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Secret Language (Ballantine Reader's Circle) [Paperback]

Monica Wood (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 28, 2002 Ballantine Reader's Circle
Connie has trouble with time. She always has to stop and think a minute: How old is she now? . . . Faith always seems to know, though her life is the same as Connie’s: back and forth to theater towns all over. The same dingy food, the same noisy sidewalks, the same cramped suites in the same hotels. . . Sometimes they go to school, sometimes not, though they always have books to read: big packets of books that Armand sends to them in every city. Armand is their parents’ lawyer, the only person they know who likes children. . . .

Faith and Connie endured the same childhood as daughters of egocentric, semi-famous actors who can scarcely take care of themselves. But the two sisters could not be more different. Connie learned to beg for attention, clamor for approval, and fill the silence with words. Faith turned inward, shrinking from the tender emotions that make up an ordinary life. Despite their differences, the sisters came to rely on each other exclusively. But lately, after years of quiet connection, Faith and Connie seem to have lost the ties that once held them close. Faith has a home and two growing sons, but is still unable to fathom unconditional love. Connie, a flight attendant, is always searching, ever-expecting to find her true place in life at the end of each long flight. But a series of shocking, revelatory events will bring the sisters back to each other—and forever alter how they define love, fulfillment, and most importantly, family.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wood's debut novel is a fiercely lyrical study of two sisters, inseparable yet emotionally distant in childhood, who against all odds grow close as adults. Faith and Connie Spaulding move from city to city with their parents, Billy and Delle, self-centered and unloving actors who quarrel violently. The thespian duo die due to carelessness and alcohol abuse while the girls are in their teens. After Faith becomes a medical secretary in Maine and marries Joe, a machinist, and Connie becomes a flight attendant, the sisters drift apart. Wood's portrayal of Faith, who feels "caught in the wrong life"--her husband's love hard for her to accept, her two sons mysteries to her--is especially affecting. When Isadora, a half-sister from Brooklyn whom Faith and Connie never knew existed, suddenly barges into their lives, Connie eagerly embraces her. An aspiring blues singer, Isadora turns out to be a shameless publicity-seeker. But her intrusion, a divorce and a tragic accident will reunite Faith and Connie. Wood, whose fiction has appeared in Redbook and other publications, writes with sensitivity and intuitive insight about relationships coming apart and the walls people erect to keep others out.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Connie has trouble with time. She always has to stop and think a minute: How old is she now? . . . Faith always seems to know, though her life is the same as Connie?s: back and forth to theater towns all over. The same dingy food, the same noisy sidewalks, the same cramped suites in the same hotels. . . Sometimes they go to school, sometimes not, though they always have books to read: big packets of books that Armand sends to them in every city. Armand is their parents? lawyer, the only person they know who likes children. . . .

Faith and Connie endured the same childhood as daughters of egocentric, semi-famous actors who can scarcely take care of themselves. But the two sisters could not be more different. Connie learned to beg for attention, clamor for approval, and fill the silence with words. Faith turned inward, shrinking from the tender emotions that make up an ordinary life. Despite their differences, the sisters came to rely on each other exclusively. But lately, after years of quiet connection, Faith and Connie seem to have lost the ties that once held them close. Faith has a home and two growing sons, but is still unable to fathom unconditional love. Connie, a flight attendant, is always searching, ever-expecting to find her true place in life at the end of each long flight. But a series of shocking, revelatory events will bring the sisters back to each other?and forever alter how they define love, fulfillment, and most importantly, family.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books (May 28, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 034544907X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345449078
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #550,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Definietly worth reading!, November 17, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Secret Language (Ballantine Reader's Circle) (Paperback)
Secret Language is a five star book in my opinion! It's about two sisters, Connie and Faith, who grow up in various hotels while traveling around the U.S. with their semi-famous parents. The two girls growup very fast because most of the time they are left alone. By the time Faith is just getting out of high school and Connie is in her senior year, they are left to take care of themselves because of the death of both their parents. They, especially Faith, go through their life stumbling over obstacle after obstacle. It takes Faith a long time to put her past behind her and to start over. There were charaters who were always there to help them through their journey and to let them know that they are special. This never really happened when they were kids. Monica Wood is an excellent writer and I'm excited to read some of her other books.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Family Bonds, October 25, 2002
This review is from: Secret Language (Ballantine Reader's Circle) (Paperback)
This was the first novel by Monica Wood, one of my new favorite writers! I first read "My Only Story" and then managed to find "The Secret Language". In between I read her newest book, "Ernie's Ark".

I loved all three books even though they were quite different. All are about families and how they shape us. Part of this theme is that families may be those whom we assemble around us rather than those related by blood.

In "The Secret Language", both Connie and Faith have suffered damage and serious neglect at the hands of their parents, Billy and Delle, traveling actors who were semi-famous but never achieved the fame they sought. These were people who really loved only themselves and the idea of who they were, and their two pretty little girls were part of this image.

The strong coping mechanisms that the sisters developed as children helped them then and continued to help them in adulthood. Unfortunately, the way that Faith coped was to try to avoid feeling too deeply. Despite having married into an outgoing family, the Dohertys, Faith has been walled off for so long that she is unable to connect and always feels like an outsider....they seem overwhelming to her. She seems incapable of allowing Joe to love her, and feels as if she is frozen and incapable of being any other way. Her sister Connie also fears love, but in a different way.

When Isadora appears and wants to be let into their lives, to be an instant sister, she does not realize she will never really be on the inside because there are no shared experiences. She will never see their father, Billy, for the narcissist whom he was, caring only about himself and the image he projected. Like Billy, Isadora is also self-absorbed and a user who will do almost anything to get her way. To say that she is manipulative is an understatement.

I really appreciate the way Wood develops her characters. As a reader, I feel that I know these people: feel their pain, their joy, their sorrow. What a gift!

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful book!, June 13, 2003
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This review is from: Secret Language (Ballantine Reader's Circle) (Paperback)
I'm so glad I discovered Monica Wood. Her language is gorgeous, her characters compelling, and she oh so delicately describes the pain and joy of human relationships, in a way we can all identify with. I highly recommend Secret Language, and can't wait to read more by this talented author.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
FOR THE LONGEST TIME, Connie thinks the house in Connecticut is two houses. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
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Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Isadora James, Joe Senior, Silver Moon, Long Point, Joseph Fuller, Grammy Spaulding, Billy Spaulding, Brighton Avenue, Miss James, San Francisco, Helen Hayes, Marie Lazarro, New Guard, Another Spaulding, Times Square
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