Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Once Upon a Wardrobe
    Once Upon a Wardrobe
    Once Upon a Wardrobe
    Audiobook7 hours

    Once Upon a Wardrobe

    Written by Patti Callahan

    Narrated by Fiona Hardingham

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    College student Megs Devonshire sets out to fulfill her younger brother George’s last wish by uncovering the truth behind his favorite story. What transpires is a fascinating look into the bond between siblings and the life-changing magic of stories.

    1950: Margaret Devonshire (Megs) is a seventeen-year-old student of mathematics and physics at Oxford University. When her beloved eight-year-old brother asks Megs if Narnia is real, logical Megs tells him it’s just a book for children, and certainly not true. Homebound due to his illness, and remaining fixated on his favorite books, George presses her to ask the author of the recently released novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a question: “Where did Narnia come from?”

    Despite her fear about approaching the famous author, who is a professor at her school, Megs soon finds herself taking tea with C. S. Lewis and his own brother Warnie, begging them for answers.

    Rather than directly telling her where Narnia came from, Lewis encourages Megs to form her own conclusion as he shares the little-known stories from his own life that led to his inspiration. As she takes these stories home to George, the little boy travels farther in his imagination than he ever could in real life.

    After holding so tightly to logic and reason, her brother’s request leads Megs to absorb a more profound truth: “The way stories change us can’t be explained. It can only be felt. Like love.”

    • From the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea
    • A captivating, standalone historical novel combining fact and fiction
    • An emotional journey into the books and stories that make us who we are
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarper Muse
    Release dateOct 19, 2021
    ISBN9780785251781
    Once Upon a Wardrobe
    Author

    Patti Callahan

    Patti Callahan is the New York Times, USA TODAY, and Globe and Mail bestselling novelist of fifteen novels, including Becoming Mrs. Lewis, Surviving Savannah, and Once Upon a Wardrobe. A recipient of the Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year, the Christy Book of the Year, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year, Patti is the cofounder and cohost of the popular web series and podcast Friends & Fiction. Visit her online at www.patticallahanhenry.com; Instagram: @pattichenry; Facebook: @AuthorPattiCallahanHenry; Twitter: @pcalhenry.

    More audiobooks from Patti Callahan

    Related to Once Upon a Wardrobe

    Related audiobooks

    Contemporary Women's For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Meet Our Contributors

      Jun 4, 2020

      JENNY COLGAN is the author of bestselling novels including Little Beach Street Bakery. She lives in a castle in Scotland with her husband, two sons, a daughter and their dog. Jenny tells us all about her writing life on page 166. What are you readin

      1 min read

    • Article

      ‘The Guncle’ Proves That Families Come In All Different Shapes

      May 24, 2021

      Following their mother’s death, two children spend the summer with “Gay Uncle Patrick” in this heartfelt and entertaining novel by Steven Rowley.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Six Sonnets

      Jan 1, 2021

      Goldenrod, I could say, you know, everybody wants somethingfrom me, but, well, everybody wants something and nobody wantsnothing from me, goldenrod, towhead, beast. Goldenrod, you packthe meadows like gold-plated sardines. I have heart palpitationsbu

      3 min read

    • Article

      Hauntings

      Jul 5, 2023

      Hauntings
      11 min read

    • Article

      The Postmenopausal Fairy Tale

      Feb 4, 2019

      The Postmenopausal Fairy Tale
      9 min read

    • Article

      MYSTERY & SUSPENSE

      Feb 17, 2023

      By JOANNA NADIN Mantle It’s 1988 and 17-year-old Jason wants more from life than small-town poverty in Cornwall and an abusive drunk for a father. When a group of posh 20-somethings come to stay for a beach holiday, he gets a glimpse of his dream li

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Library Of Gromma

      Feb 10, 2021

      Zac was sweating and panting as he reached the top of the hill. The crooked beams of the library loomed over him. He dropped the buckets of water, swore at the few drops that spilt, and escaped the piercing morning sun in the shade of the library. He

      22 min read

    • Article

      The Library of Gromma

      Jul 10, 2023

      Zac was sweating and panting as he reached the top of the hill. The crooked beams of the library loomed over him. He dropped the buckets of water, swore at the few drops that spilled, and escaped the piercing morning sun in the shade of the library.

