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Secret Keepers
At age seventy-two, Emma Hanley has finally made a plan to get out of small-town Palmetto, South Carolina, and travel the globe with her husband. But when he dies suddenly, just before their departure, she's taken up with the problems of her grown children. Her once free-spirited daughter, Dora, turns to compulsive shopping and a controlling husband, hoping to blot out her wayward past. Her son, Bobby, still lives with her, struggling with the illness that robbed him of his childhood promise.
But then Dora's old flame Jake Carey returns to Palmetto with a broken heart and a gift for gardening, and soon the town is filled with mysterious, potent botanicals and resurgent memories. Before long, Jake and his group of helpers begin to unearth the secrets that have divided the Hanleys for decades.
But then Dora's old flame Jake Carey returns to Palmetto with a broken heart and a gift for gardening, and soon the town is filled with mysterious, potent botanicals and resurgent memories. Before long, Jake and his group of helpers begin to unearth the secrets that have divided the Hanleys for decades.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2009
5 people are currently reading
451 people want to read
About the author
Mindy Friddle
6 books37 followers
Her Best Self
is Mindy Friddle's third novel. Her previous novel,
Secret Keepers,
won the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. Mindy's first novel,
The Garden Angel,
was a SIBA bestseller and selected for Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers. The South Carolina Arts Commission awarded Mindy a prose fellowship, and she has twice won the state’s Fiction Prize. Her stories and essays have appeared in numerous journals. She's a nature lover, beach comber, and volunteer fire fighter. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson and lives on Edisto Island, South Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
December 24, 2010
This book set off a variety of thoughts and opinions while I was reading it. First, I thought it began a little slow. The novel is about a family Emma, who just lost her husband, Dora her daughter, Bobby, Emma’s mentally disturbed son and Kyle, Dora’s son. Emma is trying to adjust to being a widow. A likable character, I liked the transformation the author made with her. She goes from a passive wife to a strong, ambitious widow. Dora is married to Donny. Donny is very religious and down right rigid. Dora accepts this marriage as a punishment for her actions long ago. She is living with guilt from the past. This guilt transforms her from a rebellious wild teenager to a meak, lost soul who is so consumed with her own issues, she can’t see through the blinders she has put on. Kyle is a typical teenager. He has incredible love and patience with his Uncle Bobby and together they take a job with a landscaper, Jake, who has just returned to his childhood town. Jake is also an ex-boyfriend of Dora. The middle of the novel picked up and peaked my interest. I was excited to continue the story. I loved the characters Emma and Kyle. I could not stand Dora. The author was on a roll until the end. I felt a bit cheated. I thought there were things missing from this story. I didn’t think the author did a very good job resolving the conflicts. I appreciate the gardening tie in with the rare flower the landscapers were planting through the town. But the author pulled the plug on this part of the story too soon, I thought, and almost made it irrelevant. I am not thrilled about this book and hesitate to suggest it to anyone. There are too many other, better reads out there to waste time on this one.
July 17, 2010
Such an enjoyable slice of southern life complete with characters that still resonate with me. In her latest book, Secret Keepers, Friddle introduces us to Emma Hanley, 72 year old whose life is about to be turned upside down. When her husband Hal dies suddenly just before leaving on the big trip they were planning, Emma feels that her life will go on as uneventful as always; staying in and taking care of her schizophrenic son Bobby.
All that changes when her daughter Dora's first boyfriend, Jake, enters the scene to landscape Emma's yard. There is no more boring to Emma's life. Jake and his landscape crew, which now includeds Bobby and Dora's son Kyle, plant some exotic flowers that bring back special feelings and memories to anyone who smells them; feelings that show them what they are have been missing in life. A little bit of flowering magic!
Friddle managed to transport me to Palmetto, South Carolina and kept me captivated with these memorable characters. I loved the plot threads of Dora's struggle with her ultra-controlling husband and her son Kyle's teen rebelliousness. These characters felt so real to me that I can still imagine them going about their new lives. Friddle manages to ties up all the threads neatly with a most satisfying ending.
All that changes when her daughter Dora's first boyfriend, Jake, enters the scene to landscape Emma's yard. There is no more boring to Emma's life. Jake and his landscape crew, which now includeds Bobby and Dora's son Kyle, plant some exotic flowers that bring back special feelings and memories to anyone who smells them; feelings that show them what they are have been missing in life. A little bit of flowering magic!
