The Book of Secrets

by Elizabeth Joy Arnold

After more than twenty years of marriage, Chloe Sinclair comes home one night to find that her husband, Nate, is gone. All he has left behind is a cryptic note explaining that he's returned to their childhood town, a place Chloe never wants to see again.
While trying to reach Nate, Chloe stumbles upon a notebook tucked inside his antique copy of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Written in code, the pages contain long-buried secrets from their past, and clues to why he went home after all these years. As Chloe struggles to decipher the notebook's hidden messages, she revisits the seminal moments of their youth: the day she met the enigmatic Sinclair children and the increasingly dangerous games they played to escape their troubled childhoods; the first time Nate kissed her, camped out on the beach like Robinson Crusoe; and the elaborate plan she and Nate devised, inspired by Romeo and Juliet, to break away from his oppressive father. As the reason for Nate's absence comes to light, the truth will forever shatter everything Chloe knows -- about her husband, his family, and herself.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Books About Books, Contemporary, Book Club, Literary Fiction, Adult

450 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars.
Chloe Sinclair comes home one night to find her husband Nate has gone. He left behind a cryptic note, saying he had returned to their childhood town. The place where many years earlier Chloe had met the Sinclairs, Nat, Cecilia and Grace and their mother, who welcomed Chloe into their home. But only as long as Joel Sinclair, her husband was not around. While her childhood had been happy engaging in imaginative play with the Sinclair children, Chloe struggled to understand the family dynamics. It appeared all the family were afraid of Mr Sinclair and sought not to upset him. Chloe comes to have her own reasons for hating him and the place where she and the Sinclairs grew up. A place he never wants to see again. While trying to figure out what is going on with her Nate, Chloe comes across a secret book tucked into a copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Written in code, using books from childhood, Chloe sets out to decipher it. And learns what she thought happened years ago, is far from the real story.
This was not the book I expected when I started it. How much do expectations affect the way e read a book ? Maybe my expectations played a part in how I responded to it? The cover is rich and gorgeous. I loved the bookshop setting and all the references to books and childhood games with the Sinclair children. Some of the writing it beautiful. But I struggled in other ways with this books. Their father who is a Pentecostal pastor manages to keep a lot of what goes on behind closed doors in his home from his congregation. He was a very misguided, controlling and cruel man, emotionally cruel in the treatment of his children, locking them screaming in isolation in a room and getting them up at 2 am to pray on hard floors. I am more than a little sick of the stereotype of religious men who take use their religion as an excuse for emotional abuse and blackmail. There were times I simply had to put it down because I couldn’t bear to read any more. Added to that I didn’t like any of the other characters either. As for Chloe and her choices, I didn’t understand her at all. Maybe that’s it, I couldn’t relate to any of them except in their imaginative and bookish childhood play.
In the end it felt like there were just too many secrets hiding under the surface, even though some of them I guessed well before they were revealed. I bought this book, expecting something quite different to what it was in reality. While it is an interesting story I found it a hard read. Maybe too, this is not the type of book to want to read in the current Pandemic crisis. But for whatever reason, even though I loved some aspects of it, I couldn’t say I enjoyed this book. This is a personal opinion. Others may well have a very different view.

[Dem · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold is an interesting novel and tells the story of the Sinclair family. This is certainly a family that have been bound and pulled apart by the forces of imagination and religious belief. At the heart of this story lies a mystery. We read how family secrets can alter relationships and how people cope with these secrets once they have been discovered.

I really enjoy books set around family secrets and was drawn to this book as soon as I had read the first few chapters. The book certainly starts out strong and I loved how the author weaved famous book names through the novel's story and you got a sense of the love the author has for reading and books and the stories they tell. There is also a great deal of weaving back and forth between the past and present but I felt the author did an excellent job as sometimes the story can get lost with too many flashbacks but not with The book of secrets.

The plot of the novel is strong although half way through the book I felt it lagged and I found myself putting the book aside in favour of something else. I did pick it up a few days later and found myself getting back into the story and really liked the last quarter of the novel.

This is an easy read and a slow paced novel, the characters and plot are well drawn although lack any real quality that would make this book memorable for me.

A nice summer read and I look forward to other novel's by this writer.


Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an unbiased review.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lonely girl, a peculiar family, an enchanting house. A fairy tale that quickly turns to horror.

I was drawn to this novel because of the fascinating elements of imagination and the possibilities of escaping into the magical world, if only for a day. What I didn't expect to find were the effects of loneliness, the "inevitable fact of human existence," according to Thomas Wolfe.

Chloe and Nate are both lonely creatures. A book-addict couple, they start a rare bookstore, buying and selling treasured hardcovers until the day Nate leaves abruptly, along with a customer's thousands of dollars in downpayment. Left alone, Chloe tries to figure out what went wrong and along the way, she uncovers clues within her husband's favorite books because after all, where there is the bookstore there are codes and a mystery to be solved.

Turns out, THE BOOK OF SECRETS is a series of messages hidden within books, a secret way of communicating that Chloe, Nate and his sisters shared during their childhood because of Nate's overbearing and sinister father who also happens to be a pastor.

Great story, although the pacing wasn't my favorite. Start. Stop. Pause. Rewind. Fast forward. Tease. Lots of weaving through time and backstory and by the time I got to the end, I had already guessed the mystery. There were still moments where Chloe was really discernible, brief moments where Arnold's use of language was so captivating. And just when you were getting really comfortable, there were cliche moments of discomfort and ambiguity that caused the story to drag.

Yet this is one of those books that is determined to uncover the flaws of perfection, show why some children find comfort in books, why some adults hide behind rituals, and why some partnerships fail or succeed.

