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Secret Book of Flora Lea
Secret Book of Flora Lea | Patti Callahan Henry
4 posts | 5 read | 10 to read
When a woman stumbles across a mysterious children's book, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed in this "transporting, heartfelt, and atmospheric" (Christina Baker Klein, #1 New York Times bestselling author) novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Surviving Savannah and Becoming Mrs. Lewis. 1939: Fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora evacuate their London home for 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 suddenly vanishes after playing 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 cozy rare bookstore 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? For fans of Kate Morton, Janet Skeslien Charles, and Kristin Hannah, this is a "fantastical" (Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author) celebration of sisterhood and the magic of storytelling wrapped up in a "heartrending, captivating tale of family, first love, and fate" (Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author).
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review
Tamra
Secret Book of Flora Lea | Patti Callahan Henry
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Mehso-so

Sometimes book club selections fall flat.

I loved the descriptions of Bridie‘s quaint & cozy cottage during the war. (Bridie takes in two sister evacuees, who are the main characters of the novel.) What I want is novel about Bridie‘s life! There are tantalizing tidbits offered and never developed.

The rest just wasn‘t for me. “Twee” is an apt description.

TheBookHippie I DNF 😅👀 11mo
Crazeedi Oh no, I just borrowed the audiibook🙄 11mo
Tamra @Crazeedi it‘s “fine” and might be engaging enough on audio as light entertainment. It‘s like a show you can put on when you‘re tired and not have to think too much. 😉 11mo
Tamra @TheBookHippie yes, if it weren‘t a book club pick I would have too. 😏 11mo
TheBookHippie @Tamra 😵‍💫😬 I get that. 11mo
61 likes5 comments
review
AvidReader25
Secret Book of Flora Lea | Patti Callahan Henry
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Mehso-so

I wanted to like this one more than I did, but Hazel was exhausting. The true history behind the premise is heartbreaking. Operation Pied Piper sent children away from their families during the WWII London blitz. In this novel, Hazel‘s sister goes missing during that time. I read because I wanted to know what happened, but it was almost a DNF. The ending made up for the frustrating bits, but I still wished for so much more.

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Reecaspieces
Secret Book of Flora Lea | Patti Callahan Henry
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Pickpick
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SilversReviews
Secret Book of Flora Lea | Patti Callahan Henry
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#TheSecretBookofFloraLea by @pcalhenry will be in stores May 2, 2023 from @AtriaBooks.

Mark your calendars and plan your #springreading early.

Pre-order NOW! https://bit.ly/SSFloraLea

#coverreveal
#historicalfiction
#pch

43 likes2 stack adds