INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A HELLO SUNSHINE x REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICKA thrilling tale of secretaries turned spies, of love and duty, and of sacrifice–inspired by the true story of the CIA plot to infiltrate the hearts and minds of Soviet Russia, not with propaganda, but with the greatest love story of the twentieth century: Doctor Zhivago.At the height of the Cold War, two … Zhivago.
At the height of the Cold War, two secretaries are pulled out of the typing pool at the CIA and given the assignment of a lifetime. Their mission: to smuggle Doctor Zhivago out of the USSR, where no one dare publish it, and help Pasternak’s magnum opus make its way into print around the world. Glamorous and sophisticated Sally Forrester is a seasoned spy who has honed her gift for deceit all over the world–using her magnetism and charm to pry secrets out of powerful men. Irina is a complete novice, and under Sally’s tutelage quickly learns how to blend in, make drops, and invisibly ferry classified documents.
The Secrets We Kept combines a legendary literary love story–the decades-long affair between Pasternak and his mistress and muse, Olga Ivinskaya, who was sent to the Gulag and inspired Zhivago’s heroine, Lara–with a narrative about two women empowered to lead lives of extraordinary intrigue and risk. From Pasternak’s country estate outside Moscow to the brutalities of the Gulag, from Washington, D.C. to Paris and Milan, The Secrets We Kept captures a watershed moment in the history of literature–told with soaring emotional intensity and captivating historical detail. And at the center of this unforgettable debut is the powerful belief that a piece of art can change the world.
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When I read the beginning pages of The Secrets We Kept on the First Look Book Club I was enchanted by the narrative voice. I put in a hold on Overdrive and waited patiently. The audiobook was the first available copy.
I wanted to read the book for several reasons: First, because I had read Cold Warriors by Duncan White this year in which I learned how books and ideas were weapons in the Cold War. Second, because I had read Doctor Zhivago in 1968 and was interested in how the novel was secreted out of the Soviet Union.
my 1968 copy of Doctor Zhivago
Preston divides the novel into two fronts–East and West. In the West, female secretaries working for the government face sexism even when some become spies; one helps to clandestinely disseminate Pasternack’s novel to Russian readers at the World’s Fair in Belgium. In the East sections, we learn the story of Boris Pasternack and his lover Olga who was sent to Siberia for not informing on Pasternack when the government feared what Pasternack’s novel contained.
The secrets kept are multiple on both fronts.
I enjoyed the audiobook and the story, but I still prefer to read a book. I could have read the novel in half the time it took to listen to it!
Loved it. Historical history 1950 The man who wrote Dr. Zhavargo.
The Secrets We Kept is 2 parallel stories in one novel. One is the story of the typists in the typing pool at the CIA, and the relationships these women had with each other, and the role they played in keeping secrets for the CIA/US government. The second story is about Boris Pasternak and his mistress, Olga, their relationship, and their struggle to get the novel, Doctor Zhivago, publishes in the USSR.
I enjoyed the story of the women typists and their relationships. I liked how a few of them were trained to be spies, and the struggles they had in a “man’s world”. I found the sub story about the relationship between Irina and Sally interesting and heartbreaking. I enjoyed learning about the struggle to get Doctor Zhivago published, and its use as propaganda.
The era of the Cold War, and US / USSR relations are still quite relevant today. I enjoyed reading the different perspectives, and liked the way the author divided the book into East and West, and divided the chapters by characters, using code names vs. their actual names. The book is historical fiction, but it is also a story of love.
I received this book as part of a sweepstakes by Penguin Random House, and AAKnopf. All opinions are my own.
#TheSecretsWeKept #LaraPrescott #PenguinRandomHouse #AAKnopf
So disappointed. This was billed as the story of the secretaries who helped smuggle Dr. Zhivago to the west. It is not. The story of Dr. Zhivago is merely the link between two stories.
That really didn’t bother me. I found the Russian story to be very interesting since I knew very little about Pasternak and his work. The American story left me flat. I couldn’t connect with the characters and their story unfolded with very little emotional build up and then ended abruptly.
Excellent debut novel.
A fascinating account of the controversy surrounding the publication of Doctor Zhivago. This book kept me engaged from start to finish. I highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction.
Kept you wondering what would happen next
doesn’t move.
difficulty in finding an emotional,sustainable connection w/ characters.
starts strong, and after reading half book, waiting for something organic to happen.
