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A review by spow
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
4.0
“Not very long ago and not very far away, there once was and still is an invisible place right here with us. And if you are born knowing, you will find your way through the woodlands to the shimmering doors that lead to the land made just and exactly for you”
These are the opening sentences of “The Secret Book of Flora Lea”, a story about the love of two sisters through the worst of times. Taking place at the start of WW2 in England, the reader gets a glimpse at the sacrifices that families made to keep safe when two sisters are evacuated from London into the country before the bombings. While there, one sister disappears and for 20 years the mystery of what happened to her hangs with all that love her. All until one day, a book appears that tells the tale of the alternate, fantastical world the sisters shared to escape the fear of the world around them. Convinced this is a sign, a reader is taken on the search for answers an is left asking “will we find out what really happened to Flora Lea?”
This book had a great blend of history, love, mystery, whimsy and loss. Dark moments of WW2 are balanced by the girl’s fantastic imagination. The love they have for each other is evident from the beginning, so when Flora disappears, it was easy for the reader to connect with Hazel, her loss, and how that may have changed how she lived her life. As Hazel searches for her sister, I felt so invested in the search and at times my hope for their reuniting seemed as strong as Hazel’s. Solving the mystery of what happened to Flora gives this book a fresh spin on traditional historical fiction novels. Were there characters in this book that weren’t necessary at all? Yes, but ultimately I don’t think they detracted from the beauty of the story. Simply put I really enjoyed going on the our new this book brought me on. 4/5 stars.
These are the opening sentences of “The Secret Book of Flora Lea”, a story about the love of two sisters through the worst of times. Taking place at the start of WW2 in England, the reader gets a glimpse at the sacrifices that families made to keep safe when two sisters are evacuated from London into the country before the bombings. While there, one sister disappears and for 20 years the mystery of what happened to her hangs with all that love her. All until one day, a book appears that tells the tale of the alternate, fantastical world the sisters shared to escape the fear of the world around them. Convinced this is a sign, a reader is taken on the search for answers an is left asking “will we find out what really happened to Flora Lea?”
This book had a great blend of history, love, mystery, whimsy and loss. Dark moments of WW2 are balanced by the girl’s fantastic imagination. The love they have for each other is evident from the beginning, so when Flora disappears, it was easy for the reader to connect with Hazel, her loss, and how that may have changed how she lived her life. As Hazel searches for her sister, I felt so invested in the search and at times my hope for their reuniting seemed as strong as Hazel’s. Solving the mystery of what happened to Flora gives this book a fresh spin on traditional historical fiction novels. Were there characters in this book that weren’t necessary at all? Yes, but ultimately I don’t think they detracted from the beauty of the story. Simply put I really enjoyed going on the our new this book brought me on. 4/5 stars.