This all started out very well indeed and I was instantly hooked on Chrissie and her gift of sight, uptight Faye and betrayed Maggie. At the beginning of this book, I loved them all and couldn't get enough of them, to be honest. Heck I even liked teenage daughter Amber and that, for me, is a very hard sell.So, a strange kind of kudos to the author then for somehow taking that very strong beginning and tearing the whole thing into tiny pieces. It all starts to go wrong about halfway through when we start finding out those deep dark secrets - and they turn out to be either (a) super-cliched or (b) no kind of decent secret at all.I mean Faye's secret is a naughty night out with her callow would-be rocker boyfriend when she gets pregnant with Amber, and then flings herself into a self-imposed Pit of Shame, which means she can never talk about the whole thing and believes she's some kind of slapper. Really???! To me, as an Essex Gal, that just seems like a decent night out, after which we all have a laugh with our girlfriends and move on. I couldn't honestly believe Faye would change her whole personality and style so she makes herself unattractive to men for the next eighteen years, and even makes up a marriage and dead husband to put Amber off the scent. It's totally ridiculous.Not, however, as ridiculous as Maggie, with whom I lost sympathy when she bounces back from her doomed love affair and meets another more suitable man within about a minute or so. Honestly??? That whole scenario was just laughable, again, and so slushy it made my teeth itch. I also thought her way of getting over being a victim of bullying at school was simply unbelievable, on all counts.Nor indeed as ridiculous as the whole Amber plot: Amber ditches taking her exams and her plans to be an artist, and runs off to America with her would-be rocker boyfriend - yes, this is exactly the same type of man as her mother had all the trauma about, so doesn't Ms Kelly know any other kind of Bad Boy? Do they all have to be would-be rockers? How I long for some sweet young heroine to run off with a man who wants to be an accountant and plays cricket for his local village team, but alas I fear I might be waiting a while …. Anyway, Amber soon realises her man is hopeless and leaves him - but not before some passing stranger in the States has offered her a fortune as he loves her artwork (on the strength of one scribbled picture at a party!) and longs above all things to sponsor her talent. Major Unreality Alert!! Is the author playing a trick on us? This one made me laugh out loud this time, and groan too. And yes, in the end, Amber comes home and it's all marvellous and perfect, etc etc. Yawn …All this ridiculous plotting would have been just about acceptable, almost, but what really made me angry as a reader was the way Chrissie is held up as a shining example of goodness and yet finally tells her poor husband James about her long-ago infidelity in the most cruel and heartless way I can ever imagine anyone giving that kind of news to their spouse. It's not Chrissie's infidelity I had a real problem with (though it is of course hugely cliched again …) but how cold and downright nasty her way of confessing it actually is. I found that scene very shocking, and I really wanted to give her a huge slap and tell her to grow up. I was glad when James walked out - he could definitely get someone a whole lot nicer. However, of course, eventually he comes back and says it doesn't really matter. Um, again, no. That's not how betrayal works in real life - the way back is never this easy.The only characters who kept my sympathy throughout and who were really worth any attention were the lovely Shona (a friend of Maggie's) and her husband Paul - now they were a class act, very witty and wonderful together, and I wish the book had been about them.However, all in all, I was relieved to get to the end of all this nonsense. Overall, it's a mismanaged and mis-written book, in which a strong start is sadly and comprehensibly ruined.Verdict: 2 stars. Disappointing and frustrating.
Ce livre trainait dans ma bibliothèque depuis un peu plus d'un an, mais j'étais trop absorbée par The Hunger Games et Harry Potter pour en entamer la lecture... ;)Les secrets de Summer Street raconte l'histoire de quatre femmes et comment les secrets de leur passé viennent bouleverser leur vie paisible dans un petit coin charmant de l'Irlande. Christie Devlin est professeur d'arts visuels, mariée depuis longtemps à un homme qu'elle adore. Le retour de Carey Wolensky, un artiste polonais reconnu, risque de ruiner ce mariage quasi-parfait. Maggie Maguire, une jolie jeune fille aux prises avec de sérieux problèmes de confiance en soi, doit reconstruire son bonheur et chasser les démons du passé après avoir surpris son conjoint, un charmant et sexy professeur d'université, au lit avec une de ses étudiantes (classique, oui...). Faye Reid, de son côté, apprendra que cacher la vérité à sa fille Amber pendant de si nombreuses années aura été une erreur qui risquera de mener cette dernière dans la même direction que sa mère. Le passé et les secrets de ces quatre femmes sont au centre de ce roman d'environ 500 pages. Au début, j'ai trouvé difficile de me démêler dans les descriptions des personnages, puisque le point de vue du narrateur changeait avec chaque chapitre. En plus, il s'agit d'une traduction, alors le style de l'auteur est difficile à percevoir. L'intrigue n'est certainement pas excitante - il ne s'agit pas d'un roman d'aventures mais plutôt d'un roman réaliste centré sur les émotions et sur la psychologie des personnages. Toutefois, ces personnages avaient vécu des choses assez complexes, et l'auteur s'est assurée de ne pas nous donner trop de détails tout d'un coup afin de nous garder en suspens. C'était donc intéressant même si c'était un peu prévisible.Tout compte fait, trois étoiles parce que j'avais toujours le goût de connaitre la suite de l'histoire. Même si je ne tournais pas les pages jusqu'à 2h du matin, il fallait que je sache si tout allait bien se terminer pour Christie, Maggie, Faye et Amber.
What do You think about Past Secrets (2006)?
I feel that this book was a script for a lifetime movie. It seemed like every chapter could end with a character looking off into the distance with sad music playing around her. Sample quote (you'll find one like this at the end of every chapter), "The strange feeling came through her again, and despite the warmth of the morning, Christie shivered." And it goes on and on... I don't want to ruin it for you, but each person has a PAST SECRET that they don't want to reveal. Watch what happens to their lives as they live with the PAST SECRETS! Then get bored.
—Cheryl
So nice to read a chick lit after so long away from one. There have been many battles and kids stuff in this book year but not enough books like this. When I started this I fell in love with it, thought it was going to be a 5 star read. Was loving the plot, the characters and wanting to find out what all these past secrets were. It sort of lost itself abit in the middle and I slowed my pace down to match. Luckly it picked up towards the end, made me shed a few tears. I'm glad things worked out for the characters on Summer Street. Would love to read more books by Cathy Kelly :)
—Redfox5
I had a hard time finishing this book. It seemed to drag on and on, and was repetitive. I got tired of the whining. Leave the past where it belongs, and quite hashing it over day after day. Also I found Amber's whole "following rock band going to America adventure" to be over the top and not believable. Honestly all of the characters made me feel impatient with them; I kept wanting them to get over themselves and stop living in the past. At times I found myself rolling my eyes, and wondering why I was persisting on finishing this book. To see how it ended, of course. The first couple of books I read by this author really impressed me( The Homecoming and the House on Willow Street) going so far as to compare her to Maeve Binchy. However, after reading a couple that have been tedious to get through, I think I will give her a rest, and return to a couple by Joanna Trollope that I have in my bookcase.
—Anna
