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The Secret: A gripping novel of how far a mother would go for her child from the #1 author of The Letter by [Kathryn Hughes]

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Kathryn Hughes

The Secret: A gripping novel of how far a mother would go for her child from the #1 author of The Letter Kindle Edition

by Kathryn Hughes (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

2,491 ratings

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''Riveting'' Lesley Pearse on The Letter. ''Gripping'' Good Housekeeping on The Secret.

From the #1 bestselling author of The Letter comes The Secret - a powerful, twisting novel that you won''t be able to put down.

Mary has been nursing a secret.

Forty years ago, she made a choice that would change her world for ever, and alter the path of someone she holds dear.

Beth is searching for answers. She has never known the truth about her parentage, but finding out could be the lifeline her sick child so desperately needs. When Beth finds a faded newspaper cutting amongst her mother''s things, she realises the key to her son''s future lies in her own past. She must go back to where it all began to unlock...The Secret.

What readers are saying about the unputdownable stories of Kathryn Hughes:

''Get set to be hooked''

''A page-turner from the very beginning''

''This is one of the BEST BOOKS I have ever read''

''I cried buckets of tears reading it''

''A beautifully told, tragic tale''

Print length

293 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Headline
Publication date

July 1, 2016
File size

2605 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

The Letter, Kathryn's debut novel, was an eBook bestseller. Her second, The Secret, is just as gripping―Good Housekeeping

A fantastic story. I absolutely loved this book!

―Babs' Bookshelf

A gripping and emotional read...that will stay with me for a long time

―By the Letter Book Reviews

A moving story of love, loss and hope

―Bella on The Letter

A truly gorgeous story

―Shaz's Book Blog on The Letter

A wonderful and uplifting story

―Lesley Pearse on The Letter

An emotional and intriguing read... Keeps you guessing right to the end *****

―People's Friend

Beautifully written and incredibly poignant

―The Last Word Book Reviews on The Letter

Full of hidden secrets and tragic events... I really enjoyed this book

―Rea's Book Reviews

Get set to be hooked

―Look on The Letter --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Kathryn Hughes was born in Altrincham, near Manchester. After completing a secretarial course, Kathryn met her husband and they married in Canada. For twenty-nine years they ran a business together, raised two children and traveled when they could to places such as India, Singapore, South Africa and New Zealand. Kathryn and her family now make their home in a village near Manchester. The Letter, Kathryn's first novel, was an international bestseller, and her second The Secret has been highly acclaimed. Kathryn is now at work on her third novel.

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN : B01C37XEOQ
Publisher : Headline (July 1, 2016)
Publication date : July 1, 2016
Language : English
File size : 2605 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 293 pages
Lending : Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #81,345 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,033 in Sisters Fiction
- #1,238 in Mothers & Children Fiction
- #13,578 in Women's Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
2,491 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		67%
4 star		22%
3 star		7%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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NenetteU

Great story

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2018

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Spanning four decades, the secret was kept until its revelation became necessary. This is one poignant story that will make us wonder how fate works. In the wake of something tragic as death, our minds and emotions are clouded with negativity, and we could only hope to move on while trying to find answers that may not come clear until several years or generations later. I am a firm believer that everything happens for the better good, that there is a reason for everything.

The story goes back to a summer day in the 70s when a group of neighbors went on an outing to the beach. The events of that day changed the course of their lives. A baby would have died had the mother chose to keep her. A little boy would not have grown up as a responsible man if he wasn’t properly nurtured by the woman who missed his own son. Another woman might not have experienced the joy of motherhood if not for the baby left on her doorstep.

This one is a great story that illustrates how life is indeed as colorful as we make it to be, depending on how we play the hand that we are dealt.

11 people found this helpful

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YMT

Enjoyed every word.

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2017

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A great example of the mixture of good and the bad people in the world. I have never written a review before this and don't quite know how. This book stirred my emotions and all I can say is I enjoyed ever word. Was happy to see the good folks come out on top at the end. The justice and happiness were long in coming but eventually got there for Chrisi. And it's nice to think that an abused woman's life doesn't need to end when she leaves her abusive husband or father. There indeed are good men out there. It's just not easy to find them. Very satisfying ending v

40 people found this helpful

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Teddie S.

Wow. My head is still spinning!

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2017

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Wow. What a ride! My head is spinning from all the characters and their intertwining lives going back and forth between two time periods.

It's 1975 and Mary can't wait for her miner husband to come home from work so she can tell him she's finally pregnant. But he never comes home because he was killed in a mine explosion. And then she has a miscarriage.

It's 2016 and Beth's mother Mary has just died, taking a secret to her grave. She never told her daughter who Beth's biological father was. Beth is desperate to know because her young son is in need of a kidney transplant and needs a matching donor.

It's 1976 and a group of friends take a bus ride to a seaside resort for the day. While in the restroom of a pub, unmarried Petula, who didn't know she was pregnant, gives birth to a baby. A friend Daisy, who was in the bathroom with her, agrees to smuggle the baby out of the pub and put it on someone's doorstep, and never tell anyone about it. On the bus ride home, there is an accident, and Petula is killed.

This is only the beginning of the story. If you can keep all the characters straight and remember who did what, it's really quite an entertaining story. Fans of Kathryn Hughes's first book, "The Letter", will surely love this one.

Four stars, and then some!

11 people found this helpful

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Jennifer

Not as good as The Letter

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2017

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This was good but not nearly as good as The Letter so I'm only giving it 4 stars. The Letter ripped my heart out and moved me emotionally. Now don't get me wrong this story was very good, very good, but, to me it just didn't pack the same emotional punch. But, overall another terrific one for Kathryn Hughes. Well done, well done!!!

26 people found this helpful

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Judi T

The Secret

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017

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What an astronomical story!!!! Your storytelling is absolutely totally enthralling. How you have portrayed the characters brought many smiles and tears to me. This is one of the best novels I've read. Please hurry and write another!!!!!

15 people found this helpful

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Maria B

In my opinion, this is the Best book by Kathryn🥰

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2019

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This is a truly magnificent book, beautifully written with amazing storyline, gorgeous characters, incredibly poignant with every human emotions combined into one whole book!!!
Kathryn Hughes clearly surpassed her other books with extraordinary care and love, writing with her heart and soul in every page where a reader lives and breathe with her cast of characters, each one competing with each other’s phenomenal talent with superior tenacity.
Shedding a bucketful of tears cleanses my soul with heartwarming satisfaction upon reaching the final chapter... ending to an incredibly magical Epilogue... an absolutely exceptional conclusion with everyone gathered together as a truly united Family... Love and peace... celebrating a successful kidney transplant for Beth and Michael’s son Jake from his grand Dad Jerry who truly did the greatest performance in his life... not to forget Daisy who is the true heroine in this story... and Lydia with an unsurpassed role that made up the family unit... and of course, Beth and Michael whose love and dedication gained them another healthy child, now 3 year old named Daisy in honor of Beth’s real grandma, Jerry’s mom who became Michael’s surrogate mother!!! What a magnificent ending to a complicated situation with everyone settling in Australia where Jerry says the sun shines brighter than in Manchester!!! Indeed !!!

One person found this helpful

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Sharron Thompson

Another excellent read by Kathryn Hughes

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018

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This is the second book I have read by Kathryn Hughes and it also was an excellent read. I enjoyed the British dialogue as I don't usually read British books but I do have English heritage. The story was very well written and interesting.

Another thing...it was nice to read a book that didn't have typos and grammatical errors!!! Kudos to all the editing etc. that went into this book.

I hope there will be another book from Kathryn Hughes very soon.

7 people found this helpful

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Cindy A

Well another must read from this author!