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chloe and Nate are childhood sweethearts who have loved and lost a great deal in their lives. We learn early on that their toddler son disappeared and Nate wasn't around for most of the boy's short life.
Nate is suddenly called home and Chloe is left wondering why he rushed off, without a goodbye, especially when she learns his father has been released from prison.
Using a secret code from their childhood, Chloe decodes journals that Nate has written through the years, secrets and feelings he never shared with his wife which could've brought her closer to him. Instead, his silence has pushed her away.
As the book progresses we learn about Nate and his two sisters, and the childhood they had with an extremely religious father and dying mother. They spent years fearing him before they could get away and yet leaving brings about the worst tragedy of their lives.
What really happened to their son and can they bridge the distance that has slowly divided them in the years since they lost him?
I didn't connect with any of the characters or believe in their reasoning or actions but that may be because the entire story is told by Chloe. While it told the story of their lives, I feel this would've been a stronger story if it had been edited because it felt about 100 pages too long. The ending was great but would've been better if I didn't feel so detached from the characters.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel that is filled with references to favorite childhood books, is sure to be a heartfelt read. Three children, raised by a evangelical pastor father and a very ill mother, are sheltered from others not of their church. They make up delightful games about their beloved books, Narnia and later Robinson Crusoe as well as others. Another little girl, raised by a single mom who always need to work, falls upon this fanciful family and their books and games and never wants to leave.

This is a book about redemption, forgiveness, family secrets, the importance of literature, make believe and how appearances can be deceiving. The face presented to others is often not the whole story. The tone is at times magical, when the children are playing, inventing things, but alternately it takes a rather gothic turn, when the secrets are exposed, when appearances crack and destruct.

The characters are incredibly well rounded, we learn about them from themselves but also from the others in the story. I do believe it could have been a little shorter, often scenes were carried on a bit too long. The ending was a bit to tidy, but sometimes, maybe not often. life plays put that way.All in all a good read, especially the many literary references and the importance of words.

ARC from publisher.

[Shh · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sitting in our bookstore at night, I can hear the stories. Or not hear them so much as feel them: the neat, round softness of Austen with its improbable, inevitable love affairs; the sprawl of Dickens with its meandering threads tying into coincidental knots. All the books have colors and shapes not just from the stories written but from the stories of the authors who’ve done the writing; from Steinbeck’s realism to Murakami’s cubism, a regular art museum of voices.” Enter the world of Chloe Sinclair whose life-long relationship with books has been a centering force. Chloe’s bond with the characters she meets on the page is just as real as the life-long friendship she shares with Nate, her husband, and his sisters, Grace and Cecelia. If this strikes a chord then The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Arnold is a must read.

The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Arnold is a book lover’s dream. Elizabeth Arnold has captured the love affair many have with books. She has found the words to express eloquently the real connections people make with words written on the page. “So. Once upon a time there was a girl named Chloe who lived virtually alone, in a cottage by the woods.” Enter Chloe’s world. The world she creates on her eighth birthday when according to Chloe “…she was born.” Join her as her life entangles with that of the Sinclair family, an entanglement that will forever interlace Chloe’s life with that of this eccentric family, a family full of secrets. As Chloe says, “We think we know our friends, our lovers, but really all we know is pieces of them. Fragments we learn by watching, sharing time and place, listening to their stories; over the years there are more and more of these fragments and we can draw lines between them, fill them with what we imagine is true. But of course we only know what they show us; lines we think jig here may actually curl somewhere else altogether. The lines we draw aren’t always real, and often have more to with our own selves.” Delve into The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Arnold and immerse yourself in an engrossing portrayal of a family.

Elizabeth Arnold artfully and repeatedly uses that age-old comforting childhood phrase, Once Upon a Time, that initiates many children into the world of storytelling: “Once upon a time there was a young man who’d loved a girl so deeply, so truly, that he left his family to be with her.” Step over the threshold into Elizabeth Arnold’s remarkable love story to literature. The Chronicles of Narnia, Where the Wild Things Are, Crime and Punishment, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Road Not Taken are just a few of the chapter titles which allow the reader to establish the mood for events to come or yet to be revealed.

The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Arnold is mesmerizing. It is one of those books that will keep the reader up into the wee hours of the morning because they have to know what happens next. When was the last time you stayed up past your bedtime to finish a book because you just could not stop reading? If you love books, I mean really, really, really, love books, and you love novels that tackle big themes, such as, Family, Friendship, and Loss then read The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Arnold.

We want to thank Bantam and Net Galley for providing us with an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) of The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Arnold .

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well one word to describe this book would be addictive. I thought it started off slowly but then found myself totally engaged and had to keep reading straight to the end. I finished it in one day. It is a delightful book for people who love to read as Arnold makes constant references to old favourites like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Where the Wild Things Are, Romeo and Juliet and many others. This is a book about books, a romance, a mystery and a family saga all rolled in to one. A really good read.

[Lyn (Readinghearts) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Elizabeth Joy Arnold's new novel, The Book of Secrets, remineded me a lot of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. This story has the same aura of mystery, the same twisted family dynamics, and the same ability to suck the reader into the story being told. At least it was that way for me. It was a solid story from start to finish that intrigued me the whole way through.

The story is told from the point of view of Choe Sinclar, who returns home one day to find that her husband, Nate, is gone. He has returned to the town where they grew up, a place that holds bad memories for both of them, and where she never thought he would want to go again. Ms. Arnold continues the story, alternating her chapters between the present and the past. Through this device we are treated to the mystery of why Nate would return home, as well as the tumultuous history of Chloe, Nate, and the rest of the Sinclair family. Alternating chapters in this way is a device that really works for this story. I flew through each chapter in anticipation of what came next for both stories. And speaking of devices, the way that the author integrated books into the story was one of my favorite things. Most of the books were old favorites of mine, and as each one debuted in the story, it brought back wonderful memories of my first encounter with them.


Another hit for me, was the cast of characters in the book. Through them I was able to experience the emotional impact of the story being told. I felt the joy and wonder of love, the anger of deciet and betrayal, the pain of loss, and the fear of the unknown. They were wonderfully imperfect and real. In the end, I felt like I really knew and understood each of them.

Although the end of this book was by no means the best ending that I have ever read, I did feel that it was appropriate to the story. I am one of those readers for whom the end of a book can really "seal the deal". In the case of The Book of Secrets, the ending deftly answered all of the questions that I had been pondering throughout the story, many of which I had already surmised. I guess that would be the only negative for me. As satisfying and appropriate as the ending was, I had figured out where the story was leading long before the author revealed the last peice of the mystery. What speaks well to the story, though, was that knowing the big twist did not in any way lessen my enjoyment of the book overall.

