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The Forgotten Secret  By  cover art

The Forgotten Secret

By: Kathleen McGurl
Narrated by: Melanie MacHugh
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Publisher's summary

Can she unlock the mysteries of the past?

A country at war.

It’s the summer of 1919, and Ellen O’Brien has her whole life ahead of her. Young, in love and leaving home for her first job, the future seems full of shining possibility. But war is brewing, and before long, Ellen and everyone around her are swept up by it. As Ireland is torn apart by the turmoil, Ellen finds herself facing the ultimate test of love and loyalty.

A long-buried secret.

A hundred years later and Clare Farrell has inherited a dilapidated old farmhouse in County Meath. Seizing the chance to escape her unhappy marriage, she strikes out on her own for the first time, hoping the old building might also provide clues to her family’s shadowy history. As she sets out to put the place - and herself - back to rights, she stumbles across a long-forgotten hiding place, with a clue to a secret that has lain buried for decades.

For fans of Kate Morton and Gill Paul comes an unforgettable novel about two women fighting for independence.

©2019 Kathleen McGurl (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

What listeners say about The Forgotten Secret

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The Forgotten Secret

EXCELLENT WRITER AND EXCELLENT READER! All her books are top quality. If you love genealogy then you will love the books by Kathleen McGurl !

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  • V
  • 05-16-20

my review

loved the story. kept my interest,
the reader did a nice job.will listen to more by this author.

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Good story

Well done. Not many historical fiction stories about Ireland . Very interesting and well performed . Narrator brings characters to life

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Interesting but not profound

Enjoyed the story and the narration but both could have had more depth. Not my favorite.

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Review

Absolutely wonderful listening gripping from the beginning. The narrator made the book come alive well worth listening to

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Absolutely great book.

Loved this book from start to finish. Brilliant story told beautifully. Couldn’t wait each day to get back to it. Thanks to a wonderful author and narrator.

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Wow!

This fantastic book has a somewhat confusing start. I am so glad I continued to read it. Once I got into the author's cadence, I couldn't stop reading until the end. Highly recommend.

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  • J100
  • 06-27-23

The Forgotten Secret

I always enjoy Kathleen McGurl books and this is no exception.
I was unsure at the beginning because I know nothing about Ireland and it’s history but the author is one of my favourites and always knows how to intertwine her characters into history and split the timelines when writing. There was a twist at the end that took me completely by surprise. All in all I enjoyed this book.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 12-05-21

gripping and informative.

If, like me, you were dubious at the start of this story, that it may prove too much of an 'in depth' factual tale of Irish conflict, do not give up! There proves to be an excellent balance between fact and fiction. Loved it

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  • Amazon Customermaggie
  • 09-02-21

Ireland

A good story of Irish history, told in a nice way. Also a story of a woman having a horrible husband and starting a new life , with help from her sons. Having had a controlling husband in the past myself it was good that someone else got a new life too. ( my sons helped me too)

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  • K. Bailey
  • 06-20-21

Mainly loved it

Apart from the infuriating main character Claire (who I often wanted to slap) I loved the story.

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  • S. Christie
  • 04-02-20

Average book

Neither good nor bad. Bit too much Irish history for my liking. Story was ok but very drawn out. Ends a bit to abruptly I felt. More details of Ellen’s story would have tied it much more neatly. An ok read but not a favourite of my Audible listens.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 05-11-19

Undecided

The female impersonating at least 15 people half of which were men was quite annoying.

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