Robin’s Rave Reviews – Christmas 2021 Edition
Lucy wanders into a wardrobe and walks out into the wintery forest of Narnia. Here, at the lamppost, a faun named Mr. Tumnus invites her to tea.
Does this bring back fond memories of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Then check out Once Upon a Wardrobe coming out tomorrow, Oct. 19, 2021. Patti Callahan dives into the early life of C. S. Lewis through her new fictional story.
The world knows Lewis as the author of the Narnia series (starting with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, and many others. Callahan’s interest in C. S. Lewis and his wife Joy Davidman led her to research and write her 2018 book, Becoming Mrs. Lewis. (Click link to go to my book review.) Callahan returns to her expert knowledge of C. S. Lewis’ life in her new book, Once Upon a Wardrobe. Lewis fans will enjoy learning more about his early life – of family, boarding schools, college, and military service. Through this new novel, Callahan questions where an author’s idea comes from, the same question I’m sure many of us have had.
Once Upon a Wardrobe
Shortly after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’s release, it captivates George, a young boy with a terminal heart condition. Megs, his sister studying physics at Oxford, would do anything to make George’s life better. When George wants Megs to ask Mr. Lewis where Narnia came from, she musters up the courage to approach the famous author. Lewis doesn’t give her a straight answer. Instead, he tells Megs stories about his life. Soon she is visiting C. S. (Jack) and his brother (Warnie) regularly, each time listening to stories to report back to her brother. Although there are shadows of potential connections in Jack’s experiences, can even the author pinpoint where his creative idea came from?
Callahan brilliantly weaves the fiction (of George and Megs) with the facts (of Jack and Warnie). She creates such a magical connection between Lewis, Megs, and George, readers will begin believing Megs really talked to Jack. Once Upon a Wardrobe challenges us to wonder at the spark of creativity, open our minds to both the logical and the fanciful, and see how the power of a story can transform us.
*Note: You will have a better reading experience if you’ve read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe from the Narnia series at some point in your life, but it isn’t absolutely necessary.
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Thank you to Netgalley for providing an advance reader copy of Once Upon a Wardrobe. The opinions are my own.
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If you are a fan of C.S. Lewis, you need to pick up Patti Callahan’s book Becoming Mrs. Lewis. This historical fiction is based on many interviews and loads of research which enables Callahan to bring Joy Davidman’s experiences to life as she develops a long-term relationship with Lewis.
Although Becoming Mrs. Lewis mentions Tolkien and The Inklings, it is really the story of Joy Davidman. As a person with a similar conversion story as Lewis, she began writing letters to him. She also felt a literary connection to him since she was a published poet. Struggling in an abusive marriage and new to the Christian life, Joy sought counsel from Lewis. Her letters from America traveled across the ocean to Lewis at Oxford and he wrote back, gradually leading to a long-term pen-pal friendship.