I’ve read numerous World War II novels. Yet all I know about London’s evacuation of children is from C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Which is ironic, because author Patti Callahan Henry’s novel, The Secret Book of Flora Lea, was inspired when researching C.S. Lewis for another book. (See the Q & A below.) 

Another irony—the evacuation was called Operation Pied Piper, alluding to the Brothers Grimm tale with the catastrophic ending. 

In the novel, sisters Hazel (14) and Flora (5) are evacuated to the village of Binsey. Seeking solace from the horrors of war and separation from their mother, they escape to the enchanting world of Whisperwood. They enter this world—called into existence by Hazel—through the shimmering doors of imagination rather than a wardrobe. 

Making this a story about a story. Purely imaginary, not “real” like Narnia. But just as true.

However, instead of launching amazing adventures like those of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy in Narnia, Hazel and Flora’s time in the English countryside results in disaster when Flora goes missing. Turning the ironic label of Operation Pied Piper prophetic.

But the story’s not over, and this one has magical powers of a different sort. 

In 2023, The Secret Book of Flora Lea was Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year, Book Riot Best of 2023, GoodReads Historical Fiction Book of the Year, and She Reads Book of the Year.

Blurb

When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed.

In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.

But the unthinkable happens when young Flora suddenly vanishes while playing near the banks of the river. Shattered, Hazel blames herself for her sister’s disappearance, and she carries that guilt into adulthood as a private burden she feels she deserves.

Twenty years later, Hazel is in London, ready to move on from her job at a cozy rare bookstore to a career at Sotheby’s. With a charming boyfriend and her elegantly timeworn Bloomsbury flat, Hazel’s future seems determined. But her tidy life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing an illustrated book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Hazel never told a soul about the imaginary world she created just for Flora. Could this book hold the secrets to Flora’s disappearance? Could it be a sign that her beloved sister is still alive after all these years?

As Hazel embarks on a feverish quest, revisiting long-dormant relationships and bravely opening wounds from her past, her career and future hang in the balance. An astonishing twist ultimately reveals the truth in this transporting and refreshingly original novel about the bond between sisters, the complications of conflicted love, and the enduring magic of storytelling.

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My Thoughts

Two of my cousins and I read this book at the same time. Though the novel captivated us, we each had differing opinions about the ending and strong opinions about who Hazel should end up with—Barnaby or Harry. I can’t say more without giving spoilers. But I point this out because it proves the power of story—how characters engage us, make us hope, wish, laugh, and cry, and care about their wellbeing and futures.

“Despair leads us to stories, of course.
We invent them so we can live in a world with meaning.”
— Bridie to Hazel, p 110

“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 to Hazel, p 186

“The best stories are soul-making. But stories we tell about ourselves,
and even the harrowing ones told by others about us, can also be soul-destroying.
We have to choose what is good and true, not what will destroy.” — Bridie, p 186

“We all know when we read about Narnia or Middle Earth or Wonderland
—we know it’s not true but it’s so beautiful . . .
that we believe it while we’re there.” — Wren to Peggy, pp 193-194

“Sometimes life breaks your heart to give you the best art.”
—Harry to Hazel — p 202

In 1960, twenty years after Flora disappeared, Hazel finds new reason to hope that her sister can still be found. Not that she ever gave up hoping. In fact, that’s one of the tensions here. Her kind, thoughtful man Barnaby doesn’t understand why Hazel can’t just reconcile with the past and let Flora rest in peace. 

But it’s impossible. Especially when Hazel discovers a book titled Whisperwood and the River of Stars by American author Peggy Andrews. Nobody but her sister Flora ever knew about Whisperwood. And this book is too similar to Hazel’s original stories to be coincidental. 

Memories thrust Hazel back into 1939, days of living in the charming hamlet of Binsey with Bridgette Aberdeen and her teenage son Harry. Hazel is forced to reckon with everything that transpired before Flora disappeared. And what might have caused it. Including herself.

Back then, Bridie and Harry became family to Hazel and Flora, surrounding them with love and warmth. The beautiful countryside along the River Thames was the perfect birthplace for Whisperwood, a place Hazel regularly took Flora in her imagination. A place of comfort and refuge. Later a place of fear and regret. 

But again, the story’s not over . . . Read it and see for yourself how the enduring power of story and love for a sister never end.

NOTE: Pre-marital sex and a few occasions with offensive language. But please don’t let these stop you from reading this book.

Join me for some Q & A with Patti Callahan Henry.

