JULY BOOK DISCUSSION

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

(Historical Fiction) 2023, 4.06R, 12.25H

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
3. 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.