At nine years older than her sister, Flora, Hazel has always been her protector so when they are sent from their home in London to billet with a family near Oxford at the beginning of World War II, she is doubly protective. When five-year-old Flora, last seen near the banks of the River Thames, disappears, Hazel blames herself.

Fast forward 20 years and Hazel is working at a rare bookstore in London, is about to start her dream job at Sotheby’s, and is days away from a trip to Paris with her longtime boyfriend when a book and illustrations arrives at the bookstore. A quick look at the book shows it tells of Whisperwood, the make-believe land Hazel used to comfort Flora with her original fairy tales. Since no one else knew these stories, could Flora actually be alive after all these years?

Thus begins Hazel’s search for the author of the book and how she knew the stories only Flora should've known. A search that takes her back to her memories and people twenty years earlier

I adored this story and Hazel including her best friend, Kelty, whom she met when billeting with the family near Oxford. This is a sweet story highlighting the everlasting love between sisters, found family, secrets, and reunions between friends. Five stars and very highly recommended.

“What a fairy tale is meant to do,” she said, “if it’s meant to do anything at all, Tolkien says, is give us new perspective in our world, the consolation of a happy ending. Recovery of sorts. Like we leave that world to see ours anew.”

Patti Callahan Henry is a favorite author of mine. I read Between the Tides in 2008 and have loved her books ever since. Last year I read Once Upon a Wardrobe and was enamored with her magical storytelling. I had daydreams about it. Her new book The Secret Book of Flora Lea is absolute perfection. It is a book about books AND a story within a story with dual timelines that made me fly through the pages. I love Callahan Henry’s ability to transform you to another place that makes you completely unaware of your surroundings. The way her characters become three dimensional and leap from the page as if they are sitting across from you telling you their story is my favorite. I would also suggest you read her Note From the Author. I learned a lot and found more characters that I will think about for some time to come.

4 stars

Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for the early copy!

Grab your copy out May 2nd!

@pattichenry that you for writing beautiful stories that live in my heart

What a gift to readers who believe in the worlds between the anger and the magic of imagination. A sister believes she is responsible for her missing and presumed lost sister during WWII in England. Shipped to the country for their safety Hazel grapples daily as an adult with the loss of Flora. Working in a store that specializes in antique and rare books she comes across a manuscript that brings to life stories Hazel only told to Flora. To unravel the mystery behind the book Hazel will find her life upended for the better.

This was a sweet and immersive book-- I genuinely cared about the characters and loved the sisterhood bond in this novel. The quaint countryside towns that became a safe haven for London children during the Blitz also felt like a haven for readers and I looked forward to returning to this novel each time I put it down. Though at times it felt like the author was knocking me over the head with her beliefs about the power of story, the enduring bonds of childhood and first love etc instead of trusting me as a reader to gather all these things myself, and the ending being a bit predictable, this was an enjoyable story I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a lovely, gentle story with a memorable setting and endearing characters.

Patti Callahan Henry's THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA is the masterwork of a novelist at the top of her art. Two sisters, long separated in time and space, are brought back together through the make-believe world they shared when they were two children sent to the countryside during the London Blitz. Throughout the story, I was mesmerized by the relationships, the beautiful writing, and the way small events reverberate to change the world years later. A truly beautiful read, one I will long remember and reflect upon. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

This is my first book by this author and I will definitely recommend her going forward.

This book captured my attention quickly and kept me interested (mainly) throughout. No spoilers here but there were a few elements that were unnecessary and distracting. The characters and their relationships were well written and I have long been interested in the Pied Piper evacuee program.

Beautiful piece of historical fiction storytelling! This will take readers on an emotional (and magical ride). If you enjoyed Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale, you will enjoy this, though this definitely comes with a touch of whimsy, mystery, and magic. Highly recommend!

