The Secret Book of Flora Lea

In war-torn London, circa 1929, two sisters, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora Lea board a train to the English countryside as the bombs rain down on the city and World War II erupts around them. By some stroke of luck, they are adopted by a magical woman, Bridie, and her endearing teenage son, Harry. Hazel creates a secret world to comfort Flora Lea called Whisperwood, where in their imaginations, they create a storybook existence where they can exist. This hidden world keeps Flora Lea's fear at bay and brings them peace in the chaos. As the days tick on, Hazel feels guilty as she falls in love with Harry, and they begin to enjoy their life in the countryside. Suddenly, while on a picnic one day, Flora Lea disappears. She was never found, and most people believe that she drowned, but even twenty years on, Hazel and her mother have never given up hope that Flora Lea is still alive. Hazel has a fiancé and a new job at Sotheby's waiting on her when she returns from a romantic trip to Paris. Just before she leaves, as Hazel finishes her time working at a rare bookstore, Hazel comes across a book from America containing all the stories of Whisperwood and their childhood. If the story of Whisperwood was only between Flora Lea and Hazel, then her sister has to be alive, or at the very least, there is more to unpack. Hazel's life with her fiancé is immediately hijacked as she journeys to discover what became of Flora Lea. 'The Secret Book of Flora Lea' is Patti Callahan Henry's crowing glory!