Sworn To Secrecy

by Mary A. Larkin

It is 1971, and with the troubles in Belfast at their height, a happy domestic life is something that Tess Maguire yearns for. While her partnership with her friend Theresa Cunningham in a dressmaking firm is successful, it's beginning to affect her romantic interests. Theresa's boyfriend Bob always seems to be near Tess. Near enough, one night, to declare his true feelings for her. Tess has to confront her own mixed up emotions concerning Bob, as well as address her feelings for her own ever-faithful boyfriend Tony—especially when he asks her to marry him.

415 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Rowlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow starting but improved as it went along.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a reasonable romantic saga. The first few chapters well describe the hassle of living in Belfast during the early 70s for ordinary women and shopkeepers. Two friends running a clothing shop together find it hard to keep trading with riots breaking out on the streets.

Then we dive into the girls' romantic lives and the troubles seem to depart the story. I really felt that almost any city could have been the setting from that point. I did feel let down after the well-described start. We also get little sense of why the troubles were happening - a lot of it was over civil rights, like a universal vote which did not exist in Northern Ireland, or the right to be employed without discrimination. All this is over the women's heads as they fret about secrets from the past generation coming out to spoil their romance.

Taken simply as a romance this is a sympathetic read and there are nice contrasts between friends and between generations. This is the second of two books; I had not read the first.