Patti Callahan Henry could teach a master class about setting a scene. Every novel that I read of Henry's completely consumes me. I was right in the scene with the characters and didn't want the novel to leave because I didn't want to leave them behind. I love when I get this feeling with a novel. This is my second novel I've read by Patti after Flora Lee, which was one of my favorites last year. The Story She Left Behind deals with grief and love in such a specific way that I felt so connected to the characters and often forgot what time period they were in. The descriptions of the country house had me wanting to pack up for vacations and escape to the country side.

Overall, without spoiling anything, I'm glad the ending was the one I hoped for. I loved Clara as the main POV but also really enjoyed reading Charles chapters which I was surprised at since I normally don't enjoy reading a male POV. I thought the characters developed in a strong way, and I wanted more. I wish there was a separate addendum of all the words that were made up throughout the book. I even would have enjoyed seeing a dictionary. I was luck enough to get a pysical copy of the prerelease of Flora and the way that it was packaged got me thinking of how this book would be marketed.

I would highly recommend this to any reader looking to completely lose themselves in a world beyond the page.

Synopsis: This book follows the story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter's search for them both.

My thoughts: I went into this book pretty blind - I had not read any Patti Callahan Henry books and didn't read the synopsis or know anything before I started reading it. I am happy to share that this is one of my favorites for 2024. I feel very lucky to have gotten an early copy of this book. I couldn't put it down!

It was the perfect mix of intensity, romance, and flow. I loved every single character. The setting was magical and mysterious and just a breath of fresh air. The tension that I felt when the main character was trying to process hard emotions was palpable. There was just enough whimsy and magic that it didn't feel cheesy in the slightest. This book was a warm, wholesome hug that I didn't know I needed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the early copy!

This author has illustrated this story beautifully with her words. I could picture every landscape and scene perfectly. I hope this will be optioned for a movie if it hasn't already. This was a wonderful story of family and tradition and finding beauty and acceptance in being different.

A mother, daughter, and granddaughter brought together by a book and a mystery. Clara's mother leaves her when she is nine and Clara is left with questions: Why did she leave? What happened to her? When her mother's imaginative dictionary is found in England, Clara and her daughter Winnie travel there to find out how it got there.

Another wonderful book by Patti Callahan Henry! She knows how to pull you in right from the beginning. I love how she took the disappearance of author Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham and put her spin on it. The story has all the feels dealing with loss, love and family. I highly recommend this book. Thank you #NetGalley, #AtriaBooks, #PattiCallahanHenry, #TheStorySheLeftBehind for the advance copy for my honest review.

Patti Callahan Henry's latest book, The Story She Left Behind, is a worthy successor to her most recent bestseller, The Secret Book of Flora Lea. Clara Harrington and her precocious but fragile 8-year-old daughter, Wynnie, are living in Bluffton, South Carolina with Clara's father. An artist and successful children's book illustrator, Clara is nevertheless counting her pennies after her ex-husband drained their bank account with his gambling. She also still mourns the loss of her mother, Bronwyn, who had published a magical book at the age of 12 to great acclaim and later abandoned her husband and child without a trace.

When Clara receives a phone call from a stranger named Charlie in England, everything changes. He claims to have found a mysterious satchel in his recently deceased father's library, containing a glossary of words that Clara's mother had invented and which could lead to the decoding of the long-awaited, never published sequel to the first book. Instructions in the satchel indicate that Clara must come to England to pick it up herself, and there is also an unopened letter addressed to her. In 1952, Clara and Wynnie somehow find the money to make the long journey to England, only to find Wynnie's health threatened by the biggest and most deadly fog ever to occur in London. Aided by Charlie, they finally make their way to England's beautiful Lake District, which leads to . . . everything.

Anything further would be spoilers, and you need to discover them for yourself. The book's summary calls Henry's writing "lyrical," and I can't think of a better word. Place descriptions, musings, dialogue--it's all beautiful and a delight to read. The characters of Clara, Wynnie, Charlie, Clara's father, Bronwyn (in flashbacks), and Charlie's mother are deeply explored and lovingly portrayed. There are many surprises and twists as well. It is a lovely book, with a lot to savor and enjoy.

I loved every minute of this book. I was drawn in immediately from the beginning of the story. I just now finished. I took my time with this book because I wanted to savor the story and to keep remembering the characters. They sure are memorable.
I think what kept me invested was the secrets that kept emerging throughout this wonderful story.
Another reason to keep going was the mystery! I love a good mystery of why, when, what, who and where.
I really enjoyed in getting to know each character.
I hated to say goodbye to them for I feel like they're my friends now.
This author will be added to my list of favorites. I can't wait to see what she writes next!
5 stars fir another adventure from this author!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

📖 Book Review 📖

📱 “The Story She Left Behind" by Patti Callahan Henry

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Expected publication March 18, 2025

A historical fiction novel based on the real life of Barbara Newhall Follet. Barbara was a child prodigy author who started writing at five. She created her own language, and thus published her first novel at 12 years old. She had a rough and tragic life until age 25, when she vanished, never to be seen again.

The novel changes Barbara to Bronlyn and readers get to see the grief a young girl goes through searching for her mother. Clara's mother was something of a myth, as she vanished by sea when she was only 8.  Her father became her refuge and when her husband got too deep into gambling, Clara ran home to NC with her young daughter. 