      22 min read

    • Article

      The Portrait

      Mar 1, 2018

      I WAS BORN almost completely deaf, and by the time I was seven I had already become a prisoner to my education. In the morning, I had speech therapy and tutoring with Mr. Bishop. We sat at my family’s long dining-room table, which was always covered

      9 min read

    • Article

      Lost Children

      Aug 4, 2022

      Lost Children
      5 min read

    • Article

      Making A Mark

      Jun 19, 2019

      Making A Mark
      3 min read

    • Article

      Cherished Volumes

      Jan 21, 2020

      The oar dipped methodically into the wateras my dad guided our canoe across the shimmering lake. Sunshine warmed my bare shoulders, and I listened in rapt attention while my mom read from the volume in her hands: “The birches in the hollow turned as

      4 min read

    • Article

      Worlds Of Ink And Paper

      Nov 22, 2022

      As a young girl, I still remember my dear mother, smile on her face, curled up with Family Circle magazine in her lap. She was engrossed in an article titled “Butternut Wisdom,” written by Gladys Taber. At my age, it didn’t mean a thing to me. But as

      6 min read

    • Article

      Announcing The winners Of Our FLASH CONTEST

      Feb 29, 2020

      I sever the first two fingers of my left hand on a Tuesday. They fall to the ground at my feet, causing a momentary confusion as I wonder what tree has dropped this odd fruit. Then I see the crescent scar left behind by a fish hook and know that thes

      8 min read

    • Article

      Shelf Life

      Nov 4, 2021

      Shelf Life
      4 min read

    • Article

      Lockdown Stories

      Nov 13, 2020

      Lockdown Stories
      6 min read

    • Article

      My Mother’s Stalker

      Jan 16, 2024

      My Mother’s Stalker
      24 min read

    • Article

      Five Poems

      Jul 1, 2019

      You agreed to meet him in one of those cafés you imagined yourself writing in if you could afford to live in that city. He was also a writer, but older, and you wanted to know how to get published. Slip a picture of yourself in with your poems, he ad

      6 min read

    • Article

      Dolly’s Star Turn

      Jul 12, 2023

      Dolly’s Star Turn
      7 min read

    • Article

      Intimate Quarters

      Jan 29, 2018

      WORDS CLAIRE BISSEKER FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER I HAVE LOVED CABINES, FROM MOSSY GARDEN SHEDS AND GREENHOUSES TO BEACH SHACKS AND VERDANT TREE HOUSES.The closest I’ve come to owning one was the grandly named “summerhouse” I lounged in as a child

      3 min read

    • Article

      Dolly’s Star Turn

      Aug 9, 2023

      Dolly’s Star Turn
      7 min read

    • Article

      Dolly’s Star Turn

      Jul 12, 2023

      Dolly’s Star Turn
      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Once Upon a Wardrobe

    4.5/5

    407 ratings33 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a brilliant and beautiful display of the power of story. It offers fantastic insight into life and love, and is pure magic. The combination of fiction and the stories from the life of CS Lewis make it fascinating, thought-provoking, and relatable. The narration is amazing and atmospheric. It is one of the most beautiful stories, perfect for the holiday season. It teaches new things, inspires to read other books, and touches the heart. This book is a window into another time, filled with hope even in the face of struggle and despair. It is an enchanting and wonderful story that is highly recommended.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This book taught me new things, inspired me to read other books I wouldn'thave considered otherwise, and touched my heart. Thank you.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Best book of my year so far, and will be a hard one to beat. Loved it!!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Amazing book, loved every minute of it, will read again

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Enchanting
      I didn't want to put it down.
      Highly recommend