📚 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰- The Secret Book of Flora Lea⁣⁣
𝘉𝘺 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘪 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘺⁣⁣
Publishes: May 2nd, 2023 ⁣⁣
⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐆𝐢𝐬𝐭": After fleeing war-torn London in 1939, Hazel and her little sister Flora are sent to a rural village to escape the terror or war. To distract Flora, Hazel tells stories of Whisperwood, a fairy tale world made only for them. But when Flora mysteriously vanishes and is presumed drowned, Hazel blames herself for her sister's disappearance. Twenty years later, Hazel happens upon a book which, unthinkably, is all about Whisperwood. Because no one besides Hazel and Flora knew about Whisperwood, this discovery opens the entirely real possibility that Flora is still out there somewhere.... ⁣⁣
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𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 💭: This is a beautifully written book that tells the story of a guilt-ridden woman on a quest to find her long lost sister. Hazel is willing to risk everything, the entire life she made for herself, for the chance to get her sister back and reunite her family. ⁣⁣
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As promising as the premise is, something was missing for me from this book. The made-up world of Whisperwood plays such a huge role in the story, yet it felt underdeveloped to me. I wish I could have seen their world in my head as clearly as the sisters did--to feel like Whisperwood was a character in itself--but that wasn't the case here. The pace felt off as well (slow, picked up about halfway through, then immediately dropped off again and concluded too early). The ending felt drawn out and repetitive, but I did enjoy the very last chapter that wrapped everything up in a nice, tidy way. ⁣⁣
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Ultimately, people will really enjoy this story of love conquers all (and seem to be so far based on other reviews), I just needed MORE from this one in order to really love it, but I appreciate the opportunity to read it early thanks to @netgalley and the publisher. ⁣⁣
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𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 📖: You like: historical fiction set in World War 2 times; elements of fantasy; found family; books about books

This book was stunning. I loved her book Surviving Savannah and was excited to read this newest title. I love historical fiction and I love historical fiction with dual time lines. I know some people do not, but I do and this book has it! The characters are beautifully developed and the "whodunit" aspect of the book kept me guessing all along. I learned about Operation Pied Piper and went on to research more on my own after this book sparked my interest. This book was absolutely amazing and one that will stick with me for a long time. I highly recommend to any historical fiction fan!

This book starts with Hazel in present day London, on her last day of work in the rare book shop. As she is completing her last duties, she comes across a rare manuscript and starts to read. Hazel finds that is HER story. The story she told her little sister who disappeared during the war to comfort her. But no one else knew this story. How could it have been published? These questions, which she tries to shake unsuccessfully, leads Hazel on a journey that she needs to see to the end to truly move on with her life. Hazel shared so much of the blame of her sister's disappearance and once the truth comes to light, Hazel and all those affected by the loss of Flora Lea begin to truly heal.

This was a great work of historical fiction, I honestly had never even know about Operation Pied Piper and the efforts to "keep children safe" in the countryside during wartime. I only found the beginning bits of the inner turmoil of Hazel;s emotions a bit slow but once the discoveries occur, I couldn't put it down. The answers at the end were unexpected and welcome. I recommend any historical fiction lover pick this book up and learn a bit about all of the prejudices during wartime in England.

This captivating book is most original amongst both World War II historical fiction and mysteries. It both does and does not fit both categories, yet is a very engaging read with well developed and interesting characters. Is Flora Lea alive? How could someone write a book about the magical secret land that she and her sister alone shared? Is Hazel to blame for her disappearance? These are some of the many questions to be answered in this, the most unusual of mysteries. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and would highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

I try to limit my literary intake of WW2 stories but I could not pass up Patti Callahan Henry’s new book. The cover for The Secret Book of Flora Lea is eye catching along with being one of my top highly anticipated books of 2023.

This is a story of two sisters sent to the country as part of Operation Pied Piper during WW2. What was deemed for safety seemed fine until Flora Lea disappears without a trace. But 20 years later a secret story shared only between Flora Lea and her older sister Hazel has been published by an American author. How can that be? Could her sister still be alive because no one else knows this story of a place called Whisperwood.