Elizabeth Joy Arnold is yet another new author for me, as most of the authors that I read these days seem to be. If this book is any indication, I think that she has a bright future as an author. I would certainly read another book by her, and intend to recommend this one to my friends.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This book was just ... INTENSE! I don't know any other word that would adequately summarize this enormous roller-coaster of thought and emotion that I experienced while reading THE BOOK OF SECRETS by Elizabeth Joy Arnold. Although it felt long, it was ridiculously addictive, especially for a person like myself who absolutely adores any type of literary reference in my books.

But, let me back up a bit and start with the plot, which I do think will be enough to get you, as an interested reader, completely and absolutely intrigued...

THE BOOK OF SECRETS begins with Chloe, a woman who has been in love with her hubsand, Nate, back to the day she first met him and bonded over the Narnia series, an adventure began Chloe's adoration for fiction. Now, Chloe and Nate are married and they own a specialized bookstore that focuses on books that are antique, rare, or otherwise hard to find. Their marriage, although rocky at times, feels strong and good -- so, needless to say, Chloe is shocked, horrified, and confused when Nate leaves one day without explanation, saying only that he had something that needed to be done and that he had no idea when he might return.

Chloe brainstorms through her treacherous past, thinking of the childhood that overlapped with Nate's when she met him and his beautiful sisters so many years ago in her past. The family seemed so delicate and quaint, largely sequestered from the rest of the world by their strictly religious father who monitored their every action, refusing to allow his children to be in contact with people outside the home. He was always terrified that his children would go astray, instead leading them by force and fear, requiring them to spend hours in prayer, often resorting even to physical torture to keep his children free from sin.

But Chloe knows that the family has hidden dark secrets from the rest of the world, many that Nate couldn't even bare to share with his very own wife. Nate's sister's experienced horrific losses in their young lives, so painful and dark that they would both be significantly altered in terrible ways -- ways that would last for the rest of their lives. And what really happened when the girls finally escaped their father's home, many years later?

Chloe is no stranger to loss, having lost her very own son when he was brutally kidnapped and murdered early in his youth. Could Nate's disappearance be somehow related to the role that his father may have played in the death of his grandson?

Through a series of flashbacks, memories, and amazing literary references, THE BOOK OF SECRETS takes a peek into the darkness that one family tries to hide in the dark, revealing that secrets are always revealed and lives area always changed somehow in the end.

I admit, honestly, that the book did feel long -- and at times, it almost felt overwritten and perhaps even a bit overly dramatic in a place or two. That said, as a whole I think that this was a magnificent work of fiction, one that had me happily lost in a reading daze as I kept allowing myself to read just one more chapter -- up to the point that I finally ended up devouring the last page.

One of my favorite things about the book, undoubtedly, was the frequent reference to major works of literature, as well as some of the inner dialogue that Chloe expresses related to many bookish issues. For example, she mentioned the emergence of the young adult genre as a contrast to the awkward time of inbetween-ness that teenagers usually felt back in her day, trying to bridge the gap between books for little kids and those that just felt too adult to be relevant. At various points throughout the story, Chloe reveals her undying adoration for the written word, which is sure to keep the avid reader hooked on her story.

Beyond that, Arnold just had a way with words that felt poetic and beautiful, almost even haunting, and this made THE BOOK OF SECRETS just feel compulsively readable. I couldn't bear to put it down, especially as I got later into the story and really started to connecting the secrets that Chloe was able to decipher from Nate's mysterious book of secrets.

If you love books in general, you MUST check out THE BOOK OF SECRETS when it hits shelves in July. I can't think of another book that expressed quite this brand of literary charm, and I definitely don't think any avid reader could possibly be disappointed in this gem at all!

[Susan Scribner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would enjoy this book much more than I did. It's well written and pays strong tribute to the power of books. The lonely heroine who is transformed by the Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle In Time, etc. could have been myself, and, I suspect, many other readers (I remember vividly thinking that if I just tried hard enough I could somehow end up in Narnia). All well and good, but the tone of Book of Secrets is so grim, and the hero/heroine both so damaged, that I couldn't see a future for the two of them at the book's conclusion. The message that Elizabeth Joy Arnold seems to be giving is that books are great but real life is crap - which is not what I expected when I started reading.

[Ruthanne Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secrets, secrets, secrets. And don't we just love to untangle them and get to the truth. Secrets are the driving force of this book and Ms. Arnold holds our imaginations hostage as each one is revealed. It's a sometimes magical story about childhood and loss. Much tragedy and one of the most bitter-sweet endings ever. I certainly never thought it would bring tears to my eyes, but it did.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chloe has been unhappily married to Nate for some time. At this stage of their life, they are facing a marital problem encountered by many - distance. Though she is surrounded by her passion, in an antiquated bookstore owned by the two, Chloe feels empty. After a tragedy struck years ago, nothing has been the same for the Sinclair couple. The two have known each other since childhood - or so Chloe thinks. This changes when Nate takes a sudden absence, leaving a trail of literary clues that reveal things Chloe has never known about her husband's past. Told in Chloe's perspective, in alternating times as her present self and as a child, The Book of Secrets is an unveiling, and a disoriented one at that.

Though I certainly sympathized with Chloe for her decaying marriage, she proved to be a selfish character, doing questionable things, that made me dislike her. I also found her to be very dense. Of course, just because a character is utterly unlikeable, it does not mean that his or her characterization is shoddy. Unfortunately, a low of this entire novel for me is its characterization. I never felt that I had enough information about either character. Whatever I learnt of each character was repeatedly portrayed to the point of exhaustion.  Nate, who is the epicenter of the mystery in The Book of Secrets, is a murky character, and I enjoyed that readers got to learn some details of his woeful past. albeit the incessant repetition. As for Chloe, I found her to be too passive a protagonist; she is always reacting to the plot and never driving it. Though I did appreciate her flashback narratives, I still felt that she was underdeveloped. The same applied to the secondary characters in both alternate times, whether it was the overbearing Sinclair patriarch or Nathan's conservative sister, Grace.

Seeing that this book is a mystery, the plot is certainly not impressionable with its slow pacing. It is stalled by lengthy flashbacks - often going off tangent to explore occurrences already closely-depicted. I find that this inactivity in the plot left my eyes glazing, though many a time I definitely pitied Nathan's childhood situation and his being an absentee father. I also felt that there was little suspense in The Book of Secrets, given that the eponymous object carries all the answers in code. While it is nice to see a cryptic approach to the mystery, I found the deciphering to be boring and unbelievable. There was just so much beating around the bush (ie. Nate's evasiveness, Chloe's guilt trips) in The Book of Secrets, that I just could not grapple the intended intensity of the mystery, I guess.  I found it all cumbersome.

