Secret Lives [Hardcover]

Diane Chamberlain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1991

Actress Eden Riley's decision to make a film about her mother plunges her into a shattering confrontation with her own past, irrevocably altering her life and the lives of those she loves. Her mother, Katherine Swift, was a renowned children's author who died when Eden was very young. Now Eden, recovering from a divorce and disillusioned with her glamorous life, returns to the childhood home of the mother she barely knew. She moves in with her uncle, archaeologist Kyle Swift and his wife, Louise.

Eden gets more than she bargained for when Kyle gives her the journal her mother had kept from the age of thirteen until her death. Eden is spellbound by the powerfully written, intimate diary that chronicles a life of hardship, madness and tragedy. But her fascination turns to horror when she discovers the shocking truth about her mother's life.

Eden turns for comfort to Ben Alexander, Kyle's colleague, not knowing that Ben has a secret of his own that could ruin Eden and her career. Now Eden must make a heartbreaking decision as she struggles to lay the ghosts of the past to rest and come to terms with her own future.

Shifting gracefully between Eden's world and Katherine's, Secret Lives seduces with the power of its images and the lyricism of its prose.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although one significant secret in this many-layered novel will fail to surprise readers, the brisk, atmospherically evocative narrative is absorbing reading. Eden Riley, an Oscar-winning actress and recently divorced mother of a four-year-old, returns to Lynch Hollow and the tangled roots of her Shenandoah Valley childhood to film the story of her mother, Katherine Swift , a famous author of children's books. Katherine was a solitary eccentric who wrote in the nearby cave, where she died when Eden was 11. Eden spent two years in an orphanage before she was found by her putative uncle Kyle, an archeologist, and taken to New York to live with him and his wife. Kyle, now retired to Lynch Hollow, gives Eden her mother's journals, which gradually reveal Eden's and Kyle's true relationship. Parallel to Eden's dawning awareness is her affair with Ben, an archeology disciple of Kyle's who has been ostracized after being falsely accused of sexually abusing his own child. Providing background to Eden and Ben's steamy sex scenes are the glimmering images of the young Katherine in the fastness of her cave, committing to her journals the nearly incestuous love that could not be acknowledged. Chamberlain wrote Lovers and Strangers. BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 406 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (February 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060179074
• ISBN-13: 978-0060179076
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,265,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey where, at the age of twelve, I wrote several dreadful novellas, read and admired only by my family. When college rolled around, I forgot about writing and received my bachelor's and master's degrees in Social Work from San Diego State University. I was a hospital social worker in San Diego, and later in Washington DC. I also had a private psychotherapy practice working mainly with teenagers. All the while, I was writing on the side. I viewed my writing as a hobby, but it quickly became a passion. I finally decided to take a class in 'writing the novel.' I was very shy about showing my work to the instructor, but when I finally did, he loved it! He encouraged me to aim for publication and I decided to go for it. A few years later, my first novel, PRIVATE RELATIONS, was published.

Since then, I've written about a book a year-eternity-one at last count. I now live in North Carolina, the beautiful state where many of my books are set and where I'm ten minutes from my grandbabies. I share my life with my soulmate, John, who's a photographer as well as my muse, and with my two shelties, Keeper and Jet.

Are you wondering what my books are about? One of my readers in Japan had this to say about my work: "You make me believe life is beautiful even if it is full of pain and rage." Her words touch me deeply. They hang on the wall above my computer and help me remember exactly what it is I'm trying to achieve in my stories. I hope you'll enjoy them.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Secrets Abound!, November 29, 2001

By 

Judith E. Pavluvcik (Dreaming of the beach in Hawaii, but living in the reality of the desert in Arizona!!) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret Lives (Paperback)

Secret Lives is the fourth book by Diane Chamberlain that I have read, and the books just seem to get better and better! Eden Riley, a much sought after actress has decided to make a movie about her famous mother, Katherine Swift, an author of children stories. Eden's mother died when Eden was young and she hardly knew her mother, yet Eden heard all kind of stories about her. Eden comes back to the family "homestead" in the Shenandoah Valley, moves in with her uncle Kyle and his wife, and is presented with numerous journals by her uncle, which her mother wrote throughout her life.

Eden comes to discover that things are not what they appear to be, as she discovers her mother for the first time. Secrets are revealed, truths uncovered, not only about herself, but about her entire "family" as well. While seeking the truth, Eden comes to trust and rely on her uncle's colleague, Ben Alexander, and eventually realizes the love that has been missing in her life. Yet, Ben is also hiding a secret, which could eventually be disastrous to Eden, to her career and to her child as well.

Chamberlain weaves suspense, mystery, adventure, and romance all into one page-turner! As always, her ending will surprise the reader and have one asking where one missed the clues!! The story line is intense, yet the characters are powerful, can stand on their own and are able to draw the reader into their lives.

Another great story by Chamberlain!

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling Story, May 19, 2001

By 

suzette phillips (Burke, Va. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Lives (Hardcover)

Secret Lives by Diane Chamberlain is an entertaining, highly original story that like all good novels, stays with you long after you've finished the last page. Eden and Katherine Riley are two intriguing strong willed women, and their stories compelling.

I have read many novels dealing with agoraphobics, but none in which the sufferer took up residence in a cave. Diane Chamberlain makes you understand Katherine's feelings of terror and panic when away from the cave, you can almost experience Katherine's emotions and wish that the story would hurry up and move back to the cave. I have read all of Diane Chamberlain's books and this is by far her best work. If you're new to her writing, this is one book that you can not miss!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chamberlain Hits The Mark Again, July 20, 2010

By 

Photomixer (Rakeigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Lives (Kindle Edition)

Chambelain hits the mark again with this moving tale of a woman who delves into her mother's past, only to discover things about herself she never knew, and that she will have to come to grips with. Beautifully written with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.