I’ve had a soft spot for C. S. Lewis since I read Mere Christianity in my early 20s. His ability to explain his beliefs just rang true to me. And having just finished and loved Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan, this book just called to me.
It’s a lovely, heartwarming book. I loved Callahan’s use of a young college student tracking down Lewis to ask him questions on behalf of her seriously ill younger brother. I’m usually not a fan of the dual timeline method of telling historical fiction. This method of conveying Lewis’s life as stories worked nicely as an alternative.
Once again, Callahan brings her characters to life, both those real and fictional.
Some might find this simplistic. But I found it deep, but with a simple theme, if that makes sense. I was highlighting a lot of phrases. I loved learning of all of Lewis’s various inspirations for the Narnia series. But the story is about so much more than that. Callahan knows what she's doing as she weaves magic into the story of Lewis, Megs and George.
Callahan manages to encapsulate the beauty of storytelling and reading, of reminding us why we read and believe in stories. A warning - I was crying my eyes out at the end.
My thanks to Netgalley and Harper Muse for an advance copy of this book.

“Reason is how we get to the truth, but imagination is how we find meaning.”

There were so many great quotes in this book - about reading, imagination, life and death. And the story is beautiful.

Megs is a young university student studying physics. Instead of spending time with friends at the school on weekends, she travels home to be with her young brother George, who has a weak heart and isn't expected to live much longer. He has fallen in love with a book called The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and wants to know where and how the author came up with the story.

So Megs visits C.S. Lewis. I learned so much about his early life, and I absolutely loved the things this book said. I feel a strong need to pick up the other books Patti Callahan has written now, especially Becoming Mrs. Lewis.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. It was wonderful and I highly recommend it.

"There is a light, a bright lantern light where all stories begin and end."
Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

Sometimes you have to revisit a book. This is such a book.

To read this book for the first time, is every bit as magical as the first trip through the wardrobe when I first read of Narnia as a child. I have lost track of the times I have read the books in The Chronicles of Narnia and find truths still being revealed with each encounter. Have you ever been enchanted by a book and did not want it to end? With its beautiful haunting prose pulling you back into the book, wishing you were part of the story?

Patti Callahan has captured that magic in her beautiful story that explores the many questions readers have had over the years. The truths that are revealed in her masterful account of C. S. Lewis' life are woven skillfully with the fictional young boy and his sister whose story represents our quest for answers. It reminded me of that first burst of joy as I was completely lost in a story years ago.

It's compelling message of how the stories we write with our life can be filled with love and beauty, triumph over loss and suffering, and a vision for the glorious ending awaiting us. As young George says "I think the lion follows all of us around. We just have to look for him."

I received a complimentary copy from the author/publisher and Netgalley. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Have you walked through the wardrobe door?

Did you know that ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is one of Time Magazine’s top 100 novels of the century?

Callahan sets out to reveal the story behind the story that inspired Lewis to create his magical world of Narnia.
The author was intrigued by Lewis’s statement that “Sometimes fairy stories may say best what needs to be said” and rose to the challenge of melding a fairy tale with reality to capture Narnia’s beginnings. The result is this powerful tale about a brother and sister who are brought closer together through the magical tales of C.S. Lewis.

As George’s illness progresses, Megs Devonshire follows through on her little brother’s wishes to find out where the idea for Narnia came from and tracks down the author in an attempt to get answers. Megs, a physicist in the making and a brilliant mathematician on an Oxford scholarship, has learned to depend on facts; however, this proves to be her quest’s downfall. She becomes frustrated with Mr. Lewis because he doesn’t give her a straight answer. As she listens to C.S. Lewis and his brother reminisce about their childhood, she begins to realize that stories, like Narnia, begin in the dark where truths are illuminated by imagination and wonder. Conditioned to accept facts, she’s forced to recognize things that science and math cannot answer and comes away with ‘hope’ – Mr. Lewis’s gift for her!

This is my first time experiencing what others call the “Callahan Effect” – I was drawn into the magic of this author, thoroughly captivated and left enchanted, considering the magic in ordinary things. I absolutely loved Meg’s journey. She is brought to a place where she can feel the power of a story and finally appreciates how fantasy and reality interact to produce something beautiful. Perhaps this is what we need – a story to ignite our imagination when we allow it to become buried under responsibilities and the pace of modern life.

A five-star, enchanting tale that highlights the power of a story to help us understand our own journey needs to be on your reading pile this Fall.

