A pleasant little mystery about the smallness of the world, storytelling, and family. When Flora goes missing, she's assumed dead, but when her sister finds a book about the secret world only the two of them shared, she's got to find out how the story reached others. I'm not quite able to believe people who get on international flights at the drop of a hat, the hire-fire-hire storyline, and a few other bits that didn't seem fully thought-out, but overall this was a fine read.

I highly recommend The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry. This book will draw out all of your emotions. Patti Callahan Henry did a wonderful job of weaving together dual timelines and developing the characters. I wanted to know what would happen next, I was often surprised chapter after chapter. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The latest from one of my favorite authors did not disappoint. Her storytelling is, as always, heartfelt and engaging. Sisters, mystery, dual timelines, love...all the things a good novel should include. I will be recommending this book to fellow readers.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea was a great read! It follows Hazel’s journey, both in 1940 in England, and then 20 years later when she is trying to solve the mystery of her sister’s wartime disappearance.

The story covers how this disappearance impacted Hazel’s choices in her life, and leaves the reader to think about how the choices we make shape our futures.

An amazing story centered around the WWII evacuation of children from London. A young child named Flora disappears without a trace and the ripples of grief and guilt spread over decades of the lives of all involved. There are many twists and turns throughout that will keep you guessing until the end.

What a delight! I loved how this story blended historical fiction, magical storytelling, and mystery. It was a nice blend of plot and character development.

In these types of books, I tend to not care much about the romance, but I actually really enjoyed that aspect of the story!

A really sweet story about family, sacrifice, loss, and reconciliation. I enjoyed the writing but wish it had been a tiny bit more atmospheric.

4.25/5

The Secret Life of Flora Lee by Patti Callahan Henry is a beautiful story of two sisters, Hazel and Flora Lea. Forced to leave their home to escape the horrors of the war, they end up living with the Aberdeen family who keeps them safe and loved. Hazel tries to keep her sister happy and distracted from the uncertainty of their situation by telling her magical stories about Whisperwood, their own secret fairy tale land.

When Flora Lea disappears suddenly one day, Hazel blames herself and spends the next twenty years searching for her beloved Flora Lea. In a chance encounter while working at a rare bookstore in London, Hazel discovers the stories she told Flora Lea and no one else have resurfaced through a picture book. Desperate for answers to find Flora Lea, Hazel sets out on a journey that will change the trajectory of her life. Could this book hold the answers she's been looking for most of her adult life?

I was captivated with this book from the first chapter! A story of fate, family, love and perseverance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me a voluntary ARC of this amazing story!

What a lovely book. Heart breaking and loving at the same time. Patti Callahan Henry knows how to tell a story. All her books are different and interesting. What an imagination she has b

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of The Secret Book of Flora Lee by Patti Callahan Henry in return for my honest review.

I recently discovered Callahan Henry through her Friends and Fiction Facebook Live show, and I am enjoying reading her extensive works. The author is a gifted storyteller, and she delivers unique and interesting storylines and characters with every book that she writes.The Secret Book of Flora Lea is no exception. It is a dual timeline novel, one from the 1940(s) and one in the 1960(s). Older sister Hazel (14 years old) and her sister, Flora (6 years old) are evacuees from their London home to a rural community for their protection from the brutality of WWII. Hazel creates the magical world of Whisperwood as a means of distraction and a secret place of safety for just Hazel and Flora, but Hazel is a little girl herself and is powerless to prevent her sister’s ultimate disappearance near the River Thames. Twenty years later, on her last day of work at a beloved rare bookstore, Hazel unwraps a parcel containing a picture book entitled Whisperwood and the River of Stars, a telling of the secret world that Hazel created as a child, told only to her missing sister. Could it be that Flora is alive? I enjoyed every word. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars.

I have been a longtime fan of Patti Callahan Henry's work, and this new novel does not disappoint!

There's something here for everyone--historical fiction with a dash of mystery, a sprinkling of romance, and a fairy tale twist.

The author handles the time jumps (between 1939 and 1960) very well and you can tell this was carefully plotted.

There's an old-fashioned feel to the story. At times, it can be a little over the top. I think you need to be in the right mood for this one, which includes a little breathlessness and sense of puffed-up self-importance that doesn't feel quite relatable or modern. I imagine this style was intentional on the author's part. Fans of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, etc. are in for a treat. Those looking for a more streamlined/straightforward writing style may need to take some breaks, but will likely still enjoy the narrative.

The premise is outstanding and, even if the pace drags somewhat, this is truly an enjoyable book with so much thrown in that I'm sure a wide variety of readers will enjoy it immensely.

