Lorelei's Secret (Paperback)

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Review
'Inventive and gripping ... Parkhurst handles the quest formula with originality and humour' -- Literary Review '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 'One of those rare novels ... that intrigues, pulls on the heartstrings and confuses you all at once' -- Time Out 'A shimmering fictional portrait of love and loss' -- Scotsman 'Prepare to have your heart smashed into melancholy pieces' -- Elle 20030801 '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 20030620 'Wonderfully inventive and slyly funny' -- Alexei Sayle, Telegraph Book of the Year 20030620 'A heartbreaking exploration of memory and language, grief and redemption' -- Esquire 20030701 'This tightly woven tale has all the right stuff: romance, suspense, fantasy, and an ending that does not disappoint.' -- Red magazine (US) 20030601 'Part love story, part psychological thriller and a thumping good read' -- Livewire 20030801 'A quirky and endearing love triangle' -- Marie Claire (US) 20030701 '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 20030701 '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' 20030701 'Shimmers with idiosyncratic intrigue ... a humanistic parable of the heart's confusions.' -- Entertainment Weekly 20030613 '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 20030613 '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 20030801 'This is the kind of book you stay up all night to finish' -- Image 20030801 '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 20030801 'a charming, tender study in grief' -- Marian Keyes, The Week 20030801

Time Out
'One of those rare novels ... that intrigues, pulls on the heartstrings and confuses you all at once'

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22 Reviews 5 star:  (11) 4 star:  (8) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 4.2 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A great book for reading groups, 16 Sep 2004 By  ReaderWriter (UK) - See all my reviews 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. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A story of true love with all the bitterness and sweetness, 13 Sep 2005 By A Customer 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! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   11 of 12 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Lorelli's Secret, 1 Jun 2004 By A Customer 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. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 22 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 1.0 out of 5 stars 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 5 months ago by Bookaholic 4.0 out of 5 stars The dogs of babel This is a truly original, off-beat story by first-time novelist Carolyn Parkhurst. The book is about Paul, a 40-something college professor on a quest to discover... Read more Published 8 months ago by kimbofo 4.0 out of 5 stars 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 13 months ago by ClaireBearBean 5.0 out of 5 stars 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 17 months ago by H. Scott 4.0 out of 5 stars 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 24 months ago by ReaderWriter 5.0 out of 5 stars 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,... Read more Published on 19 Feb 2007 by Angel Silver 5.0 out of 5 stars wonderfully touching and offbeat I read this book because the authoress "Marian Keyes" had recommended it as one of her favourite books. I thought that a tip from an writer would probably be a good one. Read more Published on 20 April 2006 by hostelgirl 5.0 out of 5 stars could not put it down!! Its rare i would give a full 5 stars to something, but for this book it is absolutely deserved. i was working in a bookshop and just saw the title as i was tidying the... Read more Published on 30 Jun 2005 by carla00behave 4.0 out of 5 stars Lorelieis Secret This book is a excellent story of how ones mans grief for his dead wife makes him slightly crazy by looking for answes in his dog, Lorelei as she was the last person to see his... Read more Published on 22 Feb 2005 by emma relph 5.0 out of 5 stars The same book This is a wonderful story of a greif stricken man searching for an answer to his wifes death by trying to teach his dog to 'speak'. Read more Published on 24 Sep 2004 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 22 customer reviews...

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