Admittedly, I did find redemption in Arnold's writing. However, it was never consistent. One minute I was in awe of lofty passages, and later they were marred by pretentious or convoluted language. The dialogue fell flat as well, but this can be attributed to the somberness that dominates the atmosphere in The Book of Secrets. Of course, what I really appreciated was the homage to outstanding literary texts. The literary allusions and bookish chapter titles were seamlessly used in the plot. I do think the fantastical happiness that Nathan and his siblings found in literature is what made him a book-lover. Juxtaposed to main characters' lives of hurt and loss, literature is a safe haven, a place where children and adults go to seek refuge in times of distress. That is the pivotal message that I got from The Book of Secrets amidst its unhidgedness.

In a nutshell, I picked up The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold for its literary references. I enjoy reading the 'books about books' genre; however, The Book of Secrets proved to be a stark exception. I found myself often frustrated by its obscurity in both plot development, characterization, and writing. Eponymously based on secrets, The Book of Secrets failed to engage me, albeit its promising traits.

Pros:
Literary allusions // Theme: Literature as an escape from reality // Lofty Language (1/2)

Cons:
Slow Pacing // Repetitiveness // Weak characterization // Dull mystery // Droning narrative // Convoluted Language (2/2)

This review first appeared on Oh, Chrys! and is based on an advance copy obtained from the publisher in exchange for an honest review./b>

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe and Nate have been through a lot over the years but have managed to stay together in spite of everything they’ve experienced. Their marriage is shaky however, continuing only because of their long friendship more than any remaining passion. When Chloe wakes up one morning to find that her husband has inexplicably and very suddenly gone back to the same hometown they fled so many years ago, she does not begin to worry until a call to her sister-in-law reveals that not everything is as she was lead to believe. Elizabeth Joy Arnold’s The Book of Secrets revolves around Chloe’s search for answers, the lies we tell ourselves and others, and the dangerous secrets such lies can contain.
The Book of Secrets is first and foremost a mystery. Chloe grapples with many unanswered questions, the least of which is why her husband would go back to their hometown with all of its horrible memories. Making good use of flashbacks and memory sequences, the truth unfolds in sections, with each section marking a significant milestone in Nate’s and Chloe’s burgeoning relationship as well as showcasing just how much things have changed since then. The mystery for the reader becomes not the reasons for Nate’s sudden departure but why their relationship has declined so much over the years. Chloe hints at events that she is eventually forced to revisit, and the final picture reveals in startling clarity all of the horrors they have had to face and how they lost each other in the aftermath.

The Book of Secrets is as much a love story as it is a mystery. First there is the love story between Chloe and Nate, two lost souls searching for the love that is missing in their lives and who love each other enough to stay together through the worst that life can throw at you. While the story explores the fracturing of their relationship, it also highlights the mending of it, so that the end is as beautiful and poignant as one might hope. Then there are the books. Stories and their love of them are what bring Nate and Chloe together, and through their bookstore, that shared love is the one thing that keeps them together when things get tough. This is seen through their bookstore, their interactions, and even little statements that will leap out at fellow book lovers.

“I ran my fingers over the text then held the book up to my face, closed my eyes and inhaled the sweet-sour scent of old paper and binding glue. Did everyone who loved books do this when they encountered a new one? I loved the physicality of books just as much as the stories inside, the feel of pages between my fingers, the intricacies of classic fonts winding along the neatly lined rows of words.”
One would be remiss in failing to discuss the cast of characters. All of them are truly and realistically flawed, and a reader will have serious issues with their decisions throughout the novel. Yet, it is this realistic behavior that lends credence to the novel, thereby preventing it from being too fanciful. The character development is surprisingly robust, given that it only occurs in the many flashbacks, and extremely effective in allowing readers to understand each character’s motivation and mindset. One may not agree with Chloe’s behavior behind her husband’s back, but one can appreciate her reasons for acting that way. This is due solely to the careful layering of the entire story within a story, of the use of beloved childhood classics to help further their tale of love, loss, friendship, family, heartache, and betrayal.

The beauty of The Book of Secrets is multi-layered. For one, there is the oft-hinted tragedy regarding Nate’s and Chloe’s past, the clues to which Ms. Arnold methodically sprinkles throughout the novel in such a way that a reader never becomes impatient for the lack of answers. For another, each of the characters are wonderfully complex, evoking both love and hate, joy and disappointment in a reader. Then there is the fact that it is a complete adoration and celebration of books and the stories they contain. Ms. Arnold superbly captures the essence of a bibliophile. Between the loving descriptions of Chloe and Nate’s book store to the frequent reminiscences of influential books shared and discussed at length among the group of friends, readers can only sigh with pleasure at how accurately Ms. Arnold portrays the profound impact a well-written book can have on someone at any age. To Chloe especially but to all the Sinclair children, books are magical, and it is this aspect of The Book of Secrets which imbibes the entire story with an enchanted quality bibliophiles will appreciate.

[Artemiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elisabeth Arnold's book Book of Secrets is a depressing, emotional, appalling, awe-inspiring and very interesting book.

I have always known that religion can be dangerous for a weak minded people, and this book proves it once again.

But the story is interesting and well written. As the story is about people who love books and about books then it’s double interesting book to read for a book lovers: did you read the same books as a kid, as a teenager, what did you think of them?

And the criminal side of this book – that’s the part that was depressing and terrifying.

It was a good read, you just have to be ready for all the emotional roller-coasters.

[Colleen Scidmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off all the references to classic books both children and adult, because of Chloe's love for them had me wanting to go the library and pick up a few books. I'm not a huge classic book fan but the way Chloe talked about these books just reached out and grabbed my literary soul! And it's not that I have never read any classics, I think I felt forced at times and that overshadowed any enjoyment I might have gotten. But I think I'm ready for another go.
Now back to the review of the book I did read..lol!

