3.5 stars. This is a story of finding what is lost, finding oneself, finding where you belong in life. Sadly, this book fell a bit short for me. It took me a while to realize why, but I didn’t feel much of a connection with the characters. I wish that the author had included a bit more of the relationship between Clara and her mother before her mother‘s disappearance. Knowing that Clara lost her mother at a young age was sad, but I think I would’ve been more emotionally vested in her story had I known the kind of relationship they had before the disappearance. Instead, we are given a very brief chapter from her mother, Bronwyn’s, point of view before embarking on a journey with Clara, now an adult, to London. There, along with Clara’s daughter Wynnie, we join Clara in trying to discover the secret to her mother’s disappearance. It was a slow moving journey, in my opinion. I felt like it took a while to get going. I enjoyed the parts where Clara and Charlie had conversations about things, but the rest felt like a lot of descriptions that weren’t always necessary. Much of the story took part in the 1950’s, but there wasn’t enough detail to remind me of that and I kept reading as if it took place in modern day.
Overall, it was an ok read for me , but left me wanting more.
Thank you to Atria Books who gifted an ARC of this book via Netgalley to me in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed Henry's latest novel, The Story She Left Behind. This was a beautiful story about family, sacrifice, and forgiveness. I really loved the historical aspects of this book, and I was absolutely fascinated by the character Bronwyn's story (based on a real life author that also disappeared). It took me a little while to feel really invested in the story, but about halfway through the book I found it difficult to put down! Some of the dialogue between the characters felt unnatural at times and the sentence structure didn't always seem to flow. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I'm so glad I got the chance to read it early! Thank you to the author, Atria books, and NetGalley of the advanced copy!

Patti Callahan Henry crafts another masterfully written novel. Fans will love it and new readers will become fans- it is a winner!

The Story She Left Behind is such a beautiful story from Patti Callahan Henry. The story focuses on Clara Harrington. Clara was abandoned by her mother when she was 8. Her mother was a child prodigy author whom had written her own language. Clara knows her disappearance isn't all that it seems. It's now 1952, Clara is divorced with an 8 year old daughter named Wynnie. Clara receives a phone call from a man named Charlie Jameson in London claiming he has her mother's lost language. Clara is skeptical as she should be, but Charlie divulges information that would be impossible to know without truly having the language itself and the adventure ensues from here.

This is story telling at it's finest. Reading this book was like a cozy hug that I didn't know I needed. Nobody can tell a story quite like Patti can. I absolutely adored The Secret Book of Flora Lea and was anxiously awaiting her next release. The Story She Left Behind stepped in and filled that void. Please pick this book up as soon as you are able! 5 stars for this beautiful novel!

I judge many of the books by whether I think about them in the following days and if the book leaves me in a reading funk. This book did both to me. I was captivated by Clara’s story and Wynnie’s optimism and positivity. The magic that unfolds as Clara and Winnie embark on their journey enfolded me. Yes, I could put it down and go to sleep, but I would wake up wondering what adventures they would have within the next pages. It is a comfortable blanket I would wrap myself in every time I picked it up. The events that unfolded in London were so intense. I had no idea this happened and I had to read up on the events after finishing the book. Lovely book. I have told so many about it. I will continue to do so..

In 1927, Clara Harrington’s childhood shatters when her mother, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. At age 12, Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a sensation. By 1952, Clara is raising her own daughter when a stranger contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. I reveled in all of the literature-related references as well as the mystery and Clara’s search to understand her family’s legacy. For fans of books about books.

This is the story of Bronwyn, who, as a a child of 12, wrote a book in her own invented language. It is the story of that same author as a mother who disappears one night. Finally, it is the story of her daughter as an adult with a daughter of her own.
Clara has always felt abandoned by her mother so when she gets a call from a man in London (Charlie) who claims to have her mother’s dictionary of her invented language and a letter to Clara she and her daughter embark on a journey to London to learn more. Eventually, the reason this person has possession of her mother’s papers plus the letter to her becomes evident to Clara and her daughter, Wynnie.
Mystery, the never ending love of a mother for her child, and forgiveness are all intertwined to hold the reader’s interest.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria book for this ARC.

I received this as an ARC.

I have so many thoughts about this one without spoilers.

I absolutely loved how real the characters all felt in this story. The mystery in itself kept me reading and waiting for what clue we would find next. The breadcrumbs left for Clara were truly intriguing and the adventure along the way to unraveling the secrets her mother left for her to find. Id recommend this to anyone who loved the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo although this felt like a much longer read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Patti Callahan Henry, and Atria Books for allowing me access to the e-arc.

