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Published Jul 2013
496 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
During a party at the family farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson has escaped to her childhood tree house and is dreaming of the future. She spies a stranger coming up the road and sees her mother speak to him. Before the afternoon is over, Laurel will witness a shocking crime that challenges everything she knows about her family and especially her mother, Dorothy.
Now, fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress, living in London. She returns to the family farm for Dorothy's ninetieth birthday and finds herself overwhelmed by questions she has not thought about for decades. From pre-WWII England through the Blitz, to the fifties and beyond, discover the secret history of three strangers from vastly different worlds - Dorothy, Vivien, and Jimmy - who meet by chance in wartime London and whose lives are forever entwined.
The Secret Keeper explores longings and dreams, the lengths people go to fulfill them, and the consequences they can have. It is a story of lovers, friends, dreamers, and schemers told - in Morton's signature style - against a backdrop of events that changed the world.
Published in hardcover: Oct 2012
You can see the full discussion here. This discussion will contain spoilers!
Some of the recent comments posted about The Secret Keeper:
After a dramatic opening....
No. I didn't really think it was going in a different direction. I think it was a great opening for the story then to develop. I did assume that there would be some closure as to why the man was stabbed. - JulieAB
Did jealousy play a big part in this book? Why? With whom?
Perhaps not so much jealousy as possessiveness, if there even is much of a distinction. Dorothy boldly seduces Jimmy, and then takes him for granted. She has conquered him; he is hers. In a similar way, Dorothy sets out to seduce Vivien with a focus ... - dianec
Did you find any moral ambiguity in Dorothy's behavior?
I agree with Kimk... It was an instinctive reaction to protect her baby. - Terry R
Did you prefer following Laurel’s story or the stories surrounding Dorothy, Jimmy and Vivien?
I always liked the chapters where I learned more of the story thru the eyes of Vivian/Dorothy/Jimmy. I liked how their different perspectives all melded together. - johannam
Did you see the ending coming?
I did not see the end coming. Once things were falling into place I got that familiar flutter in my stomach however. I love it when an author is able to give me that gut feeling with the twists and turns. - wendyf
"Morton's finesse with family secrets increases with each novel." - Kirkus
"Morton weaves an intriguing mystery, shifting between past and present among fully realized characters harboring deep secrets." - People, 4 stars
"Morton deftly leads the reader astray time after time, and just when you're certain you know where the story is headed, she inserts another stunning twist. With well-conceived and well-executed characters, a skillful portrait of London at war and an ingenious plot, she scores another winner that blends love, death and, eventually, redemption" - Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Morton's best-selling work is always classy and nuanced; great for reading groups." - Library Journal
This information about The Secret Keeper was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Kate Morton is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours, The Secret Keeper, The Lake House, and The Clockmaker's Daughter. Her books are published in thirty-six languages and have been #1 bestsellers worldwide. Born and raised in Australia, she holds degrees in dramatic art and English literature, and now lives with her family in London and Australia.
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