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is a fun, light read.
      I would recommend reading "lion, witch, and the wardrobe" first.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Brilliant and beautiful display of the power of story. Loved it!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This book is pure magic. Another beautiful story by Patti Callahan.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Magical masterpiece!!! Can not recommend highly enough!!! please please read!!!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Megs Devonshire is brilliant with numbers and equations, on a scholarship at Oxford, and dreams of solving the greatest mysteries of physics.She prefers the dependability of facts—except for one: the younger brother she loves with all her heart doesn’t have long to live. When George becomes captivated by a copy of a brand-new book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and begs her to find out where Narnia came from, there’s no way she can refuse.Despite her timidity about approaching the famous author, Megs soon finds herself taking tea with the Oxford don and his own brother, imploring them for answers. What she receives instead are more stories . . . stories of Jack Lewis’s life, which she takes home to George.Why won’t Mr. Lewis just tell her plainly what George wants to know? The answer will reveal to Meg many truths that science and math cannot, and the gift she thought she was giving to her brother—the story behind Narnia—turns out to be his gift to her, instead: hope.
    • 5/5
      The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is one of my favorite series. Ms Callahan did justice to his stories and just added more feelings. This will also be a book I read over and over.
    • 5/5
      So so wonderful! This story takes me there. Lovely! Totally lovely!
    • 5/5
      This book is the one I was craving over Christmas and could not find. It is a window into another time, that might as well be another world, so different from our own time where things always feel so confusing and depressing. In this time, hope wins out even in the face of struggle and despair. On every page there are so many passages to underline--that ring with truth and sentiment. I cried in both joy and sorrow. Ms. Callahan has given us a beautiful, beautiful book.
    • 5/5
      What a beautiful story! The last line of the author's note says 'If we can find our way to Narnia, we can find our way home'. The story was thoughtful and well-written.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic insight into life and love. I am changed forever.
    • 5/5
      One of the most beautiful stories I have ever had the privilege of reading. Would recommend saving it for the holiday season!
    • 5/5
      Fantastic book!! I got so drawn into the story that it was hard to separate the historical fiction from the full fiction. It was all beautifully woven together. I highly recommend!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This book is a treasure. Loved the combination of fiction + the stories from the life of CS Lewis. The character development really made the book fascinating , thought provoking and relatable. Also, the narration was amazing and atmospheric. Would highly recommend!

      2 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      3.5 starsGeorge is 8-years old and won’t live much longer. He is confined to home. His older sister, Megs, is going to school at the women’s portion of Oxford, where George’s favourite author, C. S. Lewis (“The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” has just been published) is a professor. George wants Megs to find out for him “Where did Narnia come from?”, and Megs will do anything for George, so she musters up her courage to approach the author and has many conversations with him, as he tells her stories to pass on to George. I listened to the audio and thought it was good. Although I’m not a fan of “stor(ies) within a story” and that held true for this one. I didn’t really care about “Jack”’s (C.S. Lewis’s) stories and mostly tuned those parts out, but I did love Megs’ and George’s story. I also loved Padraig (sp?) and the romance with Megs. I don’t know for sure, but my guess will be that this puts me opposite of many on which part of the book I preferred!
    • 4/5
      CA: sick child, child deathThis novel tells the story of elements of C.S. Lewis's life that may have been relevant to the creation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe through the frame of a young Oxford student having meetings with Lewis in order to bring stories back to her little brother, who is both obsessed with Narnia and dying of a heart condition. Flirts with tweeness the whole way through but manages to avoid slipping over the line. A pretty good illustration of the power and meaningfulness of stories while also being a decent biofiction of parts of Lewis's life. The relationship between Megs and her brother is nicely drawn, as if the light romance Megs gets drawn into with a fellow Oxford student.
    • 5/5
      While I have never read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, this book left me enchanted and wanting to read that classic by C. S. Lewis. It was beautifully written, emotional, and filled with love. Every page was magical!Young George Devonshire is dying and his sister, Megs, desperately wishes to help him. When George asks her to find C. S. Lewis at Oxford where she is a student and ask him where Narnia came from. What follows is a beautiful story of how Megs meets the Lewis brothers, and the stories she carries back to her brother, George. A fellow student, Padraig, helps Meg forget logic and accept love. May we all discover the magic of a fairy tale and let our imaginations run wild and grow with love.
    • 5/5
      Megs Devonshire is a math student at Oxford who seems fact and procedure in every movement of her day. When she goes home to see her younger brother, George, who is an invalid due to a severe heart condition.

      George uses his time in bed to read extraordinary amounts of books and quickly falls in love with the C.S. Lewis classic, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. When he discovers that Megs sees C.S. Lewis on a daily basis, he implores her to ask Lewis where Narnia came from; where the ideas for this amazing land and animals came to be.

      Megs reaches out to Lewis and explains her brother's situation and he then regals her with other stories of his time growing up. She shares these stories with her brother who begins to piece together those from Lewis' life who play prominent roles and were familiar to Narnia subjects.

      The premise of this book caught my eye immediately. Listening to the book as opposed to reading it was the best decision I made. The narrator did a wonderful job portraying the characters and being believable in all of them. She truly brought the story to life.

