The Secret Book of Flora Lea

by Patti Callahan Henry

Libby ebook 55 chapters plus author's note, reading guide, etc.

Published: 2023 

Genre: adult historical fiction

 

Set in WWII (1939-1940s) and 1960 London, this is the story of two sisters, Hazel and Flora Lea Linden. Their mother sends them to the British countryside as part of the "Pied Piper" program to remove children from the dangerous bombings in London. While in Binsey near Oxford, they live with Bridie (Bridgette, I think) and her son Harry. Harry and Hazel are teens, while Flora Lea is five at the start of the story.

Hazel tells Flora Lea a fairy tale about Whisperwood as a way to comfort her. It's their private, make believe place to go. But one day while they are by the river, Flora disappears. She is searched for relentlessly, and most assume she has drowned in the river. Hazel vows to never give up searching for her. 

Twenty years later, a manuscript and drawings of Whisperwood show up at the rare book shop where Hazel works. Trying to find out where the story has come from becomes her obsession.

I enjoyed the book for the most part, but it felt a little drawn out. Kelty was probably my favorite character (another evacuee). Sadly, Libby autoreturned this book (there's a waiting list) before I could finish with my highlighted sections! I've requested it again so I can add those at some point, but I want to finish this entry. There WILL be SPOILERS!

I was aware of the historical accuracy of the Pied Piper program during WWII. Some children had positive experiences and some did not, but all were affected by the separation from their parents and homes. 

Liked:

• Bridie, Harry, Kelty, Wren
• the love of stories
• the rare bookstore
•  all the clues!
• the happy ending for two couples
  

Disliked:

• the Barnaby "romance" - ick, esp. his dad "putting in a word" at Sotheby's
  
• Linda (Peggy's mom)
• how long it took to get to the conclusion! 
• Hazel taking the manuscript and pictures AND waiting so long to come clean to Edgar
  

How fortuitous! Only a day after Libby took the book back, it offered a copy to me again. Here are my highlighted sections.

Chapter 4: "She could have ignored the book. She could put the novel and illustrations in Edwin's safe, shaking her head at the odd synchronicity of the fairy tale, attributing its existence to the universal unconscious the Jung espoused, the mystery of imagination."

I love the phrase "the mystery of imagination," but I was dreading the moment when she took the manuscript and illustrations! I just knew she wouldn't be able to resist and that it would bring trouble for her.

Chapter 22: "'You don't have to worry about me!' Hazel said in a voice that sounded sharper than she'd meant it to. It was hard to tell what all her feelings were lately. They came too fast and without names."

Ah, the joys of adolescence. Too many feelings and conflicted emotions. She is falling in love with Harry but is abrasive to keep him away.

Chapter 29: "'Telling stories is one of the greatest powers we possess. It's like a dream you can fill with what you want. And the knight doesn't always have to save the princess; sometimes she saves herself.'"

Bridie was just the person Hazel needed in her life. Her encouragement meant so much! Jesus used stories to teach and explain. Stories have power.

Chapter 38: "'Yes, I do. That is my job. That is all that matters. It matters little if I am happy or I am content. My job is to take care of you.'"

When Hazel tells her mother that she doesn't have to protect her, her mother's response is perfect. How heart-breaking it must have been to send your children away from you to keep them safe!

 

SPOILERS AHEAD! Stop reading if you don't want to know the outcome of the story.

Chapter 47: "A knowing. This was it; this was where Hazel had been headed all along: telling the truth to bring Flora home. The truth was all that had been required in the end."

 

When Hazel finally agrees to talk with Dorothy Bellamy about her missing sister Flora, she has the knowledge before she sees the birthmark. This whole section is amazing and gave me chills!

Chapter 51: "'The children who were sent away, they were forever changed. I've talked to them. I've listened to them. Some believe they completely lost their childhood. Others were so happy that they didn't even want to return home. Some couldn't wait to be reunited with their families. But no matter what, no matter the good or the bad, it altered them forever. The experience reshaped their life."

This reminded me of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Eli Ramsey (Eben's grandson). WWII brought so many changes for so many people!

Chapter 52: "'It's about having what is right here, right now, and not squandering what remains.'"

Harry is so right! We can't get BACK something in the past . . . a younger version of ourselves, a certain situation, etc. Live in the moment and don't squander time!

Chapter 54: "With constant chatter, they filled in memory gaps, building the lost structure of their lives: stories the bricks and love the mortar."

I just love that image of bricks and mortar! Hazel, Dot (Flora), and "Mum" are catching up on twenty years of their lives together. 

Chapter 54: "But love wasn't as simple as a word tossed from casual lips."

I'm often guilty of overusing the word "love" and not considering what the word really means. Here, Hazel is confused about her love for both Barnaby and Harry. Romantic love isn't a quandary for me - just my husband, thanks!

Author's Note: ". . . a reminder that we are a myth-making people; it is how we make meaning of the meaningless and sense of the senseless. It is why we tell stories."

Again, I appreciate the power of stories. Part of being human means trying to make sense of things.

Author's Note: "After the declaration in September 1939, over eight hundred thousand children were remarkably evacuated in just four days. In the end, over three and a half million children were relocated. There were extraordinary stories of children finding lovely homes in the country, and there were horrifying stories, too. Not all evacuees were safe. Seventy-seven children were killed when a ship carrying evacuees to Canada was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine."

Wow. That's a lot of children! Crazy to think that they could move so many children in such a short time (800,000+ in four days!). I can see the appeal for an author in doing research for a story.

ENDING SPOILERS:

Imogene (the nurse) woke Flora from her nap by calling to her, causing her fall into the river. Imogene "rescued" Flora because she didn't think her mother deserved her (since she sent her away to live with strangers). She locked Flora in a small room in the church and then gave her to her bereaved sister who lost her little Dorothy Ann Bellamy (who had been about the same age as Flora). Flora told herself the Whisperwood stories to comfort herself and Maria, a visiting nurse, heard the stories. When Maria went back to the U.S., her sister Linda's young daughter Peggy had trouble sleeping after her daddy died in Pearl Harbor. Maria told the Whisperwood stories to Peggy and they "became" Peggy's and Linda's stories after Maria died. Flora, meanwhile, was raised by the lovely Bellamy family as their own little "Dot." As an adult, she wrote stories about missing children.