Friddle managed to transport me to Palmetto, South Carolina and kept me captivated with these memorable characters. I loved the plot threads of Dora's struggle with her ultra-controlling husband and her son Kyle's teen rebelliousness. These characters felt so real to me that I can still imagine them going about their new lives. Friddle manages to ties up all the threads neatly with a most satisfying ending.
July 22, 2010
I thought this sounded really good - I liked the idea of a gift of gardening that touches a small town and unearths secrets. Two things that I didn't like about this book were that one - in the description it says nothing about the fundamentalist christian theme that one family members is wrapped up in. Granted - it is not really what the book is about, even if it is sort of the problem in the story. I felt that it was a HUGE subject to not be mentioned i the description. And my other dissapointment was simply that I wanted more from the story. I enjoyed the read. I liked the underlying theme with the plants, as well as the older woman's search to rediscover herself and the daughters attempts to bridge her current life with her past. I just somehow felt that the ingredients were so rich that they could have made for so much more. So my judgement is actually that I wanted more, not that I didn't like what I got.
August 3, 2025
I love her writing.
February 2, 2011
I've been fixated on creating quality characters since, well, since my own writing workshops, and I can't help but notice that Mindy is an author whose characters are so believable, they seem lifted from real life. They are so complex and well-written that you feel like you're getting to know them face-to-face. Secret Keepers focuses on a family with a deep, painful history. Some authors do well with a handful of characters narrating their book, and some authors lose the voice - their own and each character's - in the muddle. Mindy is one of those authors who can hold her own - and school you on how it should be done. Each character is so clear-cut that you never forget their names, histories, or confuse them for someone else.
The story begins from the point-of-view of a grandmother who is thisclose to a taste of freedom, only to have it ripped away. I thought it was very ambitious of Mindy to write about an older woman, and she kept impressing me with each new section. In addition to the seventy-two year old Emma, there is her born-again/relapsing daughter Dora and her religious zealot husband Donny, their struggling-to-be-normal son Kyle, and Dora's old flame, Jake, who just returned to the town they grew up in. Though he died in Vietnam, Emma's son Will is still a present character, and added an interesting spin to certain scenes. Emma's other son, Bobby, is... somewhat handicapped, though that might be too strong a word. He's a genius, and perhaps just paranoid and socially stunted. I thought Mindy did an especially great job with Bobby, because just as you accepted that he was mentally handicapped, he'd surprise you with an intricate scientific explanation of flowers or insects; two seconds later, he was looking for his foil hat, concerned about who was listening and watching him.
I read a few reader reviews that addressed the slightly supernatural quality of the flowers that bloom in this story. There is definitely a magical quality to them, and I'm not sure that's ever fully explored. There is a family history behind the flowers, and gardening is a major storyline throughout the book, so I understand why it's there. The titular flower is a special bloom that smells differently for each person, based on a moment in their past they value or long for. I was so swept away by the characters in the story that I didn't really focus too much on the flowers or their importance, so I might have missed something in that respect. Either way - if I missed it, or if it was never really clarified - it didn't bother me one bit, or take away from the overall story.
The ending, I thought, was incredibly well done. I often think I know how a book will end after a chapter or two. I had a few theories for certain characters in this book, but, like I said, everything was so realistic that I knew I couldn't count on a character to act the way I had them pegged. Sure enough, the ending surprised me - in a good way. It was hopeful and honest without being a typical "happy" ending. It was realistic enough to be open-ended, but still give a strong resolution so you're not left wondering what really happened.
The story begins from the point-of-view of a grandmother who is thisclose to a taste of freedom, only to have it ripped away. I thought it was very ambitious of Mindy to write about an older woman, and she kept impressing me with each new section. In addition to the seventy-two year old Emma, there is her born-again/relapsing daughter Dora and her religious zealot husband Donny, their struggling-to-be-normal son Kyle, and Dora's old flame, Jake, who just returned to the town they grew up in. Though he died in Vietnam, Emma's son Will is still a present character, and added an interesting spin to certain scenes. Emma's other son, Bobby, is... somewhat handicapped, though that might be too strong a word. He's a genius, and perhaps just paranoid and socially stunted. I thought Mindy did an especially great job with Bobby, because just as you accepted that he was mentally handicapped, he'd surprise you with an intricate scientific explanation of flowers or insects; two seconds later, he was looking for his foil hat, concerned about who was listening and watching him.
