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Review
'Inventive and gripping ... Parkhurst handles the quest formula with originality and humour' (Literary Review 20030701)
'If you like a tear-jerker with a twist you'll adore this. In the vein of Maggie O'Farrell's After You'd Gone, it deals with the loss of a loved one' - Glamour (20030701)
'One of those rare novels ... that intrigues, pulls on the heartstrings and confuses you all at once' (Time Out 20030701)
'A shimmering fictional portrait of love and loss' (Scotsman 20030613)
'Prepare to have your heart smashed into melancholy pieces' (Elle 20030613)
'Mesmerising and unusual ... The book is beautifully written and, alongside thriller-like elements, packs a powerful emotional punch' (Good Housekeeping 20030801)
'An extraordinarily moving novel, poised halfway between a lament and a mystery ... A novel to be read in one sitting, LORELEI'S SECRET is one of this summer's "must read" books' (Big Issue (in the North) 20030801)
'Captivatingly strange ... perilously adorable' (New York Times 20030801)
'Wonderfully inventive and slyly funny' (Alexei Sayle, Telegraph Book of the Year 20030801)
'A heartbreaking exploration of memory and language, grief and redemption' (Esquire )
'This tightly woven tale has all the right stuff: romance, suspense, fantasy, and an ending that does not disappoint.' (Red magazine (US) )
'Part love story, part psychological thriller and a thumping good read' (Livewire )
'A quirky and endearing love triangle' (Marie Claire (US) )
'Carolyn Parkhurst writes as well about talking dogs and square eggs as she does about the limits of language and the intractable mysteries of the self. 'Lorelei's Secret' is a strange, beautiful and very moving novel that asks us to look, in equal measure, at the puzzle that is grief and the puzzle that is love.' (Elizabeth Graver, author of 'The Honey Thief' and )
'Carolyn Parkhurst’s 'Lorelei's Secret' —so luminous, heartbreaking, comic, and daring—is an astonishing debut. Parkhurst writes of love and loss, and, above all, of what we can and cannot know of one another, with power and deeply earned grace.' (Richard McCann, author of 'Ghost Letters' )
'Shimmers with idiosyncratic intrigue . . . a humanistic parable of the heart's confusions.' (Entertainment Weekly )
'The most unique and imaginative book I have read in recent times. Parkhurst is a wonderful writer and her story is daring, tender and full of surprises as well as wisdom and insight. I simply could not put it down.' (John Searles, author of 'Boy Still Missing'; Senio )
'Every once in a while a book comes along that knocks you for six. Lorelei's Secret is just such a novel. It made me laugh and cry and most importantly, avidly read until the last page' (ABTA )
'This is the kind of book you stay up all night to finish' (Image )
'Carolyn Parkhurst's startling, achingly compelling first novel ... Part mystery, part thriller and all love story, this is a painfully evocative work, and Parkhurst is that rare thing - a "promising new talent" who turns out to be exactly that' (Sunday Business Post )
'a charming, tender study in grief' (Marian Keyes, The Week )
'If you like a tear-jerker with a twist you'll adore this. In the vein of Maggie O'Farrell's After You'd Gone, it deals with the loss of a loved one' - Glamour (20030701)
'One of those rare novels ... that intrigues, pulls on the heartstrings and confuses you all at once' (Time Out 20030701)
'A shimmering fictional portrait of love and loss' (Scotsman 20030613)
'Prepare to have your heart smashed into melancholy pieces' (Elle 20030613)
'Mesmerising and unusual ... The book is beautifully written and, alongside thriller-like elements, packs a powerful emotional punch' (Good Housekeeping 20030801)
'An extraordinarily moving novel, poised halfway between a lament and a mystery ... A novel to be read in one sitting, LORELEI'S SECRET is one of this summer's "must read" books' (Big Issue (in the North) 20030801)
'Captivatingly strange ... perilously adorable' (New York Times 20030801)
'Wonderfully inventive and slyly funny' (Alexei Sayle, Telegraph Book of the Year 20030801)
'A heartbreaking exploration of memory and language, grief and redemption' (Esquire )
'This tightly woven tale has all the right stuff: romance, suspense, fantasy, and an ending that does not disappoint.' (Red magazine (US) )
'Part love story, part psychological thriller and a thumping good read' (Livewire )
'A quirky and endearing love triangle' (Marie Claire (US) )
'Carolyn Parkhurst writes as well about talking dogs and square eggs as she does about the limits of language and the intractable mysteries of the self. 'Lorelei's Secret' is a strange, beautiful and very moving novel that asks us to look, in equal measure, at the puzzle that is grief and the puzzle that is love.' (Elizabeth Graver, author of 'The Honey Thief' and )
'Carolyn Parkhurst’s 'Lorelei's Secret' —so luminous, heartbreaking, comic, and daring—is an astonishing debut. Parkhurst writes of love and loss, and, above all, of what we can and cannot know of one another, with power and deeply earned grace.' (Richard McCann, author of 'Ghost Letters' )
'Shimmers with idiosyncratic intrigue . . . a humanistic parable of the heart's confusions.' (Entertainment Weekly )
'The most unique and imaginative book I have read in recent times. Parkhurst is a wonderful writer and her story is daring, tender and full of surprises as well as wisdom and insight. I simply could not put it down.' (John Searles, author of 'Boy Still Missing'; Senio )
'Every once in a while a book comes along that knocks you for six. Lorelei's Secret is just such a novel. It made me laugh and cry and most importantly, avidly read until the last page' (ABTA )
'This is the kind of book you stay up all night to finish' (Image )
'Carolyn Parkhurst's startling, achingly compelling first novel ... Part mystery, part thriller and all love story, this is a painfully evocative work, and Parkhurst is that rare thing - a "promising new talent" who turns out to be exactly that' (Sunday Business Post )
'a charming, tender study in grief' (Marian Keyes, The Week )
Time Out
'One of those rare novels ... that intrigues, pulls on the heartstrings and confuses you all at once'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I picked up this book by accident when walking through a bookshop and after reading the blurb on the back I found myself writing down the name of the author and the title in order to read it at some other point in time. I've read it now and it has made a lasting impression on me. It doesn't romanticise love or give it the unrealistic tinge that is common to so many other novels but relates the story of a man's battle with his grief interlaced with poignant and beautiful memories of his time with his wife. I truly believed his story and the strength of the relationship between Paul and Lexy and also Lorelei, the dog. I can only hope that one day I will find a love like theirs. A must read for anyone. Definitely a book that I would recommend to countless others!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are certain books that I find hard to describe, even though I enjoyed reading them. This is one such book. It's a love story / murder mystery where one of the main characters is dead and another is a dog. If that description doesn't put you off, then take my word for it - it's a good read.
