Once Upon a Wardrobe Book Review

Unplanned and unbeknownst to me until this year, every winter for the past three years I have read a book that has warmed my soul. I had decided to read Once Upon a Wardrobe as part of my research to discuss the Chronicles of Narnia on my C.S. Lewis podcast. While it did provoke some thought which I will explore and share in the podcast, the effect on me was what was truly magical. The experience of reading this story was like sitting by a cozy fire.

The story centers on an Oxford college student in the 1950s named Margret (Megs) Devonshire. She is a person all about logic and is studying math at the University. She doesn’t have time for silly things like Narnia. Her terminally ill younger brother though has enough imagination and love of stories for the both of them. After reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (which in the story is the only Chronicle of Narnia to have been published so far), he is obsessed with Narnia and must know from where it came. Megs shares that the author teaches at her school. George, her younger brother, presses her to ask him and she can’t say no. Thus begins a journey that will change her life, and all for the best.

One of my favorite scenes from the book is when Megs is first trying to meet Jack Lewis. She hides in the woods outside his home not knowing what to do. Warnie, Jack’s brother, finds her and assessing that she doesn’t have any nefarious intent invites her in. It was fun seeing Jack as a fictional character. While I have read many of his works and even heard his voice through recordings, something about imagining him sitting down and chatting and giving extemporaneous speeches made him feel more like a real human. The book is blessed off by Douglas Gresham, Jack’s stepson, which gives it an added layer of authenticity.

Jack, in his signature way, doesn’t just tell Megs the answer to her question. Like Aslan, he led her along a path to experience the answer herself. Megs discovers that there’s great profundity to story. She learns “the way stories change us can’t be explained. It can only be felt. Like love.”

George, as I mentioned, was terminally ill and at the end of the book he expectedly and inevitably passes away. I felt the loss. His character was full of joy and earnestness which were qualities his sister and family sorely needed. The book ends on a warm note though as Megs reflects on the story that George set in motion.

A few minor critiques I will humbly offer. Megs is said to be a math student and very logical. This seemed true enough, but the book could have benefited from her interacting with other math students or professors, and not just humanities-types. While she needed to learn the lesson of the power of stories, the author could have shown how Megs should synthesize the power of logic with the magic of narrative.

I listened to the audiobook which was read by Fiona Hardingham who was excellent. I was impressed with her range of ages, genders, and nationalities. Also, this was my first time reading a Patti Callahan book. I look forward to reading her other C.S. Lewis fiction, Becoming Mrs. Lewis soon.