Reviews with content warning for Death - The Secret Book of Flora Lea

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.

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kellymacbrown's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.0

This was a cozy, historical, mystery. A great cold weather read. Just what I was in the mood for. Almost 4 stars. I admit, I was not expecting the truth that was unveiled about Flora Lea. Truly surprised. The spicy scene in the first part felt very out of place for the mood of the book.

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terrirankl's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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laurenabeth's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I enjoyed this one. It starts just a tiny bit slow, but picks up pretty quickly and is engaging throughout. The one thing that didn’t land for me was the side story about the Americans. I felt they were included just to emphasize how stories evolve and travel over time, but it seemed almost as though those characters were written as an afterthought. I wasn’t especially interested or concerned in the few chapters that focused on them, and in fact, I’d argue that those chapters were disruptive considering how small a part they played in the overall conclusion of the story. Still, I found this to be great historical fiction about a very particular but rarely discussed tragedy of the war - lost children. I’m fascinated by the idea of crime taking place during and being ultimately overshadowed by world events (think a kidnapping on the morning of 9/11), and Flora Lea captures the urgency and helplessness of those situations well. The characters are believable and endearing, and while I don’t love how frequently the chapters jumped back and forth between 1940 and 1960, the tales ultimately wrap together fittingly and make this a satisfying whodunit of sorts. This is truly a book about the power of fairytales, the love of sisters and mothers, and finding the many truths of yourself.

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markedwithanm's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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gondorgirl's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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momma_needs_to_read's review

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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.

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