Publishes October 19, 2021.

I was generously gifted this advance copy, Harper Muse’s first publication, by Patti Callahan, Harper Muse, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Simply a wonderful book! If you have any sense of imagination, this book is for you…and who doesn’t?!? I loved it!

Once Upon a Wardrobe takes the reader into the home of C.S. Lewis as a young woman desperately tries to learn the inspiration for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The year is 1950 and Meg is a student at Oxford, where C.S. Lewis is a professor. Her critically ill younger brother loves The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and wants to know if Narnia is real. He begs his sister to try to learn the truth from the author. Meg is welcomed in to the Lewis home by Warnie, the older brother of the author. Over a series of visits, Meg listens to Jack (aka C.S. Lewis) tell stories of his life. Through these stories, Meg learns a lot more than the answers to her brother's questions.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has been my go to answer whenever anyone asks me to name my favorite book for more than 40 years. Once Upon a Wardrobe enhances the themes of love and hope. I highly recommend this novel.
I was provided an ARC of Once Upon a Wardrobe by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
#netgalley #patticallahan #cslewis #thelionthewitchandthewardrobe #onceuponawardrobe

To be honest my book was expiring for it to read in the next two days and so I cracked it open to get it done. It surprised me and it was a lovely story I couldn't put down. Now I want to read her other books. I have heard of them but I didn't know how this author wrote. I always have loved Narnia so to read a book about how Narnia came to be was lovely. Megs and her love for her little brother was precious. I liked her budding romance too, but the heart of the story was Meg's love to her brother and George's love to his sister. It's a quiet read, not a face paced one. Some people might not like how it's paced, but it's like slowly eating a cake but in a good way. It's not about facts, but it is, but it's a weaving of a tale within a tale, a tapestry of colors. Some quiet others bold.

I received a complimentary copy of Once Upon a Wardrobe from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This book kept me entertained, but it was not super memorable. I found some of the details of the author very interesting, and it was written well enough, but all in all, this was a difficult topic to make enthralling.

My favorite book of 2021

I had no idea that I would be completely transported and emotionally moved by this magical story that tells the tale of how C.S. Lewis got his ideas for "The Chronicles of Narnia" through the eyes of university student Megs.

I highly recommend this book to any fan of C.S. Lewis or his work. It was far more than insight into Lewis' thoughts or certain happenings in his life, although you do get that. You also get a full story about Megs and her relationship with her little brother.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. I received an ARC as a reviewer for NetGalley.

I ADORED this book! I 'm very familiar with C.S. Lewis/Narnia, and so reading this story was a bit like stepping into my childhood all over again.

It's not necessary to be familiar with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe before reading this, but it definitely enhances your journey through these pages. I loved the scenes where Megs meets and talks with Lewis and his brother Warnie. These parts were written very vividly, and it's like you were RIGHT THERE in The Kilns, sitting in front of a roaring fire, the smell of old books all around you, and a cup of hot tea in your hands.

The only thing that seemed a bit "clunky" to me was that the novel jumped from first person (Megs narrating) to third person (present tense). Maybe because I was reading an arc is why things seemed a bit disjointed to me. But once I became used to it, I had no problem in following the story.

Overall, this novel is something I'm very excited to recommend. The ending is very heartfelt and graceful, and even though the reader can predict what happens, you still want to keep turning the pages and find out what happens to Megs and her family. It's a perfect little Christmas story, but really this book can be read at any time of year. It's short, and it read quickly (at least for me).

Once upon a wardrobe, not very long ago and not very far away, a middle-aged girl weighed down by the death, disease, disaster, and dissension screaming from the headlines opened an email from a book review site. She had resolved not to agree to any more review books at present, but there it was: the cover artwork of the dreaming spires of Oxford at blue hour, a Narnian lamppost garlanded with fresh snow in the foreground, a fairy-tale title, and a tiny lion’s head like a door-knocker inviting her into whatever adventure Aslan might have within. Resolve crumbles in the face of such a summons.

“Yes, please and thank you,” she clicked.

The galley eBook arrived in her inbox, and she couldn’t wait even a day to begin reading. As surely as Alice fell into Wonderland or Harry fell into Dumbledore’s Pensieve, she promptly fell into the tale of C. S. Lewis, Oxford don, helping a brother and sister learning to live in love, grief, and hope, all bound up together. The story raised the hair on her arms in prickles of wonder, brought a chuckle to her throat and a smile to her face, and repeatedly reduced her to tears as she read her Kindle in the backyard pool. It gave the sheerest, purest delight she’d felt in many weeks.

In Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry, Megs Devonshire studies mathematics at Oxford and dreams of one day becoming a professor and unraveling the mysteries of the universe through logic and mathematical reasoning. She remains aloof from the exuberant social life of her peers, however, spending most weekends traveling to and from her home village. Her beloved brother, George, is dying of a heart condition and unlikely to see his ninth birthday. He has developed an obsession with the recently published children’s book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis, and he knows Lewis happens to be a tutor at the university his sister attends. His dying wish is to find out from Mr. Lewis where Narnia comes from, where all the stories and places in his book come from.

His sister resists at first. It seems romantic nonsense to her mathematical self. After all, Mr. Lewis is quite famous and teaching in one of the Oxford colleges where no girls are allowed, so how is she to meet him and ask her brother’s questions? She even considers making something up and lying to her brother about having done his bidding, but ultimately she can’t bring herself to do that. She devises a plan to try to meet Lewis at his home, and while she sits outside screwing her courage to the sticking place, Lewis’s brother Warnie discovers her and invites her inside the home he shares with “Jack” for tea.

The many lengthy conversations that ensue don’t exactly answer George’s questions, and yet they do. In the process, Megs has her own ideas turned upside-down about imagination, reason, and whether a made-up story can, even so, tell the truth in a way a mathematical equation cannot. She finds friendship, mentorship, love, and the surprise of joy along the way. The world-weary girl reading her adventures discovers the closest thing she’s ever experienced to a second first time entering Narnia, and the nearest thing to tea with Jack and Warnie at the Kilns.

Readers familiar with the non-fiction work of C. S. Lewis may experience some déjà-vu, as many of the facts incorporated into the story derive from Surprised by Joy, and the ideas from his literary criticism, Mere Christianity, Weight of Glory, and collections of letters also make their presence known. All four of The Four Loves are also embodied in this tale. Even so, the whole far exceeds the sum of its parts. Ms. Callahan has clearly dwelt with her extensive research to the point that the ideas come out as if they were her own.

Readers not familiar with the life of Lewis and his non-fiction work will find this an accessible point of entry. The bibliography was not yet ready for the galley copy I enjoyed, but I expect that it will point readers in the right direction if they wish to read more.

Warning: common side effects predicted from this book include a high risk of impulsive binge-reading of the Narnian stories and a blown book budget.

All in all, Once Upon a Wardrobe earns my most heartfelt and earnest recommendation. The way it braids love, grief, and hope together is magical and healing. It overflows with another of Lewis’s favorite ideas, Sehnsucht, that homesick longing that Lewis considered to be proof we were made for another world. The story works as story, but also meditates on the mystery of what can only be known through imagination, the paradox that fiction (or “myth”) can tell the truth in a way nothing factual can, and the narrative escape that—at its best—is not escapist but equips us to return to life outside of the book we’re reading.

Once upon a wardrobe, not very long ago and not very far away, a world-weary middle-aged girl found deep and needed soul refreshment in this story about a brother and sister, another pair of brothers, a new friend, and the marvelous mystery of great books. She hopes you read it too.

(Also? Patti Callahan, I hear you. I hear you.)

A beautiful and heartbreaking story of life and love. Where do our stories come from? There are so many beautiful words written into this book. This particular phrase really touched me: "George knows you can take the bad parts in a life, all the hard and dismal parts, and turn them into something of beauty. You can take what hurts and aches and perform magic with it so it becomes something else, something that never would have been, except you make it so with your spells and stories and with your life." How beautiful is this? How life changing? Stories will surely change our lives and that can't always be explained. But when we can see that light, that light where it all began, then we can truly find where our stories live. In our lives every day, with those we love around us.

This was such a beautiful story and I highly recommend it for any fans of C. S. Lewis and his works.

This was quite a remarkable read that I quite enjoyed. Thank you to the author, the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own.

This is a story of family, of fantasy and of C. S. Lewis Narnia like you have never experienced before.
A sister of a dying sibling promises to explore Narnia and in doing so discovers love has no bounds. A charming sweet story.

Magically written story about C. S. Lewis and Narnia, and a boy named George and a young lady named Meg! It's a tear jerker, but in the best possible way!! Such a lovely tale. I'm so happy that I preordered it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-copy. The opinions are entirely my own.

