The Secret Book Of Flora Lea: A Novel

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

This reading group guide for The Secret Book of Flora Lea includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Patti Callahan Henry. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

Introduction

When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed.

Topics & Questions for Discussion

1.Hazel and Flora Lea’s childhood experience was inspired by Operation Pied Piper—a real life event in British WWII history in which over three million children were evacuated from their homes to live with volunteer families throughout the English countryside. Were you familiar with this piece of history prior to reading the novel?

2. Hazel takes great care of the rare books while employed at Hogan’s Bookshop, wearing white gloves and logging items meticulously. In passing, the owner, Edwin, has mentioned the enormous value original illustrations can add to a book. What is revealed about Hazel’s character in the decision to take the copy of Whisperwood and the River of Stars along with the illustrations? What about when her initial denial of taking them is factored in?

3. When Hazel makes the phone call to Peggy Andrews seeking information about the book, she gets an unexpected answer about the origin of Whisperwood and the River of Stars. What does this broadly say about the creation of storytelling and mythmaking? Can someone ever own a story?

4. Bridie Aberdeen, as a character, is presented as extremely warm and nurturing yet with some eccentricities. The town gossips about her practices and the “mysterious” disappearance of Henry’s father. What was your first impression of Bridie? Did that change at any point during the book?

5. Hazel and Flora’s mother had several opportunities to take her daughters back to London but ultimately made the decision that they were safer and better served in Binsey with Bridie and Henry. Do you have a positive or negative opinion of their mother? Would you have made a different choice?

6. Only through an honest conversation years after the fact do Hazel and Henry discover their shared guilt over what happened to Flora. Would that silence have lasted as long if Hazel and Henry were older when Flora first disappeared?

7. Barnaby is supportive of Hazel’s desire to reach out to Peggy Andrews and even encourages her to get in touch with Dorothy Bellamy, thinking a reporter may be able to help, yet he eventually struggles with Hazel’s never-ending quest and its effect on their relationship. Does Barnaby’s ultimatum change your view of the character? Did Hazel take her quest too far?

8. How did you feel about the reveal of Dorothy Bellamy’s past? Did Dorothy’s Aunt Imogene have justification in her decision to remove the child the way she did?

9. How do the specific time periods—World War II and 1960—affect the way in which the case of Flora’s disappearance was handled? Would the outcome have been different if set in present day?

10. At the end of the story, Dorothy (Dot) is coming to terms with two versions of herself. What are the broader implications of childhood memory? Why do we so clearly remember some things and not others, regardless of importance? Can you think of your earliest childhood memory?

11. Hazel’s character displays many different emotions in the decision making throughout her life—hope, fear, guilt, love. Which one do you think is the dominant driver? Would it be the same if you were in her shoes?

12. The Secret Book of Flora Lea weaves an ode to stories and, ultimately, how we carry them with us throughout our lives. Is storytelling a universal way for humans to connect? How has storytelling affected your life?

Enhance Your Book Club

1.Seek out a map of England and chart the train journey of Hazel and Flora from London to the real-life village of Binsey in Oxfordshire.

2. Enjoy a tea service: a selection of English breakfast, Earl Grey, or green tea with sugar and milk options on the side. Add it some tea biscuits or scones with butter and jam as a food option.

3. As children, Hazel and Flora become enraptured with the story of Whisperwood. In the spirit of the novel, share a memorable book or story from your childhood.

4. Learn what else Patti is up to online at PattiCallahanHenry.com

A Conversation with Patti Callahan Henry

Q: You speak in the author’s note about your discovery of Operation Pied Piper—a piece of history lost to time for many people. Were there other bits of history you discovered in your research for this novel?

A: Before I started writing this novel, I knew that British children had been sent to the country during World War II for their safety, but I’d been unaware of its operational name. As I dug a little deeper, curious about the impact of exile on the children of war, I discovered that this scheme had been given the title of a German legend about a piper who lures children away from their homes and town. Those children were never seen again. As I read and conducted my research, I wondered this: Why would the British government name a scheme to keep children safe after a legend of lost children? Curiosity often leads me to story, and this time was no different. Children weren’t just sent to the country—they were also sent to America, Australia, and Canada by ship (sometimes with fatal results). WWII is full of untold stories, and in The Secret Book of Flora Lea I try to bring some of the Operation Pied Piper tales to light—from the small facts about how children sat in town halls while hearing the ringing voices of “I choose this one” to the larger narrative of bombings and exile. I wanted to know about the children’s experiences of this time, and Hazel and Flora Lea were the ones to tell it.

