BOOK NOOK: Once Upon A Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

 "The door is slightly ajar, and I peek inside and see him sitting at his desk with a pipe in his mouth and a nib pen in hand. He dips it into an inkwell and begins to write quickly. I hear him mumble the words he is writing out loud. He is whispering them into existence on the paper and through his pen. Something otherworldly is happening while he dips and writes and mumbles. I almost expect a faun to jump from beneath his desk or a witch to perch on the windowsill."

I have found that one of the best things about studying and being a student at Oxford University is the sheer number of book recommendations we receive, not only from our Dons who are all published authors themselves, but from fellow students in the Common Room.  Any book that is associated with Oxford's own authors is quick to circulate and as C S Lewis is one of our most famous alumni, along with his friend J R R Tolkien, it was only a matter of time before this one was brought to my attention. It came to me just as I had finished transforming my hallway into a wintry Narnian retreat, so it certainly felt like I was meant to be introduced to this novel.

Like many people, I have loved C S Lewis's Narnia books since early childhood. As an adult I have attended magical events that are based upon his books, most notably The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe movie exhibition at Leeds Royal Armouries and also the Christmas in Narnia event at Castle Howard based on the same book.  Seeing Aslan beaming down on me in a kaleidoscope of colours from inside the dome of the stately home a couple of Christmases ago was a sight and feeling that I shall never forget.  I love to immerse myself in the world of Narnia and in my opinion it is one of the most enchanting fantasy worlds ever created. 

So I was eager to read Once Upon A Wardrobe just for the chance to revisit Narnia from an adult literary perspective.  This novel is written by an American author in American English, rather than British English. As such it is littered with Americanisms: sidewalk instead of pavement, quit instead of stop, math instead of maths, stoop instead of step, take a left instead of turn left etc. This can be a little jarring for British readers, especially as there are no American characters in this novel, so it is purely the author's cultural background that is present within the text.  It is a rather unintentional form of authorial intrusion. 

It wouldn't have taken very much research to use the correct British terminology. All it needed was a gentle tweak from a good editor. I mention this because it is, in all other respects, a quintessentially English book, set in and around Oxford University and detailing the life of one of our most famous and beloved classic children's authors, C S Lewis. So it reads a little incongruently at times. 

Having said that, this is a fantastic and beautiful novel! I absolutely loved and devoured every single page of it. The story is both moving and magical, heart-breaking and enchanting, all at the same time. I enjoyed the author's storytelling style of writing. It has the same quality as a fable or fairytale and she completely draws the reader back into Narnia, but from the perspective of an adult, which is just wonderful. 

The book tells the story of seventeen year old Megs, a student of physics at Oxford University, whose eight year old brother, George, is dying from a heart condition. George's days are numbered and everyone knows it, yet at the same time he is full of life and a yearning for adventure. He finds solace in his favourite book - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and he asks Meg if she will contact C S Lewis, who is a tutor at Oxford, to find out where the story of Aslan and Narnia came from. And so Megs sets out on a quest to do all she can to answer her little brother's question.

Once Upon A Wardrobe is a beautifully atmospheric novel. Set among the dreaming spires of Oxford University with beautiful libraries and lecture halls, stone cottages, cosy pubs offering warm cider on snowy evenings and a trip to the Irish castle that may have inspired the invention of Cair Paravel, this novel will sweep you away on a wintry adventure that is just as heart-warming and fantastical as the original Narnia books.  It is a novel about the power of love of all kinds: romantic, familial and spiritual. It is about finding the heart's own truth and solace in faith through the darkest of times. 

I have loved revisiting Narnia again through the pages of this book and learning more about the man who wrote this world into being in the first place.  It has been a joy to read and to escape into, and I have already got another book by the same author, which is also based on the life of C S Lewis, which I plan to start reading right away. 

If you love Narnia, then you will love rediscovering it through Once Upon A Wardrobe. I couldn't recommend this book more highly. It's such a dreamscape! Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen in Narnia. Maybe it is time for you to go back through the wardrobe too and pick up your own crown...they say Aslan is on the move... Enjoy! I'm off to watch the movie, with some Turkish Delight and a hot chocolate. 

Serene Blessings

Marie x

AD: This book is published by Harper Muse and is available now in all formats.