Seven for a Secret: A Novel [Hardcover]

Mary C. Sheppard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2001

Fifteen-year-old Melinda is looking forward to spending another summer with her cousins Rebecca and Kate in the small outport village of Cook's Cove on Newfoundland's west coast. Rebecca is a goody-goody who is under the thumb of her stern mother. Kate, the city dweller, is determined not to let a boyfriend block her future. Melinda, for her part, has a tendency to act out. The cousins act like sisters, watching out for one another. When a stranger comes to the village and invites Rebecca to Boston to develop her artistic talent, the girls are suddenly exposed to the possibilities of the outside world. Melinda finds herself not only responsible for keeping family secrets but also faced with deciding just how far family loyalty should go. Displaying the authenticity of one who grew up in an outport community, Mary Sheppard has written an uncompromising and riveting novel set in a time and place when the fishing industry was still strong and the deeply rooted sense of community was both comforting and stifling.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Mary C. Sheppard's Seven for a Secret is a Newfoundland family saga for young adults--complete with Newfie dialect ("Lord jumpin' dyin'"), tragedy at sea, and plenty of skeletons in the closet. Set in the outport community of Cook's Cove in the summer of 1960, this first novel tells the story of three cousins whose friendship is put to the test by the visit of a mysterious stranger. Sheppard's loquacious narrator, Melinda, is a smart, curvaceous 15-year-old who can't wait even another year to marry her fisherman boyfriend. Her cousin Rebecca is a goody two-shoes with movie-star looks and a passion for drawing, while Kate, her intellectual city cousin, is, according to Melinda, as "innocent as a herring heading towards a net."

When these three "maids" start to determine their own destinies, no family secret is safe for long. Witty, irreverent, and often tender, Seven for a Secret offers a compelling glimpse into outport life in an era when the Sears catalogue represented the height of fashion and getting married at 16 was de rigueur for most girls. Carrying the novel is the voice of Melinda--by turns raunchy, frivolous, compassionate, and mature. Although the inconsistent use of local speech patterns makes her voice seem somewhat contrived, Melinda is a sympathetic character whose choices may surprise and intrigue teenage readers. --Lisa Alward

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-A small coastal village in Newfoundland is the setting for this story of three cousins. It is 1960, but it seems infinitely earlier in this isolated place that still lacks electricity. Melinda, Rebecca, and Kate are separated by only seven months in age. The summer proves to be pivotal for each of them; they begin to make decisions about their futures as they near their last year of high school. When a road connecting Cook's Cove to the outside world is begun, it also marks the end of an era in the village. Life is at once harsh and joyful. Fishing and working in the fish plant are the main occupations. Many families have lost their men to the sea. One form of entertainment is socializing, church activities, and parties; gossip is another; and romances, too-early pregnancies, and even failure to have your laundry on the line by 9:00 a.m. are fair topics for consideration. Early in the summer a stranger arrives at a garden party and observes Rebecca's talent for drawing. His subsequent invitation to her to come to Boston for an art course becomes the catalyst for the changes that take place. This descriptive story details the love and sense of community that make life in the village less difficult. However, it may need a booktalk to get readers past the dialect.

Sylvia V. Meisner, Greensboro Montessori School, NC

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books; First Edition edition (October 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888994370
• ISBN-13: 978-0888994370
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,658,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seven For A Secret, October 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Seven for a Secret: A Novel (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed most of this book. Melinda, Kate and Rebecca are perfect examples of what good friends and good characters should be.
The part I didn't enjoy was the ending in this book. In the end Melinda gets married and is pregnant (before finishing school), basically ruining any chance she had of becoming something she wanted to do, like become a nurse. The ending was upsetting for me.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly recommended, "reader friendly" novel, August 5, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven for a Secret: A Novel (Hardcover)

Set in a small village on the coast of Newfoundland, Seven For A Secret by Mary C. Sheppard is a highly recommended, "reader friendly" novel of Rebecca and Kate, two fifteen-year-old girls and their confrontation with opposing directional pulls. Invited to develop their artistic talent and explore the world beyond their village borders, Rebecca and Kate are forbidden to go by an uncompromising family member. Also available in paperback..., Seven For A Secret is strong tale of personal will in the making one's own destiny.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I liked the ending of Seven For A Secret, November 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Seven for a Secret: A Novel (Hardcover)

Actually, unlike the reader from Nova Scotia, I really liked the whole book - including the ending. I didn't live in rural Newfoundland in -when was it, the sixties or seventies?-, but it sure rings true to me that lots of girls in that time and place would get pregnant before finishing high school.

To me, that was part of the point. That the choices people make are in large part dictated by their environment........... that when you're young your social circle is accidental, but as you get older you increasingly spend time with people who share your goals and values.......... and that the only people who don't end up following the crowd are those who are both single-minded and lucky.

That said, this isn't a message novel. The author seemed to really like and sympathize with all her characters. And so when I read it, I cared about them all too. And the book was subtle enough that you knew everybody in it would have to make some tough decisions. There are no easy answers, the book said, and I agree.

I thought the book was insightful about girls' lives. It was a great read too - I read it straight through in about 3 hours and enjoyed every page.