A Secret Kept

By: Tatiana de Rosnay

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

This stunning novel from Tatiana de Rosnay, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller Sarah's Key, plumbs the depths of complex family relationships and the power of a past secret to change everything in the present.

A Secret Kept is now a major motion picture starring Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds), Laurent Lafitte (The Crimson Rivers), and Audrey Dana (Roman de Gare)!

It all began with a simple seaside vacation, a brother and sister recapturing their childhood. Antoine Rey thought he had the perfect surprise for his sister Mélanie's birthday: a weekend by the sea at Noirmoutier Island, where the pair spent many happy childhood summers playing on the beach. It had been too long, Antoine thought, since they'd returned to the island—over thirty years, since their mother died and the family holidays ceased. But the island's haunting beauty triggers more than happy memories; it reminds Mélanie of something unexpected and deeply disturbing about their last island summer. When, on the drive home to Paris, she finally summons the courage to reveal what she knows to Antoine, her emotions overcome her and she loses control of the car.

Recovering from the accident in a nearby hospital, Mélanie tries to recall what caused her to crash. Antoine encounters an unexpected ally: sexy, streetwise Angèle, a mortician who will teach him new meanings for the words life, love and death. Suddenly, however, the past comes swinging back at both siblings, burdened with a dark truth about their mother, Clarisse.

Trapped in the wake of a shocking family secret shrouded by taboo, Antoine must confront his past and also his troubled relationships with his own children. How well does he really know his mother, his children, even himself? Suddenly fragile on all fronts as a son, a husband, a brother and a father, Antoine Rey will learn the truth about his family and himself the hard way.

By turns thrilling, seductive and destructive, with a lingering effect that is bittersweet and redeeming, A Secret Kept is the story of a modern family, the invisible ties that hold it together, and the impact it has throughout life.

©2010 Tatiana de Rosnay (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The story of an emotionally distant family as it struggles to come to grips with changing dynamics and the mysterious death of a young mother many years ago[...] De Rosnay's writing is eloquent and beautiful, and her characterizations are both honest and dead-on[...]” —Kirkus

“A Secret Kept is a beautiful and haunting exploration of wanting - and not wanting - to understand one's past, of learning to see parents as individuals, whether the parents in question are our own or ourselves.” —Erica Bauermeister, bestselling author of The School of Essential Ingredients

“In A Secret Kept, Tatiana de Rosnay takes us on a journey to that haunted place where the past seeps into the present, where memory appears and disappears, and where healing seems always out of reach. With her lyrical prose and her gift for creating deeply sympathetic characters, de Rosnay has given us a hopeful story, as addictive as it is moving.” —Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author of Summer's Child

Not my favorite

While the narration was done well, this was not my favorite story. Sarah's Key was one of my all time favorite books, maybe I set my expectations too high?

Too Good to Keep Secret

Di Rosnay writes a compelling story. She mingles life and death with love gained and love lost as she chronicles the story of Antoine Rey and his attempt to unlock the secrets surrounding his young mother's death. Like Job, he has trials thrust at him all at once. His family disintegrates, people die, he and his sister, Melanie, have a car accident, his wife divorces him, and he hates his job. However, no good writer will leave her protagonist in the same condition that she first created him. Antoine is spurred into action by Melanie's revelation that she has just remembered an important incident from their childhood regarding their mother. Di Rosnay reveals the family secret slowly keeping our headphones firmly in place for hours at a time.

Ho Hum

I really liked Sarah's Key, and was looking forward to reading this new book. However, I found myself bored with it. The characters never really seemed to come alive, and I found I was just waiting to get to the end of the book to find out the secret. It's not a book that I will recommend to my friends. There are too many other good ones out there!

Fantastic

Thought it was a powerful interesting novel. Characters are well developed. Recommend highly. a good read

Excellent

I loved this story and I can relate to the plot and characters. Another beautifully written book. I have enjoyed my lengthy commute to and from work thanks to this book.

Not sure

Slow to develop major plot line which then becomes buried in the everyday. Too Mills & Boon for me.

I had only read Sarah's Key and was hoping for something similar. Wrong genre!

Not What I Expected

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, I would recommend this book but with reservations.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The beginning of the book is slow to get momentum with the story. The main character would be more personable, he's somewhat boring.

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

The French words would be glossed over, I don't speak or read French.

Do you think A Secret Kept needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, not enough of a story.

Not her best

Not her best, but the story kept my interest. Perhaps if I had known more French geography.

An enjoyable read

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

This is one of the better audible books I've listened to. It's the second book I've heard with Simon Vance as a reader, and I will look for others.

Wow!

This book was masterfully written. Just loved every minute of it. This is the second book I've read by this author and it was worth every minute of the listening. The reader was wonderful as well. Kudos!