This story was captivating & delightful! I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the gorgeous setting the touch of magic, a little romance and the mystery that didn't resolve until the last pages. This book is based on a real author/child prodigy who wrote & published book at the young age of 12 and then experienced some tragic events. It takes place during The Great Smog of 1952 in London and this natural disaster provided a lot of action in the plot! I loved getting glimpses into the creativity of authors and illustrators through these characters. I loved the beautiful yet challenging relationships between mothers and daughters that were central to the story. It was fun to see Beatrice Potter woven into the story, one of my childhood favorites! The character of Wynnie was absolutely precious. This author captured the imaginative spirit of a child so perfectly. Bravo! Historical fiction at its best!

This ARC was provided by Atria Publicity via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I Love this story. It's been 25 years and Clara is now a grown woman with a daughter of her own who is the same age she was when her mother, a unique woman and famous author of a book about fairies and make-believe, disappeared. Clara receives a call from a man in England who says he has something ONLY for her and that she must come get it, a satchel full of papers containing her mother's secret language. This could unlock the mystery surrounding her mother, why she left, what happened, and help her to decipher the sequel that her mother left behind. Across the ocean, and through a series of fortunate and unfortunate events, Clara and her daughter Winnie become ensconced at a country house with a family that may have a connection with her mother. There are so many Easter eggs and nuggets of delight in this story as the mystery unravels. Beautifully written, this story flows with magical moments of hope and joy. Many thanks to #netgalley #thestorysheleftbehind #patticallahanhenry for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I wanted to like this book and there were parts I did enjoy it’s just not what I wanted from it. I’m not even sure why I didn’t really like it maybe it’s just not the book I was meant to read at this time.

When Clara was 8 her mother, a child prodigy, abandoned her leaving only her stories, memories and secret language behind. Now Clara is the mother of an eight year old daughter, Wynnie. The story takes Clara on a quest to find the truth of her mother’s life and disappearance. Abandonment, acceptance, forgiveness, a mother’s love, a world of magical imagery,,secret languages, writers, illustrators, imaginary friends, endings, new beginnings. This story takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride with endearing characters. A must read.

Are you kidding me! The Story She Left Behind had me rapt in an attentive state of "what the heck is going to happen next?". I adored these characters and of course had to do a DEEP dive on google about the real person who inspired this novel, Barbara Newhall Follet. Henry can grab you into a story and let you marinate in it because her writing is just THAT good!

Link to full review coming soon.

Patti Callahan Henry writes the most charming, darling, and just heart pulling stories! I have never read a book of hers that I haven't been able to stop thinking about for months. I loved this story! Both of her books this past year should be made into movies, because they would instantly be top hits. She has a way of capturing her audience from the first page, and holding their hand and she guides them through these beautiful stories. Just such talented writing. I will forever be amazed by your gift of writing.

Just as magical as the other wonderful book I read by this author, The Secret Book of Flora Lea. I could not put this book down - I desperately needed to know how it ended! I truly don't know how Clara was able to continue after losing her mother that way. She seems like such as wonderful mom herself, and Wynnie is adorable. Then you throw sweet Charlie into the mix and you're rooting for the entire group to find answers to all of the burning questions. This book is such a beautiful story about family, love, with a mystery that connects every puzzle piece. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this.

This was a very slow start for me with so many details I found myself skimming to get to the dialog. However at about 60% things really started happening and I was invested. While thw details felt cumbersome, they really did create a beautiful scene ans backdrop to the story.

i love all of Patti Callahan Henry books, this is about 8-year-old Clara, whose mother disappears. It is set in 1927..

What a charming story this is. Callahan Henry is one of my favorites. Her narrative is interesting and characters are believable. The plot is terrific.

The Story She Left Behind, by Patti Callahan Henry, is a historical fiction novel. Henry does an excellent job of painting a visual picture with her words to describe the settings in both South Carolina and overseas in Europe. The characters are all important to the story and through the telling of their story, they become important to the reader also. I loved that this one was based on truth, yet spun in a way that made the story entertaining and enlightening to the reader. You can't go wrong with this author! Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

I want to thank Atria books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Story She Left Behind, written by Patti Callahan Henry. I previously read Surviving Savannah by the same author and liked it very much.

