Welcome to Litsy!

Themes of the unbreakable bonds between mothers & daughters,loss & abandonment,forgiveness,home,& the power of stories.In 1927 Claire Harrington‘s mom the renowned author Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the South Carolina coast,upending the child Clara‘s life.In 1952 Clara,now the mom of the asthmatic Winnie,is contacted by Charlie Jameson in London.He has her mother‘s bag,containing the dictionary she wrote about her secret language.⬇️

Next up for my #preorderboookclubchallenge #RiverBendBookShop #indie

Enchanting and beautifully written. PCH‘s prose is almost lyrical—each line feels intentional and artful. I‘m already planning to reread it just to highlight and annotate all the stunning passages that have stayed with me. Book #45 in 2025 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beautiful magical story

It was essentially a tie for who would win my current grid. So I went with a heads or tails flip. Heads (tagged) won the toss!

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

This is an easy plck for me and I‘m now curious to read more about the London fog of 1952. I‘m humbled I never realized the Lake District was a treasured place of British beauty. I like the story, it was unique and on the light side of historical fiction. I do think the story would have benefited by sharing Clara‘s PoV with alternating chapters from Bronwyn.

Todays #bookhaul
At my local Indie store I bought The Story She Left Behind,Anne Frank, 75th Anniversary Edition, & The Feminist Reader.At B & N I bought A Bird in Hand,& 2 lovely blank books with colorful prints on edges(at top of this stack),an appropriate bookmark, & NYC Central Park”A Walk in the Park” magnetic bookmarks,#bookmail brought me Letters of Note & James Baldwin. I am sad as these last 2 books are my final ones from Blackwells.

I couldn‘t get to any of her author events, so I did the next best thing- bought too many bookish gifts for myself & listened to Patti Callahan Henry‘s online talks on YouTube!
🩷🩵🩷
Trifecta! A magical morning with The Story She Left Behind, English breakfast tea from the March #BrendaNovaksBookBox , and sitting cozy in my #PrintFresh PJs with Bandette
#DogsOfLitsy

Just as Clara‘s mother haunted her for her entire life because she disappeared, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham also became a mystery and an obsession for Charles Jameson who found Bronwyn‘s satchel inside his father‘s office.

The satchel had made it to London from Bluffton, South Carolina, but how?

https://tinyurl.com/3s9nsy8n

@pattichenry
@atriabooks

This was the softer story I needed following The Hunger Games. It was a heartfelt story that had me running to it every time I was forced to do other things. Even if my suspicions were confirmed, the journey to get there was well worth the trip.

This is a magical story about motherhood, loss, grief and yearning all ensconced in a tale about a fantasy book. To make it even more delightful, there is humour and romance as well. I loved it. It reminded me a little of the writing of Kate Morton, with a touch of the enchantment of Jess Kidd's works. More about The Great Smog can be found in Mandy Robotham's historical fiction “A Dangerous Game“. Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the digital ARC. 4.5/5

​3/29.

Just as Clara‘s mother haunted her for her entire life because she disappeared, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham also became a mystery and an obsession for Charles Jameson who found Bronwyn‘s satchel inside his father‘s office.

The satchel had made it to London from Bluffton, South Carolina, but how?

What happens now?

It is filled with love, longing, and fulfillment. 5/5

@pattichenry
@atriabooks
@simonandschuster

This author has never disappointed me. Her books always take me away from the crazy things going on. To an adventure that I keep close to my heart. This book was exceptional. The prose was beautiful and the fact that it is about a girl searching for her mother who was an author... Well that just makes it that much better.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-story-she-left-behind-by-patti.html

@pattichenry
@atriabooks

The Story She Left Behind releases Tuesday! Meanwhile, I‘m reading The Lost Words & Barbara Newhall Follett Letters. BNF inspired Patti Callahan Henry‘s latest novel.
BNF had her 1st book published at the age of 12 yo. At 26 yo, after a spat with her husband, she left the house & has never been found.
As a child, she created a complex imaginary world & complete language to go with it!

​BOOKMAIL is the best mail - when it is a SURPRISE, it is even better!!

THANK YOU @simonandschuster @atriabooks @pattichenry

“Inspired by a true literary mystery, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter‘s search for them both.”


THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND will be in stores everywhere on March 4, 2025, from @Atria Books. Pre-order NOW!

https://bit.ly/AtriaTSSLB

@pattichenry
@atriabooks