      Patti Callahan brings everything about C.S. Lewis to her story. She tells tales of his relationship with his brother and father, the untimely death of his mother, and his time in university and during World War I and II. After listening to this story, I feel as if I know C.S. Lewis better than before. This was a story well worth the listen.
    • 5/5
      I'm horrified to admit that I've never READ The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe but I will be reading it shortly after my daughter was so sure I MUST have read it---she has the series and has read them more than once!! Lovely, lovely historical novel and now I also need to read...Becoming Mr.s Lewis!
    • 5/5
      I didn't read the Narnia books until I was an adult after my friend and roommate gave me a set when he learned I hadn't read them. Of course, I loved them but I sort of wish I had been the age as the boy in this book because a child reads fantasy with a different mindset than an adult does.Megs Devonshire is only seventeen in 1950 but because she is brilliant with mathematics and physics she has already started at Oxford. Most weekends she goes home on the train to Worcester because her little brother George, aged eight, has a serious heart defect and isn't likely to live much longer. George has recently been given a copy of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis and he loves it. He is waiting for Megs to come home so he can tell her all about it. He also wants Megs to ask C. S. Lewis a question for him since Lewis is a tutor at Oxford. At first Megs is reluctant but then she reads the book and she understands George's need for an answer to the question "Where did Narnia come from?" She follows Lewis home to his house called The Kilns where he lives with his brother, Warnie. As a woman Megs can't enter Magdalen college where Lewis teaches so her only hope of meeting him is at his home. She hangs about hoping for an opening and when Warnie encounters her on the grounds and she explains her quest he invites her into the house to meet Lewis (whom everyone calls Jack). Over a number of meetings Jack tells Megs stories about his life although he never really answers the question directly. Megs takes all the stories back to George and when she tells him about a visit Jack and Warnie and their mother made to Dunluce Castle shortly before his mother died George forms the wish to see Dunluce Castle for himself. He asks Megs to arrange a visit there for his Christmas present. That seems impossible given the state of George's health and the need to drive. A fellow student, Padraig, who has relatives near Dunluce Castle helps Megs fulfill George's wish. At the same time Megs and Padraig fall in love. The author apparently also wrote another book about C. S. Lewis called becoming Mrs. Lewis which tells a story later in Lewis' life about meeting his wife. I think I'm going to have to read that one.
    • 5/5
      A book that covers death, dying, love, family, myth, legend, story is not to be missed. CS Lewis - Jack is amazing. It is not a child’s book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      "Once Upon a Wardrobe" was not at all what I expected. This novel combined aspects of fantasy, historical fiction, romance, and spirituality. The story turns upon Megs and her younger brother George. Megs attends Oxford as a maths major, and George suffers from a weakened health condition, with a predicted short life span.George is enamored of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and implores Megs to ask the author where the story came from. Megs sets out to accomplish this task for her brother before his time on earth runs out.The result of this quest for Megs is an enlightened view of fantasy and myth and their role in belief systems. During her interviews with C.S. Lewis, Megs gains wisdom and insight into the spiritual realm, an area not based on logic. In the process, she develops writing talents that previously lay hidden. She also meets a young man who guides her quest and finally becomes an important person in her life.The point of view in this book alternates between Megs, George, and C.S.Lewis. The story incorporates aspects of the life of Lewis, while providing an analysis of possible meanings of the Aslan character and other features of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." The spiritual aspect of the story is gently conveyed through the plot and characters, as they are lead to new and eye-opening discoveries and growth.This book contains moments of joy and of sadness, as it winds to its inevitable conclusion. The romantic aspects of the story,,while somewhat sentimental, remain secondary to the key themes. The final chapter is a stunner.While this is not an easy read, it is a very thoughtful one. I would encourage readers to continue on with the story if they are thinking about laying it aside. It is well worth the effort. One does not need to be familiar with the works of Lewis to appreciate this novel. However, those who are not familiar may be prompted to pick up the Narnia books and discover the mystical connections for themselves.I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
    • 5/5
