From the publisher:
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.
In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.
But the unthinkable happens when young Flora suddenly vanishes while playing near the banks of the river. Shattered, Hazel blames herself for her sister’s disappearance, and she carries that guilt into adulthood as a private burden she feels she deserves.
Twenty years later, Hazel is in London, ready to move on from her job at a cozy rare bookstore to a career at Sotheby’s. With a charming boyfriend and her elegantly timeworn Bloomsbury flat, Hazel’s future seems determined. But her tidy life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing an illustrated book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Hazel never told a soul about the imaginary world she created just for Flora. Could this book hold the secrets to Flora’s disappearance? Could it be a sign that her beloved sister is still alive after all these years?
As Hazel embarks on a feverish quest, revisiting long-dormant relationships and bravely opening wounds from her past, her career and future hang in the balance. An astonishing twist ultimately reveals the truth in this transporting and refreshingly original novel about the bond between sisters, the complications of conflicted love, and the enduring magic of storytelling.
“[A]ffecting…Henry’s offering shines most in its exploration of the ways relationships grow and adapt to time and trauma, making for a poignant meditation on the bonds of sisterhood. This captivates.”—Publishers Weekly
“Magical…an enchanting tribute to the power of storytelling.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“A charming story that weaves fairy tale, mystery, and historical importance with a good dose of romance, The Secret Book of Flora Lea will appeal to all ages, as the author unfurls a fantastic story about ‘an invisible place right here with us.’” New York Journal of Books
“In this heartfelt novel, Henry deftly examines the bonds of sisterhood while seamlessly melding the horrors of war with the comfort of fairy tales, reminding us that “telling stories is one of the greatest powers we possess.” The Washington Post
https://amzn.to/3Ptlhma
This was my first book by this author, and I’m not sure how she has escaped me! This was such a lovely book about storytelling and families and sisters and first loves, set in a backdrop of war but moving back and forth in time. It is a wonderful book, and everyone should read it.
I had never heard of Operation Pied Piper, but it was a real program where children from London were sent to live with strangers out in the English countryside to keep them safe from all the bombings during WWII. They packed up a few clothes, their gas masks, and were packed onto busses. In this story, Hazel, a young teenager, and her little sister Flora get lucky and a warm, loving woman agrees to house them during the War. That was not always the case; they meet another girl in the same village who was taken in by a “hag,” a nasty woman who, like some foster parents, took her in for the money she would be paid and to put her to work. But Hazel and Flora were very lucky, and Bridie is such a warm, loving mother figure to them, it makes the transition that much easier. She has a son, Harry, who is around the same age as Hazel, and he is an artist. He draws beautiful pictures of Flora and the lovely countryside and slips them under their bedroom door each night.
But that is only part of this story. Hazel has a vivid imagination, and she invents a fairytale for her younger sister, set in a small enchanted town with a “river of stars” running through it. She begins every story the same way, and the two girls are always in the story, sometimes as girls, but often as other fanciful beings, fairies, owls, etc. But then tragedy strikes; Flora goes missing and is never found. Hazel was with Harry at the time, and she can’t forgive herself or Harry for not keeping an eye on Flora, and she vows to never see him again.
Fast forward many years to 1960, and Hazel is working for a rare books dealer. It’s her last day on the job; she has gotten a new position at Sotheby’s. On her last day of work, her boss asks her to unpack a new shipment, which she does. To her shock, it is a fairytale about the place she invented as a child. The author’s name is unfamiliar, and she lives in the United States. Along with the book are some illustrations, and before she even realizes she’s done it, Hazel has taken them all and gone home.
Hazel has never accepted that Flora died. A few years later, a body of a young girl is found not that far from where they lived and the police consider the case closed, but Hazel does not. So when she finds this book, she is convinced more than ever that Flora must still be alive.
It’s a beautifully written, totally engrossing story that I hated to end. Book groups will find lots to discuss here. Put it on your summer reading list and enjoy!
7/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA by Patti Callahan Henry. Atria Books (May 2, 2023). ISBN: 978-1668011836. 368p.
Posted by Stacy Alesi 
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 