I read a few reader reviews that addressed the slightly supernatural quality of the flowers that bloom in this story. There is definitely a magical quality to them, and I'm not sure that's ever fully explored. There is a family history behind the flowers, and gardening is a major storyline throughout the book, so I understand why it's there. The titular flower is a special bloom that smells differently for each person, based on a moment in their past they value or long for. I was so swept away by the characters in the story that I didn't really focus too much on the flowers or their importance, so I might have missed something in that respect. Either way - if I missed it, or if it was never really clarified - it didn't bother me one bit, or take away from the overall story.
The ending, I thought, was incredibly well done. I often think I know how a book will end after a chapter or two. I had a few theories for certain characters in this book, but, like I said, everything was so realistic that I knew I couldn't count on a character to act the way I had them pegged. Sure enough, the ending surprised me - in a good way. It was hopeful and honest without being a typical "happy" ending. It was realistic enough to be open-ended, but still give a strong resolution so you're not left wondering what really happened.
May 19, 2009
The opening of Mindy Friddle’s new novel, Secret Keepers, provides the reader with some of the back story that will be important later in this novel. The action then shifts to current time with “Emma Hanley, seventy-two, found herself just days away from embarking on a journey of a lifetime.”
Emma is the female equivalent of George Bailey from the movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Emma has been waiting her whole life to shake the dust of Palmetto, South Carolina, off her heels and see the world. But Emma never gets as far as George did---until now. She is so excited that she can barely contain her happiness. Tragedy strikes when Emma’s husband suddenly dies. So the plans are cancelled and the travel trunk is sent back to the attic.
It’s probably a good thing Emma was able to leave Palmetto; her grown children seem to need her more than ever. The oldest, Will, was KIA in Vietnam. Emma has never completely recovered from Will’s death. The youngest, Bobby has mental issues and has never left home. Emma is now forced to think about making what to do about Bobby after she is gone. Then there is the middle child. A daughter, Dora.
Dora has a rebellious, promiscuous teenager. Her life turned completely around when she married Donny and became a fanatical Christian. She and Donny won’t let their children, Kyle and Sandy, watch contemporary television that isn’t educational or listen to music that isn’t wholesome.
Then Dora’s high school flame returns to Palmetto. Jake’s father has passed away and left him a trailer and a little bit of money. Jake starts a yard business with a group of hapless men, including Bobby and Kyle, called The Blooming Idiots.
One of those members finds the stash of exotic plants that Emma’s grandfather brought home to Palmetto and planted them behind the family home. As they plant them around town, interesting things begin to happen…and Jake and Dora have a final confrontation.
Secret Keepers is a satisfying read; it’s well written and flows well. It’s a good read, not a great one. While the action and plot kept me turning the page, it doesn’t have that “ya gotta read this” that I look for in five-star books.
Review originally appeared on www.armchairinterviews.com
Emma is the female equivalent of George Bailey from the movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Emma has been waiting her whole life to shake the dust of Palmetto, South Carolina, off her heels and see the world. But Emma never gets as far as George did---until now. She is so excited that she can barely contain her happiness. Tragedy strikes when Emma’s husband suddenly dies. So the plans are cancelled and the travel trunk is sent back to the attic.
It’s probably a good thing Emma was able to leave Palmetto; her grown children seem to need her more than ever. The oldest, Will, was KIA in Vietnam. Emma has never completely recovered from Will’s death. The youngest, Bobby has mental issues and has never left home. Emma is now forced to think about making what to do about Bobby after she is gone. Then there is the middle child. A daughter, Dora.
Dora has a rebellious, promiscuous teenager. Her life turned completely around when she married Donny and became a fanatical Christian. She and Donny won’t let their children, Kyle and Sandy, watch contemporary television that isn’t educational or listen to music that isn’t wholesome.
Then Dora’s high school flame returns to Palmetto. Jake’s father has passed away and left him a trailer and a little bit of money. Jake starts a yard business with a group of hapless men, including Bobby and Kyle, called The Blooming Idiots.
One of those members finds the stash of exotic plants that Emma’s grandfather brought home to Palmetto and planted them behind the family home. As they plant them around town, interesting things begin to happen…and Jake and Dora have a final confrontation.
Secret Keepers is a satisfying read; it’s well written and flows well. It’s a good read, not a great one. While the action and plot kept me turning the page, it doesn’t have that “ya gotta read this” that I look for in five-star books.
