Secrets She Kept

By: Cathy Gohlke

Narrated by: Morgan Hallett, Suzy Jackson

Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

All her life, Hannah Sterling longed for a close relationship with her estranged mother. Following Lieselotte's death, Hannah determines to unlock the secrets of her mother's mysterious past and is shocked to discover a grandfather living in Germany. Thirty years earlier, Lieselotte's father is quickly ascending the ranks of the Nazi party, and a proper marriage for his daughter could help advance his career.

Lieselotte is in love - but her beloved Lukas is far from an ideal match, as he secretly works against the Reich. Yet Lieselotte never imagined how far her father would go to ensure her cooperation. Both Hannah's and Lieselotte's stories unfold as Hannah travels to Germany to meet her grandfather, who is hiding wartime secrets of his own.

Longing for connection yet shaken by all she uncovers, Hannah must decide if she can atone for her family's tragic past and how their legacy will shape her future.

©2015 Cathy Gohlke (P)2015 Recorded Books

Outstanding except for the last 30 minutes!

What made the experience of listening to Secrets She Kept the most enjoyable?

Thoughtful story about the continuing impact of WW2 many years later

Any additional comments?

get rid of the bible lesson at the end-- you can talk about spirituality without preaching jesus-- I still gave it five stars because it was an exceptional story but the preachy ending was incredibly disappointing and almost ruined the story line

Wow!

I could not stop listening. I experienced every emotion with this book. Beautiful and painful story! Wow. Just wow.

For help in learning to forgive

This story has helped me in my quest to learn to forgive others. If anyone has what I conceive to be a “right to not forgive,” it would be the Jewish and other people who went through WW2. This story leads to a great conclusion and includes Corrie Tenboom .

Beautiful story

I loved the heartfelt prayer at the end above all else, very moving and true to many areas of my own life.

Perfection! Not to be missed.

Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Soul filling. Cathy Gohlke can write! Gorgeous tale of love, sacrifice, betrayal, and forgiveness during the cruelties and life changing events of WWII. This book is not to be missed! Narration was some of the best I've ever heard. Spot on. Highly Recommended.

Loved it!

I learned so much about German WWII history that was never covered in classes in public school. I have also read the Hiding Place. Including reference to that book was wonderful.

Couldn't put it down

My duties at work and home were "placed on the back burner" while I finished this story. I would recommend it highly.

What a wonderful experience!

This is a book I’ve been longing for! The longing has been for an author to pen a realistic story about WWII and the effects on those who survived it while weaving through it their relationships with spouses and children! It’s not an emotionally easy read. But that was not an emotionally easy time period. Cathy Gohlke did an exceptional job in creating the characters, the visual descriptions , the conversations, the thought processes, the interactions and most of all, by the end of the book, she created in me a lifetime fan of her intelligent and moving writing. This will definitely be on my list of books I want to read again.
Listening to this book was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed the two women who voiced the main characters hope to hear them in the future.!

soooooooo good!

an amazing, brilliant in the way it is woven. I felt I knew the characters. a little preachy though

An Unusual Point of View on the Holocaust

I love WWII fiction and have read many novels. I've never read a novel that includes the point of view of a former Nazi who still holds riches and treasures "Arianized" from the Jews. This is an intriguing and enlightening story of two families who couldn't be more different, and the descendant who must retrace the steps of her ancestors to understand what they did in Nazi Germany during that dark time.