4.5 / 5.0 Stars

What a creative, captivating and insightful read author Patti Callahan Henry has given us - part history, mystery and quest - physically and emotionally. The story line toggles between 1939/1940 and 1960 and is set mostly in England.

The Linden sisters - 14 year old Hazel and 5 year old Flora Lea - are part of the ill-named, "Operation Pied Piper" and for their safety, have been sent away from their London home to Binsey, just outside Oxford. It's their first time away from their home and family and they're bivouacked in the cozy cottage of kind strangers. It's a rather scary proposition for Flora. So Hazel creates an imaginary land, known only to the two of them, where they can go and be whatever they like and enjoy a perfect world away from their own. They grow to love the Aberdeens - mum and her son Harry - as they spend joyful hours together in the bucolic countryside as bombs relentlessly fall upon London. All was well until that one day when Flora disappears without a trace. It is presumed that she drowned in the Thames. Hazel is wracked with guilt and can never forgive herself for having walked away from a sleeping Flora for a brief moment. After all, Flora disappeared on Hazel's watch. How could Hazel ever forgive herself?

Move forward to 1960, Hazel is working in an antiquarian and rare books shop in Bloomsbury and is affronted by a book which carries the name of Flora's and her secret world - "Whisperwood". How can this be? Who else knew about our special place? Hazel knew that she had not told anyone and if Flora didn't, could this mean that she is still alive somewhere in the world. Hazel is beside herself. Hope resurrects itself. If Flora is still alive, then perhaps redemption may be in the offing too. Thus begins Hazel's quest to look for her sister and in doing so, she may yet find herself.

The writing of this story is sweet and tender. A myriad of emotions are explored. The characters are well developed and the settings well described such that one can easily visualize the grassy meadows, muddy riverbanks and even the demolished residences of London. Hazel's quest, with its air of mystery, carries the reader right along throughout the story. With so many wonderful WWII historical fiction books out on the shelves, it is refreshing to have added to them a story about the bravery of the young who also endured the war and were challenged in the mental processing of it all. What better way to cope is there than to have a fairy-tale world to which one can escape until it's safe to step into the world yet again?

I am grateful to Patti Callahan Henry and her publisher, Atria Books for having provided a complimentary uncorrected reader's proof of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.


Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Pages: 368
Publisher: Atria Books
ISBN: 978-1668011836

This book has something for everyone! There is historical fiction, mystery, romance, family drama, and a dash of fairy tale.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry is a combination of historical fiction and creative fairy tale. The time frames jump between 1939 and 1960 and tell of Operation Pied Piper in England. An effort to evacuate children from London to the countryside was meant to keep them from harm during the bombings in WW II.

When you think about the Pied Piper tale it's not a merry or happy story. You'd think the government would have come up with a better name for the evacuees than a story where children are led to death.

Anyway, Hazel and Flora are sisters (16 and 6 years of age) and are sent off to the English countryside, leaving their distraught mother behind in London. Hazel comes up with wonderful stories to keep Flora occupied and relieve the stress of living away from home. Hazel makes up the imaginary land called River of Stars and she and Flora lose themselves in better world. One day Flora disappears and it's thought she was caught in the fast moving Thames river, looking at her river of stars.

In the 1960 time frame we meet Hazel, now an adult and working in a bookstore which sells rare manuscripts. Unpacking a new manuscript she sees a fairy tale penned by an American author. It features the river of stars, the descriptions of the house where she and Flora stayed...too much to be a coincidence and Hazel begins to hope Flora may still be alive.

Not a fast paced book, nothing objectionable. 3 1/2 Stars.

This book was a complimentary copy given to me by Netgalley. Publication date is May 2, 2023 by Atria Books. Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction.

What a lovely, well written historical fiction. Patti Callahan Henry does a wonderful job of transporting you back in time to WWII, as well as to 1960. The history is woven in so seamlessly, where I felt I was getting a gentle education without getting overwhelmed with all the details. The story is sad, with many deeply upsetting moments but throughout there is a feeling of lightness and of hope. We get gently placed in either the past or the current, making the book fly along. When I was in the "current" time, I found myself anxious to get back to the past - and vice versa! Hazel has lived through tragedy and is still holding out hope her sister Flora is still alive after going missing 20 years ago. I loved all the descriptions of the scenery and the general locations. It really made everything feel as though it was coming to life. I loved many of the side characters, in particular Kelty. The fairy tale aspect was beautiful and such a wonderful anchor to the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

Another fantastic read from Patti Callahan Henry! I was beyond thrilled when NetGalley sent me this ARC because I absolutely fell in love with "Once Upon a Wardrobe" last year.

