A Secret Word : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Wish I could give less stars!
Review: This book is absolutely horrible! The other reviewers who found it bad at least managed to say a little something positive about the book, but I just could not. This book really surprised me since I thought it would be great judging from the other reviews. It really missed the mark. It seemed to merely a group of sentences that described actions, i.e. "I walked into the room, I sat on the bed, We drank wine",......blah blah blah. There is never any explanation as to what drives these characters and what their purpose is for living. These women depressed me and this book made me glad that I checked it out from the library as opposed to buying. PLEASE do not waste your time with this one.

Rating:
Summary: A keeper!
Review: This book is truly a keeper! Not just one to be read once but over and over. When I first starting reading A Secret Word, I couldn't put it down. It not only captured my curiosity, but also sustained my need to read more and more. The author mysteriously leaves the reader at an anxious uncertainty of what's going too happen next. The truth about life's love, lost, and lessons are all told in one beautifully written book, A Secret Word. I truly recommend this intriguing book to anyone of any age; and of course I'm eagerly waiting for more books by this author!

Rating:
Summary: lovely, understated book
Review: This is a lovely, understated book. I loved how elegant yet simple the writing was and how everything seemed to fit together, every detail there for a reason. There seemed to be a lot going on here--with different layers of meaning. The characters' voices are still swimming around in my head. This is one of those books I will return to.

Rating:
Summary: To Be Loved
Review: This is a poignant book, expertly written by a young woman who obviously knows sorrow and love in equal porportions. Every reader will be cheering for all three girls to find happiness. And everyone will want, no, demand, a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Best book I¿ve read in years!
Review: This is a wonderful, beautiful, fun, sad, seductive book. I can't think of another novel that captures the female experience as this one does, and so perfectly. There are three main characters, three friends with three very different backgrounds, and their lives are intricately and poetically woven over the span of fifteen years--between ages 15 and 30. Leigh, Chandler, and Sarah strive and struggle, but when the novel ends, it seems they know everything that they need to know, or can be known. That's the amazing trick to this book. There's rare honesty, and wisdom, in Jennifer Paddock's writing. I read it straight through in one day and one late night.