The Secret Keeper

By: Kate Morton

Narrated by: Caroline Lee

Length: 19 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

England, 1959: Laurel Nicolson is 16 years old, dreaming alone in her childhood tree house during a family celebration at their home, Green Acres Farm. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and then observes her mother, Dorothy, speaking to him. And then she witnesses a crime.

Fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress, living in London. She returns to Green Acres for Dorothy’s 90th birthday and finds herself overwhelmed by memories and questions she has not thought about for decades. She decides to find out the truth about the events of that summer day and lay to rest her own feelings of guilt. One photograph, of her mother and a woman Laurel has never met, called Vivian, is her first clue.

The Secret Keeper explores longings and dreams, the lengths some people go to fulfill them, and the strange consequences they sometimes have. It is a story of lovers, friends, dreamers and schemers, play-acting, and deception told against a backdrop of events that changed the world.

©2012 Kate Morton (P)2012 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Mystery with interesting story

The book was long yes! But is a book too long when you enjoy all of so much?!
I sure was surprised how things came together at the end.
Why don’t I read all of Kate Morton’s books?!
Even during a Pandemic I was not distracted!
Thanks Kate!

Wonderful Book

Loved it. I couldnt put it down. It is a wonderful story. Perfectly read. I have yet to be disappointed by any of Kate Morton's books. I the reader Caroline Lee as well.

Don't keep this a secret!

What a great listen. This is the kind of book that just keeps drawing you further and further in to the story, while finishing with a completely unexpected ending. I really enjoyed it. My only complaint is with part of the narration - for some reason the narrator feels the need to give one of the main characters an Irish accent (for the life of me I don't know why). It's completely unexpected when she first does it, and she continues doing so throughout the book. If you can overlook this, it's a great story.

So good!

Any additional comments?

This could be my new fav author. I love all she offers...historical fiction, mystery, depth, story length & family/secret themes. This was just what I wanted to read. It is true to book jacket description. Although I figured out the ending quite a while back, I was thrilled that it came to be. I was worried the ending would be different than I thought it should be. That being said, I wasn't bored. This was a satisfying read. I have already started another of her novels.

Wonderful

This book kept me on edge the whole time. A love story that was Very well narrated too.

LOVED IT!

Amazing. Rich character development. A tiny bit predictable, but not too. Loved it. Especially the final culminating chapters.

Simply lovely.

I absolutely enjoyed the story of Dolly, Jimmy and Vivian. I didn't want to let them go, and there's no doubt I'll listen to this novel again as it's become a new favorite.

Every time I thought I knew where the story was taking me, I was surprised to see different paths opening up. It was simply lovely.

Definitely worth a credit.

Another hit - but not as good as the rest!

Now I have completed all four of Morton’s books. She is an amazing story teller and there is no doubt she will generate more fascinating stories that I will devour. She has a tendency to simply awe me and I am captivated by her mysteries.

In this book, as in ‘The Distant Hours’, the same period in time, the 1940s, is revisited. And as in all her books, the protagonist is the strong female and the men play only the supporting cast. That is fine by me. The story is strong, nostalgic, tragic, and draped in history. Second chances are possible if not necessarily deserved. Afterall, there was a killing or perhaps even a murder!

For the first time, I felt that this book was not as strong as the others in Morton’s armoury and the chapters somewhat lengthened to fill the word count. Especially, I was somewhat dulled by the chapter dedicated to Dorothy’s beach excursion. Also how is it possible that a very famous actress like Laurel, can just wonder about town without being harassed in every street corner?

Still, it is a wonderful book and I will recommend it to the diehard Morton fans like myself.

another great Kate Morton story

In this novel of love, family, and mystery, Morton weaves an intriguing intergenerational tale, exploring the territory we all might well wonder about: just who were our parents before they were our parents? And how well can we know them? and how well do we really want to know them? Morton manages the difficult time shifts with a deft hand, keeping the reader intrigued with the wonderful characters she creates and the tales she weaves.

Listened to this twice!

Where does The Secret Keeper rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is in the top two books thus far. When I finished the book I immediately listened again but much slower, I didnt want to miss a thing. I will listen again sometime soon.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Secret Keeper?

The end of the book had a compeling twist that made the story complete.

What about Caroline Lee’s performance did you like?

Yes, it took me a little time to adjust, she did a great job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, the last 3 chapters I dont want to give anything away.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommend this book!!!