Once Upon a Wardrobe
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- Create Date：2021-11-07 11:21:07
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Patti Callahan
- ISBN：1713637545
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Summary
From Patti Callahan， the bestselling author of Becoming Mrs。 Lewis， comes another enchanting story that pulls back the curtain on the early life of C。 S。 Lewis。
“Where did Narnia come from？”
The answer will change everything。
Megs Devonshire is brilliant with numbers and equations， on a scholarship at Oxford， and dreams of solving the greatest mysteries of physics。
She prefers the dependability of facts—except for one: the younger brother she loves with all her heart doesn’t have long to live。 When George becomes captivated by a brand-new book called The Lion， the Witch and the Wardrobe and begs her to find out where Narnia came from， there’s no way she can refuse。
Despite her timidity about approaching the famous author， Megs soon finds herself taking tea with the Oxford don and his own brother， imploring them for answers。 What she receives instead are more stories 。 。 。 stories of Jack Lewis’s life， which she takes home to George。
Why won’t Mr。 Lewis just tell her plainly what George wants to know？ The answer will reveal to Meg many truths that science and math cannot， and the gift she thought she was giving to her brother—the story behind Narnia—turns out to be his gift to her， instead: hope。
Praise for Once Upon a Wardrobe:
“I advise you to read this book， then wait for a while and then read it again， for while it may not be Narnia， there is magic in it。” —Douglas Gresham， C。 S。 Lewis’s stepson
"Exquisitely heartfelt， Once Upon a Wardrobe is a love letter to the magic of stories。 I call it the Callahan Effect—from the first page to the last， Patti Callahan's wise and beautiful prose draws you in and doesn’t let you go。" —Sarah Addison Allen， New York Times bestselling author of First Frost and Lost Lake
“Once Upon a Wardrobe is a poignant meditation on the lengths we will go to for our loved ones as well as a fascinating glimpse into the early life of C。 S。 Lewis。 Patti Callahan’s beautiful， life-affirming novel is a reminder that literature lives inside us， and that when we read someone else’s story， we understand so much more about our own。 A gorgeous， compelling book。” —Janet Skeslien Charles， award-winning author of The Paris Library
“With a touch of fairy-tale magic， Once Upon a Wardrobe will take you behind the legend and deep into the English and Irish countryside， where you’ll encounter not only the inspirations for one of the 20th century’s most beloved works， but also a tale of heartache， hope， and discovery that will forever change the Narnia you thought you knew。” —Kristin Harmel， New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars
“In this powerful， enchanting tale for all ages， readers uncover the inspiration for Lewis's famous books， while at the same time discovering the way in which stories—and myths—weave through our existences， subtly transforming us in immeasurable ways。 Stunning。” —Marie Benedict， New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Mrs。 Christie
New York Times bestselling author
Also by Patti Callahan: Becoming Mrs。 Lewis and Surviving Savannah
“Where did Narnia come from？”
The answer will change everything。
Megs Devonshire is brilliant with numbers and equations， on a scholarship at Oxford， and dreams of solving the greatest mysteries of physics。
She prefers the dependability of facts—except for one: the younger brother she loves with all her heart doesn’t have long to live。 When George becomes captivated by a brand-new book called The Lion， the Witch and the Wardrobe and begs her to find out where Narnia came from， there’s no way she can refuse。
Despite her timidity about approaching the famous author， Megs soon finds herself taking tea with the Oxford don and his own brother， imploring them for answers。 What she receives instead are more stories 。 。 。 stories of Jack Lewis’s life， which she takes home to George。
Why won’t Mr。 Lewis just tell her plainly what George wants to know？ The answer will reveal to Meg many truths that science and math cannot， and the gift she thought she was giving to her brother—the story behind Narnia—turns out to be his gift to her， instead: hope。
Praise for Once Upon a Wardrobe:
“I advise you to read this book， then wait for a while and then read it again， for while it may not be Narnia， there is magic in it。” —Douglas Gresham， C。 S。 Lewis’s stepson
"Exquisitely heartfelt， Once Upon a Wardrobe is a love letter to the magic of stories。 I call it the Callahan Effect—from the first page to the last， Patti Callahan's wise and beautiful prose draws you in and doesn’t let you go。" —Sarah Addison Allen， New York Times bestselling author of First Frost and Lost Lake
