a great story of love between a man and wife that continues, even after tragedy. Give it a read, and tell me what you think!