Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan
Publication Date: 19th Oct 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction
4.5 Stars
George is her eight-year-old brother with a weak heart and a lively spirit. He knows the limitations of his health and finds pleasure in escaping to the fantasy lands of the books. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C S Lewis, has enchanted George, and the kid asks his loving elder sister to help find an answer to his simple question- Where did Narnia come from?
“With stories, I can see with other eyes, imagine with other imaginations, feel with other hearts, as well as with my own. Stories aren’t equations.”
Megs is not sure if she can go and ask Lewis the question. But she finds a way for her brother. After all, she’ll do anything she can to give him what he wants.
But Jack Lewis and his brother aren’t the ones to provide straightforward answers. Instead, he tells her about his childhood and life, asking her to listen and share them with her little brother. Megs is frustrated but has no choice but to agree.
As Jack continues with his tales, Megs understands what he intends. He wants her to look at the world from a different lens. The world doesn’t fit into mathematical equations, and Megs realizes that it’s a futile attempt.
“The way stories change us can’t be explained,” Padraig says. “It can only be felt. Like love.”
Maybe there’s more to life than maths and physics. Maybe imagination, stories, and equations are not opposites. Maybe stories and science can co-exist and actually complement each other.
George embraces the stories with eagerness, and Megs is still conflicted about whether she should give equal importance to the imagination. Yet, she can’t help but feel hope blooming inside her. Can she wish for a miracle?
This is my first book by the author, and I can say for sure that I love her prose. As someone who wants strong imagery in stories but without a thesaurus, I’m always delighted when an author paints a vivid scene using simple words.
The story is warm with a constant undertone of melancholy. We know what could happen by the end of the book. Still, we can’t help but hope. There is pain, death, fear, and sadness. However, overpowering these emotions is the strong presence of love. Love in all its glorious forms.
It’s been a while since a book moved me as much as this did. So much that I even marked a few favorite quotes (an old forgotten habit of mine).
I’m so glad that I requested this book. It fills my heart with warmth even though there’s enough pain. Tears blurred my vision more than once, and I had to stop reading to take a couple of deep breaths. It’s been so long since a book did that to me!
“There is a light, a bright lantern light where all stories begin and end.”
To Sum Up, Once Upon a Wardrobe is a beautiful book that takes us to Worcestershire, Oxford, Ireland, and the distant lands of magic and myth. This is a book I’ll recommend to bookworms, storytellers, and just about everyone.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Harper Muse.
#NetGalley #OnceUponaWardrobe
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TW: Death of a sibling
P.S: Before anyone asks, the 0.5 deduction was for the (abundance of) adverbs.
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