Book Review: The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

My Rating:4.5⭐️

In 1939, as WWII rages on, sisters fourteen-year-old Hazel Mersey Linden and five-year-old Flora Lea Linden are evacuated from London as a part of Operation Pied Piper along with other children to protect them from German aerial bombings. They end up in Binsey, Oxfordshire in the home of the Aberdeens - Bridie and her son Harry who welcome them and treat them with kindness and compassion. But their time in the safe idyllic countryside comes to a tragic end in 1940 when six-year-old Flora disappears from the banks of the River Thames, where she had been napping on a blanket. The pain and guilt for having not been able to protect Flora from harm haunt Hazel for years to come and resulting in her cutting all ties with the Aberdeens.

Fast forward to 1960 and we find Hazel in the middle of her last day at Hogan’s Rare Book Shoppe in Bloomsbury where she has been employed for the last fifteen years and is now moving on to her dream job in Sotheby’s. When she opens a parcel from America with the first edition and a set of original illustrations from a children’s book named "Whisperwood and the River of Stars" written by American author Peggy Andrews, shocks her to her core. After all these years, the secret world she created for her sister was in the pages of a book, written by a stranger. How did Peggy Andrews know about Whisperwood- the imaginary haven created by Hazel for Flora? Could Peggy be Flora? How else could she know about Whispewood? What really happened to Flora all those years ago?

“We’re always safe in Whisperwood.”

Hazel's attempts to contact Peggy result in a hostile telephone call following which Hazel embarks on her search for answers. In the course of her quest, she tries to contact people from her past who knew Hazel and Flora when they were in Binsey revisiting the painful memories she had left behind twenty years ago all the while studiously avoiding a journalist who wants to write about Flora's story as a part of her series on children who were lost during The Blitz. Hazel resents anyone sensationalizing her family’s tragedy. While she has support from her best friend Kelty (a fellow evacuee during Operation Pied Piper who became her lifelong friend) and others including her ex-employer, her actions are met with concern and skepticism from her boyfriend Barnaby, causing a rift in their relationship. But Hazel is not deterred and nothing will diminish her resolve to find out what happened to Flora twenty years ago.

On the other side of the world in Cape Cod, Massachusetts Peggy Andrews is astonished when a stranger from London calls her claiming that the concept of Whisperwood and its magical elements was conceptualized by her for her sister. How did Peggy find out about Whisperwood? How is her story tied to Hazel’s and Flora’s?

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry is an exquisitely written novel that combines elements of historical fact and fiction with an element of mystery and fairy tales and touches upon themes of war, grief, love and family, the indestructible bond between siblings, hope and healing. The author creates an immersive world around the magic of storytelling and the role books and stories can play in our lives, especially in difficult moments. I also enjoyed the literary references interspersed throughout the narrative.

The characterizations are superb and I found the narrative in both timelines equally absorbing. The “Whisperwood” sections were enchanting and I felt myself being transported to that magical place along with the sisters. The Author’s Note is informative and provides perspective into the historical context of the story and details the true events that inspired (and in a few instances are mentioned) parts of this novel. She also highlights the significance of fairy tales in the lives of children quoting Tolkien that fairy tales offer children “the consolation of a happy ending.” Overall, I could not put this book down and was immersed in the world of WWII London /post-WWII London and the fantastical world of Whisperwood.

Heartbreaking in parts, enchanting and hopeful in others, The Secret Book of Flora Lea is a beautiful story – one that should be read with your heart! Patti Callahan Henry is a masterful storyteller and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Secret Book of Flora Lea is due to be released on May 02, 2023.