Paul is mourning his wife and, at the same time, trying to get their dog to tell him how she died. Not surprisingly, he doesn't succeed with either at first. There are many flashbacks to their time together, as Paul gradually accepts facts about his wife that only came to light after her death. It's a voyage through one man's grief, flying on the edge of insanity and touching on certain unpleasant activities we'd all rather not know about.
Whether you love people, dogs or good fiction, I would recommend this deeply-moving book. It's particularly good for reading groups, as the various elements prompt discussion on a wide variety of topics. Also, a fast read - we all read it in a couple of days, some at one sitting, but there's nothing superficial about it.
Paul is mourning his wife and, at the same time, trying to get their dog to tell him how she died. Not surprisingly, he doesn't succeed with either at first. There are many flashbacks to their time together, as Paul gradually accepts facts about his wife that only came to light after her death. It's a voyage through one man's grief, flying on the edge of insanity and touching on certain unpleasant activities we'd all rather not know about.
Whether you love people, dogs or good fiction, I would recommend this deeply-moving book. It's particularly good for reading groups, as the various elements prompt discussion on a wide variety of topics. Also, a fast read - we all read it in a couple of days, some at one sitting, but there's nothing superficial about it.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a comfort read, very enjoyable, despite the story revolving round a sudden death. It was bitter-sweet without being too lovey-dovey. Reflective without being too linear or predictable. The only down side was the sadistic dog mutilators. I felt that part of the plot was rather roughly jigsawed into place. However the dark observational humour and the authors spin on the grieving process had me hooked from the get go. The perspective was unique and gave the whole tale a sureal/mystical aura. A very good yarn that took me less than 2 days to digest cover to cover. Still on the hunt for a book to equal this one on the 'comfort-read Richter scale'. To sum up its a Murder-mystery with a difference, so give it a go.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
a novel axploration of grief
When his wife Lexy dies falling from an apple tree, Paul Iverson is sure that his dog Lorelei knows the secret of her death, and decides to try to teach her to speak. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Lucinda Stern
A path of grief
Paul's beloved wife Lexy is found dead having fallen from the branches of the great apple tree in their back garden. The only witness is her Rhodesian Ridgeback Lorelei. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Jo Bennie
absorbing...
I read the first couple of chapters in an old copy of 'New Books Magazine' and was instantly hooked! The book didn't disappoint. Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2009 by Liverpool Poet
Not for the squeamish !
After his wife dies when she falls from a tree the only witness is the family pet dog Lorelei. My book was called Lorelei's Secret but the book is also known as The Dogs of Babel. Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2009 by Dr Phibes
A walk through one man's landscape of grief
We all deal with grief in a way unique to each of us. This man is moving through his pain at the unexpected loss of his wife, looking for help in improbable ways and from unlikely... Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2009 by Book Lover
Give this book a miss...disturbing and upsetting.
I decided to read this book because it was recommended to me by Amazon-probably because I read loads of books about dogs! Read more
Published on 14 Feb 2009 by Bookaholic
Worth a read
This book has been hanging around on my bookshelf for ages before I got round to reading it, and I'm glad I finally did. Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2008 by ClaireBearBean
A Touching Love Story
Like one of the other reviewers, I have never been moved to review a book on Amazon before, however, over a week after finishing this book, I am still thinking about it. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2008 by H. Scott
A great book for reading groups
There are certain books that I find hard to describe, even though I enjoyed reading them. This is one such book. Read more
Published on 29 July 2007 by ReaderWriter
From the cover..........
THE SPELLBINDING TALE OF A MAN FACED WITH THE SUDDEN AND INEXPLICABLE LOSS OF THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE.
When his wife dies in a fall from a tree in their backyard, linguist... Read more
When his wife dies in a fall from a tree in their backyard, linguist... Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2007 by Angel Silver
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