Dnf @ 29%, just not in the mood now. I’ll try again later.

Dear my friends who like to read a book and if you the huge of Narnia fans too, this is a perfect book for you to read.

Let me tell you, I found this book by accident and when I read the summary, I was immediately attracted to want to read because Narnia, which became the most dominant attraction for me.
And once I started reading page after page, I fell in love with the narrative, with the characters in it. I fell in love with the siblings relationship between Megs and George. Megs is the best sister I've ever read. She loved George so much that she did her best to find the answer to the question George had always wanted to know from Mr. Lewis:

"Where did Narnia come from?"

because Megs is a student majoring in Mathematics and happens to be Mr. Lewis teaches at Magdalen, therefore George asked Megs to ask that question because he was very curious and really liked Narnia.

Journey of finding answers provides a new perspective for Megs and her world that was initially filled with uncertain calculations. In fact, exactness and imagination can coexist in harmony.

Mr. Lewis gave Megs his story bit by bit to share with George who was looking for the answer, and George was a smart kid with an extraordinary imagination and a great talent for drawing.

This book gives a very warm feeling as well as a nostalgic feeling when you first read the book. The feeling of finding pure happiness that is forgotten as time goes by.

With a narrative that is easy to understand and digest, this book provides a glimpse into the incredible love the Devonshire siblings had and how each story retold brings new perspectives and new happiness to both.

There are also times when Megs feels confused because of the intersection between rationality and imagination and myth. How she tries to make it orderly and rational but in the end she gets past that and tries to make peace.

"... These last few days I've been questioning the fundamental value of only logic. Of logic's ability to withstand what lies ahead in my life, in all our lives."

There are many valuable quotes in this book, one of which I like the most is:

"... Maybe we are each and every one of us born with our own stories, and we must decide how to tell those stories with our own life, or in a book. Or ... could it be that all our stories come from one larger story?"

Everyone has their own story and how everyone has their own way of telling their life.

Lastly, I. REALLY. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. ( )

This novel takes us down the path of ‘finding meaning’…in a variety of ways! It has a nostalgic holiday feel that made it a cozy winter read.

One of the main reasons why it is not 5 stars is it took me a long time to get through the first half. It activated the ‘please, just one more chapter’ mode only during the second half of the book.

If you are a fan of the Narnia books, and/or enjoy historical-biographical type fiction, definitely add this to your TBR. ( )

Once Upon a Wardrobe was just exquisite and so very heartwarming.
Five BIG stars! This is my second Patti Callahan book, and it definitely won't be my last.

After reading Becoming Mrs. Lewis and listening to the Behind the Scenes of Becoming Mrs. Lewis podcast, this book feels like a glorious extension. I am captivated by Joy Davidman and her love story with C.S. Lewis and was happy to be emersed in their world again.

This beautiful story takes us to Worcester, England, where 8-year-old George is basically bedridden due to a heart disorder from birth. George spends his days reading and getting lost in his extraordinary imagination. Most recently, he has been captivated by the brand-new book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and he has persuaded his big sister, Megs, to find out where Narnia came from. Megs attends Oxford, where the author of this book, C.S. Lewis, teaches. Megs is all numbers and equations and not the bookish type, but for her beloved brother, that is not expected to see his ninth birthday, she is willing to get the answer.

Megs's journey is extremely touching, and she gets much more than she could have ever expected. I loved the way Callahan weaves subtle ties between the characters and the real C.S. Lewis's life and other important people in his life, like his mom and Joy. I was a mess of tears at the end of this book. The ending was lovely, heartwrenching, hopeful, and a beautiful reminder of the importance of stories. One of my favorite reads of 2022!!!!

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

"I'd believed— fool that I was— that because I knew this end was coming, I was prepared, that I would not grieve as I had. As if one can pre-grieve and get it out of the way. It's not true. Grief is the price I paid for loving fiercely, and that was okay, because there was no other choice but to love fiercely and fully."

"For a breath or two, I wonder about this magical world we live in. It's a mystery we can never understand. For a moment, a small and breath-holding moment, I know it to be true: there is more, something more I can't see, a vivid truth that can't be described by logic or words alone, a truth that delights the heart."

"Maybe we are each and every one of us born with our own stories, and we must decide how to tell those stories with our own life, or in a book . . . Or could it be that all our stories come from one larger story?"

― Patti Callahan, Once Upon a Wardrobe ( )

George Henry Devonshire is only eight years old and he already knows the truth. They don't have to tell him; the heart he was born with isn't strong enough, and they've done all they can. And by they, he means the doctors and nurses, his parents, and his older sister, Megs. If they could give their own life for him, they would. He knows that too. But they can't.
The December snow outside his bedroom window piles up like wave upon wave of white. George sits up in bed, propped against the forever plumped by his mom pillows. Next to him is a dark oak table with pill bottles and a glass of water and a gone cold cup of tea that his mom left behind. Among all that clutter is a book, just published, called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. It has a lion on the cover, and George often looks to the lion as if it might hold the key to all he desires to know.