The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
My Rating:  3 of 5 Butterflies

Title:  The Husband's Secret
Author:  Liane Moriarty
Narrator:  Caroline Lee
Series:  Stand Alone
Length:  Unabridged; 13 hours and 44 minutes
Publisher:  Penguin Audio
Published:  July 30, 2013
Source:  Library
Format:  Audiobook
Genres:  Fiction; Domestic Fiction
Subjects:  Husband and Wife; Letters

Synopsis:

"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.

©2013 Liane Moriarty (P)2013 Penguin Audio

My Review:
I wouldn't really say that I struggled this book, but I certainly didn't see all the hype and why I was on a hold list for at least three months at the library to get this book.  Well, I can understand the hype, what...with a Synopsis like that?  Laine Moriarty and her publishers definitely didn't go wrong when they wrote that!  It certainly drew me in and made me feel like I just HAD to read this book.

Since completing The Husband's Secret, I can't say that I am disappointed that I read this book.  There were parts of it that drug on a little bit for me, but mid-way, the story really picked up, especially when the big secret was revealed.  I was actually quite shocked that the secret was revealed as early as it was in the story, and even though it was revealed mid-way through the story, I was happy to see that there was plenty of questionable items and ah ha moments that kept the story going throughout the end.

I did find, at least listening to the audio version, that the characters were a little hard to follow for most of the first half of the book until finally I just repeated the names and what was going on with them over and over until it was ingrained in my mind!

I don't usually like audio books that have a foreign accent, but I found the Australian accent of Caroline Lee to be very charming.  I thought that she did a great job personifying the characters of the story.  I also thought that she did well switching between the story lines of the different characters.

I can tell you that the big secret wasn't at all what I was thinking!  It did surprise me quite a bit.  I also have to say that some of the story with Tess, Will and Felicity was irritating to me, just to some of the absolutely outlandish things that were said by Will and Felicity!

I think that Liane Moriarty really captured what she meant to capture with this book, and that was to make the reader's really see and think about what secrets can do to themselves, their families, and other people involved around them.  I have to sit and ask myself, what would I have done if I would find out secrets such as these characters were keeping, and I honestly can't say that I have an answer to what my reaction and what the outcome would be.  They certainly were all difficult situations!

Overall, I am glad that I read this book.  It was quite thought provoking throughout the entire story and made me feel engaged while I was listening.  I enjoyed the narrator and respect the thought process that occurs within the text.  They hit a grand slam with the Synopsis and capturing the audience's attention...how utterly clever!  I would most likely read another book by Liane Moriary.



Amazon | Audible | Author | Barnes & Noble | Books•A•Million | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Publisher