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2017

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What a wonderful story. Couldn't put this book down. I cried and smiled thru this whole book. Can't wait to read another one from this author

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

S. Slater

Kiss me quick!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

Having thoroughly enjoyed the key, I didn't hesitate to download another book by Kathryn Hughes. This story weaves its way through the lives of a loosely-associated group of people, who went on a life changing day trip to Blackpool in 1976, organised by the affable local pub landlord, Selwyn. At times it can be a little confusing, as it skips through character stories from past to present, but as the book progresses, the threads of the story are drawn together and tied into a heartwarmingly satisfying conclusion. I can't explain how a mining disaster and a child needing a kidney transplant are related to the story without ruining the plot, just hold tight, all will be revealed in the reading.
If you enjoy exploring themes of love, lust, family, friendship and heartache, intermittently dusted with 1970's memorabilia, you won't be disappointed.

2 people found this helpful

Lynda Kelly

A Tremendous Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 21, 2017

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I enjoyed this one even more than The Letter and THAT was terrific. A proper page-turner, loved it. I ended up finishing it just before 2am in bed. I was determined to finish it that night. There were so many delicious little reveals as you progress.....and I was shocked and surprised by them all. It was wonderful. It has to be one of my most favourite books this year for sure.
At first it was a little overwhelming as so many characters were introduced from 1976 in quick succession and you had no idea how they fitted in to the latter story set in modern times. There were some really funny lines peppered throughout and I also enjoyed all the pop culture references from THAT summer of 1976, since I remember it well. I went on Google after finishing to see what happened to Rumbelows and Fine Fare.
I adored young Mikey and Daisy, wasn't a fan of Lorraine and was surprised by Trisha sometimes when she did something nice, which was usually unexpected.....I did think Beth spoke some nonsense when discussing Jake saying they were creating a "well of hope" for him. I don't "do" psycho-babble in the least. However, we learn her profession is a "freelance food stylist" so it was expected, I suppose. I'm sure she never stopped working as that's clearly a high-demand occupation !! This phrase was used at one point which I looked up online with the ONLY result being from this book-"Sat around like piffy"....I've never heard this before. I was also lost at Daisy talking about Jerry and Lydia saying "they were not spoiling another pair"....I didn't understand that little reference. Another I hadn't heard (but Google had-seems to be a Northern expression) was "I nearly dropped cork-legged" !!
I would add a hyphen in after sun and countless times the apostrophe was missing on Ladies' or Gents' and then just once she remembered and added it, although that was it for any errors which is pretty tremendous ! The mining stories, both real and fictional, made harrowing reading. What an awful thing to happen. I thought it was a great addition at the end including the National Organ Register's information, too.
I see she has a new story out for pre-order right now and that's my next stop.

6 people found this helpful

Bookmac

5 stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2017

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I love the way that Kathryn Hughes can tell a story and just like with her previous book, The Letter, The Secret had me gripped from beginning to end.

The story starts off in the past then goes to the present, then the bulk of the story is back in the past again. It was really cleverly written, how all the characters linked to each other and how the story of the past wove into the present.

The ending was slightly predictable but I didn't really mind to much as it fitted well with the rest of the book.

I shall definitely be keeping an eye out for future Kathryn Hughes releases.

4 people found this helpful

Pamela Jones

An excellent story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2019

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How do some people manage to keep a secret for so long?
After the birth of a baby, this is what happens by the woman who delivered the baby and the woman who brought the baby up.

It is only when Beth, the child in question, is sorting out her late mother’s things that the story unfolds.

We hear about the mini bus accident outing which although there is an unhappy ending, love prevails.
Whilst I created scenarios as I read the book I was wrong on many occasions.

Having read other books by Kathryn Hughes, I look forward to her next new book.

Suzy

Perfection!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

So often, a good story is ruined by poor grammar, spelling, a rushed ending or an egotistical lack of editing.
Not this book.
I have spent the day singing it’s praises to my customers. Beautifully crafted with surprising twists, characters that you empathise with and gasp inducing moments make this a modern classic.
Someone should be making this into a BBC drama or a movie. Kathryn Hughes deserves an award. I read her book, ‘The Letter’ previously which was almost as good.
I loved this book and can’t recommend it enough.

One person found this helpful

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