Review originally appeared on www.armchairinterviews.com
June 22, 2010
Emma Hanley is about to go on a trip of a lifetime. She’s waited her whole life to see the world. And then the unexpected happens. As a result, Emma starts to make decisions on her own and refuses to back down. This impacts Emma’s family and they are not pleased.
One day a man from the past knocks on Emma’s door. Jake was her daughter Nora’s first boyfriend and now he’d like to tend Emma’s yard. Jake runs a lawn service that employs people who seem to be down on their luck. Eventually he hires Emma’s son and grandson. Bobby (son) is a bit of a savant but also struggles with schizophrenia that seemed to grow worse after the death of his brother in Viet Nam. Kyle (grandson) is fourteen and is feeling frustrated living under his parents’ careful watch. In a small way, working for Jake opens up a new world to them.
Jake soon finds his lawn service in demand all around the small town of Palmetto. One of his workers starts to plant an amazing flower in all the gardens they work on. People are thrilled with the resulting blooms and the effect they have when smelled. A specialist is called upon to explain the what and why about this magical flower. He turns out to be a man that can teach Emma about a lot more than the flower. He can help her discover secrets about herself she hadn’t faced in the past thereby allowing her to find a wonderful future.
There is so much more to this quiet novel. I really liked the atmospheric story of people who thought life may have passed them by. It’s a hopeful story that would be a good book club selection. Discussion questions are provided.
One day a man from the past knocks on Emma’s door. Jake was her daughter Nora’s first boyfriend and now he’d like to tend Emma’s yard. Jake runs a lawn service that employs people who seem to be down on their luck. Eventually he hires Emma’s son and grandson. Bobby (son) is a bit of a savant but also struggles with schizophrenia that seemed to grow worse after the death of his brother in Viet Nam. Kyle (grandson) is fourteen and is feeling frustrated living under his parents’ careful watch. In a small way, working for Jake opens up a new world to them.
Jake soon finds his lawn service in demand all around the small town of Palmetto. One of his workers starts to plant an amazing flower in all the gardens they work on. People are thrilled with the resulting blooms and the effect they have when smelled. A specialist is called upon to explain the what and why about this magical flower. He turns out to be a man that can teach Emma about a lot more than the flower. He can help her discover secrets about herself she hadn’t faced in the past thereby allowing her to find a wonderful future.
There is so much more to this quiet novel. I really liked the atmospheric story of people who thought life may have passed them by. It’s a hopeful story that would be a good book club selection. Discussion questions are provided.
July 19, 2010
First of all, the cover design by Michael Storrings is beautiful. I love vintage botanicals and the old seed packets had some of the best.
Secret Keepers drew me in quickly with the beautiful epigraph by Katherine Mansfield. “How hard it is to escape from places. However carefully one goes they hold you--you leave little bits of yourself fluttering on the fences--little rags and shreds of your very life.”
The book is a window into the small town of Palmetto, South Carolina and a few of it’s well drawn citizens; each having growing pains. I am a sucker for quirky characters and Secret Keepers doesn’t disappoint in that aspect. I was a tad disappointed that the mysterious and magical flowers didn’t share center stage with the characters. But, then, I am a huge magical realism fan.
Friddle does weave together some beautiful words…..
“The perfume, the nectar, the colors, the mimicry, the trickery. I’ve seen lips on orchids that resembles a wasp’s mate. Petals that are landing pads for insects. Exploding seedpods. I’ve seen pleated downy petals fragrant as a woman’s…..”
“It was the smell of my baby’s head, that brand new tender skin like nothing else in the world, and the barest whiff of mother’s milk, and Ivory soap, and a smidge of the hospital antiseptic. It was the perfect bouquet of aromas.”
A satisfying read, perfect with a cup of tea or two. I will be looking forward to more from Mindy Friddle.
Secret Keepers drew me in quickly with the beautiful epigraph by Katherine Mansfield. “How hard it is to escape from places. However carefully one goes they hold you--you leave little bits of yourself fluttering on the fences--little rags and shreds of your very life.”
The book is a window into the small town of Palmetto, South Carolina and a few of it’s well drawn citizens; each having growing pains. I am a sucker for quirky characters and Secret Keepers doesn’t disappoint in that aspect. I was a tad disappointed that the mysterious and magical flowers didn’t share center stage with the characters. But, then, I am a huge magical realism fan.
Friddle does weave together some beautiful words…..