The book was told in present and past tense. It starts out with Chloe trying to figure out why her husband Nate left to go back to his childhood home in the town they both grew up in and left behind because of tragic memories. She finds a book of code that Nate has written and figures out how to decipher it using some of their favorite childhood books. Reading the book brings her back to the past and a story unfolds of Nate and his sisters childhood. When Chloe first meets the family as a a little girl the Sinclairs lead a sheltered and somewhat strict life. But throughout the years sheltered and strict turned into confined and mistreated. The story that Nate has written of their past has shed light on some of the unanswered questions Chloe has had as well as digging up the history of a family tragedy that rocks Chloe's present world as well as the Sinclair's.

I really enjoyed the story of their childhood. They lived in the magic of books and "theater productions" of those same books as smaller children. I felt their childlike innocence and their moment of happiness, no matter how fleeting it was. And through the past I feel like I really got to know Nate. At the beginning of the book I just saw him as a kind of cold jackass that abandoned his wife for no good reason. But as I got to know the younger version of Nate I knew there was something behind him leaving the way he did. There had to be a bigger picture.

There was a lot of anticipation behind the mystery of the Sinclairs that kept me guessing. I really wasn't sure what the whole story was until the very last couple of chapters where I was finally able to put ALL the pieces of the puzzle together. And it was pretty shocking. I just wished there was a little more of the book devoted to the "last secret" I felt that it was wrapped up way to neatly and quickly. But other than that The Book of Secrets was a very entertaining read that kept me intrigued and enchanted with the magical and sad world of Chloe and the trio of Sinclair's.

[Chaitra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good way to sucker me into reading books I normally wouldn't have is to describe them as Books about Books. Another good way is to show me a shiny cover. The Book of Secrets has both. It was imperative I read it, even though the rest of the book description made it sound like a cross between chick-lit and gothic fiction. Chick lit it is not, as I thankfully found as I read.

As my three star rating for the book confirms, I both loved parts of it and hated others. First, the positives. I loved Elizabeth Joy Arnold's writing. I'd never read her before, but I'm willing now to keep an eye out for her books. The prose is lyrical and beautiful. And, Arnold is well suited to write a study of tragic, flawed characters, such as the ones in the book. There's a poignancy to them, a genuine attempt at understanding even the worst of the lot on the surface of things. I loved that the book was about books, that books were actually important to the way the story unfolded, and were not some half-hearted lame attempt at suckering in readers like me. I also loved the pace, even though it was a lengthy book, it kept my interest throughout. Until the plot became too convoluted and contrived.

This would have been a favorite book for me, at least of the year, if I hadn't felt so cheated by the plot. It has more subterfuges and twists than a spy novel, and I don't mean that in a good way. But even before that, even with an exceptional job of making her characters' actions believable, I did not believe that the Sinclairs - Nate and Chloe - had a marriage spanning 20 years, and this was because of some great love they had shared in the past. It felt more like a bad habit than genuine anything, and as the story progressed, this only became more evident. I wish the book was aware of it. Nate conceals every single thing of importance from his wife for more than 20 years, including some facts about the baby they lost, and compounds his secrecy with lie after lie. This is not simple miscommunication, this is betrayal. It's definitely not love, no matter what the book tried to tell me.

I felt that the book was building up to some sort of redemption for Nate or to freedom for Chloe. I preferred the latter. I wanted Chloe to face up to the fact that she married a horrible man, who couldn't let go of a past that mostly, he created. In the beginning, Nate had a share of my sympathy. He had a terrible father, but the book cheated me on that front as well when it turns out that most of it was in Nate's (and Grace's) head anyway. And even worse, he manufactured the evidence against his father, because he was convinced somehow that the father killed his grandson. Not only did he sell out his own dad, the one we're supposed to believe Nate still loves despite everything, but he also damaged any possibility of actually finding what happened to his son. This shows me not only that Nate didn't know how to be a husband, he was a pathetic father as well. And yet, he loftily tells Chloe that he cannot forgive her for sleeping with his friend (a good man in love with her), on the same day that all his miserable lies and secrets and general bastardy has come out into the open. Chloe forgiving him for all that is not even a question, it's just taken for granted.

There are more problems, and it's only introduced because of the convoluted mystery regarding the Sinclairs' dead baby. As a portrait of a terrible marriage that failed almost before it started, the book is excellent. I could still pretend it was that, until Arnold introduced a nephew-ex-machina, which I was pretty much expecting the minute I read that Grace had an abortion. I wish it wasn't so. I wish Chloe could run far away from this Sinclair family, who basically treats her like a doormat even during the days when they were ten, and only one person shoulders the blame for this. I wish the woman wouldn't be treated miserably in the name of a grand romance. But it does, and that brings this book down considerably for me.

I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I mentioned in my updates, this book gave me a strong nostalgia for The Thirteenth Tale , which was a good thing. It wasn't derivative, it just had that same aura of loving literature while weaving a mystery.

I think Chloe is a very well-drawn and sympathetic character, despite her flaws. I understood her on a deep and personal level; having discovered and disappeared into books as escapism myself as a child, I think the author described Chloe's discovery of books perfectly.

I fell in love with the Sinclair children alongside her, and wanted so much for all of them to have a happy ending.

And, confession time: religious nuts are my own personal boogeyman. I can read about zombies or political intrigue or assassinations or enormous shape-shifting spiders or alien invaders or possessions by demons without batting an eye, but religious zealots are my Kryptonite. They terrify me. So the mystery and the antagonist of this book were just perfectly tailored to scare the bejeezus out of me, anyway. Add to that the fact that I was so emotionally involved with the characters, and I couldn't look away from the page until I found out what happened.

The plot and the characters being what they were, I didn't need a whole lot of setting to be happy, but the house of the Sinclairs becomes its own character. I can envision it down to the tiled roof and huge windows based on the descriptions the author gives. Chloe's childhood home gets less page time but is still understandable, and the house she and Nate convert into their bookstore is fully visible as well. But the Sinclair family home is my favorite, and its transformation from a magical fairyland to a rundown house of horrors only adds to the tension the plot creates.

The romance aspects of the book are nothing to sneeze at, either, but I won't go into those due to spoilers.

But I shipped it.


