Once Upon a Wardrobe

Okay. So, I know I haven't written in a while. I have been reading, and I do have blogging to catch up on. However! I finished Once Upon a Wardrobe this morning, and had to sit down and write about it. I have shared bookish thoughts and quotes from this novel with a dear friend of mine already; and I have spoken with my father at some length about it already. It was one of those books. Where I felt I needed to reach out to someone that would understand how it has touched my heart. If you are someone who loves books, you know. There are some books that almost feel as though they touch your soul.  

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was probably the first book I truly read and fell in love with. It is a book I have read many times and loved each and every one of those times. I always feel excited when Lucy first discovers the magic of the Wardrobe, and I always with I could be friends with Mister Tumnus.  Naturally, when I heard that Patti Callahan had written a book who's main character is discussing where Narnia came from with CS Lewis, it was on the top of my TBR pile. 

This book did not disappoint. Beautifully written, it invoked in me a yearning to return to Narnia, and revisit old friends. It made me feel as though I knew CS Lewis just a bit. I could picture sitting by the crackling fire with him at the Kilns while he smoked his pipe, telling me stories in a Grandfatherly fashion. This felt like home wrapped up in a book to me. 

When Megs' sick brother, George becomes enraptured by Narnia, Megs mentions that CS Lewis is a tutor at Oxford university (which she attends, though on a different campus). George insists that Megs ask CS Lewis (fondly referred to as Jack) where Narnia came from. Patti Callahan takes you on a journey through CS Lewis' life, and the events that may (or may not!) have inspired some of the events and characters in the wonderful world he has created.

To revisit Narnia through the eyes of a child is a truly incredible experience. One I would recommend to anyone who has felt themselves enthralled with this fictitious world. This book made me eager to pick up CS Lewis' epic works again. (Which I know is around here somewhere!) With mentions of JRR Tolkien and the Inklings, it also put The Hobbit (another of those magical books, in my humble opinion!) on my TBR pile for this year. (Another book which transported me many times to the world of Middle Earth - a book my father introduced me to as a child.) I also added The Inklings to that list (I checked, and my father still has a copy on his shelf, which I told him I would need to borrow the next time I saw him.) and The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of CS Lewis is currently on my list of holds from the library. Once Upon a Wardrobe is a true gift of a book. One that encourages and inspires. A book that holds a little of that Narnian magic. 

Until next time, dear readers.

A line that really touched on exactly how this made me feel.