“The perfume, the nectar, the colors, the mimicry, the trickery. I’ve seen lips on orchids that resembles a wasp’s mate. Petals that are landing pads for insects. Exploding seedpods. I’ve seen pleated downy petals fragrant as a woman’s…..”
“It was the smell of my baby’s head, that brand new tender skin like nothing else in the world, and the barest whiff of mother’s milk, and Ivory soap, and a smidge of the hospital antiseptic. It was the perfect bouquet of aromas.”
A satisfying read, perfect with a cup of tea or two. I will be looking forward to more from Mindy Friddle.
June 22, 2009
Slow at the beginning, but the characters really gripped me at the end.
July 27, 2009
I loved The Garden Angel and I really enjoyed this book, too. I could sure identify with Emma Hanley in Palmetto, GA and all the town's character. Kind of mystical, like Alice Hoffman.
August 2, 2009
A rare treat. A beautifully written page-turner. I loved this novel.
January 19, 2010
This book has an interesting cast of characters who live in a small town in South Carolina. I really enjoyed it, and suspect that gardening types would like it even more.
July 4, 2018
Took a bit to get into. The pace of the book seemed a little odd. Overall it was a fast read once I got about halfway but I wasn’t overly thrilled about the story.
September 4, 2019
I received this book as an early reviewer copy from LibraryThing. I really enjoyed this book. It is funny, sad, touching and entertaining. It's about people learning how to change their perspective on things and making new and better choices for themselves and others with this new found knowledge. I enjoyed all the characters and how each one came to life for me. Even Donny, the holy roller uber controlling husband of Dora was interesting to me - although if I met him in real life I know I would just HATE him. I really can't say anything bad about this book - it's quite likable and the characters are all well fleshed out. Recommended for a nice fun read.
July 10, 2023
The once-aristocratic Hanley family now lives in shambles in a South Carolina town that time forgot. Emma and her daughter Dora, both broken from their past, live in the same town but are worlds apart. Even Dora’s son must lie to spend time with his grandmother. Both women long for different lives, but don’t feel empowered to change theirs. Friddle pieces together a complete picture of the family’s present turmoil by revealing their past. When Jake Crary and his ragtag gardening crew bring unexpected beauty to the dilapidated community, lives are forever changed. Friddle’s writing is poised and enchanting with a sprinkle of magical realism.
January 1, 2018
Secret Keepers is about a strong-minded, 72-year-old, by the name of Emma Hanley. She and her husband are about to head on a trip, but an unfortunate incident happens to her husband that changes Emma’s life forever. She and her family are faced to deal with the aftermath of this incident and become split on what to do.
This book had me so annoyed and angry due to how judgemental her daughter, Emma and her daughters’ husband, Donny are to Emma. Contrary to that, I did love the part where the smell of these special flowers bring back good memories to the characters.
This book had me so annoyed and angry due to how judgemental her daughter, Emma and her daughters’ husband, Donny are to Emma. Contrary to that, I did love the part where the smell of these special flowers bring back good memories to the characters.
September 26, 2018
Emma just wants to be a world traveler but right on the verge of her grand world trip, her husband dies. This is the story of how Emma moves forward with her life after losing out on her big dream. She has a mentally ill but beloved son, a daughter who is married to a firm and unfeeling man and a grandson who reminds her of her deceased oldest son. This is a beautiful story of love, respect and gardening and beauty in the world around us.
February 1, 2023
What an utterly charming book! I really enjoyed it. The characters are lovely and the storyline was captivating. I don’t want to give a lot away (you can read the description). I’d give it a 4.5 but there’s no such thing here. Not a perfect novel but one which I thoroughly enjoyed. Stayed up late a few nights because I found it hard to put down. I felt vested in the characters and their stories. I definitely recommend this one!
January 1, 2018
72 year old Emma is greatly looking forward to a European tour trip with her husband and son when her husband dies and the trip has to be cancelled. She tries to heal--and family secrets begin to come forth. Enjoyable.
September 11, 2019
Enjoyed most of the book but put it down for awhile. When I picked it up again I started skimming from the beginning and then started to tryly enjoy the story. Worth the time to start from the beginning. ENJOY
April 7, 2019
I loved this book.
June 5, 2019
I like this author a lot so I’m disappointed to see that she’s only written 2 novels and the last one was published 10 years ago.
May 19, 2020
I put this book down several times, but was determined to finish and very glad I did. Even went back and reread several parts of the book again, enjoying it even more.