It is 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. Out of the blue, a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara is confused and beyond skeptical, after all these years, but she decides to take the chance for some answers. Wynnie and Clara cross the Atlantic, and just happen to arrive in London during one of the deadliest natural disasters—the Great Smog. The city descends into chaos and with asthmatic Wynnie, Clara listens to her new friend Charlie, and they escape the city, finding refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District. It is here in this tiny countryside village that Clara finds the courage to uncover the full truth about her mother and the story she left behind.


Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC of this book

#somanybooks #readsomemore #audiobooks #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #booklover #bookishlove #readersgonnaread #bookishaf

Patti Callahan Henry is one of the most beautiful writers out there today. This story captured my heart from the first line until the last page. I read extra slow to savor every gorgeous word.

Clara has spent w5 years wondering what happened to her mother when she vanished one night. Is she dead or alive? She gets a call that some of her mother’s papers have been discovered in England and contain the secret language she created that is needed to translate the sequel to her wildly popular book.

This book takes us from Bluffton SC to London and to the English countryside for an unforgettable story. I can not recommend this book highly enough. Patti has done an outstanding job with this book and this may be my favorite book of hers to date!!!

In every one of Patti Callahan Henry's novels, I'm pulled in from the first page. This book is no exception. What a magical story of strength, imagination, love & family with beautiful scenery and rich characters. I felt as if I was living in the book and their lives as I read. Its power sucked me in and I didn't want it to end, yet I couldn't stop reading. Chills ran from my head to my toes as mysteries unfold and I absolutely cannot wait for all to read.

Thank you for permitting me to read this book. I was already a fan of Patti Callahan Henry's writing prior to reading The Story She Left Behind, and this newest title did not disappoint. Beautifully written, this story of a young mother seeking to understand her absent mother and to determine whether she is dead or alive, is alive with vibrant characters, mostly helpful and benevolent ones, who help her to unravel the mystery and find peace for herself and her family. Well drawn, with settings in coastal South Carolina, London and rural England, the story and setting have the makings of a classic work of fiction to be enjoyed by real readers for many generations.

This was well-written and charming.
While my initial interest in reading the book was the mystery, what kept me interested was the comforting environment created by the characters’ warmth. Charlie and his family were incredibly charming and added to the narrative as did the Cumbrian setting.
The mystery surrounding Bronwyn’s disappearance felt more striking than the answer to her disappearance, however, this did not detract from my enjoyment as the answer reflected humanity.
I would definitely recommend this for readers who like literary and comforting tales.

Inspired by real events, this story is part historical, part fiction and an abundance of fairytale dust. Abandoned by her mother Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham when she was eight years old, Clara Harrington has carried the heartache of this loss into adulthood. Both women had an artistic flare, Bronwyn as a child prodigy author who created a unique language for her story and Clara as a Caldecott Award winner illustrator. Twenty-five years after the disappearance of her mother, Clara receives a phone call from Charles Jameson in London that a long lost satchel of Bronwyn’s has been discovered containing a letter for Clara. With her own precocious eight year old daughter in tow, Clara heads off across the Atlantic in search of discovering the answers to Bronwyn’s disappearance.

In her lyrical, descriptive prose, Ms. Callahan takes the reader on an emotional journey through the beautiful English countryside as Clara comes to terms with her past, present and future. Be sure to read the Author’s Note to learn how the idea of this story came to be.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Patti Callahan Henry for the opportunity to read a digital copy of this imaginative and lovely story in exchange for my honest opinion. Publication date: March 18, 2025

A heartwarming story only Patti Callahan Henry can write! With unforgettable characters, she weaves a novel of a daughter, who lost her mother, searching for answers to complete a sequel to a novel written by her mother when she was 12 years old. I loved this book! Thanks for the advanced copy.

This enchanting and lyrical novel of Patti Callahan Henry’s will stay with her loyal readers. Starting in the small sleepy town of Bluffton South Carolina, we learn some of its secrets and how they affect a family and the town. The family dynamics are palatable. The story then takes a mom and her daughter on a journey to England to find out what happened to a family member. The descriptive prose of the setting in London and the countryside is gorgeous. The culmination of the story is v satisfying which I expect from her novels. Her loyal readers willlove it!

Child prodigies, missing mothers, single mothers, finding love, never loosing love, secret languages it’s all in this book. It is hard for me to read books about mothers who leave even if they have a reason. I didn’t feel a connection to any other characters of this book although Wynnie was definitely my favorite!! I loved the idea of finding new words to describe feelings and wish there were more of this in this story- maybe less fog. After reading the Secret Book of Flora Lee, I was eager to the read this book by Patti Callahan Henry. I was pleasantly surprised when I was given an e-book ARC from Simon & Schuster.

Patti Callahan Henry has done it again, taking us on a beautiful journey weaving history with her imaginative stories.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another incredible read from PCH!
A unique, intriguing story where you once again feel like you are standing next to these characters as they unravel this story.
I don't want to give anything away, but this book is a wonderful journey of forgiveness, redemption, and love.

I couldn't have been more pleased to be selected to receive this ARC and am so appreciative to PCH, Atria and NetGalley!

I have long been a fan of her writing for over 10 years and this book is no exception. Henry has the ability to weave together the mystical and real to create engaging stories that people love . This book is just as good and keeps you reading. It’s the kind of book you tell others about.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

What an intriguing and interesting book. It's like nothing I've ever read before. This author did a great job combing the mystical with the harsh realities of loss and forgiveness. Very delightful read.
I was provided a copy of this book for review but all my opinions are my own.