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Sign up todayThe Secret Book of Flora Lea
A Novel
Length
12 hours 24 minutes
Language
English
Narrators
Cynthia Erivo & Patti Callahan Henry
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreBookseller recommendation
“Inspired by Operation Pied Piper, this dual timeline book is the tale of two sisters who were orphaned and separated during the Second World War. Years later the older sister comes upon a children’s book that is suspiciously like a story she used to tell her sister. A story no one else would know. Like Becoming Mrs. Lewis and Once Upon a Wardrobe, the author continues to enchant readers with magical prose, the hope of fairy tales, and the power of stories. ”
— Melanie • Bookstore1Sarasota
Bookseller recommendation
“Beautifully written and entrancing from the start, The Secret Book of Flora Lea had me wondering at first if the sister really had disappeared with the fairies - that's how magical the world feels, despite the real trauma these characters were going through in WWII. Told in dual timelines, Hazel's voice is captivating and I was rooting for her the whole way. My only quibble would be some anachronistic usages, like 'stalking', which was used a lot, but was not a common usage in the 1940s or 1960s, as it first became widely used in the late 1980s/early 1990s when actress Rebecca Schaeffer (My Sister Sam) was murdered by an obsessed fan. Other than that small language discrepancy throwing me out of the narrative from time to time, it was a beautiful, puzzling story of sisterhood and healing. ”
— Stacy • The Curious Cat Bookshop
Bookseller recommendation
“This novel is The Secret Garden meets Goodnight Mr. Tom meets Gone Girl. I loved it! I've been listening to this as an audiobook on my morning walks and I've been having to take afternoon and evening walks as well, because I just can't wait to hear more. I love the thought of a magical world only the sisters share with their stories. Patti Callahan Henry just captures that wonder of childhood so well. This book is an easy handsell and one of my favorites so far this year!”
— Marya • Out West Books
Bookseller recommendation
“A dual-timeline historical mystery based on World War II's Operation Pied Piper. The story centers around Hazel and Flora, two children sent as evacuees to the countryside in England at the start of the war. Flora goes missing one day on the banks of the River Thames, and is presumed drowned. Twenty years later Hazel, who now works in a rare bookshop, receives a copy of a book that could only have been written by her sister, or someone who knows her and sets off on a quest to find Flora. A beautifully written and compelling novel about the stories that change our lives. I loved it and couldn't wait to drive to and from work so that I could listen to it! Definitely my top pick of 2023. ”
— Polly • The Hickory Stick Bookshop
When a woman discovers a rare book with connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood in the English countryside during World War II are revealed in this “beguiling blend of hope, mystery, and true familial love” (Sadeqa Johnson, New York Times bestselling author).
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. Spellbinding and atmospheric, “this heartrending, captivating tale of family, first love, and fate will sweep you away” (Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author).
Patti Callahan Henry is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of several novels, including Surviving Savannah and Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She is the recipient of the Christy Award, the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of the Year Award, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year. She is the cohost and cocreator of the popular weekly online live web show and podcast Friends and Fiction. She lives in Alabama and South Carolina with her family. Find out more at PattiCallahanHenry.com.
Patti Callahan Henry is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of several novels, including Surviving Savannah and Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She is the recipient of the Christy Award, the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of the Year Award, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year. She is the cohost and cocreator of the popular weekly online live web show and podcast Friends and Fiction. She lives in Alabama and South Carolina with her family. Find out more at PattiCallahanHenry.com.
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Reviews
"Narrator Cynthia Erivo’s quiet assurance permeates this dual-timeline audio about the powerful alchemy of storytelling. In 1939, two girls, Hazel and Flora Lea, are evacuated from London to escape imminent war. Flora Lea mysteriously disappears. In 1960, Hazel, now a rare book shop clerk, opens a package and discovers a book of the same stories she once made up to calm Flora Lea. Erivo rarely raises her voice, yet through desperate tones she expertly conveys Hazel’s search for answers to the mysteries of her missing sister and the appearance of the stories from long ago. Erivo seamlessly adopts the charming lilt of young Flora and the American accent of the woman who has unwittingly written the fanciful stories that connect Hazel’s past with her present." Expand reviewsAesop's Fable is proud to partner with Libro.fm to give you a great audiobook experience.
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