The only reason I docked this book half a star was end-of-the-book Nate. His explanations are weak and entirely unsatisfying, and I don't understand why Chloe let him get away with it. She lets him come back and say, "I just didn't think you could handle anything at all, ever, so I snuck off for a week, didn't tell you where I was going, and lied to you repeatedly. I'm sorry, but I didn't want to worry you." WTF? Really?! No. Chloe should never have accepted that. And then just blurting out the thing about the affair, right after? Girl, don't you know better than that?.

But the ending was all I could have asked for. I don't think I've ever been so glad to reach the end of a book. You'll know it when you see it.

All in all, I really, really enjoyed this book. If you've read and loved The Thirteenth Tale (which I also highly recommend, by the way), or even if you haven't, give this one a try. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

TL;DR: If you were one of those kids with their nose buried in a book, and you like mysteries, or romance, or gothic, or basically just if you like to read at all, give this a try.


**********************************

I loved this book. An ode to literature and reading wrapped in a mystery and a love story? Um, yes, please!

4.5 stars, and a full review to come.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping for a good book I could really get into before I return to college and my reading time gets severely reduced. This book started out great, I loved how the author combined old classic books into the life of her characters because I love reading. I was thoroughly enjoying this story until about 300 pages in. Then my opinion started to change. I got tired of the main character whining about the past and going over the same stuff again and again, about how hard their childhood was. It got so annoying. The book became so much like a dime-store romance novel I had a hard time slogging through the last of it, by then totally not caring about the characters or what happened to them. By romance I don't mean alot of graphic sex, I just mean everything so drawn out, and dramatic with none of the characters actually talking to the other characters about anything. The story became old, tired and nonsensical. Why would I believe Chloe would just all of sudden change her mind about Nate and want to marry him? Why would I believe she would take $20,000 and just give it away? The money Nate had sacrificed to give her and their son. Why would I believe that Grace would warn them about Joel being dangerous and NO ONE would even ask her what she meant by that or cared why she would say that? Why would I believe that in the all the years since Grace left that no one from the family would try to contact her, they thought she was a nun and I know they are shut away in the convent, but they don't write letters or talk on the phone? Why would they all of sudden not talk to her or write her when they were supposedly so close?

Part of my problem was Joel, the father, everyone kept saying what a horrible, cruel guy he was and I never saw it. I waited and waited for the author to reveal the horribleness of his actions and it never happened. Sure I could see he was strict with his children, brain washed by religion and took things way too far, but there was never anything that led me to believe he was a kidnapper or murderer.

Well on to the next book hopefully I'll find something worthwhile between now and going back to school.

[Lisa B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts

When Chloe first meets the Sinclair children, she is just a young girl and the Sinclair family’s life seems idyllic. The Grace, Cecilia, Nate Sinclair are beautiful, their mother home schools them and they play strange games on their secluded property. The only oddity is Mr. Sinclair. Chloe cannot be around when he is home and he has some strange, mystical hold over the whole family. We learn bits and pieces of their growing up years as an adult Chloe, who has married Nate, tries to figure out what circumstance has caused her husband to suddenly disappears.

Each chapters is a different thread that the author has woven into a magical tale. This book really kept me guessing and I was very much caught off guard by what we discover at the end. This is another one of those books to relish in its detail as we watch all the pieces of the puzzle fall in place. Quite enjoyable!

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Dell, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: July 2, 2013.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how to put into words how amazing this book was. It's one of the most "real" books I've read in a long time. There was conflict and problems and things didn't get wrapped up in a neat little bow because the characters were real! The flashbacks to the main characters childhoods were beautifully written and showing how the past brought everyone to there present was just amazing. This was a book that I couldn't put down and loved every minute of. It was tragic but also beautiful. It showed that while life is sometimes terrible it is all in your perspective of things. While life may have problems it's all in how you look at them and deal with each scenario and the people in your life that shape how things will turn out. I can't express enough how awesome this book was. Can't wait to read others by Elizabeth Arnold.

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood secrets, the ugliness behind a serene family facade, imagination unleashed by the beauty of good books — all are key elements of the exquisite new novel The Book of Secrets written by Elizabeth Joy Arnold.

Chloe’s life changed forever on her eighth birthday when she met the mysterious, wonderful Sinclair children. Scrubbed and wholesome in a hopelessly old-fashioned way, living in a secluded country home in California redwood territory, home-schooled by a kind and creative mother, siblings Grace, Nate, and Cecilia welcomed Chloe into their hearts, and from that moment on, they became the center of Chloe’s life.

As the book opens, Chloe is in her mid-forties, struggling with the tensions of her 25-year marriage to Nate. Chloe and Nate have loved each other since childhood, but a tragedy in their early days together has created a permanent hole that neither knows how to fill. When Chloe finds a note from Nate saying that he’s suddenly gone back to his childhood home to deal with a family matter, she is shocked and dismayed. That home was the site of their nightmare, and she can’t imagine why he’d consent to return. Unsure what to believe, Chloe searches for clues, and finally finds a secret notebook, filled with a coded sort of language written by Nate, tucked inside a hollowed-out copy of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Chloe struggles to decipher Nate’s writing, sure that it will help her understand his sudden departure — but unsure whether she truly wants to unearth secrets from their awful past.

As Chloe cracks the code through the use of favorite childhood books, the narrative shifts back and forth between Chloe’s present-day struggle to understand the secrets that have undermined her marriage and the past, full of hidden family drama and dysfunction, as well as the delights of first love and devoted friendship.

The Book of Secrets explores themes of family, faith, and imagination, and peers into the heart of a marriage — what holds it together, what makes it fall apart. The secrets revealed in The Book of Secrets are huge and devastating, and it amazes me that Chloe and Nate survived as a couple at all.

The writing in this book is quite lovely, full of descriptions that vividly convey the wonders of childhood, full of play (digging a hole to London to try to go visit C. S. Lewis), journeys to the fantasy worlds of books, puzzles, and hidden codes, and the pure certainty of love that flows between Chloe and the three Sinclair children. The book is also a charming tribute to the power of good books, amply illustrating how books can inspire and transform, provide escape and solutions.

Ultimately, there is a mystery at the heart of The Book of Secrets — what happened 25 years ago, and what has Nate been hiding from Chloe all these years? (I’m being deliberately vague, I know. This is yet another book that I think is best read with as little knowledge beforehand as possible.) The tension builds and builds, and as Chloe finds herself reexamining long-held beliefs based on new information that she uncovers, we as readers have to readjust our understanding of events as well.

