Secret Harmonies

by Andrea Barrett

Andrea Barrett’s novels have received resounding critical acclaim, inspiring comparisons to Gail Godwin and Anne Tyler. In Secret Harmonies , she creates a wonderful portrait of a family struggling to make sense of their lives in the rural hills of western Massachusetts. When childhood sweethearts Reba Dwyer and Luke Wyatt marry, they expect no surprises. But now that Luke—friend of Reba’s childhood, friend of her heart—is her husband, discord enters their lives. Secret Harmonies is the utterly absorbing, moving story of what happens to this couple and to the eccentric constellation of loved ones swirling around them.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Andrea Barrett is the author of The Air We Breathe, Servants of the Map (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), The Voyage of the Narwhal, Ship Fever (winner of the National Book Award), and other books. She teaches at Williams College and lives in northwestern Massachusetts.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love everything written by Andrea Barrett (that I have read) and this is no exception. A light, easy read -perfect to occupy one’s time on a thirteen-hour car trip, say- but touching, endearing, captivating.

[Claudia Reinfelds · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The children crossed into the heart of the swamp and huddled like tadpoles hiding from the great blue heron. It was fall; the children might have been mistaken for trees. Their hair shone gold, tawny, auburn, chestnut, pure red, deep brown as leaves, and their arms and legs were as thin and flexible as twigs."

I cared so much less for the characters when then became adults. The grouping of characters from the beginning became focused upon only one by the end. Felt that this reduced the story, especially since I found that one character a little wierd.

[Moira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hallucinatory and vast. I should have known better than to expect any kind of happy ending from the author of Ship Fever. Still, it is bracing to come to the end of a novel and feel as lost as I did at the beginning.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

sad and haunting... disturbing but beautifully written...