June 8, 2010
4.5 stars. What a great book to win from Goodreads! Emma, a grandmother living in a small town in South Carolina, is ready to take a trip outside the place where she's lived her whole life, but then her husband dies suddenly and she has to stay at home, tending to the problems of her grown children. When her daughter's ex-boyfriend returns to town, starting up a gardening business, he soon becomes unintentionally involved in everyone's life, bringing flowers with magical properties to homes and businesses and helping bring secrets in Emma's family to light.
This reminded me a lot of Sarah Addison Allen's books, although it's less heavy on the magical realism. The story started off a bit slowly, setting the stage in a rather dreamy way and allowing the reader to get to know the characters before their lives started unraveling. The action jumped around from viewpoint to viewpoints, spotlighting most of the members in Emma's family, showing the problems each faced and how the past influenced the present.
My favorite part of the book involved the flowers nicknamed "Secret Keepers." I absolutely loved the description of what they did and how people reacted to them. (I won't elaborate for fear of spoiling it.) I really liked the characters, even the ones who drove me crazy, and sympathized with all. The author did an excellent job weaving the characters' lives together and bringing the atmosphere in this small town to life. Though this is a fairly slow-moving story, especially near the beginning, it picked up steam as the book went on and was definitely a worthwhile read. I'm looking forward to reading another book by this author!
This reminded me a lot of Sarah Addison Allen's books, although it's less heavy on the magical realism. The story started off a bit slowly, setting the stage in a rather dreamy way and allowing the reader to get to know the characters before their lives started unraveling. The action jumped around from viewpoint to viewpoints, spotlighting most of the members in Emma's family, showing the problems each faced and how the past influenced the present.
My favorite part of the book involved the flowers nicknamed "Secret Keepers." I absolutely loved the description of what they did and how people reacted to them. (I won't elaborate for fear of spoiling it.) I really liked the characters, even the ones who drove me crazy, and sympathized with all. The author did an excellent job weaving the characters' lives together and bringing the atmosphere in this small town to life. Though this is a fairly slow-moving story, especially near the beginning, it picked up steam as the book went on and was definitely a worthwhile read. I'm looking forward to reading another book by this author!
September 19, 2010
First off I have to say how much I love this cover! I love anything vintage and having to do with gardening, not that I am a great gardener. This book begs to be read on a front porch or in a garden gazebo while drinking a glass of sweet tea. It is a quiet southern fiction book about a family coming to terms with changes in their lives. We meet Emma Hanley who at age 72, is getting ready to take of on a trip of a lifetime with her husband, Harold and mentally ill son, Bobby. Her husband has an accident that takes his life and changes Emma's life. Her daughter, Dora and her husband, Donny have very different plans for Harold's funeral but Emma has her mind set and does things the way she sees fit. Of course this starts a family battle. Donny and Dora belong to a very zealous church set up in a mall built on property once belonging to Emma's grandfather. I can't say how many times I found myself laughing at the shenanigans that go on in this mall where all the stores are involved around the church. When Jake, Dora's high school sweetheart decides to open up his own landscaping business in town things get very interesting. Soon he realizes he needs help and hires an unlikely bunch of characters; Gordon, a homeless veteran, Kyle, Emma's rebellious grandson who hates his parents and Bobby. Soon secret, magical plants and lifetime secrets are revealed. If you enjoy southern fiction and dysfunctional quirky families then I think you will enjoy this book. There is a nice balance between the story and a hint of magic that is not overdone.
September 19, 2010
First off I have to say how much I love this cover! I love anything vintage and having to do with gardening, not that I am a great gardener. This book begs to be read on a front porch or in a garden gazebo while drinking a glass of sweet tea. It is a quiet southern fiction book about a family coming to terms with changes in their lives. We meet Emma Hanley who at age 72, is getting ready to take of on a trip of a lifetime with her husband, Harold and mentally ill son, Bobby. Her husband has an accident that takes his life and changes Emma's life. Her daughter, Dora and her husband, Donny have very different plans for Harold's funeral but Emma has her mind set and does things the way she sees fit. Of course this starts a family battle. Donny and Dora belong to a very zealous church set up in a mall built on property once belonging to Emma's grandfather. I can't say how many times I found myself laughing at the shenanigans that go on in this mall where all the stores are involved around the church. When Jake, Dora's high school sweetheart decides to open up his own landscaping business in town things get very interesting. Soon he realizes he needs help and hires an unlikely bunch of characters; Gordon, a homeless veteran, Kyle, Emma's rebellious grandson who hates his parents and Bobby. Soon secret, magical plants and lifetime secrets are revealed. If you enjoy southern fiction and dysfunctional quirky families then I think you will enjoy this book. There is a nice balance between the story and a hint of magic that is not overdone.