The ending is tension-filled, dramatic, and just as it should be. I did more or less figure out the general shape that the ending would take well ahead of time, but that didn’t matter in the slightest. Even though I was right on the money about the “what”, the “how” and “why” were surprising, shocking, and yet made total sense in the context of the story.

This is a perfect book for book lovers. Not only is the story of Nate and Chloe and their family secrets compelling and well-written, but the obvious adoration that the author feels for reading and its magic shines through on every page.

Review copy courtesy of Bantam Books via NetGalley.

This review is also available on Bookshelf Fantasies.

[Kiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by this novel because it's been billed as this fabulous book about books. It is that, but in a very tangential way: three siblings are connected to a lonely little girl in their love for books. But their friendship is forbidden by the siblings overbearing, fanatical pastor father.

Ms. Arnold uses book and poetry titles for the sections of this book, but rarely actually connects the titles to the content--when she does, it is only in the most superficial way. No need to worry if you've ever read these books either, because it just doesn't matter. Some section titles are Crime and Punishment, The Road Not Taken, and The Pit and the Pendulum. There is no discussion, in any way, of any of these works...weird.

This book is an overwrought, and quite a melodrama. The opening scenes make you think a young woman, a 20 something, is telling her story, but you realize, it is actually a 40 something year old woman. All the characters are like this: one dimensional and persistent. The first person narrator, Chloe, tells their story, and not one single character ever seems to change or learn over time. they all stay the same (and immature at that). It makes for some irritating reading. Somewhere in the middle of this novel, I wanted to put it down. I found it repetitive and reading it became a slog for me. Books are used to create secret a code for Chloe's husband to write down his thoughts and secrets. Actually, the book is more about lies and misperceptions. Terrible things seem to happen to all of the people in this book, but they never learn from these things.

I was so happy to be done with this. the ending bordered on being ludicrous, and the author (perhaps unwittingly) left many dangling threads that are never tied up (Chloe's mother? Where'd she go?). I don't need a neat and tidy ending, but while the middle third of the book dragged on endlessly, the end seemed rushed and rather silly. I read books for the characters--I'm definitely not a plot driven reader--but if you're going to make the plot this convoluted, at least give me a proper ending. Not sure where the author was going with this, if ti was meant to be a thriller, a mystery, or a soap opera. The writing wasn't awful, but it could have used some heavy editing. 464 pages was much too long, and would have been better as a 350 page novel.

Some good books about books: Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloane, The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (a kids book, but absolutely wonderful!).

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

From The Book Wheel:

I think I’ve finally figured out the key to requesting great NetGalley books because, once again, I’m blown away by an amazing book from there. The Book of Secrets has all of the elements of a good story and it did not disappoint. This may be because the book brought me back to my childhood at my Gramma’s house. A good portion of the book takes place in a white house with a sprawling lawn that ends with a creek and some woods. My Gramma had this exact same setup (albeit smaller than the one in the book), and I remember playing hide-and-seek in the woods and crossing the creek on stones that my cousins and I dropped in the water. Of course, going down to the creek as an adultI was surprised to learn that it was not a huge, rushing river. But even now, I wonder whether the old shopping cart that was overturned in it for as long as I can remember is still there. Next time I visit, I’ll have to sneak down there and find out – I’m sure the new homeowners won’t min (so long as I do it in daylight). And thanks to the internet, I can show you what I envisioned.

But – back to the book. The story starts out with Chloe, who is in her early 50′s, coming home to find that her husband has disappeared. As she searches for clues as to his whereabouts, she comes across some cryptic messages written in the code she and Nate used as children. From here, she embarks on a mission to find out where her husband has gone and, most importantly, why.

Let me give a little history here: At the age of 8, a little girl named Chloe stumbled upon the Sinclair children playing in their yard. Home schooled and very well off, the Sinclair children were completely different from Chloe’s classmates and they immediately welcomed them into their playgroup. The catch, however, was that their father, a local pastor, was not to know about their friendship, and so they played in secret (with the help of Mrs. Sinclair) for years to come. As they grew older, Chloe began a relationship with the lone Sinclair son, Nate. It was around this time that Chloe began to understand that there was a dark side to the Sinclairs.

For the full review, click here.

[Ionia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was at once, the most compelling, beautiful and unexpected story that I have read for a very long time. When I began reading this book, the first thing that caught my eye was the author’s ability to paint with words. Her descriptions are not only vibrant and colourful, but she uses descriptions that I have never heard elsewhere. A favourite example of this is when she is describing a Victorian Mansion: “It was an aged beauty queen, now with no hair, bunions, and missing teeth,” I wanted to take the time to savor these passages as if they were an exquisite and rare wine.
I found it so easy to immerse myself in this author’s writing. This is the first novel I have read by her, but I will certainly look for the rest of her books after this. There were times during the reading of this story when I wondered if I was going to lose interest in the coming pages. The switching back and forth from the adult life of the main character to her childhood to events twenty years before was handled very well, but there were a few places it felt a bit drawn out. I understand the memories of her life before telling the backstory for the reader and it did add an extra element of richness to the story, but there were places where I was so eager to move forward with her current life that the pace frustrated me. This was not the fault of the author, simply my own impatience getting in my way.
As far as the plot goes, I wasn’t expecting this to take the many twists and turns that it took. The way the author explained the intentions and emotions of her characters was beyond beautiful. There really is no way to describe the range of emotions this novel succeeded in arousing within me. I was saddened, brought to tears, excited and fearful sometimes all in the same moment.
Overall, this is book that I feel enriched for having read. If you haven’t read it yet, go get a copy and read it for yourself. This is the kind of literature that makes me feel lucky that I can read.
This review is based on a digital ARC provided by the publisher.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

See this review on 1776books.net...
http://1776books.blogspot.com/2013/06...

I seem to be on a completely unintentional kick of reading novels with the word "book" in the title. My "currently reading" list includes Charlie Lovett's The Bookman's Tale and Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. There is something about the word "book" that is just so comforting...curling up and going into another world for a little while. The closing of so many bookstores lately is really alarming to me. I've gone kicking and screaming into the e-Reader age, but I'm certainly not happy about it. Elizabeth Joy Arnold's The Book of Secrets seems to be written for people like me, those who love nothing better than to take a book off the bookstore or library shelf and lose themselves in its pages.

