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

Amazingly different from any book I've listened to

If you could sum up The Secret Keeper in three words, what would they be?

I was there!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Vivian...she turned out to be so caring and loving. Not what I had thought at first and then I loved her. I wanted to sit at her bedside with Laurel at the end.

What about Caroline Lee’s performance did you like?

The very, very best! I kept thinking how different this story would be to read it rather than hear it. That was one of the best things. Now I'm going to seek out the other books that she and Ms Morton have collaborated on.

If you could take any character from The Secret Keeper out to dinner, who would it be and why?

It would be Jimmy. Such a caring man, gentle and willing to talk about most anything. I don't think he had a mean bone in his body.

Any additional comments?

I love hearing about the things in that time period, the 1940's, the war, the way people had to cope, etc. And ofcourse this was England, things there are different from America anyway. When I finished the story, I kept going back over the last 2-3 chapters because I couldn't belive it ended that way! It wasn't a bad way, I was surprised so that was good!

Excellent read!

Would you listen to The Secret Keeper again? Why?

I will listen to this book again, lots of hidden clues to the surprise ending.

What does Caroline Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator made the book come alive. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the book near as well reading it rather than have this narrator tell the story.

Historical fiction WW II London

I actually read this twice, 6 years apart. First time for the plot, second time for the period accuracy. Enjoyable both times for different reasons. Will have no trouble recommending this to friends .

Absolutely Marvelous!!

I stumbled across Kate Morton on Audible about 8 months ago and have sought out every book of hers since. This plot is particularly captivating. Multiple times I thought I had it figured out, but Morton surprised me to the very last chapter! The narration is wonderful, too, and enhances Morton’s work beyond what I could read in black and white (although I intend to purchase this in hard copy because I love it so much)! I’ve already sent it to family and friends to be their next reads.

Engrossed from beginning to end!

What a wonderful story with a surprise ending. The narrator was absolutely perfect for this lovely story.

Reading this book was like rolling a snowball

Reading The Secret Keeper started a little slower than I had wished but the snowball kept rolling and the story continued to grow.
This story was set in three different time periods - WWII, 1961 and 2011. An actress in England in 2011 is recalling events as her elderly mother comes close to death. The chilling story finally comes to a fantastic conclusion that totally surprised me.

Captivating

The secret Keeper was unusual, for I usually choose self growth material but needed less work for a change. The story seemed to have an odd beginning but soon captured my curiosity. I felt that I was with the characters. The story twists and turns with a few predictable moments and many unpredictable ones including the ending. Well written and a superb reader. I highly recommend this book.

Oh wow! So many secretive twists and turns!

I loved the clearly enunciated reading with a delicious Irish lilt. Though a bit lengthy, this book sometimes kept me up listening till 4:00 a'm.! The surprises didn't stop comin'. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in war, love and loss, and above all the endurance of the human spirit.

Fascinating tale

This story was fascinating. It wove a mystery that spanned across three families and three generations. The novel was exceptionally well-written so that even the smallest details mentioned in the beginning prove to be there for a reason in the end.

The novel brings up many moral dilemmas, which would make for a great discussion for a book club. And there's a lovely twist at the end, which I did not anticipate. I will definitely be listening to this again in the future. Highly recommend!

The narrator did an excellent job and seemed very natural to me.

Fantastic!

This is a fantastic story and mystery. The writing the superb and story engaging. Without giving anything away I'd like to say all is not as it seems. I was on a roller-coaster of emotion the whole way!