The Secrets We Kept A Novel

Lara Prescott — 2020

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A HELLO SUNSHINE x REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: THE WASHINGTON POST - NPR - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY - THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS - ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH - LIBRARY JOURNAL - THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY At the height of the Cold War, Irina, a young Russian-American secretary, is plucked from the CIA typing pool and given the assignment of a lifetime. Her mission: to help smuggle Doctor Zhivago into the USSR, where it is banned, and enable Boris Pasternak's magnum opus to make its way into print around the world. Mentoring Irina is the glamorous Sally Forrester: a seasoned spy who has honed her gift for deceit, using her magnetism and charm to pry secrets out of powerful men. Under Sally's tutelage, Irina learns how to invisibly ferry classified documents--and discovers deeply buried truths about herself. The Secrets We Kept combines a legendary literary love story--the decades-long affair between Pasternak and his mistress and muse, Olga Ivinskaya, who inspired Zhivago's heroine, Lara--with a narrative about two women empowered to lead lives of extraordinary intrigue and risk. Told with soaring emotional intensity and captivating historical detail, this is an unforgettable debut: a celebration of the powerful belief that a work of art can change the world. "Prescott combines Mad Men-esque period style with a spy story worthy of John le Carré." -Entertainment Weekly "Enthralling. . . . This is the rare page-turner with prose that's as wily as its plot." --Vogue "A gorgeous and romantic feast of a novel." --The New York Times

Reviews

Cindy Lieberman@chicindy

Nov 9, 2022

3.5 An interesting couple of stories that barely intersect to make a novel. One is about Boris Pasternak, his lover, and his masterwork, Doctor Zhivago. The other is about a group of women who work in the typing pool at “the agency.” It was tough on dissident writers and their loved ones in Russia during the Stalin era, and it was (and likely continues to be) tough on females in the male-dominated spy world. But they managed to get the job done.

Cheri McElroy@cherimac

Sep 5, 2022

This book had a great premise:a spy story set in the time of the Cold War. I did enjoy the glimpses into the lives of women in that time and into the lives of Boris Pasternak and his lover, Olga. But the story didn’t work for me because, in the end, it was more about characters than the plot and I wanted more from the story.

Kit@nightswimming

Aug 14, 2022

oh what a ride! the multiple narration, as it is always with me, takes a bit out of the stories, but I loved the quick paced writing style and the idea behind this book (what happens to poor Irina though?)

Rebeca Keren Nuñez@rebecanunez

Jun 17, 2022

Me gusto pero no me encanto. El ritmo del arranque me costo un monton, aunque despues adquiere mucho mas dinamica y mejora. Tiene algunas cositas un poco sorprendentes, pero la verdad es que las historias de amor a la manera tradicional no son tan atractivas para mi, algunas cositas incluso me molestan un poco. Se que esta basado en personas reales, y me informe sobre cual fue la historia, pero aun asi, lejos de fascinarme.

Julia@juliawreads

May 26, 2022

DNF @ 40%. I’m in the minority but just could not get into the story. Started out promising but lacked character depth for me. West chapters were very hard to follow.