While I did really enjoy this read, I think I was leaning more toward my more regular 4* rating. I hadn't been blown away ... but as I come to write up my thoughts ... it is a book I think will stick with me, one I would recommend. I am a Narnia fan, I also like historical fiction, especially when I feel like I actually learned something new.

Here -I'll now place CS Lewis better in time historically. It was interesting to learn more about his years growing up, and that he sheltered some children during WW2. I know that the relationship with Megs was fictional (as Meg herself was) but I still found myself a little frustrated that Jack (Mr.Lewis) could be so wonderful talking with Meg, but wouldn't come out and talk to George personally. I mean he DID

Spoiler

show up to the funeral ... if he could take the time out then after George's death, they why couldn't he have done it before when it would have meant even more ... never sure how far taking a "real" character into fiction works ;)

There were some interesting shifts in POV ... I went with the audio and so wasn't able to take some notes like I might have in a print/kindle copy. There were times (the start/chapter 1), when it was a removed 3rd person, but present tense (which always feels strange to me, like reading a play), then it would shift to 1st person, still present tense-ish, but shifting into past-tense for memory and such. Not as noticeable in audio (the narrator, Fiona Hardingham, was wonderful!) but most of the talking was just the quoted words (no/not much "he said" "she asked" etc). Sometimes this can be a little harder to follow (WHO is saying this? - I know my son once got very frustrated with this type of presentation) but again, in audio, the narration was so well done, I didn't really even notice (until skimming the kindle copy sample).

So a sentimental 5 star ... as I love Narnia, enjoyed learning some background on C.S. Lewis, liked the sweet relationship between Megs and George. I almost wish a name other than Meg had been used, nod to another children's classic [b:A Wrinkle in Time|33574273|A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1)|Madeleine L'Engle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507963312l/33574273._SX50_.jpg|948387] ... she just reminded me a lot of the Meg character there - at least it was George not Charles for the little brother.