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August 31, 2010I had high hopes for Secret Keepers. I’m not ashamed to admit I judge books by their covers and this one is fabulous. The synopsis uses words like “wayward past,” and “old flame,” and “mysterious, potent botanicals and resurgent memories.” Sounds good right? Unfortunately Secret Keepers didn’t really find its true potential until the last third of the book, at which point it was nearly over.
Secret Keepers circles around Emma Hanley and her children. Told in alternating past/present snippets, we learn that Emma’s ancestor had a penchant for gardening with foreign plants; her oldest son died in a war; her other son hears voices and sees people who aren’t there; her daughter Dora was once wayward and lost until she became found by a religious zealot; and Dora’s teenage son Kyle is trying to balance his father’s religious demands with dreams of his own. Then Dora’s old flame comes back to town, stirs stuff up, and all hell breaks loose. So much potential, just not a stellar execution.
Secret Keepers plods along until the end when things get fanciful and dramatic and one whiff of a flower sends people reeling in memory to their favorite places and times. It seems like it was trying to be magical realism, but took to long to figure that out. In general, I am left feeling underwhelmed and slightly disappointed that it didn’t peak until the end.
Secret Keepers circles around Emma Hanley and her children. Told in alternating past/present snippets, we learn that Emma’s ancestor had a penchant for gardening with foreign plants; her oldest son died in a war; her other son hears voices and sees people who aren’t there; her daughter Dora was once wayward and lost until she became found by a religious zealot; and Dora’s teenage son Kyle is trying to balance his father’s religious demands with dreams of his own. Then Dora’s old flame comes back to town, stirs stuff up, and all hell breaks loose. So much potential, just not a stellar execution.
Secret Keepers plods along until the end when things get fanciful and dramatic and one whiff of a flower sends people reeling in memory to their favorite places and times. It seems like it was trying to be magical realism, but took to long to figure that out. In general, I am left feeling underwhelmed and slightly disappointed that it didn’t peak until the end.
June 4, 2010
Mindy Friddle's books make me think of a lazy afternoon listening to Norah Jones cuddled up in bed with a refreshing glass of iced tea by my side. This could be because she's a Southern author featuring all those lovely qualities they tend to exude in their books, or it could be because the first book I read by her, The Garden Angel, takes me back. I read it when I was about 13 and I remember nothing about the plot, nothing at all, but that doesn't matter because I remember how I felt while reading it. And yes, there was Norah Jones playing constantly and it was summertime and the book made me feel comforted and warm and I had that feeling we all look for when we read novels for pleasure.
Secret Keepers was a little darker than most fuzzy Southern literature, as it included some dark family secrets and deep problems for some main characters, such as a shopping addiction that leads to debt and a religious zealot for a husband. But it told the story of a family in a small South Carolina town with heart and real emotion and spoke to me. Sometimes characters feel so real, they speak to you as if they were your friends, and that's how I felt about the people in this novel. Friddle definitely did not disappoint with her second novel.
Secret Keepers was a little darker than most fuzzy Southern literature, as it included some dark family secrets and deep problems for some main characters, such as a shopping addiction that leads to debt and a religious zealot for a husband. But it told the story of a family in a small South Carolina town with heart and real emotion and spoke to me. Sometimes characters feel so real, they speak to you as if they were your friends, and that's how I felt about the people in this novel. Friddle definitely did not disappoint with her second novel.
August 10, 2011
This is a book that I won from Picador via Twitter back in April (sorry, good people of Picador Marketing who sent this book to me so promptly and I didn't read it until August!)Right away judging from the cover I suspected this would be a light read. Actually, now that I think about it, I did read a few pages at the beginning and I liked what I read but I just put it aside when something else came along. Once I got started with it, I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the characters and I loved it. It was a stark contrast to another women's literature book that my book group was reading recently. That book had very basic characters who seemed almost stereotyped but this one had some twists and turns that I didn't expect. I didn't want to rush through it so I didn't finish it while I was visiting my mom two weeks ago but I plan on sending it over to her soon because I know she will get something from it as I did. The flowers on the cover hint at the transformation that at least two of the characters experience in this novel. I felt transformed also by reading this novel.
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