***SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 ROMANTIC NOVEL AWARDS*** 'Luminous and penetrating' Paula McLain A heart-rending historical romance. Poet, atheist, and communist, New Yorker Joy Davidman is an unconventional woman--and an unlikely partner for an English academic and theologian. And when she starts a correspondence with Narnia author C. S. Lewis, she isn't looking for love. Her own marriage crumbling, she seeks refuge in her work and guidance from a writer she admires. But in Joy's letters Lewis discovers a kindred spirit and an intellect to equal his own. Bonding over a shared love of literature and ideas, a deep connection is forged between the two. Embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, Joy travels from America to England and back again. Facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, against all the odds, the couple struggle to secure a love that will endure forever.