"The Secret Book of Flora Lea" by Patti Callahan Henry

I first heard about "The Secret Book of Flora Lea" by Patti Callahan Henry from Anne Bogel/Modern Mrs. Darcy:  it was one of the books featured in her Summer Reading Guide and the June pick for her MMD Book Club.  The plot sounded right up my alley:  

It's 1960, and Hazel Linley is working in a bookstore in Bloomsbury, London, that specializes in antique books, rarities, and original illustrations. Cataloguing some recent arrivals, she finds the first edition of a new children's book  -- accompanied by a pile of the original artwork -- by an American author named Peggy Andrews called "Whisperwood and the River of Stars."  

Whisperwood! 

The story bears an uncanny resemblance to the original stories Hazel made up, 20 years earlier, to amuse, distract and comfort her little sister Flora during the tense early days of the Second World War. Like thousands of other city children, the two sisters were evacuated from their comfortable home and sent to live in the countryside with another family for the duration of the war. 

But one day six-year-old Flora disappeared -- presumably drowned in the Thames River, her body swept away, perhaps out to sea. No trace of her was ever found. 

Only Hazel and Flora ever knew about Whisperwood -- and yet here is their story, in the pages of this book. Could Flora have survived, and somehow become Peggy Andrews, against all odds?  And if not, how did Peggy Andrews learn about Whisperwood?  Hazel -- who has carried a heavy burden of guilt her entire life since then -- is determined to find out. 

***WARNING:  SOME SPOILERS AHEAD*** 

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I read the bulk of this book in under 24 hours' time.  It was a fast read -- and a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me, emotionally. I quickly found myself feeling somewhat skeptical, for reasons I'll outline below. By the time I reached about the 30% mark, I was nevertheless hooked.  And then, at the end, pissed off.  :p  

The book started off promisingly enough, before diving into the premise that drives the plot -- the discovery of the mysterious children's book that sets Hazel off on her quest to find out what happened to her sister.  

I was startled. I realized I'd already knew this story -- or one very much like it. A book that one sister stumbles on, containing details from her childhood, including some that only another sister, who disappeared years earlier, would know about:  this is also one of the main plotlines/mysteries featured in "Amberwell" by D.E. Stevenson (first published in 1955), which my Stevenson fan group covered in 2020. (Reviews here and here.)  When I described the plot to the members of my Stevenson group, they all immediately thought of "Amberwell" as well.   

I will admit, it kind of threw me for a loop.  As I read on, the similarities diverged and dwindled, but it was a little disconcerting.  

(And this is maybe nitpicking, but Hazel's lover's name is Barnaby. Barnaby??!) 

But then I got immersed in the story and the mystery.  I loved learning more about "Operation Pied Piper," and what life was like for the young evacuees.  There were some wonderful observations about the power of stories and storytelling. And the more I read, the more I was hooked.  

And then, towards the end, we learn the truth about what happened to little Flora. (Here come some major spoilers, or hints of them.)  The entire time I was reading, I was silently begging the gods, "PLEASE don't let it be a crazy bereaved mother or infertile/childless woman who snatched her.  PLEASE don't let it be that." 

It wasn't that. 

But let's just say I wasn't too far off the mark.  :(  

And then of course, there was the stereotypical happy ending. Yes, THAT stereotypical happy ending.  

Needless to say, the exhilaration I felt as I reached the climax of the story fell rather flat.  A disappointing ending to another otherwise absorbing story.  I'm not sorry I read it, and I'm sure most readers would be happy with the ending and think it's a great book.  In many ways, it is!  But caveat emptor. 

I struggled with how to rate this one. The one I had in my head changed several times as I went through the book. I'm settling on 3.5 stars, and after some further debate, I'm rounding it up to 4 on Goodreads, even though part of me feels like I'm being overly generous. It really did give me several hours of reading pleasure, and it kept me turning the pages. But the resolution/ending, clever as it was, ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth. I can't give it a wholehearted 4 stars or more.  Your mileage may vary! 

This was Book #28 read to date in 2023 (and Book #1 finished in August), bringing me to 62% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 2 books ahead of schedule. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2023 tagged as "2023 books."