The Secret Book of Flora Lea
Henry, Patti Callahan. The Secret Book of Flora Lea. New York : Atria Books, 2023.
“Not so long ago and not so far away, there was once, and still is, an invisible place that is right here beside us. And if you are born knowing, and to be honest, we all are, you will find your way through the woodlands to the shimmering doors that lead to the land made just and exactly for you.”
If you’re looking for a beautifully written historical fiction novel, look no further than The Secret Book of Flora Lea.
Flora and Hazel are sisters, and live in London with their mother. It is World War II, and their father was killed in a training accident before seeing any action. Their mother is able to support them, but works long hours. Therefore, Hazel spends a lot of her free time taking care of Flora, and coming up with a fantasy world for just the two of them.
Whisperwood. The name invokes woods and a river and a castle on the hill. The girls lie down outside and pretend to go through shimmering doors that only they can see and become animals running through the wilderness and the cities of their shared imaginary world.
When Operation Pied Piper begins (moving many of the children of London to the countryside), the girls are sent to a small village outside of Oxford to live with Bridie and her son, Harry. Here is a real-life wild wood (and river, the Thames) to explore, and they do so. But they continue to travel to Whisperwood together, with no one else allowed to hear their stories and go with them.
One day, Harry and Hazel get distracted, and Flora disappears. The river and forest are searched, but she is never found. Hazel has trouble forgiving herself and moving on, continuing to believe that Flora may have survived somehow.
Twenty years later, Hazel works in a rare book store, Hogan’s, and lives in her family’s old flat in London. She is dating Barnaby, who is a professor of British medieval literature. And she just got a job at Sotheby’s in the rare literary collections department. On her last day at Hogan’s, a manuscript arrives from America. It is a first edition with beautiful illustrations. The book’s name is Whisperwood, and while the story is much more than what she created as a child, it is obvious the author, Peggy Andrews, knew her Whisperwood stories. In an impulsive action, Hazel steals the book and takes it home.
She researches Peggy Andrews, and even reaches out to her, but is told that the story came from Peggy’s mother and aunt, and it couldn’t be the same story. But Hazel is determined to find out once and for all who told them about Whisperwood, and what happened to her little sister that fateful day.
This story jumps back and forth from wartime 1939-1940 to 1960. It is fascinating to read about children who were moved to the country during WWII, and how some people took in kids just for the extra set of hands or the money and rations they received for doing so. Even though Flora and Hazel loved their temporary family and community, they still missed their mother dreadfully. The author includes a list of non-fiction books and resources about evacuees for anyone who wants to learn more.
This is wonderful historical fiction, as well as a romance and mystery novel. The ending is magical, as all good fairy tales are.
Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. She can be reached at madams@alamancelibraries.org.