The Story She Left Behind
A Novel
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The New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with a novel spanning three generations of women about a famous lost book, a famous lost mother, and an artist searching for both.
In 1927, in Bluffton, South Carolina, a famous American--former child prodigy author Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham--disappears, abandoning her eight-year-old daughter and husband. She leaves behind a sequel to her children's fantasy blockbuster about a young girl named Emjie who is caught between worlds. But the sequel is written in the author's secret and untranslatable created language.
Now in 1952, Bronwyn's lost words have been discovered in a private library in England by a man called Charlie Jameson. Bronwyn's daughter, Clara Harrington, a children's book illustrator and divorced mother of one, goes on a quest to England to retrieve the lost words of her mother, words she believes will translate the sequel and help her discover what happened and why her mother abandoned her. Clara takes along her own eight-year-old daughter, Winnie, who is precocious, funny, and wise, and who has an imaginary friend, also called Emjie, after her lost grandmother's novel.
But when Clara and Wynnie sail to England, they arrive during one of London's greatest natural disasters--the Great Smog. Wynnie is a fragile child with asthma and the air is deadly. Charlie Jameson helps them escape London and make their way to his family's country home in the Lake District, where the tale unfolds in the wild and glorious landscape of Esthwaite Water and the land of Beatrix Potter. It is there that the tangled roots that tie Charlie and Clara together will be revealed, and the fate--not only of Emjie, but of Bronwyn herself--will come to light.
About this 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.
Reviews
"In this gorgeous ode to books and storytellers, Patti Callahan Henry shows that literature lives inside us and can unite us despite the odds. Through war, young love, a sister's remorse, and a mysterious land called Whisperwood, I was torn between savoring each word and tearing through the pages to learn what happened next. Pure magic!"
-- JANET SKESLIEN CHARLES, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library
"[A] bittersweet tale of loss, destiny, and the strings of deep love that bind us together across the years. The terror and heartbreak of the World War II children's evacuation of London collide with the dangling threads of an unsolved mystery that picks up nearly two decades later at the dawn of the Swinging Sixties. This heartrending, captivating tale of family, first love, and fate will sweep you away."
-- KRISTIN HARMEL, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter and The Forest of Vanishing Stars
"Affecting . . . Henry's offering shines most in its exploration of the ways relationships grow and adapt to time and trauma, making for a poignant meditation on the bonds of sisterhood. This captivates."
-- Publishers Weekly
"A spellbinding tale of hope and perseverance . . . as enchanting and whimsical as the Whisperwood fairy tale hidden within its pages. It reminds us that a happily-ever-after isn't out of reach--so long as we heed the tiny voice within, whispering that the real magic of the story may be closer than we think."
-- SARAH PENNER, New York Times bestselling author of The London Séance Society and The Lost Apothecary
"A world war and a fairy tale collide in the British countryside in 1940--and Patti Callahan Henry is the perfect novelist to explore how the living are forever changed. The Secret Book of Flora Lea is a treasure: moving, surprising, and deeply evocative of an England that every day walked the tightrope between heartbreak and hope."
-- CHRIS BOHJALIAN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lioness and The Flight Attendant
"Two sisters, dual time periods, a magical secret place, an abiding mystery . . . an enchanting story of survival against all odds. With her trademark warmth and a feather-light touch, Patti Callahan Henry weaves together events both real and imagined. Transporting, heartfelt, and atmospheric."
-- CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train and The Exiles
"Deft, lyrical, and supremely satisfying, The Secret Book of Flora Lea isn't so much a departure for Patti Callahan Henry as it is a culmination of her gifts as a novelist. . . . Callahan's plot will keep you guessing even as her characters steal your heart. I loved it."
-- PAULA McLAIN, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife and When the Stars Go Dark
"A beguiling blend of hope, mystery, and true familial love. It exposes the deep wounds of a family tragically separated because of war. Told in an utterly fresh way with dual timelines and a host of unforgettable characters, this is a story that is both necessary and satisfying through the last page. Powerful and spellbinding!"
-- SADEQUA JOHNSON, bestselling author of The House of Eve and The Yellow Wife
"A fantastical tale of the power of stories and the bond between sisters . . . I absolutely loved this book."
-- JAMIE FORD, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
"At the heart of this novel is a shattering loss that irrevocably changes the lives of a cast of complex, delightful characters. Henry is a born storyteller, keeping the reader on tenterhooks as she expertly unveils the truths and lies that drive this gripping, magical tale."
-- FIONA DAVIS, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Palace
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