This was such a beautiful and heart-wrenching historical fiction story with some magical elements. If you liked The Secret Book of Flora Lea then you will adore this book. There are some hard topics discussed like abandonment, medical trauma, love, mother-daughter bonds, and family. It will most likely bring you to tears. I know it did for me. There were parts in the beginning to the middle where it was a bit slow. That’s the only reason it didn’t get a higher rating.

The Story She Left Behind is a beautifully written and deeply moving novel. Patti Callahan Henry’s storytelling is magical and lyrical, drawing the reader into a world filled with emotion and intrigue. I’ve always enjoyed this author’s writing, and this book was no exception—her ability to weave a rich, evocative narrative is truly special.

The story centers around family secrets, a theme I’m always drawn to, as it tends to set the stage for satisfying revelations and emotional depth. Henry does an excellent job of building suspense and slowly unraveling the mysteries at the heart of the family, making each twist and turn feel both surprising and inevitable.

Overall, The Story She Left Behind is a captivating exploration of love, loss, and the secrets that shape us. It’s a book that lingers long after you’ve finished, and I found it to be both poignant and fulfilling. Highly recommended for anyone who loves stories about family, secrets, and the power of self-discovery.

This was my first Patti Callahan Henry book, but it wont be my last. This was like slipping on a warm, soft sweater on a cold snowy day. Writing was great, I loved all the characters, and the story moved at a perfect pace. Very rich in detail and just enveloped you in a beautiful story. Highly recommend!

First and foremost, I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of The Story She Left Behind. I previously read Patti Callahan Henry's The Secret Book of Flora Lea, and it is still one of my most favorite historical fiction novels I’ve read. So, when I saw that she was releasing another of the same genre, I added it to my TBR without hesitation.

The Story She Left Behind is inspired by the life of Barbara Newhall Follet, who wrote her novel, The House Without Windows, at the young age of twelve and disappeared without a trace. This was incredible to me because Newhall Follet’s book had already been on my reading list prior to reading TSSLB, but I had never heard or seen anyone else talk about The House Without Windows or its author until now, so I’m grateful to Callahan for bringing awareness to Newhall Follet and her story.

I love each of the settings in this book, and Callahan does an excellent job of her descriptions of the lowcountry of South Carolina, which is an area that I hold very dear, and the Lake District of England. Made me want to visit there even more than I already did prior to reading this book! It was also very interesting to learn about The Great Smog of London, which was a time in history that I had not previously known about.

I empathized deeply with Clara’s sorrow, resentment, and guilt from her abandonment during her childhood, as well as Bronwyn’s own struggles in her youth and learning about the toll of being a child prodigy took on her.

Another easy five star read for me. Can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy in March!

Patti Callahan Henry has once again delivered a beautifully written atmospheric, historical fiction novel with just the right *hint* of magical realism. This will be one of my favorite reads of 2025... calling it now! This story will transport you to 1950s London and the Lake District. It was charming, whimsical, and just simply delightful!

This was a love letter to words and the importance of shared stories & writing. It had themes of love, loss, mother-daughter bonds, family, and forgiveness. I adored this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you enjoy: Dual POVs, mother-daughter stories, mysteries inspired by real events, atmospheric literary mysteries, Etymology (words & origins) & beautiful language, endearing characters, and stories of healing/forgiveness.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the complementary ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a beautiful story about love, language and family. The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry follows Clara, a single mother who is a children’s book illustrator. Clara’s own mother, who was a famous author, disappeared after a tragic fire when Clara was eight. Now a mother herself, Clara still feels the weight of her mother’s abandonment and still has questions about her mother and her mother’s mysterious sequel book that disappeared along with her the night she left. Then fate steps in and Clara is sent on a quest to find out what exactly happened to her mother, and to retrieve the words that will help create the infamous sequel book.

My rating for this book is 4.5 stars and as much as possible I want to give a spoiler free review. I love the main characters Charlie, Wynnie and Clara. I really resonated with Clara as a woman trying to make peace with being abandoned. I admired her strength as a mother and her sensitivity. Wynnie was so sweet and Charlie was so caring and swoon worthy.
I also love a big part of the setting of this novel taking place in The Lake District. Patti Callahan Henry’s writing is so lovely and I could perfectly imagine all the lakes, gardens, cottages and magic while we as a reader follow Clara as she uncovers an intertwined family mystery.
The author wrote this story loosely based off a real life author named Barbara Newhall Follett who mysteriously disappeared in 1939 , which I find fascinating.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 😊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5 Loved it, might read it again

I was smiling the whole time I read this. What a delightful story. I rooted for Clara, Wynnie, and Charlie. I can’t say that for all the fiction I read.

