Book Review | The Secret Book of Flora Lea

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

Published by Simon and Schuster on May 2, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Historical / 20th Century / World War II, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Women
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback

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

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. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, 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, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.

But the unthinkable happens when young Flora suddenly vanishes while playing near the banks of the river. Shattered, Hazel blames herself for her sister’s disappearance, and she carries that guilt into adulthood as a private burden she feels she deserves.

Twenty years later, Hazel is in London, ready to move on from her job at a cozy rare bookstore to a career at Sotheby’s. With a charming boyfriend and her elegantly timeworn Bloomsbury flat, Hazel’s future seems determined. But her tidy life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing an illustrated book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Hazel never told a soul about the imaginary 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?

As Hazel embarks on a feverish quest, revisiting long-dormant relationships and bravely opening wounds from her past, her career and future hang in the balance.

ISBN: 9781668011850

When I first finished the book, I thought it was an enjoyable novel. It was an interesting story to focus on the Pied Piper child evacuations in WWII and a young girl going missing destroying multiple families and the village they were living in. Yet, the more I think about it, the less I like it. It’s not even anything in particular but more like a feeling.

One aspect I didn’t enjoy was Hazel’s boyfriend, Barnaby, he was annoying and inconsiderate and was on such a high horse. Yes, Hazel made some questionable mistakes and started having tunnel vision on finding her sister. But it’s not like she had any other evidence until the book, Whisperwood and the River of Stars, arrived at her job. The possibility of finding her sister should have made him a touch more understandable. I actually forgot until we were discussing it at book club that Barnaby had an ex-wife and they had a still-born baby. He was more like a caricature of the unsupportive boyfriend than a fully fleshed out character.

I did love all the other characters. They at times felt a little magical but for the most part, they were still interesting and had layers, especially with this idea of guilt. I love how each of the characters took blame for Flora going missing, reacted in their own way, and lived out their lives based on that guilt.

I love the mystery aspect and how this story that started with these two sisters traveled all around the world to make it back to Hazel. The power of stories is truly astounding! However, the mystery aspect and how it was all resolved just didn’t hit me as much as I expected. I expected to be in tears by the end, but I was bone dry when I closed the book; I was expecting more of an emotional payoff. As a slight spoiler, I actually expected them to find out that Flora Lea had died or was killed. I do love that another theme explored at the end was the complicated aspect of families and how adults’ can do something wrong (even illegal) but still do some good as well.

This feels like a wishy-washy, vague review, but I’m not sure how to describe what or why this book didn’t hit for me.

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