Joy
Poet, Seeker, and the Woman Who Captivated C. S. Lewis
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Narrated by:
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Bernadette Dunne
About this listen
The first full biography of Joy Davidman brings her out from C. S. Lewis' shadow, where she has long been hidden, to reveal a powerful writer and thinker.
Joy Davidman is known, if she is known at all, as the wife of C. S. Lewis. Their marriage was immortalized in the film Shadowlands and Lewis' memoir, A Grief Observed. Now, through extraordinary new documents as well as years of research and interviews, Abigail Santamaria brings Joy Davidman Gresham Lewis to your ears in the fullness and depth she deserves.
A poet and radical, Davidman was a frequent contributor to the communist vehicle New Masses and an active member of New York literary circles in the 1930s and '40s. Born Jewish in the Bronx, she was an atheist then a practitioner of Dianetics; she converted to Christianity after experiencing a moment of transcendent grace. A mother, a novelist, a vibrant and difficult and intelligent woman, she set off for England in 1952, determined to captivate the man whose work had changed her life.
Davidman became the intellectual and spiritual partner Lewis never expected but cherished. She helped him refine his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, and to write his novel Till We Have Faces. Their relationship - begun when Joy wrote to Lewis as a religious guide - grew from a dialogue about faith, writing, and poetry into a deep friendship and a timeless love story.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2015 Abigail Santamaria (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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This is the story of a close, loving family splintered by the violent ideologies of Europe between the wars. Jessica was a Communist; Debo became the Duchess of Devonshire; Nancy was one of the best-selling novelists of her day; the ethereally beautiful Diana was the most hated woman in England; and Unity Valkyrie, born in Swastika, Alaska, would become obsessed with Adolf Hitler.
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Great story, terrible reader
- By Victoria on 02-27-14
By: Mary S. Lovell
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Ted Hughes
- The Unauthorized Life
- By: Jonathan Bate
- Narrated by: Mike Grady
- Length: 25 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Ted Hughes, poet laureate, was one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. With an equal gift for poetry and prose, and with a soul as capacious as any poet in history, he was also a prolific children's writer and has been hailed as the greatest English letter writer since John Keats. His magnetic personality and insatiable appetite for friendship, love, and life also attracted more scandal than any poet since Lord Byron.
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Phenomenal thanks to narrator!
- By equinox14 on 06-26-16
By: Jonathan Bate
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Ayn Rand and the World She Made
- By: Anne C. Heller
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 19 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Ayn Rand is the author of two phenomenally best-selling ideological novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, which have sold over 12 million copies in the United States alone. Through them, she built a right-wing cult following in the late 1950s and became the guiding light of Libertarianism and of White House economic policy in the 1960s and '70s. Her defenses of radical individualism and of selfishness as a "capitalist virtue" have permanently altered the American cultural landscape.
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Great history of both Rand and her era
- By Mark on 08-07-10
By: Anne C. Heller
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Magnificent Rebels
- The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self
- By: Andrea Wulf
- Narrated by: Julie Teal
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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When did we begin to be as self-centered as we are today? At what point did we expect to have the right to determine our own lives? When did we first ask the question, how can I be free? It all began in the 1790s in a quiet university town in Germany when a group of playwrights, poets, and writers put the self at center stage in their thinking, writing, and their lives.
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fascinating overall, too much drama
- By soup cook on 11-27-22
By: Andrea Wulf
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I Am Dynamite!
- A Life of Nietzsche
- By: Sue Prideaux
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Nietzsche wrote that all philosophy is autobiographical, and in this vividly compelling, myth-shattering biography, Sue Prideaux brings listeners into the world of this brilliant, eccentric, and deeply troubled man, illuminating the events and people that shaped his life and work. I Am Dynamite! is the essential biography for anyone seeking to understand history's most misunderstood philosopher.