“Once Upon a Wardrobe is a poignant meditation on the lengths we will go to for our loved ones as well as a fascinating glimpse into the early life of C。 S。 Lewis。 Patti Callahan’s beautiful， life-affirming novel is a reminder that literature lives inside us， and that when we read someone else’s story， we understand so much more about our own。 A gorgeous， compelling book。” —Janet Skeslien Charles， award-winning author of The Paris Library
“With a touch of fairy-tale magic， Once Upon a Wardrobe will take you behind the legend and deep into the English and Irish countryside， where you’ll encounter not only the inspirations for one of the 20th century’s most beloved works， but also a tale of heartache， hope， and discovery that will forever change the Narnia you thought you knew。” —Kristin Harmel， New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars
“In this powerful， enchanting tale for all ages， readers uncover the inspiration for Lewis's famous books， while at the same time discovering the way in which stories—and myths—weave through our existences， subtly transforming us in immeasurable ways。 Stunning。” —Marie Benedict， New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Mrs。 Christie
New York Times bestselling author
Also by Patti Callahan: Becoming Mrs。 Lewis and Surviving Savannah
Reviews
Raymond
，
Awesome！ Make sure you have read the LION， the Witch and the WARDROBE， first。
Hope
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I struggled with this book。
Sue Seligman
，
Review to follow
Bev Knight
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Read the whole thing in one morning。 Sooooo beautiful and nostalgic and moving。 Cried a lot。 Amazing companion to the lion， the witch， and the wardrobe。 Highly recommend using a Narnia ASMR playlist and having the fire on 💕💕💕
Susan Coster
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Since I loved BECOMING MRS。 LEWIS， I desperately wanted to read the prequel （？） to it。 This book is very different however。 The focus is on an Oxford student， Megs Devonshire， who has a sick and dying young brother， George， who loves C。S。 Lewis' book， The Lion， The Witch and the Wardrobe。 He has many questions about how the book came to be， so Megs tracks down Jack （C。S） at his Kilns home and their friendship begins。 Each weekend， Megs rushes home to George to tell him the stories that Jack has Since I loved BECOMING MRS。 LEWIS， I desperately wanted to read the prequel （？） to it。 This book is very different however。 The focus is on an Oxford student， Megs Devonshire， who has a sick and dying young brother， George， who loves C。S。 Lewis' book， The Lion， The Witch and the Wardrobe。 He has many questions about how the book came to be， so Megs tracks down Jack （C。S） at his Kilns home and their friendship begins。 Each weekend， Megs rushes home to George to tell him the stories that Jack has told her。 It is never enough for George。 Find out what happens in this beautiful book of love， courage， and hope。 Pick it up。 Bravo， Patti！ 。。。more
Carmen
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Beautifully written book full of warmth， wonder and heart。
Diane Hamel
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I have always had a passion for the writings and life story of CS Lewis。 Finding Mrs Lewis became one of my all time favourite books and led me to discover the poetry of Joy Davidman。 In the Magic Wardrobe， I not only discovered more about the Lewis brothers but magic in the telling of a story。 “Good stories introduce the marvelous。 The whole story， paradoxically， strengthens our relish for real life。 This excursion sends us back with renewed pleasure to the actual world。 It provides meaning。 It I have always had a passion for the writings and life story of CS Lewis。 Finding Mrs Lewis became one of my all time favourite books and led me to discover the poetry of Joy Davidman。 In the Magic Wardrobe， I not only discovered more about the Lewis brothers but magic in the telling of a story。 “Good stories introduce the marvelous。 The whole story， paradoxically， strengthens our relish for real life。 This excursion sends us back with renewed pleasure to the actual world。 It provides meaning。 It takes us out of ourselves and lets us view reality from new angles。 It expands our awareness of the world。”Thank you Patti Callahan for expanding the pages of Once Upon A Wardrobe with adventure， discovery， pain and encouragement and yes， joy。 。。。more
Suellen
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• Recommended in ModernMrsDarcy。com 2021 Fall Book Preview #MMDBookClub
Kerry Croucier