“Inspired by a true literary mystery -“
This story begins in 1927.

“There are things that cannot be undone”

“We create words to define our life, and they begin to define us.”

Ms Callahan’s characters are wonderful, the real and the imaginary. The descriptions of the locations in South Carolina and England are perfect! This is a warm and fuzzy story. Makes you want to brew a cup of tea in a pretty cup and curl up in a big old upholstered chair in front of a fireplace..

The Story She Left Behind publishes 03/18/2025.
It begins a bit slowly and then you’re hooked!

4.5 out of 5. I discovered Patti Callahan Henry very recently and I am so glad I did. Once Upon a Wardrobe was adorable and the Secret Book of Flora Lea was such a good family saga mystery. This book is excellent as well very much in the vein of Flora Lea, with a family mystery to be solved, a disappearance to make sense of. I love how well she writes children and also child longing in adults. The alternate worlds she creates with her writing are gorgeous and are as intricate and wonderful as her actual story. A wonderful blend of narrative to involve the fantasy with reality to a way were they mesh with each other and the inform each other. I loved the slow burn relationship in this book and you are going to be a fan of how this ends. Highly recommended.

Sweet tale filled with loveable characters. A tad predictable. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book brought tears to my eyes several times and the description that suits it best is “tender.” It seeks out the tender moments in relationships - largely between parent and child but also between partners and other family members. It looks at loss, longing, and sacrifices made for the sake of others.

The author’s prose expertly captures the beauty and nuance of location. From coastal South Carolina to crowded London to the sweeping Lakes District of England, Patti Callahan Henry uses her words to paint a picture. And then there are the characters! Deep, thoughtful descriptions bring them to life on the page. From a vivacious 8-year-old with her own struggles to a mother in midlife to an older woman who recently lost her beloved husband, we readers get to feel what they feel through descriptions and dialogue.

This one has a bit of mystery, a bit of history, and a bit of love (both romantic and familial) woven in, propelling it to a five star book in my eyes!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

“The Story She Left Behind” by Patti Callahan Henry is an enchanting historical fiction based on the life of Barbara Newhall Follet. Barbara was a child prodigy author who started writing at five, created her own language, and published her first novel at twelve. She had a tragic life and at 25 walked away from her husband and vanished never to be seen again.
Ms. Henry has taken this story and created an emotional story of a mother of an 8 year old daughter who sets out on a journey to find out about her mother who abandoned her and her father mysteriously after a house fire in her home when she was eight years old. It’s an atmospheric story of hope, redemption and forgiveness. It also addresses the theme of parental abandonment and how far one will search for love.

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

Omg !!
What an amazing and magical story
I just love this authors books.
She is such a great story teller
This is a story about a young girl of only 8nyrs old that writes a book that is published when she is 12 yrs old
At 25 she goes missing and no one knows where she is
This is based on true facts with fiction mixed in to make it a wonderful book

There are some authors who truly just have a magical way with words, and Patti Callahan Henry is one of them. It's almost ironic to be talking about Henry's way with words when The Story She Left Behind is completely based on words as well. While set in the 1950's and coinciding with The Great Smog in London, I found this to be written in such a timeless manner that I often forgot that it was set in the past. In my opinion, this timeless quality (though very dependent on a specific event in time) is truly special to experience. There was not a character that I didn't enjoy, and I loved hearing *most* of the story in Clara's voice while still getting glimpses into some of the other main characters' perspectives that were interspersed as well. A very compelling read that drew me right in and kept me completely immersed until the very end.

So many thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to read The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry. Another book ful of sweetness and magic from a much loved writer. I hated for it to end.

Adorium!!! I absolutely fell in love with this book . The setting in Bluffton, Sc was perfection. I visited a few years back and when I closed my eyes I could see the all details of that beautiful little town. Clara and Wynnie had a wonderful relationship . From the moment Charlie called her about the satchel I was intrigued with him. I believe it to be true that families come in all different ways and what a beautiful one this book showcased. Thank you for allowing me enter into this wonderful, creative, beautiful captivating novel.