To keep her children safe from the dangers of war in London, a mother makes the difficult choice to send them out of the city. Hazel, 14, and Flora, 5, are taken in by a kind mother, Bridie, and her son, Harry. To calm her sister, Hazel makes up a magical place called Whisperwood, a land they can escape to when reality becomes too much to bear. But a tragic occurrence separates the sisters, and the locals believe the younger girl has drowned in the river. Two decades have passed, and Hazel has never given up on the belief that her sister is alive somewhere. And then, a parcel arrives at the bookshop where she works. It’s a book about a magical place called Whisperwood. Hazel is now sure that somehow this book will lead her to her sister, because her sister was the only one who knew about Whisperwood. This lovely and delightful tale is a story of determination and perseverance. Hazel is a strong character, even as a child. Peggy, whom Hazel meets, shows growth as the novel develops. The story is well thought out and well written. It describes the problems faced by the women and children during the war years quite accurately. It’s a different look at worn-torn England, focusing on the home front and the children, a story that will surely appeal to a wide audience. ( )

I definitely overlooked reading this book specifically because it centered around a war and I had tired of reading historical fiction for the reason there were so many books out there. I found it at the library and decided to give it a whirl and I'm glad I did. It was very well written and the plot kept things moving along. I really enjoyed the story. ( )

Als Hazel en Flora Lea Linden in het begin van WOII door hun moeder op de trein worden gezet naar een veilige plek buiten Londen in de buurt van Oxford weten ze niet welk avontuur hen daar wacht. Ze worden opgenomen door Bridie Aberdeen en haar zoon Harry en voelen zich daar op hun gemak. Hazel is 10 jaar ouder dan Flora Lea en zorgt goed voor haar zusje. Ze verzint een verhaal om Flora af te leiden en de zusjes vermaken zich prima met steeds nieuwe variaties van het verhaal van Whisperwood. Dan, op een moment van onoplettendheid, verdwijnt Flora om nooit meer te worden gevonden.
20 jaar later werkt Hazel in een boekhandel die gespecialiseerd is in oude manuscripten en illustraties en bij het uitpakken van de nieuwe aanwinsten vindt ze een verhaal van een Amerikaanse schrijfsters, dat verbazingwekkend veel op haar verhaal over Whisperwood lijkt. Hazel gaat op onderzoek uit om uit te vinden hoe het verhaal in Amerika terecht is gekomen en of er een link is met haar verdewenen zus. Mooi geschreven, met soms iets te veel herhalingen in de tekst. ( )

The story of two sisters, 14 yr. old Hazel and 5 yr. old Flora, evacuated from London during WWII to the safety of a village in Oxfordshire. Hazel makes up a fairy tale place to comfort her little sister. During their stay, Flora disappears when Hazel leaves her alone for a few minutes. The family never finds Flora, suspecting that she has fallen into the Thames and drowned. Twenty years later, Hazel finds a book about the exact fairy tale place she created for Flora, and the story takes flight.

The story is told in two timelines, one in 1940 in the days leading up to Flora's disappearance, and the other in 1960, where Hazel, in her mid-30s, is working in a rare bookstore. The chapters are short, and sometimes I felt like I had whiplash, going back and forth every few pages. It was, however, an effective way to tell the story. My only complaint was that the writing seemed a little amateur--way too many adjectives used to describe every little thing, no matter how unimportant the detail was to the story. I've often found the level of literary skill in historical fiction to be less than contemporary fiction. Not sure why that is so, but the story itself was worthwhile. ( )

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the actor Cynthia Erivo -- I really enjoyed her narration.

The story is told in two timelines: 1939 and then 20 years later and revolves around the children evacuated from London during WWII and a 20 year mystery about what happens to one of them.

The novel to me read like a fairytale and has many bookish references and parallels.

I guessed a part of the mystery's resolution early on, but the twist at the end was unexpected as the red herrings were well placed. All in all, I think it was a historical fiction mystery which I would recommend. ( )