The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry on May 2, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Historical / 20th Century / World War II, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Women
Pages: 368
Format: Audiobook
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed.
The Secret Book of Flora Lea had a premise that intrigued me right away. It contains bookstores, secrets, and magical realism. All elements that I just adore. This is also a WWII story, so it is a little heartbreaking. It touches on the London’s child evacuees. This is something I was not very familiar with.
This one is a dual timeline story and starts in London in 1939. Hazel and Flora are sisters who are sent from London during WWII to live in the countryside with Bridie Aberdeen and her son, Harry. Hazel comes up with stories to make her sister, Flora, feel better. They come up with the tale of Whisperwood and continue telling it so that they don’t feel so lonely or far from home. Harry also becomes like a brother to them as he joins in on their games. But their stories are their own – they don’t tell ANYONE else about Whisperwood.
But then tragedy strikes and they Flora goes missing as they are all out playing one day near the bank of the Thames River. Hazel searches for her until she is sick. Everyone is certain she fell into the river.
Twenty years later, Hazel is working in a bookstore and on her last day comes across a book from an American author. The illustrated book is called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Hazel never told anyone about this secret world her and her sister had created. The only other person who knew was her sister, who was presumed dead. Hazel has all sorts of questions. Who wrote this book? Does this person know her sister? Is her sister alive?
All these questions lead her on a path to discovering answers. She was supposed to go to Paris with her fiancé, but should she search for answers instead? After Flora’s disappearance, she never spoke to Harry again because she was distracted with him instead of watching her sister. Could he have any answers?
This book has ALL the feels!! I listened to this on audio and I was fully invested in finding out. This didn’t go where I thought it would, but I loved the ending! I love a story with a twist! This is a bit of a cross genre type of book, which I just love. This is historical fiction, mystery, and magical realism wrapped into one. This book has the feels of those of Sarah Addison Allen’s books. If you are a fan of her, you will love this one!