What follows is a story of hope but it also brings wounds from the past. The Secret Book of Flora Lea is a somewhat magical story of that special sibling relationship, of grief and war. It’s mysterious with fairy tale vibes, slow paced in that it wasn’t a book I rushed through but took my time. I felt for Hazel, her guilt was real as she struggled to let go of the past and embrace life. Her desire to solve this mystery comes with high stakes and it was great to go along on this journey with Hazel.

Again Patti Callahan Henry has written a thought provoking story that I recommend.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster CA for a print arc in exchange for a honest review. This book releases on May 2nd.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for my copy of The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry in exchange for an honest review. It publishes May 2, 2023.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the two timelines, the history, the writing style. It actually got me thinking, and I asked around and learned that my grandma was one of the Pied Piper kids, she also was sent away from London to Oxford! It had never occurred to me to wonder before, so I’m grateful that this book led me to wonder.
I will say, that on Goodreads this book has a Christian fiction tag, and this book definitely shouldn’t fall under that, as there are swear words and a descriptive sex scene.
Overall, I really feel like the researched was done well, and conveyed in a masterfully told story!

What a wonderful magical storyteller Patti Callahan Henry is! In this lovely book she creates a safe, enchanting story-world that two sisters, Flora and Hazel can escape into when their own world is too hard. The girls are evacuated to the countryside at the beginning of WWII for their safety. Tragedy strikes. Twenty years later, Hazel discovers a book about the story she used to tell and begins to unravel the mysteries of what happened during the war.

I absolutely ADORED every page of The Secret Book of Flora Lee. It was a wonderful mix of history, intrigue, books, love, and suspense. Each storyline, both Hazel and Flora's childhood as evacuees from London during World War II and Hazel's life in 1960s London was fascinating, compelling, and just marvelous. You could feel their every emotion... joy or sorrow... and I was genuinely drawn into their story. The author did such an excellent job making the reader feel so close to the characters, even when maybe I wouldn't have sympathized with them in real life (as happened a few times in the latter storyline). The ending did have a bit of cheese to it but I really enjoyed seeing how the story wrapped up. This book was amazing and is a great example of a unique approach to World War II storytelling.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I could not put this book down and absolutely loved everything about it! They descriptive writing, the characters and the unfolding mystery were some of my favorite things about the book. I gasped out loud when the mystery of the secret book was revealed! I will be recommending this to all our customers!!

The Secret Book of Flora Lea is an utterly delightful novel. The author skillfully alternates between two timelines to build suspense. The characters are vibrant and realistic. The author’s depiction of Hazel allows the reader to see how her sister's disappearance has shaped her life. The mystery of Flora's disappearance will keep you guessing until the very end. It is well written and researched, the author weaves a tale of magic, myth, and mystery. Highly recommended for lovers of historical fiction. I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of this book.

Told in dual story lines, Patti Callahan Henry has brought to life the evacuation of children from London in 1939, and the homes where they ended up, and 1960, when one of those children, now grown, uncovers a mystery of how a story known only to her and her little sister could have ended up in someone else's hands and been published as a children's story.

1939 - Hazel, age 14, and her little sister, Flora Lea, 5, are evacuated from London and sent to Oxfordshire, where they stay with Binsey and her son, Harry. Binsey holds no regard for conventional things and she enables the girls to have a wonderful experience. The girls and Harry are free to roam, they are free to read as they please, and conversations abound. Hazel creates a story just for homesick Flora, who misses her mama, and that is the magical world of Whisperwood.

Tragedy strikes and Flora vanishes; searches ensue and the conclusion is drowning in the river. Hazel blames herself and continues to live with that burden.

1960 - Hazel is working in a rare bookshop when a new book arrives, called Whisperwood. The bookshop also has received a folder of sketches and watercolors. These pictures are almost identical to the stories that Hazel told Flora. Hazel never told the stories to anyone other than Flora, so how has this happened that someone in the United States is able to tell the story and publish the book? Hazel spends hours working back through her sister's disappearance twenty years earlier and sorting through the people who might have helped in any way with the searching for Flora. Is it possible that Flora Lea might still be alive and if so, how in the world will Hazel be able to discover her sister and find answers to all the questions.