Questions about The Secret Book of Flora Lea

What was your inspiration for writing The Secret Book of Flora Lea? What’s your personal connection to the setting or situation? 

When I was writing Once Upon a Wardrobe I ran across a little known fact — that the operation to keep children safe in England during WWII was called “Operation Pied Piper.” I was intrigued by this choice as the pied piper is a terrible legend about lost and drowned children. Why, I wondered, would the British government name a scheme to keep children safe after such horror? 

My imagination was off and running. My personal connection to the setting comes from my time spent in the Oxfordshire countryside while researching both Becoming Mrs. Lewis and Once Upon a Wardrobe. I love the area and since Oxford is one of the places the government sent children, it was a perfect setting for me. 

In addition, Binsey is a story-soaked place that lent itself to a story about stories. 

Which historical parameters were imposed on you? Where did you have to fill in the gaps with your imagination? 

The only historical parameters I used were time and place — 1939 and 1960 London and Oxfordshire. I consider these two things (time and place) the spine of the story, and I didn’t change anything about them. The characters, the fairy tale and the relationships were purely from my imagination. 

How did you develop your heroine Hazel? What would Hazel have to say about you? 

Hazel came to me fully formed as a child, but the adult Hazel I came to know through writing and time. I knew she had a “ghost” in her past — the belief that she was responsible for the loss of her sister — and this belief affected everything she did and every choice she made. 

What would she say about me? Oh goodness, I hope she’d say “Thanks for bringing me to life and making me brave.” 

What are the challenges of creating a split-time novel? How do you overcome them? 

The challenges here weren’t as difficult as they were in other novels for me because one character (Hazel) narrated both time lines. Hazel was our tour guide through both 1939 and 1960 — and this was our through-line. The usual challenge in split time is making sure that there is a through-line that makes sense, and for this novel, it was built in. 

How do you want this story to resonate with readers? 

I want readers to take with them what is most important to them. On Friends and Fiction, we often talk about what the story is about and what it is really about — and for me, this story is really about the power of story, about women making the choices to have autonomy over their own life through courageous stories, and about love in all its forms. 

What unusual thing did you do or discover while researching for this story? 

My favorite discovery was the hamlet of Binsey, where the story is set! This led to discovering the story of the Patron Saint of Oxford – St. Frideswide. What a fascinating hamlet full of old legends and stories. 

Questions about Writing

Which authors have been most influential for you as an author? 

Anne Rivers Siddons, Pat Conroy, Maggie O’Farrell, Paula McLain, and Julia Cameron. 

Which of your novels is the best introduction to you for a new reader? Why? 

The Secret Book of Flora Lea — it has hints about the things I care the most about. 

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? 

Patience, little grasshopper. 

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Back to Laura . . . On a similar note . . . 

If you like dual timeline fiction, you might enjoy my novel, A Hundred Magical Reasons. This story spotlights L. Frank Baum—author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz—his friendship with a young girl, and his impact through the decades. Set in Holland, Michigan, this pre-published novel alternates between 1980 and the early 1900s. Read more and watch the book trailer here. The story recently won a novel contest and is under consideration at a publishing house.

If you like small town/rural stories about family dynamics and secrets, you might enjoy my re-launched novel All That Is Hidden. Set near North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains in 1968, the story spotlights the bond of family and the connections of a tight-knit community. Northern exploitation threatens as a father’s hidden past catches up to him and tests family ties. Learn more and watch the trailer here.

All That Is Hidden awards:

• Winner of the Artisan Book Reviews Book Excellence Award
• Semifinalist in Serious Writer’s Book of the Decade contest

I invite you to join my monthly newsletter for writing updates, freebies, and giveaways. Sign up and I’ll send you a free gift: www.StandoutStoriesNewsletter.com

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Patti Callahan Henry Bio

Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times, Globe and Mail, and USA Today bestselling author of seventeen novels. She is the recipient of The Christy Award “Book of the Year”; The Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year for Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She is the co-host and co-creator of the popular weekly online Friends and Fiction live web show and podcast. She’s published in numerous anthologies, articles, and short story collections. A full-time author, mother of three, and grandmother of two, she lives in Mountain Brook, Alabama with her husband, Pat Henry. Learn more on her website.

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Join me next time for a visit with author Liz Tolsma.

Meanwhile, have you read The Secret Book of Flora Lea or any others by Patti Callahan Henry? Do you like World War II dual timeline stories? Answer in the comments below.

Ever reading,

Laura

Sign up for my monthly newsletter and receive the prequel for All That Is Hidden: www.StandoutStoriesNewsletter.com