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The Secret Keeper A Novel Kate Morton Books

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The Secret Keeper A Novel Kate Morton Books

Kate Morton demonstrated a great talent for getting into the heads of her characters and understanding their motivations. Her descriptions of both the tough and vulnerable characteristics of Dolly, Vivien and Jimmy kept me wanting to know more about them. I found myself drawn back to visit with them when I really was supposed to be otherwise engaged.

At first I thought this would be an easy read, and I read casually. As time went on, I realized that the story was more complex than I had given it credit, and I started paying closer attention. I'm glad I did. While I am often frustrated because I figure out the ending of many novels long before I get there, I was very taken and surprised by the end. It is the best kind of novel that gives a full sense of closure and understanding at the end. Kudos to you, Ms Morton! I will be reading her other titles soon.


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The Secret Keeper A Novel Kate Morton Books Reviews

I had just completed another Kate Morton title, The Forgotten Garden, and wanted another rich and detailed read. I couldn't put down "Garden," and loved it more than any other book in the last month or so. So, I ordered The Secret Keeper.

What I found was that unlike Garden, Secret Keeper had a bit of a 'depressing' feel to it I couldn't quite shake. Not bad, not morbid or distasteful, but something I couldn't put my hand on. Maybe it was 'my mood.' Sometimes you aren't that into reading anything. But I believe that wasn't it. I found the past and present narratives just a hint confusing, too. I had to remember who was who with the minor characters, even though, as with every other Kate Morton title,they were richly developed. I loved some of them a great deal, including Jimmy's dad. The other two 'dads' got a little confusing, as they seemed to be the same man in different eras. Different nations, even.

World War II was a character in the book, and I felt the shakiness (emotional and physical) of the time in Dorothy's chapters. Morton does this especially well. Her historical detail is outstanding! I liked Jimmy, but felt his background didn't remain 'true' throughout the tales. He seemed to be too 'sophisticated' by the final chapters, which made me like him more. I do understand that he was described by Dorothy, but the point is, Dorothy was from a similar background. In the Vivian chapters he was not the very low income boy from those earlier chapters. Vivian would have noticed, I think, and probably commented on it a little at first. That threw a monkey-wrench into the 'willing suspension of disbelief.' Ditto the author husband of Vivian's descriptions.

Mostly, I felt there were 'too many' characters to hold on to. THAT made it harder to fall in to each narration. Great characters, but a LOT of 'em. Large families, mostly. But also a play with too many 'parts.'

So, even though I really LIKED this book, I think it might have been better with a bit of editing. Now, don't ask me who I'd have gotten of...but may be a few of the background characters might have been just that, background. Kate Morton develops these 'snapshots' of people in varied times, which she does almost TOO well! So, a 4, not a 5. Even a 4.5.
This is one of my favorite books of all-time! I enjoyed The Lake House a lot, but I this was even better! The characterization was amazing and I felt like I 'knew' all of the people in this book. This book was full of mystery, romance and plot twists, as well as a bit of history! I found myself thinking about it long after I had quit reading it for the day, trying to figure out what was going on and how it was going to end.
Kate Morton is a master at transporting you to another time and place and creating rich, layered, and believable characters. The Secret Keeper is a wonderful mix of mystery and historical fiction and has more of a modern feel than most of her other novels, both in writing style and setting. It's not set in a grand estate, rather WWII is the setting that acts as character. The 1940s contains the answers to the family mystery that "started" in the 1960s, which a daughter is trying to solve in the present day 2011. Morton jumps between time periods and writes from multiple characters' perspectives seamlessly. This book had a slower build for me than her other novels. Early on it felt destined to be my least favorite of her stories, but by the end it became the one I arguably appreciate most. It definitely won a place in my heart and permanent shelf. It took some time for me to become absorbed in the story, though the characters of Dolly, Vivien and Jimmy were intriguing from the start. However, the last third of the novel is un-put-downable. There is a sort of sinking feeling you get as the story unfolds and you learn more about the characters and ruminate on their futures. However, by the end of the novel this weight is lightened as you realize everyone's role in the family mystery. I've always loved how Morton is able to craft multiple mysteries and surprises. In this novel her ability to mix hints and red herrings was top-notch and kept me guessing and second guessing. I was able to predict some pieces correctly but they weren't obvious, which is a common frustration with many novels. She masterfully gives you enough to develop theories yet question them continually, leaves other pieces as true mysteries to keep you intrigued, and still manages to completely shock you with a surprise or two that fit wonderfully rather than feeling contrived. A slower build, but an incredibly satisfying finale that left me wanting to go back and re-read to pick up on all the clues and reacquaint myself with these characters I grew to understand, sympathize with, and in many ways, love.
Kate Morton demonstrated a great talent for getting into the heads of her characters and understanding their motivations. Her descriptions of both the tough and vulnerable characteristics of Dolly, Vivien and Jimmy kept me wanting to know more about them. I found myself drawn back to visit with them when I really was supposed to be otherwise engaged.

At first I thought this would be an easy read, and I read casually. As time went on, I realized that the story was more complex than I had given it credit, and I started paying closer attention. I'm glad I did. While I am often frustrated because I figure out the ending of many novels long before I get there, I was very taken and surprised by the end. It is the best kind of novel that gives a full sense of closure and understanding at the end. Kudos to you, Ms Morton! I will be reading her other titles soon.