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My Heart。 Think of me with my hand over my heart as I read the last words in this novel with tears running down my face。 ONCE UPON A WARDROBE is an absolutely beautiful novel。 As someone who grew up reading the Chronicles of Narnia， the question of where Narnia came from was something I wondered about but moved on from as I got older and explored new books。 Patti Callahan has taken a childhood wondering to the next level。From the characters to the story to the emotion， there are not words to con My Heart。 Think of me with my hand over my heart as I read the last words in this novel with tears running down my face。 ONCE UPON A WARDROBE is an absolutely beautiful novel。 As someone who grew up reading the Chronicles of Narnia， the question of where Narnia came from was something I wondered about but moved on from as I got older and explored new books。 Patti Callahan has taken a childhood wondering to the next level。From the characters to the story to the emotion， there are not words to convey how wonderful this novel is。 I wish I could go back and experience it， again， for the first time。 My heart alternately soared and broke for George and Megs。 I can see this magnificent story becoming as much of a classic as the story that inspired it。 Don’t miss this incredible read。Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel。 All opinions are my own and freely given。#OnceUponAWardrobe #Narnia #PattiCallahanHenry #PattiCallahan #HarperMuse 。。。more
Kathleen Belmondo
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This is a wonderful book。 Becoming Mrs Lewis was one of my favorite reads ever。 Once again， I was drawn in early to this CS Lewis centered story。 The characters are so well drawn， and the description of the English and Irish countrysides make you feel you are there。 I admit I will be working backwards， as I've never read CS Lewis， but that is about to change。 Thanks so much to this author。 This is a wonderful book。 Becoming Mrs Lewis was one of my favorite reads ever。 Once again， I was drawn in early to this CS Lewis centered story。 The characters are so well drawn， and the description of the English and Irish countrysides make you feel you are there。 I admit I will be working backwards， as I've never read CS Lewis， but that is about to change。 Thanks so much to this author。 。。。more
Anne Farmer
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This is a lovely book that reminds us of the power of story and how one’s life can inspire us through the dark times！
Catherine Lee
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Another great book。 Made my imaginations and dreams come alive。
Marilyn
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If you are a fan of C。 S。 Lewis' The Lion， the Witch and the Wardrobe then you will enjoy this book。 Megs has a younger brother George who has a terminal illness。 All he really wants is to know the truth about Narnia。 So Megs sets out to confront the man himself to get the answers George so desperately wants。 The only difficulty is Megs herself believes more in math and logic and is not so sure about myths and fairy tales。 Little does she know that her quest for George will bring her answers to If you are a fan of C。 S。 Lewis' The Lion， the Witch and the Wardrobe then you will enjoy this book。 Megs has a younger brother George who has a terminal illness。 All he really wants is to know the truth about Narnia。 So Megs sets out to confront the man himself to get the answers George so desperately wants。 The only difficulty is Megs herself believes more in math and logic and is not so sure about myths and fairy tales。 Little does she know that her quest for George will bring her answers to questions she didn't know she had。 。。。more
Amanda
，
Lover's of Narnia and the writings of C。S Lewis are in for a treat。 The story begins with George （a young boy suffering a heart condition） whose condition confines him to bed。 His only escape to the outside world is through books， and when he reads the Lion， the Witch， and the Wardrobe， he becomes obsessed。 He asks his sister Megs （a college student at Oxford） to find C。S "Jack" Lewis and ask him a question。 Where did Narnia come from？ Befriending "Jack Lewis" and his brother Warnie， Meg becomes Lover's of Narnia and the writings of C。S Lewis are in for a treat。 The story begins with George （a young boy suffering a heart condition） whose condition confines him to bed。 His only escape to the outside world is through books， and when he reads the Lion， the Witch， and the Wardrobe， he becomes obsessed。 He asks his sister Megs （a college student at Oxford） to find C。S "Jack" Lewis and ask him a question。 Where did Narnia come from？ Befriending "Jack Lewis" and his brother Warnie， Meg becomes a frequent visitor at their home after she queries the writer about the origins of Narnia。 The reader and characters learn about the progression of Jack's life through a series of stories he tells Megs， who then writes them down to read to George。 Meg races against time to give George his answer before it's too late。During this experience Meg learns as much about herself， as she does about Lewis。 He opens her eyes to the world around her， and to the fact that there is more to life then the definite answers she finds in her beloved math equations。 Frustrated that Lewis does not come right out tell her where Narnia comes from， she fears she will never find the answer George so desperately wants。 In the end Meg and George do learn about where Narnia came from， just not in the definitive way they imagined。 Through this journey Meg experiences love， friendship， a new appreciation for literature while strengthening her bond with her brother， and preparing herself to say goodbye to him forever。 A beautifully heartbreaking and poignant story。 。。。more