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Fascinating; tragic
- By Cineaste21 on 12-30-18
By: Sue Prideaux
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The Last Love Song
- A Biography of Joan Didion
- By: Tracy Daugherty
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 26 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Joan Didion lived a life in the public and private eye with her late husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, whom she met while the two were working in New York City, when Didion was at Vogue and Dunne was writing for Time. They became wildly successful writing partners when they moved to Los Angeles and cowrote screenplays and adaptations together. Didion is well known for her literary journalistic style in both fiction and nonfiction.
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Riveted for 1591 miles
- By Kaysi12 on 04-11-16
By: Tracy Daugherty
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Labyrinths
- Emma Jung, Her Marriage to Carl, and the Early Years of Psychoanalysis
- By: Catrine Clay
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Clever and ambitious, Emma Jung yearned to study the natural sciences at the University of Zurich. But the strict rules of proper Swiss society at the beginning of the 20th century dictated that a woman of Emma's stature - one of the richest heiresses in Switzerland - travel to Paris to "finish" her education, to prepare for marriage to a suitable man. Engaged to the son of one of her father's wealthy business colleagues, Emma's conventional and predictable life was upended when she met Carl Jung.
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Carl plays center stage
- By Sparrowhawk on 12-23-16
By: Catrine Clay
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Eleanor and Hick
- The Love Affair That Shaped a First Lady
- By: Susan Quinn
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1932 Eleanor Roosevelt entered the claustrophobic, duty-bound existence of the first lady with dread. By that time she had put her deep disappointment in her marriage behind her and developed an independent life - now threatened by the public role she would be forced to play. A lifeline came to her in the form of a feisty campaign reporter for the Associated Press: Lorena Hickok. Over the next 30 years, until Eleanor's death, the two women carried on an extraordinary relationship.
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An Icon who was real.
- By Francine Fields on 08-17-17
By: Susan Quinn
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Charlotte Brontë
- A Fiery Heart
- By: Claire Harman
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Charlotte Brontë's life contained all the drama and tragedy of the great Gothic novels it inspired. Like Jane Eyre, she was raised motherless on remote Yorkshire moors and sent away to a brutally strict boarding school at a young age. Charlotte grew up and watched helplessly as, one by one, her five beloved siblings sickened and died; by the end of her short life, she was the only child of the Brontë clan remaining.
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Clear-Eyed Bio of Literature's Most Elusive Figure
- By wally on 09-02-16
By: Claire Harman
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Metaphysical Animals
- How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life
- By: Clare Mac Cumhaill, Rachae Wiseman
- Narrated by: Alex Dunmore
- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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The history of European philosophy is usually constructed from the work of men. In Metaphysical Animals, a pioneering group biography, Clare Mac Cumhaill and Rachael Wiseman offer a compelling alternative. In the mid-twentieth century Elizabeth Anscombe, Mary Midgley, Philippa Foot, and Iris Murdoch were philosophy students at Oxford when most male undergraduates and many tutors were conscripted away to fight in the Second World War. Together, these young women, all friends, developed a philosophy that could respond to the war’s darkest revelations.
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Book about nothing
- By Gerardo Naranjo Gonzalez on 06-14-22
By: Clare Mac Cumhaill, and others
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Mark Twain: Man in White
- The Grand Adventure of His Final Years
- By: Michael Shelden
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman
- Length: 17 hrs
- Unabridged
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Pulitzer Prize finalist Michael Shelden illuminates Mark Twain’s twilight years in this brilliant account of the legendary author’s life. Drawing heavily on Twain’s own letters and journals, Mark Twain: Man in White recounts both Twain’s private family experiences and his larger-than-life public image.
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Fantastic book
- By Tad Davis on 08-23-10
By: Michael Shelden
What listeners say about Joy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sarah ozacky
- 08-26-21
Sarah
Wonderful story on an extraordinary woman. Emotional and inspirational . Narration is great as well. I listening was a real experience
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- anonymous
- 08-12-21
Enjoyed
I knew very little of CS Lewis, nothing of Joy Davidman. This was an objective retelling of Joys life before and after Lewis. I enjoyed the retelling of a full
and interesting life. Warts and all that shimmers.
