This was absolutely enchanting and I loved Henry's style. The cover is luminous and I was sad to leave these characters at the end. This book was a delight to read--I was drawn into the flashbacks and appreciated the pacing of the plot. I have been recommending this book to many and will continue to--the intertextual references to children's literature was a treat and its setting in England was also a breath of fresh air. Thank you!

An enjoyable cozy mystery/historical fiction. It has something of a fairy story to it. Thank you for the ARC!

“Not so long ago and not so far away….”

Sometimes when I really love a book, I have a hard time writing a review! And I really loved The Secret Book of Flora Lea. It highlights the magic of stories; focuses on family connections (both biological and found families); war and the dislocations and losses it causes.

The story takes place in England, with two timelines: one in 1939-1940 and the other in 1960. During WW2, families in London were encouraged to send their children to the countryside (Operation Pied Piper) to get them out of harm’s way. Hazel and her young sister Flora Lea are among those that wind up in Oxfordshire. They were extremely lucky to be taken in by Bridie Aberdeen and her son Harry, who live in a village near the city of Oxford. Not every child was so lucky. To comfort Flora Lea, Hazel makes up stories of a land called Whisperwood and only she and Flora Lea are privy to the tales. One day Flora Lea goes missing, an event which haunts Hazel and Harry for the next twenty years. In 1960, Hazel is working in a rare book shop in London and comes across a book which tells the story of Whisperwood, with some changes. How could this book exist if only Hazel and Flora Lea knew the stories Hazel made up? Could Flora Lea be alive somewhere?

The story bounces between timelines but the chapters are carefully labeled and I was never confused as to where and when I was reading about. Along the way, I learned a lot about the village of Binsey, a real place, just outside Oxford, and its heritage. It absolutely made me want to pay a visit to it, to see the ancient well of St. Frideswide, among other places, and to have a drink at the Perch Inn!

I loved pretty much everything about this story and don’t want to give away any more details. This is just a delightful read. Don’t miss it.

Don’t miss the Author’s Note at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was a little late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Cynthia Erivo, did a beautiful job with the various voices and accents. All opinions are my own.

It took my awhile to get to this one, but I am very glad I got to it! A story that flits between 1940 and 1960 England. A war torn time, a missing sister and a story that transcends time and place. It's about family love, both blood and found. It's a story about mothers and daughters, childhood friends, and true love. #netgalley

I've come to look forward to Patti Callahan Henry's new book each year. While the last few I've read have been based on real people, this one is a bit more fiction. It does feature a real-life event - Operation Pied Piper. But the characters are all fictional.

The two books I've read by Henry have featured aspects of C.S. Lewis's life. First, there was Becoming Mrs. Lewis, and then there was Once Upon a Wardrobe. She does extensive research for her books so it wasn't surprising that when she wrote a book featuring Operation Pied Piper there would be similarities to the story around C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series. Supposedly he wrote the story after housing 4 children in his home during WWII.

Henry's main character Hazel makes up the world of Whisperwood - an enchanted land for just her and her sister - to help comfort her younger sister Flora during their separation from their mother and the recent death of their father. A tragic event in which it is believed that 6-year-old Flora fell into the river and drowned left a heavy mark on 15-year-old Hazel. When a first edition book featuring the story that Hazel created 20 years ago shows up in the rare bookshop she works in, she must delve into the hurt and pain of the past in order to learn the truth of what happened to her sister.

I really liked Hazel. My heart hurt for her as she has carried the burden of thinking she was responsible for the loss of her sister all these years. But I was also thrilled that she followed her heart. While some may have thought she was just grasping at straws hoping her sister was still alive, it felt like so much more. And really showed Hazel true character.

Parts of the story were predictable, but that didn't take away any of the enjoyment of reading this story. I had real trouble putting the book down.

This is a great seasonal transition book so if you haven't picked it up year, now would be the perfect time.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Thursday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/08/3-character-driven-stories-that-you.html

The Secret Life of Flora Lea is the story of two young sisters who, during WWII, are evacuated to a village in England for their safety. Fourteen-year-old Hazel makes up stories of a magical land called Whisperwood to distract her five-year-old sister Flora from the reality of war. Then one day, when Hazel is momentarily distracted, Flora disappears from where she was napping by the river.

As an adult, Hazel works at a rare and antique bookstore where she comes across a book about her Whisperwood. How can this be? Is Flora still alive? You'll want to snuggle in with this enchanting story!

