4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Historical Fiction

This book was beautiful - it was inspired by a true story and takes on a story of its own. ✨

The Story She Left Behind is about a Mother, Clara, and her daughter Wynnie searching for hints and clues surrounding Clara’s Mother who was a literary genius and famous author that suddenly vanished. 📝

Patti Callahan Henry takes us on this beautiful coming-of-age story and all three characters were such strong female leads. 💪🏼

You are going to love the way this book is written and the way you can use your imagination for a hint of magical realism. 🪄

Without spoiling it - I didn’t love the big reveal and wanted more from Charlie! But nonetheless, I loved it and thought the ending was perfect🥰

Shout out to @Netgalley for my ARC! This book comes out 📆 March 18th, 2025

📚2025 Book 2

title: The Story She Left Behind

author: Patti Callahan Henry

publisher: Atria Books

publication date: March 18, 2025

pages: 384

peppers: 2 (on this scale)

warnings: death of a father (off-page), missing mother, talk of death by smog, asthma attack, talk of bullying, theft

summary: When Clara was eight years old, twenty-five years ago, her famous mother disappeared. Now, a British man has contacted Clara to say that he found the mother's papers among his father's possessions. He is supposed to give the papers to Clara, but only in person, so she and her daughter Winnie have to travel to England to get them. Unfortunately, they arrive during the Great Smog of 1952. Since the daughter has asthma, they end up going with the man to his family's country house in Cumbria, where the mystery of how the father came to possess the papers seems to open up new questions as to how these people's lives are related. The story is loosely based on a real author's disappearance.

tropes:

missing and dead parents
mysterious findings
working together

he saves her

what I liked: multiple points of view and figuring out the mystery, the male protagonist is sweet

what I didn’t like: none of it

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)

The Story She Left Behind is a historical fiction novel with strong themes of family abandonment, forgiveness, and love. I would also classify this under women’s fiction since the primary relationship is mother/daughter, with subplots of mystery and romance.

This was the second book of Patti Callahan Henry’s that I have read. I read a physical copy, not the audiobook. The story is primary told from the first person POV of the main character, Clara, but there are also other character POV chapters intermixed.

Main character Clara is a divorced mom of an 8 year old daughter, living in 1950s South Carolina. Abandoned by her own mother when she was 8, Clara has been on a near constant hunt to find out why and to where her mother left 25 years ago. Through a chain of events, Clara and her daughter end up in England and meet Charlie, who holds some of the information about Clara’s mom. But, more questions are raised and they begin hunting the answers together. Clara wonders if she will ever find her mom, and if she does, could she forgive her? Also, Clara wonders if she can truly trust Charlie after having her trust broken before?

My favorite parts in the book were the historically based parts about the London smog, the lost author, the majestic Lake District of England, the language and word study, and the side information about Beatrix Potter.

I had a harder time connecting the characters in this story because I haven’t personally dealt with abandonment of a family member. However, I appreciate that the author wrote this book. It was a somber ackowledgment of the importance of mental health understanding and resources.

Overall, the book was well-written and plotted, and the characters were well-developed. It got a little slow for me in the middle and felt repetitive toward the end. I think it would have been less meandering if 50-100 pages were edited out.

Content: Scant light language. Parental abandonment. Kisses only, with implied but not described intimacy.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the complementary copy of this book. My review is my personal opinion and is not influenced in any way by the publisher or author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for this advance reader copy. All opinions stated here are my own.
If you like Patti Callahan Henry's works and if you particularly enjoyed The Secret Book of Flora Lea, here you are. Set in London and the countryside during the Great Smog of London (for those who need a historical fiction anchored with an actual event), this book is a storytellers book. Full of whimiscal writing, a touch of magic, but also holding mystery and suspense, Henry writes stories that people will enjoy reading. This book was inspired by the true story of Barbara Newhall Follet, a writer who published her first book at age 12. I checked out her book just to look at it.
Its a lovely read. I'm not screaming through the streets that you must read this book, but it was really a nice, lovely read and I would recommend it to patrons as a clean read, enjoyable characters, and a well contructed story.
4*