Cassandra
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Where do stories come from， how do characters become named or where do they get their start？ A sister studying mathematics who believes everything can be answered in a straight line come to learn differently thru her young brothers love for The Lion， The Witch， & The Wardrobe。 If you’ve read and loved The Chronicles of Narnia this is a lovely book to enjoy。“And you’ve allowed me to see that we are enchanted not by being able to explain it all， but by it’s very mystery。 That is — finally， that is Where do stories come from， how do characters become named or where do they get their start？ A sister studying mathematics who believes everything can be answered in a straight line come to learn differently thru her young brothers love for The Lion， The Witch， & The Wardrobe。 If you’ve read and loved The Chronicles of Narnia this is a lovely book to enjoy。“And you’ve allowed me to see that we are enchanted not by being able to explain it all， but by it’s very mystery。 That is — finally， that is — enough。” 。。。more
Linnea
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Could be called Finding CS Lewis。 A great little biography with parallels to a sick George and a young CS Lewis。 Enjoyed learning more about the great man！
Jen
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A truly magical book that wrapped me up in a warm hug。 Thank you Patti Callaghan for this sweet treasure of a story
Chautona Havig
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I've read the last word， and I am heartbroken。 I didn't want it to end， and yet。。。 has it？Written with love and care for a man I respect and love more every time I learn something more about him， Patti Callahan attempts to answer the question， "Where did Narnia come from？" The answer is life-changing for everyone in the story， and I suspect it would have been even for Mr。 Lewis himself。This unique approach to a sort-of biography is part fairytale， part romance， part love story。 No， those last tw I've read the last word， and I am heartbroken。 I didn't want it to end， and yet。。。 has it？Written with love and care for a man I respect and love more every time I learn something more about him， Patti Callahan attempts to answer the question， "Where did Narnia come from？" The answer is life-changing for everyone in the story， and I suspect it would have been even for Mr。 Lewis himself。This unique approach to a sort-of biography is part fairytale， part romance， part love story。 No， those last two are not synonyms。 In this respect， a romance is of the kind Anne Shirley would embrace--beauty， tragedy， and hope all wrapped in an achingly wonderous tale。 THAT， my friends， is a real romance。 Once Upon a Wardrobe offers them all and so much more。 I read this book as slowly as I could make myself。 I backtracked as often as I could， desperate for it not to end。 Then， as it did， I laughed at myself， because you see。。。 good books never end。 They just start all over again。 This is one of those books。Recommended for anyone who loves C。S。 Lewis， whose life was changed by Narnia， or who just likes a good story。 This offers something for everyone。 Not recommended for those who refuse to engage their imaginations， not because they wouldn't enjoy it anyway but because it would be a disservice to Ms。 Callahan's work。 。。。more
Lauran Vetuschi
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My absolute favorite of the year！！
Robin Beard
，
It has taken me a few days to formulate the words to express how much I loved this book。 If you love C。S。 Lewis and/or The Lion， the Witch， and the Wardrobe - you simply must read this book。 This is a story of a sister （Megs Devonshire） whose quest is to answer the question of her 8 year old brother （Henry）- “Where did Narnia come from？” - and the precious encounters with C。S。 Lewis himself。 This quest takes the reader on a journey through the life of Mr。 Lewis and his brother that left me lovin It has taken me a few days to formulate the words to express how much I loved this book。 If you love C。S。 Lewis and/or The Lion， the Witch， and the Wardrobe - you simply must read this book。 This is a story of a sister （Megs Devonshire） whose quest is to answer the question of her 8 year old brother （Henry）- “Where did Narnia come from？” - and the precious encounters with C。S。 Lewis himself。 This quest takes the reader on a journey through the life of Mr。 Lewis and his brother that left me loving both the author and one of my favorite books even more。 All the while， readers will fall in love with Megs， George， and truly every one of the characters。 This is one of those books that I intend to read again - just to relive it！I listened to this on Libro。fm and loved the narration and the emotion portrayed in this format。 。。。more