'Once Upon A Wardrobe' is as divinely magical, mystical, mythical and mesmerizing as the works of C. S. Lewis. As we enter this amazing story, escorted by Patti Callahan, into a fictional space that takes us behind the veiled world of the 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', we as readers become as privileged as Megs Devonshire to be invited into the home and heart of C. S. Lewis. But the wondrous revelations do not stop at the door for once hearing Jack’s life story, we get other glimpses of his masterpieces.

Of course, any story where Lewis is part of its fabric, will always include his best friends Tolkien and Williams. And rightfully so, as they were all members of The Inklings literary group, who gathered in a pub for creative sparring, editing and sharing of works and ideas. Keen C. S. Lewis fans will also know that George MacDonald’s novels caused such a ‘baptism’ of Jack’s imagination that it changed him forever. To see these wonderful elements of Jack’s history woven into 'Once Upon a Wardrobe' adds even more weight to an already powerful framework.

'Once Upon a Wardrobe' sparkles with the same imagination as the C. S. Lewis classic and is just as inspiring, gripping, thoughtful and brilliant in its delivery of truth. This is a must read for those who love Jack’s stories but it will also make new converts of those who have not yet indulged in his works. For after reading 'Once Upon a Wardrobe', new readers will want to delve into 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', out of pure curiosity. For Patti paints such a vivid picture she sparks fresh interest in this man and his works.

It is a heart shaking story that centres on a young sick boy, George, and his math genius sister, Megs. We quickly learn that love for her brother drives her to great lengths to give him what he wants: an answer to a very important question: ‘Where did Narnia come from?’ The pathway they must follow to achieve a fulfilling answer sends them on a life-changing journey they will never forget: much like Narnia’s Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter.

George is a child of the heart. We could hug, hold, listen to and watch him forever. He has a special gift and a wisdom that astounds even Megs for he has been blessed with an understanding beyond his years. He possesses a depth of vision that is not of this world. This gift also serves another purpose. But knowing he has a terminal illness and that death looms on the horizon, breaks our hearts along with Meg's. She doesn’t want her beloved brother to die and she doesn’t want her chats with Jack to end. For one may affect the other. And as for George, although his spirit is strong, he does ponder one thought: is there a life beyond the wardrobe, beyond this earthly vale? He knows Narnia is a work of fiction but has learned from Jack that fiction can reflect a truth.

Which leads me to the next point: the power of stories. 'Once Upon a Wardrobe' shows the creative process all artists must take. And Patti’s method is pure genius in showing how the imagination delivers truth – how an author’s collection of memories (both real and imagined) are sewn together to create fiction. Here fact is distilled, and spirit and soul (mind) meet, to create on such an elevated level, that it transports the reader to another realm. To a place where vision is sharpened to receive and reflect the divine. But it isn’t all about fantasy. This excursion stretches our hearts and prepares us for the real world. Like dipping our empty glass into a bubbling brook of spring water. We need to drink to renew our parched bodies. To gain strength to endure and to view with fresh eyes. Then like those in Narnia, we will feel the warmth of the fire and see the twirl of the smoke, as inspiration springs out of the flames into our hearts. For stories take us to a place of magic, where belief awakens and enchants – so that miracles can erupt from the winter of regrets and loss—allowing us to heal.

Patti’s story (like Jack’s) awakens in us the magic of wonder that sometimes gets lost in the happenings of life. But if we listen closely for the Lion’s voice, we can hear both his valiant roar and his gentle whispers: just like Jack and his Narnia characters, and Megs and George.

Can I praise this novel ever too much? Never. It is so beautiful there are no words great enough to express the emotion I felt and the inspiration I experienced. It was like stepping into Narnia all over again. I could feel the snow drifting down around me, the long warm fur coat draping across my legs, and a faun meeting a human for the first time.

There is no better moment than now to read such a book: especially since our world has been thrust into great darkness and loss. Much like Narnia—really. So even more we need stories of hope and magic. I am reminded of my son as a little boy. We would read the Narnia stories on the saddest and darkest of days. Days when bad things had happened. Aslan would always lift his spirit and put a smile back on his face. Mine, too, once we entered that enchanting realm of Narnia through Jack’s words. And when my daughter was born, she entered that same magical world. It had an effect on her creative abilities, too. For that is what magical stories do. They flow on and on—inspiring and elevating us.

