This is a redo of a post that looks fine on my website but came out all wonky for blog followers who get the email version, so here’s The Secret Book of Flora Lea – Take 2!
Robin’s Rave Reviews 2023
You may have seen my excitement opening my book mail when The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry arrived. If you missed it, check it out on Facebook or Instagram. Now let me tell you how good this book is! The further I got into the book, the faster the pages flew by, and I was hooked. When I finished, I looked around and realized I’d left my world behind for a time. That’s the sign of a good book! The Secret Book of Flora Lea has already made the NY Times Best Seller List for several weeks.
SUMMARY
During WWII, Operation Pied Piper sent English children out of the cities to the countryside to protect them from falling bombs. The novel revolves around sisters (fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora Lea) who are sent to a small village outside Oxford. Luckier than some, they are billeted by a kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, who live in an enchanting stone cottage along the River Thames. Hazel creates a fairytale about Whisperwood, an enchanted forest, as a comfort mechanism for her sister. When Flora mysteriously vanishes and is believed to have drowned, Hazel blames herself. Twenty years later, Hazel comes across a fairytale book from America called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Could the sister who disappeared so many years ago be alive? Could Flora be the author?
The Secret Book of Flora Lea examines the bond of sisters, the conflict of loving two men at once, the scars of guilt and grief, and perseverance to never give up hope. And to keep you guessing, Patti adds surprising twists to the twenty-year-old mystery. So good! Now let’s hope this post, The Secret Book of Flora Lea – Take 2, translates correctly for my email blog followers as I press the “Publish” button!
Check out my other reviews of Patti Callahan Henry’s work: Once Upon a Wardrobe, Surviving Savannah, and Becoming Mrs. Lewis. To learn more about the author, go to PattiCallahanHenry.com.
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