Kathleen Freeman
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This story was touching， I like how it unfolded and ending pulled at my heartstrings。
Sharlene
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"When college student Megs approaches author C。 S。 Lewis with her younger brother’s request to find out if Narnia is real， he instead takes her on a magical journey through the moments in his life that led to his greatest creation。"Patti Callahan always delivers books that pull you and do not let you go until The End。 This was another great one。 with characters you will not soon forget。 Truly a magical read。 "When college student Megs approaches author C。 S。 Lewis with her younger brother’s request to find out if Narnia is real， he instead takes her on a magical journey through the moments in his life that led to his greatest creation。"Patti Callahan always delivers books that pull you and do not let you go until The End。 This was another great one。 with characters you will not soon forget。 Truly a magical read。 。。。more
Elizabeth A。G。
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An enchanting， tenderly emotional， magical， and inspiring book about what is "real，" calculable， and tangible and what is imagined; that realism and imagination can intertwine in stories and myths to provide truths， awaken faith， and express love that transform and uplift a life。 An enchanting， tenderly emotional， magical， and inspiring book about what is "real，" calculable， and tangible and what is imagined; that realism and imagination can intertwine in stories and myths to provide truths， awaken faith， and express love that transform and uplift a life。 。。。more
RoshReviews
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In a Nutshell: I liked parts of the book but I didn’t find it coming together in a cohesive whole。 This is an outlier opinion， so please read other positive reviews before making up your mind。Story:The story is set in 1950。 Eight year old George has a weak heart and is stuck to his bed。 His solace lies in books， and his latest favourite is C。S。 Lewis’s “The Lion， The Witch and the Wardrobe”。 When his loving elder sister Meg， a physics student at Somerville College in Oxford， mentions that Lewis In a Nutshell: I liked parts of the book but I didn’t find it coming together in a cohesive whole。 This is an outlier opinion， so please read other positive reviews before making up your mind。Story:The story is set in 1950。 Eight year old George has a weak heart and is stuck to his bed。 His solace lies in books， and his latest favourite is C。S。 Lewis’s “The Lion， The Witch and the Wardrobe”。 When his loving elder sister Meg， a physics student at Somerville College in Oxford， mentions that Lewis is a tutor of English literature at nearby Magdalen College， George begs her to meet him and ask him one question: Where did Narnia come from？ What follows is a combination story， partly focussing on Meg’s and George’s bond with each other， and partly focussing on Lewis’s recounting of his earlier years to Meg as an answer to her query。 I must admit that I am not a C。S。 Lewis fan as such。 I have read a couple of his Narnia books and found them decent， not outstanding。 So I never bothered to complete the series。 But of the ones I read， “The Lion， the Witch， and the Wardrobe” was my favourite。 So I hoped to enjoy this story better。 Unfortunately， my expectations probably ended up being too high。Where the book clicked for me:✔ George’s character seems a bit too precocious for his age and health condition， especially given that he hasn’t ever been to school。 But he is still a sweet loveable boy。 The relationship between him and seventeen year old Meg was adorably sweet。 （Their bond reminded me a bit of the beautiful connection shared by Auggie and Via in R。J。 Palacio’s “Wonder”， one of my favourite contemporary children’s books。） A similarly protective and loving relationship is depicted between C。S。 Lewis （or ‘Jack”， as he is called in the book）and his elder brother Warnie。 These two sibling connections are the best part of this story。✔ While you don't need to have read The Lion， the Witch and the Wardrobe in order to enjoy this story， having some familiarity with it will help you relish the context more。 You will get to know of Aslan and the four children and Mr。 