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louisekf 's review for:
The Story She Left Behind
by Patti Callahan Henry
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved Patti Callahan Henry’s book, The Secret Book of Flora Lea, but somehow this one didn’t pull me in the way that one did. That being said, it was an interesting story of Clara, a young mother searching for clues to her own mother, who had disappeared when she was 8 years old. It takes us from the small coastal town of Bluffton, South Carolina (a place I’ve actually visited) to London, England and a small town in Cumbria, in the English Lake District. Most of the story takes place in a few weeks in December 1952.
One of the most interesting sections was the time they were in London during the historic Great Smog (or Great Fog) of London in December 1952, which killed a lot of people (thousands!). I honestly wish that had been a longer segment.
The writing was lovely, but there are just too many coincidences and connections to be believable. Wynnie, Clara’s daughter, definitely doesn’t sound like an 8-year-old, even a precocious one. Then there’s the love interest, Charlie, which didn’t add much to the story, and Moira, the servant, who also didn’t add anything to the story. Clara herself wasn’t an interesting character and made some really dumb choices (like walking through London in the stinky smog, with her asthmatic daughter. I could go on.
I listened to a good portion of this one, and it was beautifully narrated by the amazing Julia Whelan and Theo Solomon. But even those able narrators couldn’t make this story one that could entrance me. It felt a lot longer than the 352 pages quoted by the publisher, a fairly typical length for a novel.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
One of the most interesting sections was the time they were in London during the historic Great Smog (or Great Fog) of London in December 1952, which killed a lot of people (thousands!). I honestly wish that had been a longer segment.
The writing was lovely, but there are just too many coincidences and connections to be believable. Wynnie, Clara’s daughter, definitely doesn’t sound like an 8-year-old, even a precocious one. Then there’s the love interest, Charlie, which didn’t add much to the story, and Moira, the servant, who also didn’t add anything to the story. Clara herself wasn’t an interesting character and made some really dumb choices (like walking through London in the stinky smog, with her asthmatic daughter. I could go on.
I listened to a good portion of this one, and it was beautifully narrated by the amazing Julia Whelan and Theo Solomon. But even those able narrators couldn’t make this story one that could entrance me. It felt a lot longer than the 352 pages quoted by the publisher, a fairly typical length for a novel.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail