Publisher: 3rd May 2023 by HarperCollins Australia
Pages: 334 pages
Genre: historical fiction, mystery, WWII
Rating: 5 crowns
Synopsis:
Can a fairytale solve the mystery of her lost sister?
1939: Fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora evacuate their London home for a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the Aberdeen family in a charming stone cottage, Hazel distracts her young sister with a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own: Whisperwood.
But the unthinkable happens when Flora vanishes near the banks of the River Thames. Shattered, Hazel blames herself for her sister's disappearance, carrying the guilt into adulthood.
Twenty years later, Hazel is back in London, ready to move on from her job at a cosy rare book shop for a career at Sotheby's. With a cherished boyfriend and an upcoming Paris getaway, Hazel's future seems set. But her tidy life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing a picture book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Hazel never told a soul about the storybook 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? Or is something sinister at play?
For fans of Kate Morton and Kristin Hannah, this is a captivating, poignant celebration of sisterhood and the magic of storytelling.
My Thoughts
"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?"
The Secret Book of Flora Lea is an exceptionally well written book interweaving historical fact and fiction with touches of magic and mystery. It is a dual-timeline narrative that follows Hazel throughout her life. Firstly during WWII at the time of the London Blitz, Hazel and her sister Flora are evacuated as part of Operation Pied Piper. Interspersed are chapters of Hazel from 1960 working in a rare bookstore where she comes across a manuscript that details ‘Whisperwood’ - the story she would tell Flora during their childhood days. How could this be and what happened to Flora all those years ago?
"I know this is the biggest wound of your past, and I am so sorry. I wish it had never happened to you, but you can’t go chasing wild geese all over England and America, looking for your own fairy tale?"
This book is simply wonderful! With themes of war, grief, love, family, hope and healing it recounts Hazel’s journey and the guilt she has carried ever since her sister disappeared on that fateful day. It unknowingly is holding her back and stopping Hazel from opening her heart fully to life and love. This book perfectly captures all that readers love in the role of stories and books in our lives (the literary references sprinkled add to the magic).
"What a fairy tale is meant to do," she said, "if it's meant to do anything at all, Tolkien says, is give us new perspective in our world, the consolation of a happy ending. A recovery of sorts. Like we leave that world to see ours anew."
With equal parts heartbreak and hopeful, The Secret Book of Flora Lea is such a beautiful story that truly captured my heart. It is full of magic, yet simultaneously, equally real to life. Embark on this tale of sisterly love, family heartbreak all brought together through the magic that comes from fairytales and wonderful storytelling.
"For when you see that the world shimmers just like the outline of Whisperwood's doors, mystery and enchantment are everywhere just waiting to be noticed. In an unmapped realm in your own souls, I hope all of you find the land made just and exactly for you."
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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