I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I definitely picked this one initially because the cover is just beautifully inviting. WWII history and historical fiction is my absolute favourite, but so overdone that it's tough to find a book that offers something new or original. The first section drew me in as the children are educated and Hazel constructs this beautiful safe world for her sister - the magical/fairy tale elements were so captivating that I forgot about the war at times, which I suppose was the point. The author does a wonderful job with world building - in addition to the early childhood sections, I loved the vivid descriptions of Hazel's cozy bookshop and Bloomsbury flat (i.e. every bookend's #goals). I won't spoil the rest, but I will say that the author succeeding in adding something new to the WWII historical fiction subgenera, so kudos! Overall a delightful bit of escapism and a lovely read.

My favorite Patti Callahan Henry book yet! This latest is an incredibly moving and heartbreaking dual timeline historical fiction mystery based around WWII's Operation Pied Piper, two sisters and a terrible event that changes both of their lives.

Alternating between 1939 and 1960 we get to know sisters Flora and Hazel who are sent to the country for safety at the start of WWII as part of the Pied Piper campaign that saw thousands of British children sent to the country and overseas for their protection during the war.

Tragedy strikes though when Flora disappears one night. She's eventually presumed dead until twenty years later when her sister Hazel stumbles across a picture book about a story she made up for her little sister and only told to her. What follows is a desperate search to find out if her sister is actually still alive.

Beautifully written and very compelling! I couldn't put this book down. It was great on audio with an author's note included at the end read by the author herself. Highly recommended for fans of other Pied Piper based WWII stories like Kristin Harmel's The Paris daughter or Hazel Gaynor's The last lifeboat.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!! This one is going straight onto my favorite WWII historical fiction books shelf!

This is a combination of historical fiction and suspense. I was hooked by the whole premise of a sibling gone missing in war-torn England during WWII. I loved reading about the sisters’ make believe land that they invented in order to survive and escape. I felt like the resolution and outcome did not really work and it was kind of a letdown. I guess I was expecting more.

From the publisher: When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed.

This title is easily one of the best books of 2023. If you have ever loved a book by Patti Callahan Henry, be sure to pick up her newest title. If you are new to this author, you are in for a treat, one that will have you thinking about it long after you've turned the last page. A dual timeline story, we see Operation Pied Piper early in WWII and and the results 20 years later as Hazel struggles with the trauma of the war and losing her little sister, Flora Lee. Within these pages, we investigate how we recover from the trauma of war and loss? How do we move on and find joy? Can we? And what happens to our stories? Fall into the magic of Whisperwood in the Secret Book of Flora Lee and find out.

Flora is fourteen and her little sister Hazel is five when they are sent to the English countryside to escape the ravages of London during WWII. They stay with a lovely family and Flora befriends the boy Harry. The girls spend hours making up stories of a magical land that they keep secret from everyone else. When they are stressed, they find comfort in escaping to this fictional landscape. But their lives are thrown into turmoil when little Hazel suddenly disappears while playing by the river.

It’s twenty years later and Flora has gotten the chance for her dream job – working at Sotheby’s in London. One of her last tasks at her old job is to catalog some new books acquired by the antique shop owner. One of them catches her eye. It’s an illustrated book about a magical land that closely recreates the world that she and Hazel once imagined. But how can that be if Hazel died so many years ago?

The discovery sets Flora on a quest to find out how her secret storyland could be written and illustrated so perfectly? It makes Flora do things she would never ordinarily do and puts herself in jeopardy.

Henry writes about guilt, sisters, teenage infatuation, the world of imagination and the desperate search for answers. The story was inspired by the Pied Piper program that evacuated children out of London during the Blitz. The magical world of Whisperwood transports readers, along with the sisters, to a place of safety and serenity. This mythic world, like the fairy tales of old, was crucial to the girls who were living in dangerous times.

The characters are very engaging. Though the Pied Piper program was the inspiration, not a lot of time is spent dealing with the relocation itself. It’s more focused on the girls and the kind family they stay with. The boy Harry is simply delightful and his presence makes the transition go smoothly. Though not as powerful as Surviving Savannah, the sisters’ story is focused on love and guilt. Somehow the secrecy issue becomes muddled but the search for the origin of the imagined magical land is nonetheless captivating.

This historical fiction novel, set in dual time periods, takes us to England during World War II and 20 years later in London. In 1960, we meet Hazel, who works in a rare bookshop and opens a package to find a story–but it’s not just any story. It’s one about a fantastical land that she made up as a teen for her 5-year-old sister, Flora, 20 years ago. No one else ever knew about it.

