- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Pan (15 April 2011)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0330531263
- ISBN-13: 978-0330531269
- Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 19.8 x 2.9 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 125,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
A Secret Kept
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Product Description
Review
'That rare thing - a hugely accomplished, compelling, compulsively readable novel which also grapples with the big stuff: love, loss, and life's other complexities.'
--Douglas Kennedy
'An enthralling novel which asks whether it is better to know the secrets of your family's past or to let them lie.. Not just a mystery novel, this explores themes of death and suicide, adultery and parenthood as Antoine delves into the past while trying to keep his fractured present together.' --The Bookseller
'A wholly captivating novel. A triumphant follow-up to the bestselling Sarah's Key' --Easy Living
'If you buy one book this month make it A Secret Kept...secrets, lies and seduction make this beautifully-crafted story of suspense one you'll be sorry to finish' --Image Magazine
--Douglas Kennedy
'An enthralling novel which asks whether it is better to know the secrets of your family's past or to let them lie.. Not just a mystery novel, this explores themes of death and suicide, adultery and parenthood as Antoine delves into the past while trying to keep his fractured present together.' --The Bookseller
'A wholly captivating novel. A triumphant follow-up to the bestselling Sarah's Key' --Easy Living
'If you buy one book this month make it A Secret Kept...secrets, lies and seduction make this beautifully-crafted story of suspense one you'll be sorry to finish' --Image Magazine
Product Description
The stunning new novel from Tatiana de Rosnay, author of international bestseller Sarah’s Key.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I had read Sarah's Key and absolutely loved it, so I looked forward to this novel by the same author. It was a facinating story, with an small twist to it's story. I enjoyed the book and found the characters interesting and believable, however when an author has written such a brilliant book as Sarah's Key, I guess it's a hard act to follow, and truthfully this one isn't, in my opinion, so good.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'd read a few less than positive reviews of this book so my hopes weren't high, however I have to say I really enjoyed it. It's definitely a slow burner and certainly a very different sort of novel to the one for which Tatiana de Rosnay is perhaps best known (Sarah's Key), so if you've read SK it's probably best to try to put all thoughts of it out of your head before you attempt this one.
Antoine Rey narrates most of the book (apart from the flashbacks to his childhood summers of the early 1970s which are delivered in the third person). I found him a very likeable and sympathetic character, which is just as well as he's going through a bit of a mid-life crisis (his wife has left him, his kids are indifferent to him, his father is cold and unloving etc) and he does indulge in a fair bit of navel-gazing and philosophising (well, he is French).
On the way back from a trip to the site of a childhood holiday, his sister is about to reveal something to him when she suddenly loses control of the car. When she eventually regains her memory and tells him what she saw, Antoine embarks on a journey of self-discovery through his family's recent history. Specifically he wants to know more about his mother's death and why senior family members closed ranks after she died and refused to talk about what really happened.
A Secret Kept is quite a sedate, thoughtful read but I did become very involved and engaged in Antoine's quest. It's also very French - lots of smoking, b*nking and beautiful apartments with concierges - and as I read it I found myself visualising it as a stylish French film with subtitles. I'm very glad I ignored the negative reviews and took a chance on this book.
Antoine Rey narrates most of the book (apart from the flashbacks to his childhood summers of the early 1970s which are delivered in the third person). I found him a very likeable and sympathetic character, which is just as well as he's going through a bit of a mid-life crisis (his wife has left him, his kids are indifferent to him, his father is cold and unloving etc) and he does indulge in a fair bit of navel-gazing and philosophising (well, he is French).
On the way back from a trip to the site of a childhood holiday, his sister is about to reveal something to him when she suddenly loses control of the car. When she eventually regains her memory and tells him what she saw, Antoine embarks on a journey of self-discovery through his family's recent history. Specifically he wants to know more about his mother's death and why senior family members closed ranks after she died and refused to talk about what really happened.
A Secret Kept is quite a sedate, thoughtful read but I did become very involved and engaged in Antoine's quest. It's also very French - lots of smoking, b*nking and beautiful apartments with concierges - and as I read it I found myself visualising it as a stylish French film with subtitles. I'm very glad I ignored the negative reviews and took a chance on this book.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really enjoyed reading this book and becoming immersed in the very French atmosphere; the decriptions of Noirmoutier Island made me want to go there and Paris through an architect's eyes was utterly beguiling. I've passed my copy straight to a friend who was equally charmed. I really invested in the character of Antoine as he came to terms with all his problems and the mystery at the heart of the story kept me reading until the denouement. A great read for holidays or a wet weekend!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Too many deaths making the plot seem unreal
The author has a great writing style but the plot was weak and there were too many characters with their own sub-plots making it a confusing read. Read more
Published 29 days ago by R. Das
A cliffhanger!!!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed "Sarah's Key", but Miss Rosnay seems to lose "puff" in the last quarter of the book. "A Secret Kept" maintains the pace from beginning to end. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tia
Moving look at Family Secrets
Not my usual type of book, but I read it as a change from my usual crime thrillers. I really enjoyed this look at family secrets hidden away over the decades. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Probus888
Atmospheric and beguiling all the way through
I picked up this book cold after reading the back and am so glad I gave it a go. From the opening pages I found it atmospheric and beguiling. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Plumtree29
What our reading group thought ...
Our group read and reviewed this book recently. The majority of us liked the book though found some of the characters contrived especially Angele who appears as a male fantasy... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Sarah Howells
Great disappointment
This book is nothing but literary trash. Nothing more nothing less .Portrait of middle aged Frenchman going thru his middle aged crisis. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mariola Rochlicka
Doubt That It Measures up to SARAH'S KEY
"A Secret Kept," is the next novel by Tatiana De Rosnay, the New York Times best selling author, following on her Sarah's Key. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Stephanie DePue
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