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kalagrace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Sweet, sad, heartwarming, and hopeful. The ending was a bit too rom-com-neat-bow for my tastes, but the pacing was great and the story and characters were compelling. Cynthia Erivo’s narration was perfection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and War
lmayfieldx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and War
lexcellent's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and War
marpaige's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Child abuse
oceanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I blindly picked up this book only knowing it was historical fiction. I’d read Once Upon A Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry a while back and enjoyed it, so when this came up as a Book of the Month pick last year, I selected it without even glancing at the synopsis.
Like many children living in London during World War II, Hazel and Flora are sent to the country away. The girls spend their days lost in stories about the ‘Whisperwood’ to distract themselves from the horrors of war — a secret story only the two of them know. Despite having been taken in by a loving mother and her son, a different tragedy hits their family when Flora disappears.
Years later and into adulthood, Hazel still holds out hope that her little sister will be found. She doesn’t believe her sister drowned as many speculate. When she comes across a book at work depicting the 'Whisperwood', she is certain it will lead her to Flora.
Paired with the rich historical setting, the mystery is one I found myself so invested in that I listened to/read it in one sitting. Despite wanting to know how everything works out immediately, I didn’t find myself wholly invested in the characters. I’m not sure why. They were all likable and even though there were some dark themes running through it, there was ultimately a cozy atmosphere. Whatever the case, it was still a sweet book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Grief, and War
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse and Self harm
kellymacbrown's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a cozy, historical, mystery. A great cold weather read. Just what I was in the mood for. Almost 4 stars. I admit, I was not expecting the truth that was unveiled about Flora Lea. Truly surprised. The spicy scene in the first part felt very out of place for the mood of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Self harm and War
terrirankl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and War
laurenabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I enjoyed this one. It starts just a tiny bit slow, but picks up pretty quickly and is engaging throughout. The one thing that didn’t land for me was the side story about the Americans. I felt they were included just to emphasize how stories evolve and travel over time, but it seemed almost as though those characters were written as an afterthought. I wasn’t especially interested or concerned in the few chapters that focused on them, and in fact, I’d argue that those chapters were disruptive considering how small a part they played in the overall conclusion of the story. Still, I found this to be great historical fiction about a very particular but rarely discussed tragedy of the war - lost children. I’m fascinated by the idea of crime taking place during and being ultimately overshadowed by world events (think a kidnapping on the morning of 9/11), and Flora Lea captures the urgency and helplessness of those situations well. The characters are believable and endearing, and while I don’t love how frequently the chapters jumped back and forth between 1940 and 1960, the tales ultimately wrap together fittingly and make this a satisfying whodunit of sorts. This is truly a book about the power of fairytales, the love of sisters and mothers, and finding the many truths of yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and War
Moderate: Death
Minor: Kidnapping
maddireads13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and War
Minor: Child abuse
gondorgirl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and War
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Pregnancy