Tumnus and the whole magical wardrobe a lot better though Lewis’s story。 ✔ The author’s attention to historical detail is very evident in the writing。 The veracity of her story gets confirmed in the ending note which is written by actor Douglas Gresham， one of Lewis’ stepsons from his marriage to Joy。 ✔ The start and the end of the book rates a full 5 stars。 The foundation of the story is set beautifully in the initial chapters and the changed perspective and emotional growth of the characters is evidenced by the ending。✔ At first， I wasn’t a fan of the romantic track included in the story。 I assumed it was yet another book with the mandatory teen love track to add spice to the proceedings。 But I liked how Callahan didn’t incorporate the romance just for the sake of it but worked it into the main narrative reasonably and gave it a lovely purpose。 ✔ This book gave me two great names to be added to my TBR。 One is “Becoming Mrs。 Lewis” by Patti Callahan， which I want to read after knowing more about her in the above-mentioned ending note。 The second is “Phantastes” by George MacDonald， which is recommended by Lewis to Meg。Where the book could have worked better for me:❌ I liked the George and Meg story a lot。 I also liked the Jack and Warnie story to a great extent。 What I didn’t like was the blend of these two stories together。 Somehow， they didn’t mesh with each other seamlessly and I felt as if I was reading two separate books with some overlapping characters。 The constant and abrupt switch between narrative voices didn’t help。 The book would have worked far better for me if it were just focussed on Jack and Warnie， and tried to be kind of memoir of the Narnia author’s years before his writing success。❌ I didn’t understand Meg’s character， though I initially connected to her very strongly because she seemed as logical and practical as I am in real life。 But I soon realised that she was absolutely closed to the idea of anything creative。 Her mulishness to get a precise answer about the origin of Narnia seemed unrealistic。 I can understand George’s wanting to know where the story sprung from， but seventeen year old Meg’s determination to find a single and specific source for an author’s imagination seemed too farfetched to accept。 For someone so logical to discount anything creative as impossible seemed。。。 well， illogical。 I would have loved for her character to be written in a more balanced and realistic way。❌ The C。S。 Lewis flashback story dragged in many places and I lost my patience with it multiple times towards the middle。 （but not as much as I lost my patience with Meg who simply didn’t understand what Lewis was trying to tell her。） All in all， this book wasn’t quite what I expected。 But I can see the merits in it。 C。S。 Lewis fans will undoubtedly enjoy this way of knowing him better through his early years。 Writers who bring stories to life in their minds may find it beautiful。 Narnia fans might find it enthralling。 This is a sweet and sentimental story， and I guess， as long as you keep yourself focussed on those points and ignore the writing gaps and the abrupt plot development， you will enjoy the work far more than I did。 My thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for the ARC of “Once Upon A Wardrobe”。 This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book。***********************Join me on the Facebook group， Readers Forever！， for more reviews， book-related discussions and fun。 。。。more
Ashley at Reading Themes
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This was fantastic on audio。
Julie
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I saved the last pages of this magical novel to read in the dark hours of morning before the sun was up— while the house was still sleeping。 It’s been a bit— it’s taken a bit— to refresh the coffee， to dry my face。 I can’t write a review while the edges of my soul are still so affected。 But that’s when we should write a review， right？ So others can know the depth of such and experience。 This book is— magical。 Magical in a way that it seems wrong to put it next to all the others on a shelf。 Magic I saved the last pages of this magical novel to read in the dark hours of morning before the sun was up— while the house was still sleeping。 It’s been a bit— it’s taken a bit— to refresh the coffee， to dry my face。 I can’t write a review while the edges of my soul are still so affected。 But that’s when we should write a review， right？ So others can know the depth of such and experience。 This book is— magical。 Magical in a way that it seems wrong to put it next to all the others on a shelf。 Magical in that way that I know will stay with me。 I’ll forever be riding the train with Meg， turning the pages of her black notebook， sipping my tea as Jack tells more stories。 And George。 I’ll forever love George’s imagination and fractured but perfect heart。 For now， it’s sitting on my shelf with its new book friends， but not for long。 This is a book to be read and reread。 To hold close once the back cover is closed。 Read it。 Prepare to be affected。 In the best kind of way。 。。。more
