“The Secret Book of Flora Lea” by Patti Callahan Henry is a historical fiction novel about two sisters, Hazel and Flora, who are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II. Hazel, nine years older than her little sister, tries her best to keep Flora happy and entertained by telling her stories about a made-up land called Whisperwood. However, when Flora goes missing near the river, Hazel blames herself. Twenty years later, considering her next career move in the book industry, all the memories come rushing back when she unwraps a parcel containing a book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Could Flora still be alive?

This is a gentle mystery novel that sensitively tackles the issue of a missing child by exploring the way people are impacted by grief and guilt years after the event. The arrival of the Whisperwood book was an interesting way to enliven the mystery again for Hazel as an adult, and serves as a great catalyst for her to reconnect with people she knew from her time as an evacuee. I also enjoyed Hazel’s romantic entanglements and thought that they complimented the main story nicely.

As readable as this book is, I didn’t find the plot especially surprising and did feel that things were all tied up a little too neatly at the end. Unfortunately, long-term missing persons cases rarely are resolved so neatly and while some people may find the ending satisfying, I found it all a bit too convenient. While I appreciated that the character Peggy needed some impetus to escape her situation, I didn’t find her romance especially compelling.

An enjoyable and readable, if not surprising, mystery.

“Telling stories is one of the greatest powers that we possess. It's like a dream you can fill with what you want. And the knight doesn't always have to save the princess; sometimes she saves herself.”



Thank you to NetGalley for access to this ebook



1939: Fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated from London to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the Aberdeen family in a charming stone cottage, Hazel distracts her young sister with a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own: Whisperwood.

But the unthinkable happens when Flora vanishes near the banks of the River Thames. Shattered, Hazel blames herself for her sister's disappearance, carrying the guilt into adulthood.

Twenty years later, Hazel is back in London, ready to move on from her job at a cosy rare-book shop for a career at Sotheby's. With a cherished boyfriend and an upcoming Paris getaway, Hazel's future seems set. But her tidy life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing a picture book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Hazel never told a soul about the storybook world she created just for Flora. Could this book hold the secrets to Flora's disappearance? Could it be a sign that her beloved sister is still alive after all these years? Or is something sinister at play?

While this book had a slow start it ended up hooking me in and it was a book I just couldn’t put down. The combination of rare books, the evacuation of children from London in WWII and family dynamics tied together to make an excellent read. The story though seemed to be a story within a story, the story of the missing sister and the story of the stolen tale of Whisperwood, they just didn’t interlink as much as I had hoped. That being said I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a WWII and post WWII book based in London.

This was one of those books that when you read the last page and you feel bereft that the journey is over. I was sucked into Hazel’s world from the very first page.

The story opens In the war-torn London in 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated under the Operation Pied Piper scheme to a rural village to escape the horrors of the bombings. They end up in a stone cottage next to the River Thames in Oxfordshire - they are assigned to Bridie and her teenage son Henry. Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land called Whisperwood with a river of shining stars running through it, a secret place they can escape to in their imagination that is all their own. But into this paradise comes disaster - Flora disappears, last seen playing on the banks of the river. Hazel’s life changed - she was devastated, blaming herself for Flora vanishing.

The story then switches to 1960 and Hazel, still carrying the burden of guilt over her sister’s disappearance, works in a bookshop in London. Today is her final day before she takes up a position at Sotheby’s. She is in the back room opening the boxes of new arrivals when she picks up a book - a debut printing by an American author. The title of the book is “Whisperwood and the River of Stars”. Hazel had never told anyone about their secret imaginary world - only she and Flora knew of it. So how on earth did this author get hold of the information? Could she be Flora? Could she know Flora? Is this proof that Flora didn’t drown and is still alive?

From this point we join Harriet on her quest to find the truth, this time nothing is going to stand in her way. The story switches between 1960 and 1939 propelling the story forwards. I normally dislike duel timeline stories - but this story is easy to follow as Harriet searches her memories, looks up, and reconnects with, old friends to try and get to the truth. Set against a background of a magical land, secrets, guilt and friendship the story kept me captured. Lots of believable characters, both lovely and cruel, Harriet determines to let nothing, and no one, stop her from getting an answers.