The Secret Book of Flora Lee is a genuinely interesting mystery that keeps the reader focused and keenly flipping the pages, even when the answers are sometimes frustrating.

Young Flora Lee Linden is out in the middle of a wooden copse one day when she sees them. The Whisperwood, the magical creatures that she and her older sister, Hazel, have conjured through days of childhood play, special and sacred to the two of them alone. Flora is five, and Hazel fourteen; they’re among many London children who’ve been evacuated into the country to escape the ravages of the Blitz. They’ve been living with the Aberdeen family – caring mother Bridie, and Harry, her teenage son (who is of a similar age to Hazel) both kind and lovely people. Following the Whisperwood, young Flora disappears without a trace from the banks of the Thames. Hazel blames herself for her sister’s presumed death.

Twenty years later, a grown-up Hazel lives a bibliophile’s dream life; the smart flat in Bloomsbury, a handsome and kind fiancé named Barnaby, and a job with friends Tim and Poppy at Hogan’s Bookshop, which specializes in rare books. But she’s planning on joining Sotheby’s auction house soon, which means she’ll be moving up in the world but will have to say goodbye to people and work she’s grown fond of. All of her plans for the future screech to a halt when she’s presented with a new book: Whisperwood and the River of Stars, by Peggy Andrews. Hazel is stunned and, reading the book, notes it’s the exact same tale she once told her sister. What sort of coincidence is at play? Furious, hopeful, and thrilled all at once, Hazel sets about figuring out how this Peggy knows the secret special story she used to tell to her (apparently deceased) baby sister. As she investigates, a strain is placed on her relationship with Barnaby and she finds herself drawn back into now-artist Harry’s orbit as she tries to track down who spilled the beans about her storytelling.

When Hazel seeks to confront the sheltered, American Peggy, Peggy insists that the book is an original tale, made up by her mother Linda and told to her in childhood. Peggy tries to set aside her nagging doubts about Hazel, but finds she cannot write her off her claims. Curiosity eventually gets the better of her, and she tries to figure out Hazel’s story from her side of the ocean. Along the way, she deals with an attraction to Wren, a childhood crush who seems not to return her feelings and is among the many boys her mother has warned her off of.

The two women slowly begin to unravel the secrets of the past, the future becomes less certain, and more and more ends up at stake. Where is Flora, what secret is Linda keeping, and is Hazel risking it all for fool’s gold?

The Secret Book of Flora Lee draws the audience in close and keeps them suffocatingly smothered against the bosom of suspense. Along the way, there are two love stories, cozy and frightening flashbacks, and a peek into the world of rare manuscripts. The adventure is well worth following along, but the book does indulge in just a hair too much sap.

Flora and Peggy are both engaging women – one who has lived a lot and carries scars from the war, the other is naïve and must confront some uncomfortable truths about her own mother. The adventure they go on is separate but compelling, and highlighted by well-placed flashbacks. The romances are sweet and burnished by the joy of first love, but be warned that one of them involves emotional infidelity.

There are some light flaws sprinkled in. The book’s final twist is intriguing, but perhaps feels like too much of a red herring situation, with the last twenty pages or so easily disposable. And the sweet glurge of those pages, including a sappy epilogue, nearly wears the out book’s welcome. But that’s not enough for me to significantly downgrade it as a whole. The Secret Book of Flora Lee is a fine little mystery, and one that keeps the reader guessing until the end.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest reveiw.

I really enjoyed this novel. The story was complex without being confusing and none of my assumptions regarding the characters turned out to be correct; a sure sign of great writing.

The plot was well paced and kept me turning pages and staying up way too late to see what happens next.

I loved the historical parts as well, they were put in to the story line seamlessly and were an integral part of the story.

I will be looking for more from this author.