John Stanifer
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I came to ONCE UPON A WARDROBE looking to be entertained and inspired by the interactions of the story's heroine， Megs， with C。S。 Lewis。 This is， after all， a historical novel set in Oxford in 1950， just after The Lion， the Witch， and the Wardrobe has been released。What I got， by the end， was a soul-searing meditation on how the land of Narnia--and other fictional lands like it--has haunted the imaginations of generations of readers of all ages and backgrounds and moved us to think more deeply a I came to ONCE UPON A WARDROBE looking to be entertained and inspired by the interactions of the story's heroine， Megs， with C。S。 Lewis。 This is， after all， a historical novel set in Oxford in 1950， just after The Lion， the Witch， and the Wardrobe has been released。What I got， by the end， was a soul-searing meditation on how the land of Narnia--and other fictional lands like it--has haunted the imaginations of generations of readers of all ages and backgrounds and moved us to think more deeply about our OWN stories。The final chapter blew my socks off and almost had me reaching for the tissue box。I never realized how much I wanted to hug C。S。 Lewis and thank him for the impact he has had in my life until one of the characters does exactly that。Oof。But again， this isn't just about Lewis。 Megs and her brother， George， are stand-ins for you and I and everyone who has ever been struck with wonder by the written word。"What， if anything， could possibly be inside these pages that would inspire a man to nearly， or actually， change the course of his life？"~Callahan， Once Upon a Wardrobe， Ch。13This is the question Megs asks herself when she picks up the book that C。S。 Lewis has just told her had "baptized his imagination" as a younger man。If you decide to give Once Upon a Wardrobe a whirl， you'll have FELT something of the answer to that question by the time you finish。Very highly recommended！ 。。。more
Colleen
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I have enjoyed the work of Patti Callahan。 She doesn’t mince words nor is she overly verbose。 While more direct she is still thorough in her character development。 I see， feel， hear her characters。 I loved Surviving Savanna and Becoming Mrs Lewis was both thought provoking snd enlightening。This book was unique once again。 Perhaps it was the ties to my beloved Narnia series， or maybe it was the ill sibling that wouldn’t live to adult hood， or perhaps because it was told through the eyes of the bi I have enjoyed the work of Patti Callahan。 She doesn’t mince words nor is she overly verbose。 While more direct she is still thorough in her character development。 I see， feel， hear her characters。 I loved Surviving Savanna and Becoming Mrs Lewis was both thought provoking snd enlightening。This book was unique once again。 Perhaps it was the ties to my beloved Narnia series， or maybe it was the ill sibling that wouldn’t live to adult hood， or perhaps because it was told through the eyes of the big sister taking on the world…maybe it was all those components but it tugged my heart and I had to hold back tears。 I love people who love STORIES！ This was a wonderful， magical read！ 。。。more
Wendy MacKnight
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Delightful and heartwarming， perfect for fans of Narnia and historical novels。
Sarah-Hope
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Patti Callahan's Once Upon a Wardrobe is the sort of sentimental tale I wouldn't normally go near， but there's the Narnia angle。。。I was afraid this book would bePloddingCloyingDidacticHagiographicManipulativeIn fact， it turned out to beGentleThoughtfulSubtleStraightforwardHeart-warmingIt's not the type of book I usually read， but I'm quite glad to have read it—and I have several friends and relatives who spent time in Narnia with me when we were younger who will be getting it for Xmas。I received Patti Callahan's Once Upon a Wardrobe is the sort of sentimental tale I wouldn't normally go near， but there's the Narnia angle。。。I was afraid this book would bePloddingCloyingDidacticHagiographicManipulativeIn fact， it turned out to beGentleThoughtfulSubtleStraightforwardHeart-warmingIt's not the type of book I usually read， but I'm quite glad to have read it—and I have several friends and relatives who spent time in Narnia with me when we were younger who will be getting it for Xmas。I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Once Upon a Wardrobe
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Once Upon a Wardrobe&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Once Upon a Wardrobe&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0