BKMT READING GUIDES

The Secret Keeper: A Novel
by Kate Morton

Published: 2012-10-30
MP3 CD : 0 pages
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222 clubs reading this now
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During a party at the family farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson has escaped to her childhood tree house and is dreaming of the future. She spies a stranger coming up the road and sees her mother speak to him. Before the afternoon is over, Laurel will witness a ...
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Introduction

During a party at the family farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson has escaped to her childhood tree house and is dreaming of the future. She spies a stranger coming up the road and sees her mother speak to him. Before the afternoon is over, Laurel will witness a shocking crime that challenges everything she knows about her family and especially her mother, Dorothy. Now, fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress, living in London. She returns to the family farm for Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday and finds herself overwhelmed by questions she has not thought about for decades. From pre-WWII England through the Blitz, to the fifties and beyond, discover the secret history of three strangers from vastly different worlds—Dorothy, Vivien, and Jimmy—who meet by chance in wartime London and whose lives are forever entwined. The Secret Keeper explores longings and dreams, the lengths people go to fulfill them, and the consequences they can have. It is a story of lovers, friends, dreamers, and schemers told—in Morton’s signature style—against a backdrop of events that changed the world.

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Discussion Questions

Suggested by Members

Besides the questions at the end of the book, I wanted to add: Compare and contrast Dorothy (Dolly) and Vivien . What were their psychological problems or defects? Were these caused by nature or nurture?
by sumacc (see profile) 10/21/14

Each of the sisters had roles in the family. What was your role in your family when you were growing up? What is your role now?
by [email protected] (see profile) 05/12/14

How did you feel about Laurel's decision not to share her findings with her sisters at the end? Do they deserve to know?
Did you feel that Dorothy's actions in 1961 were justified, both before and after you knew the back story?
by HotSalsa (see profile) 10/08/13

Do we blame Jimmy for wanting to spend more time Vivien?
How has Morton created a more likeable character in Vivien than in war time Dolly?
Would you make the same decision as Laurel and choose not to share her knowledge of her mother's true past with her sisters?
by lou84 (see profile) 09/01/13

The authors website has a great discussion guide.
by salindac (see profile) 07/23/13

Please take the time and discuss each character in their order of appearance in the book.
by marywerner (see profile) 07/15/13

kate.morton.com had some good questions
by susanokc (see profile) 06/24/13

Who is the " reeal" Secret Keeper
by Bodacious (see profile) 01/06/13

Did you find the authors style hard to follow as you read?
Discuss the weaknesses & strengths of each of these characters and how their role completed or made the story; Dorothy, Vivian, Jimmy, Laurel, Gerry.,
Were you surprised at the ending, did you suspect that ending and at what point if so, and who do you feel is the Secret Keeper?
by cherylwilliams5 (see profile) 11/17/12

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