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bookish_leslie's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
3.75
Overall, I’m glad I read this book, but it confused me because I should have liked it more than I did. It had many of the story elements that I love:
- An interesting premise
- A mystery
- Beautiful descriptions of atmosphere/place
- A hint of fairytale magic
But sadly, for me, it fell a bit flat.
Pacing: First of all, the pacing was off. It was soooo slow through most of the book, and then the ending was quite rushed. I could only read small sections of this book at a time before wanting to put it down, and then it was often difficult to pick back up again.
Characters: I also couldn't connect emotionally with the characters. They were all just a bit stiff and flat, and it was hard to care about any of them or what they were going through.
Writing: I enjoyed the way the author described the different settings and also how she talked about stories and fairytales. I’m a sucker for words that flow in poetic ways.
“Not very long ago and not very far away, there once was and still is an invisible place right here with us. And if you are born knowing, you will find your way through the woodlands to the shimmering doors that lead to the land made just and exactly for you.”
With that being said, I occasionally had to re-read sentences. The dialogue felt stiff. Certain parts didn’t fit or flow together very well - to such an extent that I sometimes thought I’d accidentally skipped a page, but hadn’t. It was often repetitive, and the Peggy Andrews storyline was particularly awkward and under-developed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Grief, and War
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
jmyodafriend's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, and War
Minor: Sexual content and Death of parent
alexklinect's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The storytelling is lovely and deep—like a fairy tale for grown-ups, but still realistic—with a good mystery concept. Each chapter went backward or forward in time, which was done well and not confusing. The ending was pretty good. Some minor content (language, sexual, religious/spiritual) that I was not expecting.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Cursing
A beloved character is involved in celebrating the solstices and nature, whereas a hated character is considered to be a Christian.momma_needs_to_read's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book. Wow. It is incredible, beautiful, heartbreaking! I was completely captivated by this story. This is, without a doubt, my favourite book of the year so far. It was so hard to put this book down and all I could think about was, what happened to Flora. There wasn’t a single moment in this book that I didn’t find myself completely absorbed in. I felt like I was on this journey with Hazel.
This is historical fiction, which is my favourite genre and this partially takes place during WWII. It is a dual timeline, 1960 and around 1939-1945. I’ve read a lot of WWII historical fiction novels but not many of them where it shows the war through the eyes of a young teen, aged 14/15. It’s a completely different point of view for a child, especially a young teen. They are old enough to know what’s happening but not necessarily old enough to really understand it all. This book also taught me about Operation Pied Piper, which I had not specifically known about. As a parent, I couldn’t imagine sending my children away to live with another family for years, but I also couldn’t imagine having them in constant danger of bombings.
Throughout this book I felt that the way it was written really helped me build a connection to the characters and the story. The way Patti Callahan Henry built this story was perfection. The character development for Hazel was done so beautifully. She learned so much about herself and how she wanted to see her life in such a short period of time.
The Lost Book of Flora Lea is full of love and hope. Hope that somehow, someway Flora might still be alive. Hope that throughout all of this, there will be clear answers to what happened that day. The love of a sister, that kind of love that never goes away. The love of books, stories and storytelling brings.
If you’re a book lover, if you love magical and whimsical stories, if you love fairytales, this book is for you. This book is also for you if you love historical fiction, romance, and mystery.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is historical fiction, which is my favourite genre and this partially takes place during WWII. It is a dual timeline, 1960 and around 1939-1945. I’ve read a lot of WWII historical fiction novels but not many of them where it shows the war through the eyes of a young teen, aged 14/15. It’s a completely different point of view for a child, especially a young teen. They are old enough to know what’s happening but not necessarily old enough to really understand it all. This book also taught me about Operation Pied Piper, which I had not specifically known about. As a parent, I couldn’t imagine sending my children away to live with another family for years, but I also couldn’t imagine having them in constant danger of bombings.
Throughout this book I felt that the way it was written really helped me build a connection to the characters and the story. The way Patti Callahan Henry built this story was perfection. The character development for Hazel was done so beautifully. She learned so much about herself and how she wanted to see her life in such a short period of time.
The Lost Book of Flora Lea is full of love and hope. Hope that somehow, someway Flora might still be alive. Hope that throughout all of this, there will be clear answers to what happened that day. The love of a sister, that kind of love that never goes away. The love of books, stories and storytelling brings.
If you’re a book lover, if you love magical and whimsical stories, if you love fairytales, this book is for you. This book is also for you if you love historical fiction, romance, and mystery.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent
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