In 1939, she and Flora were evacuated from London to the countryside, where they would escape to Hazel’s made-up land of Whisperwood. One day on the banks of the Thames, Flora disappeared, and Hazel has been wracked with guilt and longing ever since. Could the existence of this book mean Flora is still alive?

While I don’t read many WWII books anymore, this mystery was interesting. It did drag in the middle, though and I was impatient for the resolution–which then felt like it came too abruptly, so it was an odd mix of pacing. I didn’t always love the style of prose (overly flowery, in places), but I loved many of the characters and their relationships. On the whole, a very uneven read for me.

Overall, a mystery with a satisfying ending! I appreciated that the plot was not entirely predictable.

Readers will be absolutely transported by this incredible historical fiction book. The Secret Book of Flora Lea was one of those reads that completely took me out of my actual reading space and made me feel like I was in the woods with the characters. The characters, especially the two sisters, are so realistic and jump off the page. I was devastated for this family as they grieved their missing sister and daughter. I could not stop reading this book and was so tempted to skip ahead to solve the mystery.

Readers of heartfelt, historical mysteries will love this one!

What an immersive engaging read this book was!

As the war grows closer to home, Hazel and Flora Lea find themselves being sent into the country for their safety and away from their mother, the only family they have left. Luckily, they are placed with a loving mother and son who truly take them into their homes and hearts. But all of that changes the instant Flora Lea goes missing. Years later, Hazel still hasn't come to terms with Flora's disappearance so when she comes across a book that begins in just the way she used to start her fairy tale stories to Flora, she is sure this is the answer to finding her long lost sister.

I was so drawn into the fairy tale world that Hazel created along with the stories of Hazel and Flora Lea in war torn England, as well as the mystery of who had stolen Hazel's fairy tale world and would it lead them to the missing Flora Lea. This book just had it all. A strange disappearance, the strong bond of family, a beautiful love story and the mystery of Flora Lea.

A must read for any bibliophile or historical fiction reader. A really lovely book that had me from the very first turn of the page. I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful book that brings back memories. I was one of the children who was a war refuge. It wasn't mandatory to send children from London to the countryside, but it became a sad necessity. I went from the outskirts of London to Dartmoor in Devonshire where I lived on a farm. It is mentioned in the book that this experience changed many lives. I was one of the lucky ones who really enjoyed the experience. I was there for at least 2 years. Our home survived as did my parents.

4.5 out of 5 This is a whimsical and fantastical lovely family saga. I love historical fiction books that dwell in the side participants of war, the women and the children that are left behind and how that affects their lives. This is one of them. This is my second Patti book and in both her love for the written word and fellow authors exudes from the page. This one is a lovely collection of how stories and tales help us go through even the hardest of times. How the power of the imagination can be stronger than the sorrow in our lives. A total tear jerker of a book but so beautifully intertwined with a magical ending.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Some parts I really liked but I also found it slow in others and I wasn’t as invested as I would have liked.
I think many will enjoy this and would recommend it to those who like a richly novel with alternating timelines.

Hazel is living a lovely life in 1960 London: about to start her dream job at Sotheby’s in the rare books department and a perfect boyfriend who is hoping for more, but Hazel is still haunted by the disappearance of her sister Flora almost 20 years ago. When they were 14 and 5 respectively, Hazel and Flora were sent to Oxford as part of Operation Pied Piper - getting children out of London as German bombs started falling in the city. Even though life there was idyllic, the girls missed their mother and Hazel would help Flora through this by telling her stories of Whisperwood, a secret land they would disappear to when they were sad or lonely. And then one day, Flora disappears into thin air.

Fast forward to 1960 and a book about Whisperwood makes its way into Hazel’s hands sending her on a quest to find out the truth of what happened to Flora all those years ago. With an alternate timeline of 1939-40 and 1960, we follow the girls in Oxford and Hazel on her mission of discovery.

Exquisitely written and engaging, this was a fascinating read. Part historical fiction, part mystery, I was completely enthralled by this from the first chapter.

I know people often say that we don’t need another WWII novel, but we do, and The Secret Book of Flora Lea is it. A haunting tale of love, sisterhood, and guilt is woven over a twenty year period. After falling asleep near a river’s edge, Flora Lea has disappeared. Most believe she drowned, but her sister Hazel refuses to end her search.