      This story will be enjoyed by those who loved C.S. Lewis' books about Narnia and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. As someone who hasn't read those books in decades I realized you didn't need the background to be entertained by this narrative.The story begins in 1950, location Worcester and Oxford England. Young George Devonshire is a frail little boy with a heart condition. He is completely besotted with Lewis' book The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and wants desperately to know if Narnia is real. He will occassionaly climb into the wardrobe in his room and sit, imaging the world outside and a life he'll never have chance to know.His older sister Megs is a mathmatics and physics student in Oxford and doesn't think beyond mathmatical probabilities - it's either right or wrong. Fantasy and imagination never cross her mind with any serious thought. One thing for sure, Megs loves her little brother very much and rushes home from college to be with him each weekend and break. As she is reading to him one day George asks if she will approach Mr. Lewis and ask where the stories about Narnia came from. Is it real? Where did the inspiration come from? Megs has been to a lecture of Mr. Lewis but is reluctant to approach him with this request. Loving George so much she risks it as it's his dying wish. From there - what a wonderful story this becomes. Megs is invited into the home called The Kilns, the residence of Warnie and Jack Lewis. (Jack is C.S. Lewis) and the story unfolds from there. It's a nesting doll of storiesThere is saddness in this story but it's also wonderfully rich with details aout Lewis' life from boyhood to present. Adventure seen through a child's eyes and some very imaginative adults.
    • 5/5
      All the great things you have heard or read about this book is true. I absolutely loved this book. It made me look at the Chronicles of Narnia in a more personal light and appreciate it even more. I feel in love with author, Patti Callahan more after reading this book. This book is in my top three for 2021!I really loved the way that Meg cared for her brother, George. While in the beginning, she thought that George's request was a bit silly, she did it anyways out of love for her brother. I can relate to Meg some in the fact that she was trying to analyze Narnia and the characters. I have a very analytical mind but sometimes there is no straight answer. George was so wise behind his young years. He understood what C.S aka Jack was speaking about. The more and more I read, I got "lost" within the pages of this story in a wonderful way. The ending was great.
    • 5/5
      A boy and a girl, a brother and sister, one’s stance is so definitive, a woman of math and science, the other, a young boy has a more abstract view of the world. One is hale, hearty and very healthy, the other has a heart that is failing - they are each devoted to the other. They are going to travel together as far as they can, as long as they can and all the while the girl is looking for answers to the question her brother poses “Where did Narnia come from?”So to quote Megs and George; “Once upon a wardrobe, not very long ago and not very far away” there is an exquisite story of love and devotion, heartbreak and profound loss, but always stories, filled with wonder and loyalty, stories that make something wonderful out of something awful. Slowly, gradually, the rigid curtain of definitive science is lowered and the light of the possible, maybe not probable, is allowed in and there may just be answers without answers. The young boy is brilliant, seeing into the depths and ultimately understanding it all. Patti Callahan Henry has written an extraordinary book with much information revealed in the most interesting piece of historical fiction told by giving the reader beautiful slices of the life of C.S. Lewis. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Harper Muse and NetGalley for a copy.
    • 5/5
      Ready for a cozy winter story, filled with love and wonder? Then look no further than Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan.Once Upon a Wardrobe tells the story of George, a young English boy who is mesmerized by C.S. Lewis's book, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. He begs his older sister, Megs, a student at Oxford, to ask Mr. Lewis where Narnia came from. Megs is a rational person, one who loves math and physics, and the idea of asking Mr. Lewis about Narnia seemed like the last thing she wanted to do. However, Megs loves her brother and seeks out Mr. Lewis for answers. What follows are stories about C.S. Lewis's life, as well as Megs and George's, and a discussion about stories, imagination, myth, and reality.A quick read, do not feel compelled to have read C.S. Lewis's books or Patti Callahan's previous novel, Becoming Mrs. Lewis. None of them are prerequisites for this wonderful book. Instead, light a fire, tuck yourself under a blanket, and get ready to be transported to 1950's England. With exquisite language, unforgettable characters, and a beautiful wintry setting, I hope you will love Once Upon A Wardrobe like I did. Patti Callahan hit this one out of the park!
    • 5/5
      I wish I were sitting across from you, each of us with a cup of our favorite hot beverage, sharing my thoughts on Once Upon a Wardrobe. I want to read your expressions, and for you to read mine, to make certain that I am clearly communicating the magic and depth of this story. I am used to understanding books, but not to books understanding me. We have all read books that we have enjoyed, books that have entertained or informed us; then there are those special books that strike a chord within us, that resonate in our hearts. Once Upon a Wardrobe will not only be one of those books for many, it will also be a window into the magic of those books, the ones that fill your heart, that transport you to another time and place, that transform some inner part of you. I realize that I have left a bit of myself within the pages of this book, and have kept a bit of Megs and George within me, and this makes me quite grateful to Patti Callahan for crafting such an extraordinary story. I am grateful as well to Harper Muse for providing me with a complimentary copy of Once Upon a Wardrobe via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.