The story begins with a young Flora blinking awake on a red blanket by the river. She knows her older sister Hazel has told her not to go too close to their "river of stars," but the child decides she must visit her magical land of Whisperwood. So she gets up and starts walking toward what calls to her. 20 years pass by after that day, and Flora remains missing. Unknown whether Flora is dead or alive, Hazel has tried to move on, but her heart has always been searching for her lost sibling, even if her mind didn't know it. When Hazel is finishing up some last tasks at the bookshop where she works, she opens a first edition copy with a book containing the title of a place she thought she would never think of again... "Whisperwood and the River of Stars." Now Hazel, with a renewed fire within her, sets out all over again to find what has been lost: Flora.

The author has clearly done a lot of research on this time period of WWII. The details of the war and the lives of our characters as they aged and faced their trials were executed perfectly. In regard to the writing, I find that stories that flip-flop between people and time periods help the story unfold faster and faster. Each shift away from the "present" leaves the reader hungry for what is next, but then is forced to revisit the past, or hear from another character. In this way, you keep on reading, because you must. Every brief divergence from the core of the story answers questions you didn't even know you had, and solves a bit of the mystery for Hazel and ourselves.

"The Secret Book of Flora Lea" holds a bit of history that you can find in a textbook, but it is brought to life through a tale of love, tragedy, and trauma that, if we're all honest, we can all find traces of in our own stories. We all want a world like Whisperwood to escape to when it hurts the most, and I think that is what makes this book so appealing to me. That truth.

Patti Callahan Henry has a way of making historical fiction come alive, and The Secret of Flora Lea is no exception. The story is told in two time periods in way that made me want to keep reading but wasn’t confusing. Thanks to NetGalley ad the publisher for the ARC.

The author has written many novels, but I believe this one might be her best yet! This WWII book is a excellently researched, and it is clear, as always, that Patti Callahan Henry is a scrupulous historian alongside her authorship. Wonderful, captivating writing and original plot gives this novel the depth and ability to pull in any reader. A wonderful addition to the growing WWII genre, I believe that this one stands out among the rest. I highly recommend this author and all of her other books I have read have been nothing less than fantastic. She is definitely an auto-buy author for me, and I can't wait to own this novel in print.

What a great story that the author weaves. I truly enjoyed the story of the 2 sisters and discovering what had happened between the two time settings of the storylines. I did not anticipate how it all came together, but what a wonderful ending. thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this early.

4 stars- I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did. I look forward to reading more of the author's work. Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Atria books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book.

I love Hazel's invention of Whisperwood to help keep Flora calm during their escape from Bloomsbury during Operation Pied Piper. I think it would be a cool tie if she, PCH, would write the children's book of Whisperwood as well. My favorite character was Brigette Aberdeen. I would love to be invited to her cottage for a bed and breakfast weekend. I would also love to visit Harry's art studio.

I could not help thinking that PCH's idea for this book came as she research C.S. Lewis and fairy tales. Her description of fairy tales and their place in our lives through both Brigette and Hazel left my speechless. I could not help thinking in these moments it was really PCH's talking.

With all that said, I felt the rest of the book kinda fell flat for me. It just dragged. I get that it is 1960 so there is no googling to help to try to find a lost sister but I guess I wanted a more obsessive, active search for Flora but Hazel just did not give me that. I don't get why she did not talk to her boyfriend more with all she was doing and feeling. She claimed to love him but she kept him in the dark about her search journey. I just kept reading because I wanted to know what happened to Flora and Hazel's 1960 search for her.

Without giving away the ending, I felt some of the characters and their storylines were flat. I wanted to know more. I felt we did not spend enough time in 1939 with the characters we needed to spend time with in order to set up the 1960 climax. For example, the 4 nurse's names that Aiden gives Hazel in 1960. We barely see them in 1939. We do not spend any time with Brigette's neighbor either. I also wanted to spend more time with Hazel at Hogan's. Or at least have the owner reach out to her about the book. I guess I wanted him to be fairy god"father" and/ or the wizen mentor and has the ultimate message or lesson for Hazel to learn and he purposely kicked off the whole story with bringing the book into his bookstore for her to find. He meant for her to "steal" the book so she could go on her 1960 search for Flora Lee. But sadly we never get that scene.

As for the climax, without revealing too much, PCH did surprise me and I did not see it coming so kudos to her for that.

Of the 4 Friends and Fiction authors that I have met in person, she is my favorite. I will read her next book without hesitation. I would give this book an overall grade of a B-.