Q: You’ve written both contemporary and historical fiction novels. What do you enjoy most about writing historical fiction?

A: The thing I love most about historical fiction is the thing that thrills me about any research, which is finding the one small fact that gives me pause, that causes a tingle at the back of the neck, that tells me there is something more to the story. I love finding a line or an event or a lost voice that changes what I think I know about a story, that flips the known narrative on its head, and that brings me to new understanding of a time, a person, or an event. I once heard this phenomenon described as “emancipating the truth” and I think about that phrase over and over as I do my research: How can I bring a fuller or more interesting truth to this story?

Q: The Secret Book of Flora Lea is set in dual time periods and places—the World War II English countryside and 1960s London. Did you know from the start that those would be the settings for this book?

A: I only knew a few things when I sat down to write this novel: that the story would be impacted by Operation Pied Piper, that there would be two sisters who loved each other dearly, and that the older sister would create a fairy-tale world for just the two of them when they are sent away from home. The rest of the novel grew from those seeds. As I made my way into the story and placed it in the landscapes I love (London, Oxford, Binsey, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts) the settings and time fell into place. 1939 is the year of Operation Pied Piper and 1960s London is a fascinating period in history, and I wanted both the city and Hazel to be on the cusp of great change.

Q: This book is a real ode to storytelling and how we can carry it with us for years. Are there particular books or stories from your childhood that you carry along as an adult?

A: The everlasting refrain from my childhood was this: “Get your nose out of that book and join us.” I loved books, the library, stories, and other worlds. I believe we are made from bits and pieces that stick to us, and for me, a lot of those bits are made of books I read. If I’m to choose the most influential from childhood they would be The Chronicles of Narnia, the Little House on the Prairie series, Nancy Drew, Old Yeller, and Little Women. It’s an odd combination of influence, but somehow, they all seem to define my childhood reading in a time capsule.

Q: What are some of your favorite places or things to pull from for inspiration when writing a novel?

A: Inspiration is mysterious, elusive, and refuses to be looked at directly in the eye. I try not to pin it down for fear that it will never visit me again! But I do know that inspiration comes when I stay curious. I often write about the origins of stories, and as you’ll read in The Secret Book of Flora Lea, there is the overarching question of “Where did Whisperwood come from? What are its origins?” If I notice something, or my curiosity is peeked, there is usually a story hidden inside that framework. My work is inspired by poetry (as evidenced by the Mary Oliver poem at the start of this novel), by nature, and by reading, conversations, and dreams. In other words, my work is inspired by anything and everything that gives me a little tingle of wonder. When I pay attention, the world offers me small and large moments of inspiration. When I traveled to England for research, I had so many moments of synchronicity around the characters and setting that’s it is entirely possible for me to believe that the story was working with me to appear in the world as a novel. Now, that is inspiring.

Q: The relationship of Hazel and Flora weaves a beautiful thread about sisterhood. Were there certain elements of sisters you felt were essential to this story?

A: Sisterhood is complicated—I know; I am the oldest of three—and I wanted to show the tug and pull of both loving closeness and the need for independence that is often inherent in sibling relationships. While Hazel loves and feels responsible for her little sister, as she creates a fairy-tale land for just the two of them, but as she shares a bed in the small cottage, she also yearns for something of her own. This dissonance leads to what she believes is a terrible mistake, and her sister disappears, preserving Flora Lea as a six-year-old in Hazel’s mind instead of the woman she might have become. I wanted to explore all those facets of being an older sister: the reality versus the fantasy, the imagining versus the reality, and the guilt that follows Hazel into adulthood, keeping her from her true aspirations until she knows the truth.

Q: You’re a founding member of Friends and Fiction with authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, and Kristy Woodson Harvey. How has being a part of that group informed your path as a writer?

A: We founded Friends and Fiction during the pandemic when all our book tours had been cancelled. We were worried about how to reach our readers, ones we wouldn’t see on tour. We were lonely and locked down, and we were concerned about bookstores. This led to a Zoom gathering where we talked,...