Too many secrets
As a whole, The Secret of Everything is not bad. A good light read. The children and dogs are excellent additions. Unfortunately, the author got so wrapped up in hiding Tessa's past that she hid things she shouldn't have. Apparently O'Neal forgot that a reader's first introduction to the character becomes, literally, a picture in the reader's head. When we first meet Tessa, she is sauntering down to the beach carrying a mango, a chunk of bread, and a cup of tea. We know she is recovering from a hiking accident, caused by torrential rain and a spider bite. But paragraphs later there is a miss-able allusion to a cast on her arm. Immediately, I was wondering how she managed not to spill the tea. Chapters later, another aside mentions a friend who died in the hiking accident. All of this could have been handled with more finesse and allowed me to maintain the willingness to suspend disbelief that is so essential to good fiction. Why not have her struggle a little to balance the mango, bread, and tea on her cast? Why not add guilt to the opening litany of things she's trying not to face? O'Neal needed to deliberately make so many things in this book not be as they first seemed. Why clutter that lovely mysteriousness with unnecessaries?
Rated of 5
by Jennifer F. (Tucson, AZ)
Too much information
This book is a quick and enjoyable read, but I had the sense that the author was trying to fit too much into the story and the constant flashbacks were distracting. The story is interesting but all over the place. This would probably be a good beach or airplane book, but overall seemed scattered and the recipes seemed out of place.
Rated of 5
by Cam G. (Murrells Inlet, SC)
The Secret of Everything
Tess Harper, an adventure tour guide, sets out to Las Ladronas in New Mexico, ostensibly to research prospective guided tours in that area, but in actuality ends up searching for her own true identity.
This book is an easy read and enjoyable due to the likable characters and the recipes that are included at the end of some of the chapters; however, it is just that: an easy uncomplicated read.
Rated of 5
by Ann S. (Shenandoah, Iowa)
Secret of Everything
O'Neal's book, The Secret of Everything, opened more to my liking than it's ending. I thought at the beginning it would be such a good read. Her use of food for description was such a treat to the senses and her perspectives of things as though she were looking through a camera were the tidbits that kept me reading with anticipation. However, the descriptions waned as the book continued. The use of the camera for perspective became somewhat overused.
The inclusion of the recipes is a fun addition, but not really necessary to the integrity of the plot.
O'Neal crammed so many different lines into the novel, some were never fully developed. They really deserved to be and I felt the ending was so quickly and neatly resolved, that it seemed forced.
It is, however, a light read to be enjoyed by many.
Rated of 5
by Molly B. (Hygiene, CO)
Good looking recipes...
This is a fun, easy read with enough mystery, heat and drama to keep me turning the pages. It is also easily forgettable, as the characters are black and white, albeit cool and appealing, and the dialogue and story line are soap operatic. But it was fun to read - just don't expect nuance or reality. And while I haven't tried the recipes scattered throughout the book, I surely will - they look delicious. THEY are what I will take away from this book.
Rated of 5
by Gigi K. (Lufkin,, TX.)
A Secret?
The best thing about this book to me was the characters. I'd enjoy having them living on my block. Other than that, I had a difficult time staying interested. I was content just reading a chapter and putting it down. The recipes at the end of the chapters seemed rather "gimmicky".
Rated of 5
by Eileen L. (Danvers, MA)
Sweet but a bit predictable The Secret of Everything is not terribly secretive, but a charming little book nonetheless. The characters, lmeant to be colorful, are little cliche, but likable enough. The premise of the book, reconciling the past with the present, unfolds at an intriguing pace but just does not offer up many surprises. The language in parts of it, describing the landscape, and particularly the descriptions of the subjects of Tessa's photography, are quite beautiful. O'Neal has an interesting voice but may want to dig a little deeper in order to really grab her reader. All in all a light, quick read to pass an afternoon.
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of 5
by Carol T. (Ankeny, Iowa)
