Title: All My Secrets
Author: Lynn Austin
Major Themes: Family, Gilded Age, Romance
Synopsis: After her father’s unexpected death, Adelaide’s life threatens to be upended—unless her mother can organize her speedy marriage to a rich husband.
All My Secrets has been an eagerly anticipated book for me over the past few months. I’ve loved Lynn Austin’s stories for years (this book made #13 for me of her works!), and the description and cover both drew me in and made me curious about the story. I love books that involve older people as well as younger ones! More than that, I was curious about the setting and time period—New York in 1898 and 1899. I’ve never read much about the US in that timeframe, so I was excited to see how Austin would bring it to life.
Publisher’s description:
Bestselling author Lynn Austin returns with a luminous work of historical fiction set amid the opulence of Gilded Age New York, where three generations of women in one family must reckon with the choices they have made and their hopes for the future.
New York, 1898. The only thing more shocking than Arthur Stanhope III’s unexpected death is the revelation that his will bestows his company—and most of the vast fortune that goes with it—to the nearest male heir, leaving his mother, wife, and daughter nearly impoverished. His widow, Sylvia, quickly realizes she must set aside her grief to ensure their daughter, Adelaide, is launched into society as soon as the appropriate mourning period passes. If Sylvia can find a wealthy husband for Addy before anyone realizes they’re practically destitute, there will be little disruption to the lifestyle they’re accustomed to.
Sylvia’s mother-in-law, Junietta, believes their life could use a little disruption. She has watched Sylvia play her role as a society wife, as Junietta once did, despite what it cost them both. Junietta vows to give her granddaughter the power to choose a path beyond what society expects.
But for Addy to have that chance, both mother and grandmother must first confront painful truths about their own choices. Only in bringing their secrets to light can they hope to reshape their family inheritance into a legacy more fulfilling than they ever dared dream.
My thoughts:
Unfortunately, I’ve come away from All My Secrets with some disappointment. Due to what I believe is an unfortunate stylistic choice, much of the story ended up feeling much more told than shown. From the beginning, I struggled to connect with the three main characters. The one I loved the most was the grandmother—spunky, determined, and clear-sighted; the other two, mother and daughter, both felt “flat” to me, and I didn’t really get a grasp on them as characters until late in the book. To be fair, the daughter was represented as having little personality of her own; she’d never had (or taken) the chance to become her own person, always just following the opinions and dictates of others. Still, I was hoping to be able to become invested in the characters’ lives, and that just didn’t happen.
Where I feel this book really struggles, though, is in the historical narrative scenes. I loved the actual history that came through—some mentions of the California Gold Rush, the perspective of the Civil War, the depression in the 1850s, etc. All of that was fascinating. But where I struggled was when the characters narrated their stories—it all felt oddly detached from what otherwise would have been a gripping, heart-wrenching portrayal. I finally figured out why I was struggling with the story when a character told about a tragic loss, and my reaction was like, “Okay, so what?” There wasn’t the gut punch I would have expected. I realized then that I wasn’t invested in the characters enough to care even when something that bad happened…and that was around the 60-65% mark. Honestly, I feel like if this book were written as a split-time novel, rather than with long, heavily narrated sections, it would have been phenomenal. As it is, it fell flat for me, and that was disappointing.
Not all is lost in All My Secrets; it is still a good story. And it’s possible that if I’d read this at a different time, I would have enjoyed it more. As I said, I did enjoy the historical perspective; that was well done! But otherwise, this was a disappointing read, and I doubt I’ll ever pick it up again.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.
WARNING: Unmarried characters hug or kiss occasionally. Drinking or smoking are mentioned occasionally. “Heaven knows”, “goodness”, “heaven forbid”, or other similar expressions are used once in a while. In ch. 5, a woman finds out about a tragic loss. In ch. 7, someone is pregnant out of wedlock. In ch. 13, there is a mention of someone who committed suicide (slightly described). In ch. 14, a drunk man tries to take advantage of a girl. In ch. 20, people tragically die (described to some extent), and there is a vague reference to someone committing suicide (this is mentioned a time or two later on). In ch. 21, a woman tells about how she fell in love with a married man and almost became his mistress (including him asking her to sin), and a man dies. The marriage bed is mentioned in ch. 24. People lie a few times.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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