I enjoyed the story and in particular the narrator, Caroline Lee however I have listened to two other Kate Morton books and found this one to be very similar, so much so I could predict a lot of the story. If you are a big Kate Morton fan then you will probably love it. For me however the formula of a big secret a long time ago that a current day child has to investigate and unravel is a little warn.

Yes - knowing how it turns out I found pay more attention to the foretelling elements.

Vivianne, her character is shrouded by the ways others perceive her.

My Mother's Daughter.

Interesting plot with too many unneccessary details but little intrigue. Numerous personal stories which made it difficult for a reader to develop an indepth relationship with any one character. Shifting between time periods was too frequent and left things hanging often. Could have been a much better book if trimmed of fluff and told more succinctly from fewer viewpoints with a twist at the ending.

Kate Morton has a unique way of telling stories from the past,and the present, that excites me as it develops mystery, clues , and answers, all at the same time. So many friends and reviewers said that the ending was shocking. Being a real mystery lover, I did figure out the 'surprise' very shortly into the book. But interestingly enough, I think that Kate Morton's writing is so exquisite, that confirming my suspicions a little more with each chapter, actually greatly added to my joy while reading this book. Every time something happened, my first thought was of how cleaver this story was unfolding!!

The basic plot was simple enough. A young girl witnessed the shocking episode of her mother killing a man who showed up at their home. It was ruled self-defense, and the child was asked to keep this event a secret from her siblings. Sixty years later, as all the siblings gather for their Mom's 90th birthday, and final days of her life, questions and new answers are discovered. Love, friendship, WW1 War time bombings in England, and families broken apart all added to the fascinating truth of 'the secret'.

Kate Morton never fails to please!!

I've read other books by Kate Morton, so I know she has a formula and she sticks to it with good success. For some reason, I found "The Secret Keeper" quite slow to start out and for the first third of the book I had trouble staying focused on the story and feeling any empathy towards the characters. By the second half, while I knew what the secret was, I was still curious about how the characters had arrived at that point, which signals a riveting story and engaging characters. Ultimately, the book was very enjoyable, not great, not the most fantastic thing I've read this year, but a worthwhile expenditure of my time while walking the dog, spinning and knitting.

The only reason I kept on with this book is that I was doing outside labor and it was better than nothing. I also hate to delete a book I have paid for so I kept on. Then came the actual story.

Why this author had to drag out the first 2/3rds I don't know. Could I say it was worth the time to get to the last 1/3rd? I'm not sure, but it was fascinating. I had no idea of the ending and the ending was so.....great.

Obviously, my review is mixed. Am I glad I read this book? Yes I am. Would I read another by this author? I think I would try one more.

As I got closer to the end, it was more and more interesting. I didn't want to turn it off and I wasn't disappointed.

I rated the story itself as a 4 star but know you are in for a long and draggy beginning and middle.

I struggled from the beginning and finally gave up. Moved too slow. It was a suggestion from Joshilyn Jackson's book review..."readers who listened to Jackson like Morton..."
Not this reader.

Slow start.

N/A

N/A

I wasted a credit/$

Am a fervent Kate Morton fan. Loved The Forgotten Garden, was entranced with The House at Riverton (aka Shifting Fog) and the Distant Hours, but the Secret Keeper has become my favorite. The narration by Caroline Lee was as cozy and comfortable as ever. Her voice bringing the various eras to life in vivid color, at times black and white. She would be a charm reading anyone to a calm and peaceful sleep. But during the day, when I listened, she kept me totally enthralled with the myriad of twists and turns of the story.

Morton's ability to draw the listener reader to empathy, even affection for all her characters flawed, all so human, and to disgust with her duplicitous cads, is amazing. Know this is weird, but narrator Caroline Lee did yelling and whispers really well. Been listening to books since the 80's and that's surprisingly important! Look forward to Kate Morton's next novel.

If I read half way through a book and it's just not doing it for me, I think that it is time to quit. I don't usually give up on a book but this was one that I just could not abide. I thoroughly enjoyed Kate Morton's Forgotten Garden. Caroline Lee is one of my favorite readers but even she was unable to raise this selection to the level of tolerable.

The book was not interesting and even seemed rushed in the writing. My understanding is that the author had started another book but this one emerged and she just had to finish it before continuing with the former. That's kind of how it came out; almost a stream of consciousness that was badly in need of an editor. And the cigarette smoking... you'd think that's all the characters did.

I'm sorry Kate. I waited with great excitement for this book and perhaps it was the expectation of another great offering from you that was the let down. It happened in another novel I recently read. Would that we could only abandon all our expectations. We might be more generous with our stars.

It's tough giving the novel of a celebrated author 1 star but on GR that means I didn't like it and, in this case, I definitely did not.

I have become a big Kate Morton fan over the past few years but this was definitely not her best work. The storyline just wasn't as compelling as usual and the characters were rather predictable. I usually really enjoy Caroline Lee's narration, but as a native Brit, I do find her attempts at local accents to be less than credible.