I adore Patti Callahan Henry. She is an auto-buy author for my mom and I! The Story She Left Behind didn't disappoint in my already high expections. Her characters were lovable and the balance between whimsical magic and heartfelt tension was perfect. Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for an ARC!
Pub Date: March 8, 2025

Patti Callahan Henry has a rare gift for weaving stories that feel both magical and moving. From Once Upon a Wardrobe to The Secret Book of Flora Lea and Becoming Mrs. Lewis, her books always leave me enchanted—and this one, releasing on 3/4, is no exception. Now, I’m eager to explore the rest of her backlist!

At its heart, this is a poignant tale of mothers and daughters—the bonds that hold them together, even across time and tragedy. Not just Clara’s broken relationship with her own long lost mother but also the tender connection with her 8 year old daughter.

I loved the setting of this book, transporting me to 1950s London and the breathtaking Lake District, which felt so vivid, I felt as though I’d really been there and seen everything with my own eyes. Beatrix Potter’s home makes a charming cameo too, adding a touch of whimsy!

If I were a star-rating kind of girl, I’d dock half a star because the resolution wrapped up a little too neatly for my liking—it took me some time to process the “big moment” at the end and it didn’t seem very realistic. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s a small critique in an otherwise gorgeous story.

💜 Don’t miss the authors note!

Read this if you enjoy:

✨ Stories inspired by true mysteries
✨ Whimsical, atmospheric writing
✨ Dual POV
✨ Literary worlds and secret languages
✨ English countryside settings
✨ Historical fiction with themes of reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing

Content: Parent abandonment, less than 10 curse words including h*ll, (no F word or God’s name in vain), one quick bedroom scene before marriage: vague/not descriptive.

Thanks for @netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I tend to stay away from historical fiction because they seem pretty heavy. I do have some faves (The Book Thief, Salt to the Sea, All the Light We Cannot See) so finding this whimsical one was amazing. I love that it reminded me of Kate Morton's novels, which are easier to read, especially if one is new to the genre. So this is LOVE!

Title: The Story She Left Behind
Author: Patti Callahan Henry
Publisher: Atria Books
Genres: Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: March 18, 2025
My Rating: 3.4
Pages 352

The main parts of the story are told from the POV of Clara Harrington and Charlie Jameson.
In 1927, eight-year-old Clara Harrington’s childhood shatters when her mother, an author, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Her mother is famous for writing a book in an invented language.

By 1952, twenty-seven years later Clara is an illustrator raising her daughter, Wynnie.
Clara receives a message from Charlie Jameson a stranger from London claiming he found a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. However-Clara is skeptical.

In the note from the author Patti Callahan Henry – she tells us the motivation for this fictional story. It is actually based on a 1914 child-prodigy author Barbara who started writing when she was five years old. Barbara’s story got Ms. Henry’s creative imagination going and she came up with this story. Just like the note from her, her acknowledgements are also very interesting
TO top all of this information off she includes several pages of resources for additional reading


Want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 18, 2025.

I loved this book from a new-to-me author. Beautiful, reflective prose paired with compelling characters and evocative settings. I loved the unusual aspects of this historical fiction--the England/America pairing, the post-war setting, and the inclusion of mythical elements. A surprising and delightful read.