Now I am telling my adult son and daughter to get a copy of Patti’s wonderful novel, for it contains that same magic of C. S. Lewis. In fact, I beg everyone to get this beautiful book because 'Once Upon a Wardrobe' will quicken your dreams, set your heart on fire and help you believe again—if you’ve lost your way—and even if you haven’t and Narnia is a familiar domain for you—you will be happy its fairy-true charm has been passed on to other authors like Patti, today, for us to enjoy. 'Once Upon a Wardrobe' is a fresh take on an age old magic. This book gets an infinity rating from me. For the stars cannot measure it. 5+ Stars.

Many thanks to HarperMuse and Netgalley for this breathtaking ARC to review. And to Patti Callahan and C. S. Lewis for reminding us we are never too old for fairy-tales.

Once Upon a Wardrobe is wonderful – I absolutely loved it. This is a historical fiction novel featuring C. S. Lewis and his brother. While I know it is a fictional account and the storyline was created by the author, the research was well done and is believable but at the same time you know the details of the conversations and events were made up. And, of course, woven in is lots of description, explanation and hypothesis about the origin and meaning behind The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I loved the characters of Megs and her little brother and their narrative covers themes of family, loss, and love. I highly recommend the book, especially if you have read the Narnia series at some point like I did when I was young. This book made me immediately find a copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and start to re-read it – must be 40 plus years later for me!

Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Muse for a copy to read and review; all opinions are my own.

⭐⭐⭐⭐+
I enjoyed reading Ms. Callahan’s ‘Dearest Reader’ via a review of her novel. She states she often wondered what made C.S. Lewis write “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. What was the original story? Why did he start and stop? Qu
Questions she asked herself when terminally ill George Devonshire and his sister Megs popped into her imagination.

That is the reason she is an author and I am a reader. I totally loved [book: The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe] and accepted the fantasy and certainly never gave a thought as to how and
why? I have my own the theory as to where Narnia is and really am okay as to where Narnia
came from. Have to admit after reading this story I am ready to reread “The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe”!

This story is set in England in 1950: Megs Devonshire is a brilliant mathematics student at Oxford and she loves her eight-year old brother George. As mentioned above George is terminally ill with a weak heart and asks his sister older Megs “Where did Narnia come from?” With that question she sets her off to find out.
This story is beautiful, sad, happy ~ you name the emotion and it is more than likely you will experience it!

Since this is an early uncorrected proof it doesn’t have “A Note from the Author” nor ‘Acknowledgements’ two things I always love reading. Plus the final release will have Discussion Questions.
Pub Date reader are “Lucky Readers” to read the final version of this special story!!!
I do hope that the review I read by Ms. Callahan will be part of her message to readers in her “A Note from the Author”.
I totally enjoyed reading the “A Note from Douglas Gresham” the stepson of C. S. Lewis. His tribute to
author: Patti Callahan is very nice.
Want to thank NetGalley and Harper Gallery Books for this early release granted to me for my honest professional opinion.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 26, 2021.

It has been over 35 years since I read the Narnia series. Patti Callahan’s two books about CS Lewis has reintroduced me to the author and his books. I read Once Upon A Wardrobe in one sitting. It’s a mesmerizing, magical read. Callahan created a story within a story. While a sister seeks the answers for her very sick brother about Narnia, she discovers many of the answers for herself. It also reveals much about Lewis’ background. It’s whimsical, poignant, and engrossing. Step inside and enjoy the wonder of the wardrobe.

Once upon a wardrobe, in a land far, far away, the early life of C.S. Lewis is told to a young boy by his older sister. I absolutely loved this book! It was a wonderful mix of faith, hope, love, and magic. As Callahan writes, “The way the stories change us can’t be explained ... It can only be felt. Like love.”

My ARC was provided by NetGalley and was an early galley that did yet have Patti Callahan’s author's note attached to it. I can't wait to learn more about her research for this novel and the stories from C. S. Lewis aka Jack. This book was beyond what I expected and renewed my interest to reread the Narnia books!

I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis and of Patti Callahan. I read her book of Becoming Mrs. Lewis and now this one. She does a wonderful job of bring the life of C.S. Lewis alive. One can feel like your right there walking with him and Megs in this book. This is a Christmas book but I believe it’s a book that can be read all year long. I highly recommend this book and the author.