Chloe and Nate grew up together in a small town. Almost every day, Chloe would go over to Nate's house, where the two of them, along with Nate's two sisters, would put on plays based on books. The children were homeschooled by Nate's mother, Mrs. Sinclair, until she became severely ill. Chloe hardly ever saw Mr. Sinclair, but when he surprisingly came home early one day, it wasn't hard to see why the children seemed afraid of him. The Sinclair house had a lot of dark secrets, some of which do not come to light until Chloe and Nate have a son, get married, and open a bookstore together. When Nate disappears one day, Chloe discovers that he's gone back to their small town to see his family for answers. Chloe goes after him, of course, and finds the answer to the biggest secret of all.

The final mystery is fairly simple to figure out; however, don't let that stop you from reading this wonderful book. Arnold imbues the novel with tons of literary references, codes, and dark secrets, making this far from a "fluff" book about a bookstore.

MY RATING - 4

[Ciska · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book on Netgalley from the publisher in return for an honest review*

Author
Elizabeth Joy Arnold is also the author of Pieces of My Sister's Life, Promise the Moon, and When We Were Friends. She was raised in New York, and lives with her husband and daughter in Hopewell, New Jersey where she is at work on her next novel.

Review
I love mystery puzzles in my books and it does not happen often that I get to the end of a book more or less to find out I was wrong all the time. This book did have me totally surprised though while it came at the explaining it all part of the book and I was making comments on it out loud.
Chloe is a very vulnerable person. It gets clear from the start that she is not so sure with herself. As soon as she meets the Sinclairs she is impressed by their looks and what they have and she feels she is missing. This feeling just pops of the pages. While she slowly realizes what happens around their house and her feelings are going everywhere you get introduced to the anger and sadness that overwhelm her at points. All these emotions are so strong and so honest that it is easy to see trough Chloe's eyes and be a part of the story.
I loved the part the books played in the book. There where times I felt like grabbing a copy of one of the books used to write the letters to Gabriel and decipher them myself.
I did not like Nate that much. I felt that he has been to secretive, though some parts I did understand that he did not share, and he did not always have a good reason. Even though shaped by his youth I feel Chloe has been a part of his life since their childhood and he knew she knew better.

[Challice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this in a second hand shop. Reading the back cover pulled me in like the sound of coffee pouring into a cup. Even the story begins intriguing, like a Bronte' novel with hints of mystery and romanticism of what could possibly be the dark secret and shadow that this Pastor holds? However, it turns into a clean horror book with hints dropped within letters that she decodes and finds what this family went through. I thought throughout the book that the whole Christians that look a certain way must be cults and have a horror story behind the scenes. But what I did love about this was the fact that while it was all messed up that there was sentiments of wanting to be a "true Christ follower" and not the perverted version they grew up with. Again, it just gets old and I wanted something different then a man turned horrible and uptight religious out of his grief for his dying/dead wife. This is not the whole story, it is only uncovered near the middle to end of the book. The beginning starts with a realization that the main character is having an affair and then morphs into her husband disappearing. She finds clues within the pages of a notebook that are letters her husband wrote to their son and are in code based on books that represented different timelines in their life. And the rest of the story is her remembering her childhood with this family as well as learning what happened in the silent moments that she didn't get to see.

3 stars because I will probably not read it again and I doubt I could recommend it because of the back story.

[12tahmad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book knowing pretty much nothing about it and it turned out to be much darker and deeper than I thought it would be. But also so much better than I could have expected.
This book made me cry. About as much as I can with a book but I still count it as crying. I don't even remember the last book I cried at.
The story is so beautifully and intricately woven together, with all the plot lines and character arcs and loose ends tying up together so perfectly yet so realistically. It doesn't have a "they lived happily ever after" happy ending, but it also doesn't have a sad ending. It's so real yet still so story-like, if that makes sense.
And it's written so beautifully. I was friends with Chloe, Nate, Grace, and Cecilia when they were children, I felt Chloe's loneliness and isolation when she couldn't see the others, I experienced the same horror she did as she uncovered their secrets, both in the past and as she read Nate's notebook. I didn't even know what happened with Joel but I wanted to murder him too, because of the pain he had so obviously caused.
I'm so glad that though there was so much miscommunication between Chloe and Nate before the story begins, it's not a continuing trope through the end of the book as well. They're adults and they act as such, owning up to their mistakes and their shortcomings as they should.
I'm so so glad I read this book. It might even be added to my favorites.

[Emma Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was completely addictive from start to finish. The characters were beautifully drawn; the strands of the story all perfectly woven together. I usually pride myself on being able to figure out plot twists long before they happen, but the ending completely caught me off guard.

The story is told from Chloe’s point of view, leaving us to piece things together as she moves from present day to a chronological account of her life since meeting the tragically troubled Sinclair family. We follow her as she falls in love with Nate and as their life together takes a devastating turn.

As captivating as the story was, the thing I loved the most were the numerous references to books. The Book of Secrets is most definitely a book for bookworms. The impact a good book can have on us is undeniable and Elizabeth Joy Arnold manages to capture this perfectly. The feverish reading of childhood classics, the joy of discovering new books and meeting new characters are all too familiar feelings. Coupled with the tragic, flawed characters and the unravelling story, this book is one of the best contemporary novels I have read in a while.

I give The Book of Secrets 4.5/5



I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would like this more than I did. I normally like stories that switch between the past and the present, with the past explaining reasons for things happening in the present, but this one didn’t quite cut it for me, and I don’t quite know why. I did enjoy it, but not as much as I thought.

I’m not sure whether the pace was too slow, or whether I wasn’t engaged enough with the characters (I was halfway through when I realised I couldn’t recall the main character’s name) or whether I shouldn’t have started reading it weeks (months?) ago and put it aside to be picked up later, or whether reading it on an e-reader affected my reading experience…

It was a clever idea, and I liked the references to books throughout. There was a twist, which was quite clever, although I did suspect it several chapters before it happened - and I don’t often see plot twists ahead of time.

Toward the end of the book, the pace did pick up, and I felt this part of the book was the best part. Overall, I’m giving this 3.5 stars.