An amazing read, which I read in one sitting as was unputdownable. Has made it into my top reads for 2023!

The premise of this novel interested me and I was ready to like it but it didn’t make me want to keep turning the pages. I enjoyed the plot but the writing disappointed. Some of the descriptions were florid (I tried to skip over those sections) while strings of stilted dialogue turned me off completely.

The writing could have taken advantage of the intriguing plot. Hazel created stories based on imaginary world of Whisperwood to help her younger sister, Flora, deal with the horrors of World War Two in England. After Flora goes missing while the siters are relocated from London to the countryside, Hazel is consumed with guilt and holds hope Flora is alive.

Years later, a book based on the Whisperwood tales is published and Hazel becomes determined to track its source, hoping it is her sister. This could have made for an engrossing story but it just didn’t capture me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Australia in return for an honest review.

In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. These details are woven history and fiction seamlessly into the narrative, bringing the past to life and allowing readers to understand the struggles of the characters. The writing style is engaging and descriptive, immersing readers in the natural beauty of the setting and the emotions of the characters. The dialogue is realistic and captures the nuances of the characters' personalities, creating a sense of intimacy with the story. It is a story that reminds us of the importance of family and the healing power of love.
This book is a beautiful and powerful book that combines strong characters, rich history, and a touching human story, making it a must-read for fans of historical fiction, mystery, and romance. Patti Callahan Henry has crafted a masterpiece that will capture the hearts of all who read it.

In 1940 two sisters, 15yo Hazel and 5yo Flora, are evacuated from London, leaving their mother and luckily are taken in by Bridie (and her son Harry) in the town of Binsey. Hazel tells secret stories to help Flora cope, set in a magical land called Whisperwood. Flora goes missing, assumed drowned in the Thames and it remains a mystery 20 years later. In 1960, Hazel works in a rare book shop where one day she unpacks a package containing the original illustrations for a new book set in ‘Whisperwood’ by a young American author. Is it Flora? Hazel now throws her carefully controlled life into chaos to investigate.
I really enjoyed this book, it’s beautifully written with just enough reference to other writers to capture the magic of a good fairy tale. The two timelines weave together well and I found the characters believable. I did feel the book went on a bit too long after the mystery is solved but it was nicely done and sometimes it’s good to know how the characters are faring a couple of years later! An excellent read.

A story about grief and loss and the imaginary world of Whisperwood. Set in London and Oxfordshire during World War 2 and 1960. Hazel and her younger sister Flora are sent from London in 1939 to live with a family in Binsey near Oxford. Hazel makes up stories about an imaginary land called Whisperwood to help Flora cope with missing their mother.
When Flora goes missing Hazel blames herself for not taking better care of Flora. Twenty years later Hazel is working for a rare book shop when she discovers a book about Whisper Wood. The discovery of the book sends Hazel off course as she tries to find the person who wrote the book hoping to find her lost sister.
I loved the storytelling and descriptions of the imaginary world of Whisperwood.
Full of twists and turns, secrets, grief and lost friendships.

This is a magical tale about sisterly love, never giving up and the power of imagination. It also relates the tragic effect of war on children’s lives. This is one of those books which stay with you!

Hazel, haunted by the disappearance of her small sister many years ago, is horrified when she discovers a children’s book which tells a story she made up a long time ago. When she and her sister were evacuated to a village near Oxford during the war, Hazel comforted her with tales of ‘Whisperwood,’ a beautiful place. The discovery brings that time back to Hazel, and she determines to find out how the writer knows her story. Could the author even be her sister?

There is also a boy who she remembers fondly - a cheeky boy with sparkling eyes. She has never forgotten him but Hazel has a wonderful boyfriend now. Hazel has to go on a journey to find out the truth, and see what really matters in her life.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A fantastical story of loss and stories can help us overcome it.

Flora and Hazel are evacuated during the war to Binsey in the countryside. A 9 year age gap between them, Hazel tells Flora stories to distract her from the horrors and from missing home. One day, Flora goes missing, following one of the stories, and Hazel searches for answers and lives with the guilt for the next twenty years

Favourite part: reading about book collections and conservatorship. Particularly about the paper shortage after WWII and how old maps were used as dust jackets, without reducing the value of the literature within

An emotional story love lost family, and the Pied Piper Operation that evacuated hundreds of children from the bombings on London during the Second World War.

