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Book Review

Publisher's Note:

At the heart of The Husband’s Secret is a letter that’s not meant to be read My darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died. . . Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . . Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret. Acclaimed author Liane Moriarty has written a gripping, thought-provoking novel about how well it is really possible to know our spouses—and, ultimately, ourselves.…

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The Husband’s Secret

by Liane Moriarty

Reviewer: Lydia
Genre: Fiction
Recommended Age: 21+

Overall Book Review:

This book does a magnificent job of weaving the stories of three women and their families together in ways that seem distant, but are more obvious than they appear. As the title suggests, secrets are a big part of this story, one of them involves a crime committed years ago, another a husband’s infidelity…all will affect the characters in this novel permanently.

Each of the secrets that are revealed in this book are ones that change lives in more of a negative way than positive. Marriages are put in jeopardy, children are separated from parents they love, and friends view their friendships differently. I was left wondering how I would feel if I had a side of someone revealed to me that I had never seen before. Would all of my trust be lost? Would love be able to prevail? I particularly enjoyed the epilogue of this book, where the author told what would have happened in the event that certain secrets were never discovered.


Content Analysis:

Language/Profanity:  2 religious exclamations; 10 mild obscenities; 2 religious profanities; 2 derogatory names; 7 F-word derivatives

Violence/Gore:  A character is found dead, evidently by strangulation, this is referred to multiple time throughout the book; a character admits to committing a murder; a child is hit by a car while riding her bike, with no graphic detail.

Sex/Nudity:  A married couple separates due to infidelity; a couple is mentioned to have sex, but nothing is elaborated on; adults kiss and hold hands; there is one scene between a husband and wife with explicit detail involving sex and nudity.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death of a child; loss of trust

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adult women drink at a party; adults drink at social gatherings.

Overall Book Rating
Profanity/Language
Rating:
9
10
Violence/Gore
Rating:
3
10
Sex/Nudity
Rating:
8
10

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About the Reviewer

Lydia
Books and reading have always been an important part of my life. When I was very young, my grandma was the library director at our local public library. Years later, after she had retired, I became a librarian at the same library and worked there for several years before taking a part-time job at a local coffee shop, which gives me more time to do what I love, to read and to review books! A few of my favorite authors are Aimee Bender, Diane Chamberlain, and Curtis Sittenfeld however, I will read almost any book I come across! In my spare time you can find me reading (of course), volunteering at a wildlife animal rehab, or hanging out with my three house rabbits.

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