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mdavis26's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, and War
marpaige's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, War, Bullying, Death, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child abuse
oceanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I blindly picked up this book only knowing it was historical fiction. I’d read Once Upon A Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry a while back and enjoyed it, so when this came up as a Book of the Month pick last year, I selected it without even glancing at the synopsis.
Like many children living in London during World War II, Hazel and Flora are sent to the country away. The girls spend their days lost in stories about the ‘Whisperwood’ to distract themselves from the horrors of war — a secret story only the two of them know. Despite having been taken in by a loving mother and her son, a different tragedy hits their family when Flora disappears.
Years later and into adulthood, Hazel still holds out hope that her little sister will be found. She doesn’t believe her sister drowned as many speculate. When she comes across a book at work depicting the 'Whisperwood', she is certain it will lead her to Flora.
Paired with the rich historical setting, the mystery is one I found myself so invested in that I listened to/read it in one sitting. Despite wanting to know how everything works out immediately, I didn’t find myself wholly invested in the characters. I’m not sure why. They were all likable and even though there were some dark themes running through it, there was ultimately a cozy atmosphere. Whatever the case, it was still a sweet book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, War, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse and Self harm
windmillofwords's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse
reasek's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Blood
Minor: Child abuse
markedwithanm's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, War, and Child death
Minor: Child abuse
momma_needs_to_read's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book. Wow. It is incredible, beautiful, heartbreaking! I was completely captivated by this story. This is, without a doubt, my favourite book of the year so far. It was so hard to put this book down and all I could think about was, what happened to Flora. There wasn’t a single moment in this book that I didn’t find myself completely absorbed in. I felt like I was on this journey with Hazel.
This is historical fiction, which is my favourite genre and this partially takes place during WWII. It is a dual timeline, 1960 and around 1939-1945. I’ve read a lot of WWII historical fiction novels but not many of them where it shows the war through the eyes of a young teen, aged 14/15. It’s a completely different point of view for a child, especially a young teen. They are old enough to know what’s happening but not necessarily old enough to really understand it all. This book also taught me about Operation Pied Piper, which I had not specifically known about. As a parent, I couldn’t imagine sending my children away to live with another family for years, but I also couldn’t imagine having them in constant danger of bombings.
Throughout this book I felt that the way it was written really helped me build a connection to the characters and the story. The way Patti Callahan Henry built this story was perfection. The character development for Hazel was done so beautifully. She learned so much about herself and how she wanted to see her life in such a short period of time.
The Lost Book of Flora Lea is full of love and hope. Hope that somehow, someway Flora might still be alive. Hope that throughout all of this, there will be clear answers to what happened that day. The love of a sister, that kind of love that never goes away. The love of books, stories and storytelling brings.
If you’re a book lover, if you love magical and whimsical stories, if you love fairytales, this book is for you. This book is also for you if you love historical fiction, romance, and mystery.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is historical fiction, which is my favourite genre and this partially takes place during WWII. It is a dual timeline, 1960 and around 1939-1945. I’ve read a lot of WWII historical fiction novels but not many of them where it shows the war through the eyes of a young teen, aged 14/15. It’s a completely different point of view for a child, especially a young teen. They are old enough to know what’s happening but not necessarily old enough to really understand it all. This book also taught me about Operation Pied Piper, which I had not specifically known about. As a parent, I couldn’t imagine sending my children away to live with another family for years, but I also couldn’t imagine having them in constant danger of bombings.
Throughout this book I felt that the way it was written really helped me build a connection to the characters and the story. The way Patti Callahan Henry built this story was perfection. The character development for Hazel was done so beautifully. She learned so much about herself and how she wanted to see her life in such a short period of time.
The Lost Book of Flora Lea is full of love and hope. Hope that somehow, someway Flora might still be alive. Hope that throughout all of this, there will be clear answers to what happened that day. The love of a sister, that kind of love that never goes away. The love of books, stories and storytelling brings.
If you’re a book lover, if you love magical and whimsical stories, if you love fairytales, this book is for you. This book is also for you if you love historical fiction, romance, and mystery.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Child abuse
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