A story of women, imagination and magic that interwoven makes for an intriguing and satisfying tale.

One of the best books I have read this year! Don’t let the genre keep you from reading this! It’s historical fiction. But has mystery and a tad of romance. Set in WW2 England.
Two sisters separated through unfortunate events. until the imaginary fairytale book they only dreamed of made an appearance…
One of my new favourites! I will absolutely purchase a copy for my shelf!

It's 1939, Hazel and her younger sister Flora are evacuated from London to a rural village to escape the bombings in World War II through Operation Pied Piper. They are adopted into the Aberdeen family, where to help comfort her sister Flora, Hazel creates Whisperwood, a magical land they can only escape to in their imagination. Then the unthinkable happens, Flora disappears from the River Thames. Hazel is heartbroken, and blames herself for not keeping a closer eye on Flora and carries this guilt into adulthood.

Fast-forward twenty years, Hazel is back living in London with a job in a rare-book store, a stable relationship with her boyfriend and a handful of close friends, she seems content. However, when a book one day turns up at her work titled Whisperwood and the River of Stars, her world is turned upside down. She is confident she never told anyone about her and Flora's secret world. Hazel is left to wonder if her long lost sister is still alive after all this time or is something more sinister afoot.

This book was quite a slow burn for me and took me like two months to finish, not because it felt like a chore to finish it but because I wanted to savour the magic of this book. I was hooked from the very beginning right up to last page. I just had to know more, not just about the mystery around the disappearance of Flora Lea and how Whisperwood can exist now but I also wanted to know more about Operation Pied Piper. This is something I had never heard of until I picked this book up and had no idea happened. It absolutely breaks my heart what families had to go through during that time.

While this book is classed as an historical fiction, it's so much more than that. It's also a mystery, a coming of age novel with a smidgen of romance thrown in the mix. So is the perfect book for those who like me love a little bit of everything.

This is my first historical fiction in a long time and I'm so glad I picked this one up to read, I was not disappointed. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who loves any of the genres mentioned above.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for sending me an advanced copy of this one! Unexpectedly really liked this one.

'Not so long ago and not so far away, there was once, and still is, an invisible place that is right here beside us.'

England had just recently declared war in 1939 and as anxiety mounts over the possible pummeling the Germans might unleash from the night skies, operation Pied Piper rolls out in London; safeguarding the city's children. Hazel is fourteen and her sister is just five when they board the train loaded with other bewildered children. During this manic departure, Hazel keeps Flora entertained with her tales of Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Their imagination is further stoked as they disembark in the idyllic Oxfordshire surroundings to be billeted. However, soon their fantastical world turns into a nightmare when Flora vanishes. Twenty years on from that awful day, Hazel comes across a book titled, 'Whisperwood and the River of Stars'. How can that be? Is Flora still alive somewhere? Hazel is forced to retrace her past life and dormant stories in order to find answers.

Patti Callahan Henry's love for C. S Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien resonates throughout this story. Magic, fantasy, and fairytales abound, layering 'The Secret Book of Flora Lea' with many themes and lessons to mull over. 'The best stories are soul-making. But stories we tell about ourselves, and even the harrowing ones told by others about us, can also be soul-destroying. We have to choose what is good and true, not what will destroy.'

After a slow start to the story, I was soon transfixed, as I turned the pages to find out what, indeed, happened to Flora. Further, I enjoyed the journey of self-discovery, and the banishment of guilt and self-doubt; learning that patience and love will always triumph, 'Don't let others take away good stories so they can feel better about themselves.' I really enjoyed this book, not only learning about Hazel and Flora's journey but another aspect of how WWII impacted lives forever in a multitude of ways. Patti Callahan Henry ends her notes with a quote from Mary Oliver which is so apt for so many facets of life, 'Said the river: imagine everything you can imagine, then keep on going'. And so just as Hazel never gave up hope, and her love for Flora never waivered, trust, faith, and love were rewarded in the end.

This novel is simply superb. I didn't want it to end. It is exquisite in revealing the wonder of the imagination, the realm within our souls where all manner of story can be created and sometimes lived. But it's also a story of sisterly love, of loss, first love and the desperate need to believe in the seemingly impossible.

