Book Blurb:
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.
My Review: 4.25 stars
The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan was another great story focused on literature, history, mystery, motherhood and romance. I loved that this story was loosely based on a real person. Thankfully, Callahan shares more information on in her author’s note.
This story is told in two timelines which eventually converge, which is something I really enjoy in dual timeline books. I also love books that delve into about secret languages and the why behind the coded words.
Several relationships were explored throughout the novel. Clara and Wynnie, Clara and Bronwyn, Clara and Charlie and of course, Wynnie and Emiji. I’m a sucker for kids and imaginary friends, so I adored Wynnie’s POV with her need to have Emiji with her.
I was stunned to learn about the Great Smog, which I wasn’t familiar with. The scenes that described the thick, heavy and dirty smog were portrayed extremely well. I literally felt it in my throat and because my daughter has asthma, it really resonated with me.
I loved Clara and Charlie and how their trust in one another grew into something special. It came about naturally and he was a standout character for me. The ending was neatly wrapped- up but it totally worked for me in this particular book. Were there some coincidences that seemed a bit far-fetched? Sure. Did it alter my reading experience, not a bit. Time and time again, Callahan has proven herself as an excellent researcher and skilled author in the historical fiction genre.
Quotes I liked:
Dreams are so much more than that. They are visions of the future, they are whispers of our desires, they are hope. We cannot and we must not live without dreams, Clara.”
“You’re the place that I stand when my feet are sore.”
“To love with forgiveness, to love without deserving, to love when the truth has been exposed, to love with a heart that gathers the other into itself.”
“Sometimes the world isn’t so kind to people who are different, especially women.”