Patti Callahan Henry has a winner with this book, The Story She Left Behind! An absolutely wonderful read. Characters and settings are rich and full of depth. Emotions all over the place. Life is tough when we deal with hard emotions, the characters faced that situation over & over. This is a 5 star read!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry
This book was so good! I took my time reading and just devouring the pages. The lyrical prose was so beautifully crafted! I was drawn in and mesmerized by the story with secret languages, missing pages, and a magical realm of the mind to perch a beautiful escape, just beauty in words!
The setting descriptions were timeless and mystical. I felt like I was there with Clara and Winnie. I could feel the heartbreak and wonder! I absolutely loved diving into this one, based on a real-life literary mystery!
In 1927, a renowned author disappears leaving a heartbroken Clara whose magical childhood shatters. Later in 1952, Clara has made a name for herself as an illustrator and has a beautiful, yet fragile daughter Wynnie. One day, Clara gets a call when a stranger in London claims to have her mother’s lost words. Charlie Jameson compels Clara to cross the ocean, and she arrives during a deadly natural disaster, The Great Smog. Asthmatic Wynnie becomes overtaken by the acidic smog and the two leave the city with Charlie to take refuge at his family’s country home in the Lake District. While there, Clara is intrigued with peculiar connections and begins to unravel the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.
This was a captivating mystery and so imaginative! 5+/5⭐️
I would love to thank NetGalley for the awesome opportunity to review an ARC of this beautiful story!
This will be released later in 2025.

Historical fiction fans who want to avoid a WWII story, THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND by Patti Callahan Henry will likely scratch that itch with an added bit of fantastical whimsy. I would say that this novel has a lot of parallels to a Kate Morton novel, which I really liked.

Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham is a child prodigy fantasy writer, writing her first story at age 8 and getting it published at age 12 (Bronwyn is based on a real child prodigy writer!). After a tragic event when she’s in her 30s, Bronwyn disappears, leaving a husband and 8 year old daughter Clara. Now, in 1952, Clara is summoned to England by Charlie Jameson, who was clearing out papers after his father’s death and found papers believed to be from her missing mother. Clara takes her 8 year old daughter Wynnie to London, and there they get caught in the Great Smog of 1952, which is especially problematic because Wynnie has asthma. They retreat to the countryside with the Jameson family, and Clara attempts to get to the bottom of the mystery and at the same time is intrigued by Charlie.

The settings, both South Carolina and England, were well-drawn and very atmospheric. And, of course, the thick, sooty smog that affected so many people’s lungs made me empathize with Londoners at this time.

I thought the themes of history repeating itself and running away vs. running to something were well-constructed. At times, the novel had moments of being a bit more drawn out and repetitive than I needed and sometimes a smidge too sentimental for my taste. On the whole, I found it enjoyable and learned a lot about this time period.

Love the cover. Not as fond of the title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND publishes March 18, 2025.

Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham writes a fantasy novel when she is eight years old that is published and made famous when she is 12. The child prodigy stuns the world and her life is never the same. As she grows up things seem to stabilize and she marries and has a child of her own but In 1927 Bronwyn leaves everything she loves in the dead of night and disappears without explanation. Her daughter, Clara, grows up without a mother, but with a loving father, and develops into a renowned book illustrator. When she is contacted by a man from London who has found papers of her mothers, she cant help but pack up her own 8 year old daughter and travel across the ocean to investigate her mothers disappearance 25 years later. .

The Story She Left Behind is a historical fiction novel that is part mystery and part romance. Its a quiet, slow but steadily paced book with a beautiful sense of place and well developed characters. It includes several interesting real events such as the terrible London smog, facts about Beatrix Potter and is based on a real author that was published as a child and disappeared in her twenties and was never heard from again. I liked the story more as I read on and found the themes of forgiveness and second chances compelling. The youngest character, Claras 8 year old daughter Wynnie was delightful and I appreciated the maturity and non angsty relationships of the characters.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for an e galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of a mother, Bronwyn, who abandons her child and husband after a tragedy. Clara has been searching for her mother ever since. When she gets a mysterious phone call from London that there are papers that are left to her of lost words from her mother, Clara and her 8 year old daughter go to London to retrieve them.

The book has magical and mysterious aspects along with historical fiction all mixed together. The descriptions by Patti Callahan Henry make you seem like you are in the story with all the characters. I loved all the characters. It was especially wonderful the way she included writings by T.S. Eliot and Beatrix Potter’s life and the Caldecott Medal. It was an enjoyable read that I read in 24 hours because I was so drawn into the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced digital copy.

This is the third book I have read by this author. I loved the Secret Book of Flora Lea and Once Upon a Wardrobe and it was no surprise that I loved this one as well. This was such a compelling story with great character development which combines both a historical aspect and a family drama piece. Definitely pick this one up when it comes out, you won’t regret it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this advanced copy!

I've only read one other book by Callahan Henry and I really enjoyed it so I was really excited when this one became available in NetGalley!

This is such a sweet story of a woman whose mother left when she was 8 and left behind a book that she wrote in a language that no one but she knew. We follow Clara and her daughter as they travel across the ocean to London when a stranger contacts her about some papers he found in his fathers study.

This book is beautifully written, the story moves along well and I found myself excited to pick it up and dive back in! The characters were warm and likable, the themes of sweet romance, found family and the English countryside were very enjoyable. The whole book felt like a warm hug. Highly recommend!

It takes a lot of thought to create new words that express heartfelt feelings. For those of us that love to read, this is one to admire with inspirational messages.

This story was based on a real-life child-prodigy author who invented her own language. She had a winning fantasy novel in 1927 at age 12 and later mysteriously disappeared as an adult without a trace.

We have read enough books and many of us know that genuine love can be complicated. The characters show how terrified it can feel when life has moments that make no sense. What matters is how we respond when our experiences become difficult to manage.

The book includes two areas that are beyond beautiful: Bluffton, SC and the town of Cumbria, not too far from London. It makes you want to order airline tickets to see both of these places. There is a great amount of history with famous authors that were once roaming the hills, admiring the spring flowers and engaging in outdoor activities with their neighbors in Cumbria.

The plot is predictable yet filled with the possibility of unexpected endings. I loved how the author used poetry to instill good thoughts. It’s beautifully written with a handful of huggable characters giving readers a feel-good novel with the importance of family, friends and tender love.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 18, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.
There was so much that I loved about this book. The story flowed between two timelines. Bronwyn, a literary genius, has disappeared, leaving behind her young daughter. Years later, Clara is now a single mother, still missing her mother, when a man calls from England with news about some papers from her mother that he found in his late father’s safe.
Clara travels to England, hoping to find answers about her mother’s disappearance.
I was captivated by this enchanting story.

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The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My first book of 2025 is a dreamy novel based on a true event that inspired the author. Her last book “The Secret Book of Flora Lea” was my favorite book of 2023 and this one had many similarities in writing style and even story. I believe my first book of the year could hold up all year to make my Top 10! Time will tell!!

What I liked:
•this book had all my favorite elements: historical fiction, fantastical stories, beautiful location imagery, mystery, suspense and romance!
•a mother-daughter story (in this case multigenerational) always piques my interest!
•a strong cast of women
•my favorite childhood book was “The Secret Garden” this has some similarities and even references it at one point
•seeking or dreaming of lost love

What I didn’t like (it was a 5⭐️ read for me…so not much!)
•I woke up each morning excited to read but finished it too quickly!
•the end tied itself up a little too easily ~ but I enjoyed it.

This book is set to publish March 18. Thank you to @netgalley and @pattichenry for this digital ARC.

Book 1 of 2025
Read January 1-4

Patti Callahan Henry has a way of drawing me into the story even though, admittedly, historical fiction is not my favorite genre. The Story She Left Behind is no exception. Clara's mother, a famous author, disappeared when she was a child. She left behind a heartbroken husband and daughter and a sequel to her novel written in a made up language that no one can translate. When Clara is an adult, she is contacted by a man across the Atlantic Ocean who says he is in possession of her mother's dictionary. Will Clara brave a trip across the ocean? And will she finally find the missing pieces of her mother? Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.