The Story She Left Behind - Historical Fiction Review

Goodreads:  The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry

Rating: Really Liked It!  (4.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  In 1927, eight-year-old Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother, renowned author, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just twelve years old. Her departure leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. As the headlines focus on the missing author, Clara yearns for something far deeper and more her beautiful mother.

By 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. When a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara is skeptical. Compelled by the tragedy of her mother’s vanishing, she crosses the Atlantic with Wynnie only to arrive during one of London’s most deadly natural disasters—the Great Smog. With asthmatic Wynnie in peril, they escape the city with Charlie and find refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District. It is there that Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind.

Told in Patti Callahan Henry’s lyrical, enchanting prose, The Story She Left Behind is a captivating novel of mystery and family legacy that captures the profound longing for a mother and the evergreen allure of secrets.

Genre: Fiction - Historical

Why I Picked This Book:  I have really enjoyed everything I've read by this author - especially her historical fiction.

My Impression:  Another lovely book by Patti Callahan Henry.  I love her historical fiction and this book involving a woman's missing mother who was a famous child prodigy author really called to me.  I was interested to see when I started this book that it was inspired by the life and disappearance of Barbara Newhall Follett which is a missing person's case that has always fascinated me.

I loved the characters.  Clara is creative determined woman who is still grappling with her mother's disappearance when Clara was only 8.  I loved her relationship with her daughter Wynnie. She is a fiercely protective mother but still allows Wynnie to be herself and explore her own interests.  Charlie and his mother Pippa are just nice people who would be wonderful friends.  

Clara's mother, Bronwyn, is like a magical thread woven throughout the book.  What happened all those years ago and how did her papers end up across the ocean?  I was fascinated by this mystery though I loved just spending time with the characters and seeing how the relationships develop.  The Great Smog does pay an important part in the book though it is only in the first bit of the book.  It did have me curious to do a bit more research on it as it made for such a chaotic time in London's history. 

This was a good read with fascinating plot and likable characters wrestling with real issues.  I look forward to reading more from this author.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  Patti Callahan Henry is on my auto-buy list.

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would - especially if you are a fan of family stories.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *