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The Last Secret by Mary McGarry Morris

The Last Secret

A Novel

by Mary McGarry Morris
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  • Critics' Consensus:
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  • First Published:
  • Apr 7, 2009, 288 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Apr 2010, 288 pages
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Reviews

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There are currently 15 reader reviews for The Last Secret
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Julie

A page turner
In this compelling novel, past and present collide for a woman dealing with her husband's affair. Morris presents real characters faced with believable problems, and the ending feels almost as inevitable as it is shocking.
Jenny

The last Secret Mary McGarry Morris
After reading the prologue of this book I was unsure whether I even wanted to read it. However, once I got into it I was hooked. It's a very suspenseful tale all about the secrets that people keep and the damage that secrets can do.

Unrevealed past history leads to a terrible, disturbing conclusion in this novel, affecting 2 different families in many ways. The original secret is Nora's: she doesn't share with her husband of many years her escapades as a young woman. She has what seems to be a perfect life; job, home family and philanthropic causes when a chance reading of a magazine brings someone back into her lives. The stranger from the past infiltrates her life, her children's and her friends and in doing so, causes more secrets to be revealed. The conclusion is unexpected and horrific. The last chapter seems like an afterthought to tie everything up and I would have preferred to see it omitted or fleshed out a little more. I found the depictions of relationships between Nora and her children very well drawn and they rang with authenticity for me. I would recommend this book for book groups, suspense readers and any one who enjoys reading about relationships.
Chrisanne

....breathe deep ,the gathering gloom....
This novel is a masterpiece of dialogue ... At this point in time I was loathe to read anything that would remind me of the turbulent times of modern day American society but Ms. Morris's intricate use of inter-character banter and her way of giving voice to the innermost thoughts of all her important players was, in my opinion, mesmerizing. I found myself not wondering what was going to happen next but what was going to be said .... they say to only write about what you know and it seems Ms. Morris has done just that.
Terrie

The Last Secret
Read this book on an airplane to FL and finished it there. Kept my interest. Some of characters seemed a little weak but was an enjoyable vacation read. Left it for my daughter-in-law in Fl and she is enjoying it.
Irene

The Last Secret
This is a very good book. It is certainly a novel of relationships.

Faced with a man's indiscretion, his family and friends must try to cope with the consequences of his action. They are, at last, irreparable. I liked following the feelings of the main characters as their comfortable world falls apart.

The 'last secret' that is revealed tops off the moral dilemma.

I enjoyed this novel very much and look forward to Morris's next effort.
Liz

Last Secret
Morris delivers a razor sharp portrayal of Nora, a middle aged woman whose life is turned upside down by the revelation of her husband’s affair and the reappearance of a very creepy old boyfriend. Her descriptions of Nora and the emotional fallout she and her children suffer as their family breaks up are painfully real. While the character of Nora is three dimensional and fully realized, I felt the secondary characters were less well drawn. I didn’t find the plot particularly engaging, and the chain of events that transpired over the course of the novel didn’t really surprise me. Morris artfully weaves the theme of secrets and the consequences of keeping them throughout the novel.
Shirley

The Last Secret
This book was average at best. The "secret" did not ring true to me and the main character was way too accepting of her husband's behavior. She claims she never even considered divorce. Really! I like my female leads to have a lot more passion than that. I've read other work by this author. This is not her best.
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