I so enjoyed the audio of this book. It makes me want to do more research of the actually history of the time and all that took place. Narrators were excellent!
One of the most unique and devastating novels [I have] read in years.
A first-rate novel, and it signals the arrival of a major new writer.
Stylish, thrilling, smart, vivid.
This novel is told via two different stories, Irina and Lara. Irina has been given a job in the typing pool. She is then given more responsibilities and this leads to world of change in her life. Then there is Lara. She is the muse for Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago. She is in communist Russia and is sent to the gulag for her part in his book.
Irina, when she is first introduced into this story, I thought of her as a mousy type woman. But, let me tell you…she roared. She is tough and even if she is afraid, she will step out of her comfort zone and do something totally out of character.
Lara’s story is the most intriguing. The gulag, communist Russia, Boris Pasternak, what could go wrong. Plenty! You must read this tale to find out!
Oh boy! I have not had a good spy novel, since I don’t know when! This book starts out amazing. I was completely hooked. The story did drag a little in the middle. But, then it picked up and did a complete twist. Also, I have never read Doctor Zhivago. GASP! It is on my list to listen to this month. I love a book which makes me pick up another book. And because of thIs novel, have to see what all the fuss was about.
I really liked The Secrets We Keep. I haven’t read Doctor Zhivago yet, but after reading this I will soon. I think this was a powerful read about the Author Boris Pasternak who’s novel wasn’t able to be published in the USSR. An endearing story about his life, the story of how his novel came to be published and the consequences that took place. This book also talks about the lives of woman spies and what they had to endure at this time. the book also talks about discrimination of the LGBTQ community, banned books and the US involvement in bringing Doctor Zhivago back to the USSR. Looking forward to more great reads by this Author.
#TheSecretsWeKeep #NetGalley
I give The Secrets we Keep 4 stars for its interesting and endearing read.
I would recommend this book to Historical Fiction Fans.
I am going to change my rating on this book to a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 star book. I love books about spies, particularly women spies so I had really high expectations for this book. I had some problems with the flow, back and forth between what was happening with the author of Dr. Zhivago, Boris Pasternak, in the East and what was going on in the West, centering on the CIA and how it planned to use the book as a “weapon” against the Soviets.
All in all I enjoyed this book, it just took me a while to get through it. The novel starts during the time of the Cold War, four years after the end of WWII. Boris Pasternak was a renowned writer in Russia, short stories and poetry, and was well loved by the Russian government and the general population, that is until Russia became the USSR under Lenin and then Stalin. Boris saw many of his fellow artists, writers, musicians, painters, being taken away to labor camps or met with an even worse fate. Stalin tolerated Boris and he was allowed to live in a beautiful country home as well as his apartment in Moscow.
At the point when we enter the story, Boris is working on what he hopes will be his masterpiece. He is writing a novel about the way Russia used to be before communism and the truth about the revolution. It will tell of the opportunities and freedom that are no longer a part of life under communism. His lover and muse, Olga, will figure prominently in the book.
When the West gets wind of the novel they immediately start to set in motion plans to smuggle the novel out of the USSR, translate it for distribution in other countries and then ultimately smuggle the finished copies back into the hands of the people of Russia. The novel was banned from publication and distribution in Russia. One of my favorite quotes “Teddy rose to get another drink, returning with two martinis, an extra olive in his. “A toast?” Henry asked, to what?” “The book, of course. May our literary weapon of mass destruction make the monster squeal.”
The sections on the typing pool in the West, comprised of well educated women, some who had completed covert operations during the war interesting and upsetting. Now these women are relegated to typing the notes of the men in charge of operations with no input into what goes on! One woman, Irina, is singled out as being useful for the tasks associated with smuggling the novel out of Russia. She was brought up speaking the language fluently as her mother was Russian. She is taught at length about covert operations first by her boss Teddy and then later by another agent, Sally, with whom there is an immediate connection.
The sections on the East deal not only with Boris but with Olga who suffered the fate of 3 years in a labor camp for her association with Pasternak. Boris has a wife and two children but we don’t really get to know much about her except that she allowed Boris to keep his mistress as long as he spent his “writing” time at the country house with her.
There is romance and love, family and commitments involving the characters in the US and in the East. There are also strong opinions on loyalty to one’s government but even more so, to the rights of an individual to speak, write and read whatever they want. Reminding me once again how fortunate I am to live in a free country.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.