Abandoned by her genius mother at age 8, Clara has spent 25 years wishing she had her mother back. Twenty-five years later with a genius sweet girl of her own, Clara receives a call out of the blue asking her to travel to London to collect a letter and papers from her still missing mother. This is a tale of love and magic and fates.

What I loved:
The magical made-up words
The descriptions of the English countryside and the way she writes
This is loosely based on a true story
Wynnie

What I didn’t love - but warnings
I loved it all
Abandonment trauma; mental health discussion

Patti Callahan Henry does it again. Someone recommended Flora Lee to me, so I knew I liked her writing style. This one just took my breath away and made me want to fly to Cumbria to traipse around the countryside looking for Emjie or Harriet. I said I might read this again, only because it’s hard to know the ending to a mystery while rereading, but I might want to return to this world.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Calling it now, this will be in the top 10 books of 2025. A truly incredible reading experience. Whimsical and magically inspiring. Full of wonder and hope as well as heartbreak and love, always love.

I felt so much for Clara, her mother abandoned her at such a young age. Then her daughter has a traumatic beginning and her husband is a lowlife gambler. But wow she never gives up. A mysterious phone call brings her to England, with her daughter, in search of her mother’s lost words.

The historical fiction lover in me reveled at the setting. The Great London Smog… the post war 50’s, Beatrix Potter’s countryside… this book being loosely based on a true story had me on the first page. But then you add the whimsical feeling that the story brings and I was in tears by the end of it. Good tears. This book filled my heart with joy.

The Story She Left Behind
by Patti Callahan Henry
Pub Date: March 18, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Inspired by a true literary mystery, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both.
Told in Patti Callahan Henry’s lyrical, enchanting prose, The Story She Left Behind is a captivating novel of mystery and family legacy that captures the profound longing for a mother and the evergreen allure of secrets.
I love the writing of Patti Callahan Henry and urge you to read this one as soon as it comes out!
This was such a captivating and enjoyable read. The writing is exquisite, the characters well developed, and Ms. Henry's research into the horrific London fog of the winter of 1952, was spot on and fantastically delivered. The characters' emotions were so well delivered that one could not withhold empathy throughout the read. Quotes of T.S. Eliot's poetry were enriching and brought back warm memories of its recitation to this reader's ears. The inclusion of stories of Beatrix Potter enriched the story that much more. All in all this was a beautiful, heartfelt and affirming story - one which will linger in this reader's soul for many days to come.

I read Flora Lea for my bookclub and had mixed reviews. I decided to give Patti Callahan Henry another chance, but had similar mixed feelings about this story. I liked the different timelines, but I just couldn’t get into the main story.

"The Story She Left Behind" is a fast-paced historical fiction novel, which I devoured during the course of a weekend. There are several things that were notable in this book including the large amount of research done by the author. Patti Callahan Henry clearly worked hard to center this story around historical events that aren't well-known including the mystery of Barbara Newhall Follet and the Great Smog. I also appreciated the way that she integrated the works and lives of other famous authors such as TS Eliot and Beatrix Potter into the story.

When reading, I was immediately pulled in by Clara's desire to understand her mom's writing once she was missing. I also liked Wynnie; her childish beliefs and innocent wonder made her likable while her astute observations offered comedic relief. Charlie was also a well-developed character, and I liked his perspectives on languages. However, I found the romance a bit distracting and thought it detracted from other parts of the writing that were more meaningful-- I wished less time would have been spent on this particular plot line. That said, I found this to be a unique book & I believe it will appeal to a wide-range of readers!

_The Story She Left Behind_ by Patti Callahan Henry is an atmospheric and moving historical fiction read with sympathetic characters. It follows Clara Harrington, an illustrator and mother to her daughter Wynnie, as she searches to find information about her own mother who went missing from their South Carolina home in 1927 when Clara was eight years old. In 1952, Clara receives a call from a man named Charlie Jameson in London who claims to have a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara and Wynnie set off for London to meet Charlie, resulting in an adventure that will reveal secrets and forge lasting relationships. A wonderful read for fans of historical fiction.