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- MVP
- 06-25-16
A tough life for a tough woman
I purchased this book because I was so interested in how a confirmed lifelong celebrity bachelor gets swept up in the siren song of a woman from a different country, religion, ethnicity, and social class. Boy was I in for it--their story wasn't easy. Her story wasn't easy. This book was truly a testament to the art of the biography. Santamaria, after what proved to be a very thorough research process, created a character who you can truly love and hate at the same time and relayed such a vivid image of 1940's, 50's America and 1950's, 60's England. My "rose colored glasses" perspective on the life of the mid-century American writer was blasted by this book, and the realities of that time make me so grateful to be alive now. Bernadette Dunne's narration was artful, entertaining, and demonstrative of an actor who really researched and understood the characters she took on. Listening to this book was a really lovely and inspiring experience.
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8 people found this helpful
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- angieD
- 01-26-21
love!!
Great biography of strong woman who tried hard to make better life for herself and her children. I like the fact that her relationship with CS Lewis wasn't Holywood live story lol Real life real struggle and romance that developed over the time.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jay Lynn Walker
- 10-22-23
A very interesting biography
This book was very well written and the reader did an excellent job narrating it. Much of the time I realized I did not care for the character of Joy for obvious reasons. I appreciated the author’s willingness to show the negative aspects of her subject as well as the positive. I felt very sorry for her long suffering first husband Bill because of the cruel treatment he received from Joy. Overall, the book gave me an interesting perspective on the historical forces at play during these times. It was engaging and educational, and has inspired me to read some of C.S. Lewis’ works
straight away.
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- Debbie
- 04-11-16
A History Primer on the Times AND Joy Davidman
For those who've loved C. S. Lewis, his writings or the Narnia series, and want a closer look into the woman whom he eventually married, this is an excellent book . . . at times dry, but extremely detailed, the author takes the listener back to the birth and childhood of Joy Davidman . . . her parents were Jewish and immigrated to the US from Poland . . . stern and strict, both her parents were teachers, and expected the same from Joy, who was an extremely bright, if difficult, free thinking child . . . bucking her parents authority at every turn . . . from an early age, Joy was a writer . . . but she did, indeed, follow in her parents footsteps to become a teacher . . . I cannot say that I liked Joy very much, but I was fascinated by her . . . and I quickly came to see how the liberals of today came to be . . . I cheered when she finally came to her senses and realized that she had blindly followed a bunch of hogwash when she bought into atheism and communism, without testing either of them, or following them to their natural conclusions . . . and my heart melted when she knew her childhood "fairyland" to be God given . . . and the peace she found there to be the peace that surpasses all understanding . . . once saved, Joy, as all us warty Christians, does not become completely lovable . . . but continues to resort back to manipulative tactics, both with her husband and C.S. Lewis . . . wow . . . don't we all fight that little devil on our shoulders? The discovery of Joy's cancer, her suffering, eventual marriage to C.S. Lewis became her refining fire . . . it became her pain, her taming, and ironically it became her joy . . . and the that of C.S. Lewis, I believe . . . for without it, I'm not sure he would have married Joy or ever discovered ALL of the Four Loves . . .
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6 people found this helpful
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- Brenton D Dickieson
- 05-23-19
Gripping Biography, Engaging Reader
Gripping Biography, Engaging Reader: this really is one of the strongest biographies I have ever read, and a pretty good reader to help me reread this book
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2 people found this helpful
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- Grace M-T
- 02-16-20
Fairly nuanced but omitted some key facts
The author provides unvarnished portrayal of Joy Davidman up until her marriage to Lewis and then gets a bit goopy. She glosses over Joy’s mercenary motives in pursuing Lewis in favor of cringe-worthy sonnets that make one harbor severe doubts about Davidman’s talents as a writer. I recommend Alister McGrath’s book: C. S. Lewis -- A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet, for a less sentimental analysis. See particularly how—after her civil marriage of convenience to Lewis but before the religious one—Davidman tried to get the legal owner of the Kilns, Maureen Blake, to cede ownership to Lewis (who had lifetime tenancy) so Davidman’s sons would inherit it after Lewis’s death.
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1 person found this helpful