Two sisters, Hazel and Flora Lea Linden are relocated to Binsey, a small town just outside Oxford, as part of Operation Pied Piper which was Britain's oddly-named program for moving children away from the threat of the German bombing in WWII. The sisters find home with Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry. Bridie is a whimsical type of person and cares for the girls encouraging their imaginations and helping minimise their fears for their mother left in London.

Hazel, fourteen, helps Flora, only six, to put aside the trauma by telling her a wonderful fairytale, with the fabulous title, Whisperwood. It's a secret tale only known by the sisters. So Hazel believes.

Fast forward twenty years to 1960, we meet 34 year old Hazel who continues to grapple with the loss of her sister, presumedly swallowed up by the fast moving torrent of the River Thames that flows through the township. Hazel is unable to forgive herself, believing she is at fault for leaving a napping Flora alone while she has cuddles with Harry.

Hazel works at a rare bookshop and happens upon a first edition Whisperwood with original illustrations. As we all would do, Hazel turns her life upside down to discover all she can about the author of this book. Is her sister alive?

It's riveting page turning reading. It's brilliant and I was especially surprised by what Hazel eventually discovers.

I really enjoyed how the author portrayed Hazel. She's living with a shadow hanging over her that has limited her life choices. Not forgiving ourselves can do this. Watching the author develop Hazel through the story was brilliant and how she re-discovered herself was marvellous to read.

With a fine cast of supporting characters, Callahan Henry brings us a story that will linger long in my heart and oh, wouldn't it be fabulous to see on the big screen.

I was very fortunate to receive an early ebook copy via HarperCollins Australia via NetGalley with no expectation of a positive review. I'm sure I'll be buying myself a copy so I read it again.

I loved this book. I loved the idea, the story, the dual timeline and the characters. This is the type of book I love reading.

Two sisters sent away from London as children to keep them safe, one dies and the other lives on with her stories and her memories. But the story she (Hazel) used to tell her sister (Flora) has been published as a book but not by Hazel.

So who wrote this book, is Flora still alive. How will Hazel deal with this new information and how will it affect her life. These are all the things this book covers and it does so in such a way that you just can't put it down.

I don't want to give anything away but I do want to say, 'Read it", you will love it. It is so well written and the characters and the story of 'Whisperwood' will draw you in. A book I highly recommend.

In 1939, Hazel Linden is fourteen and her little sister Flora is five, they leave London and are part of Operation Piped Piper. The girl’s father was killed at the start of the war, their mum is working for the war department and the safest place for them is in the country.

The two evacuees find a new home with Binsey Aberdeen and her son Harry and in a small village in Oxfordshire. The sisters are close despite the age gap, Flora has her toy bunny Berry for comfort and Hazel tells her stories and together they create a magical place called Whisperwood. Here there is no war and worries and it’s their own private world and fairy tale. When, Hazel is distracted for a few minutes, Flora disappears, immediately everyone starts looking for her and the police believe she drowned in the Thames River. Hazel blames herself, she promised her mother she would look after Flora and she failed.

Twenty years later, Hazel works at Hogan’s Rare Book Shoppe, on her last day, she unwraps a new book and is shocked when she reads the title. It’s a newly published children’s picture book and it’s called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Hazel has been offered a job working at Sotheby’s and she’s going on a holiday with her boyfriend to Paris in a couple of weeks and she doesn’t know what to do? All sorts of things are going through her mind, could the author be linked to Flora’s disappearance, the only two people who knew about the story was Hazel and her little sister and could Flora still be alive?

I received a copy of The Secret Book Of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry from NetGalley and HaperCollins Publishers Australia in exchange for an honest review. The dual timeline story is set in 1939 and later in 1960 and it’s very easy to follow. A tale about war, sisters, secrets, magic, consequences, guilt and never ending grief. Ms. Henry’s book sweeps you away to another time and place, the story is told in a spellbinding way and where anything is possible. A narrative that grabbed my attention from the start, full of interesting characters, possibilities, about the power of fairy tales, make believe and books. Five stars from me, a delightful book and one that would be a suitable choice for a wide range of readers and ages.