• The Secret

  • The Number One Best-Selling Author of The Letter
  • By: Kathryn Hughes
  • Narrated by: Rachel Atkins
  • Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (456 ratings)

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The Secret  By  cover art

The Secret

By: Kathryn Hughes
Narrated by: Rachel Atkins
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Publisher's summary

The best-selling author returns with her second novel, The Secret - a beautiful, tear-jerking novel which will be cherished by all those thousands of fans who lost their hearts to The Letter.

From the Number One best-selling author of The Letter comes The Secret - a heart-breaking novel of tragedy, hope and second chances. Fans of Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse will love the moving human drama of Kathryn Hughes.

Mary has been nursing a secret.

Forty years ago, she made a choice that would change her world for ever, and alter the path of someone she holds dear.

Beth is searching for answers. She has never known the truth about her parentage, but finding out could be the lifeline her sick child so desperately needs. When Beth finds a faded newspaper cutting amongst her mother's things, she realises the key to her son's future lies in her own past. She must go back to where it all began to unlock...the Secret.

©2016 Kathryn Hughes (P)2016 Headline Publishing Group Limited

What listeners say about The Secret

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Performance
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
    32
  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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awesome as usual

loved it!! Surprise after surprise and a happy ending! Can't wait to read another one!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lots of twists and turns

Very much liked the story line. Lots of characters that were well described. Some very happy moments, but lots of sad ones as well. I had no idea where it was all heading, but I very much enjoyed the final outcome. Great performance! I definitely recommend this book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Audio

I so enjoyed The Secret, marvelous story. When it first started it's a little dry, but doesn't take long to really get you interested and interested in all the characters of the book. But a such surprising secret. How it's kept a secret still something happens. All comes out but there are more secrets that come about. I don't want to spoil anything fantastic book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Narration is bloody perfection!!

A bit sappy, but generally held my interest throughout.
I really enjoyed first 1/3 and last 1/3
Middle I found a little tedious
The narration is excellent.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Amazing story and the reader is amazing

I live Kathryn Hughes books so far. I think this is the second I i have read and also enjoy Rachel Atkins narrating them

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good read

I enjoyed this book. Not as much as the previous books (The Key and The Letter), but it was all in all worth the credit and time spent listening.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Surprised

It’s not often that I get surprised with a twist in a story but this one got me! Loved it to the end.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable Melodrama

The narrator was excellent as she spoke clearly and it was easy to discern which character was speaking at any given moment. There were many characters and they were all pretty well defined. However, their stories often ended with little detail or discussion. Also, at a critical point in the story it was unclear how the plot could have unfolded the way it did. Still, it was an enjoyable read/listen and I would recommend it to those who like Romance novels and light melodramatic stories.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story

I really have enjoyed this book. Was a great story of love and family. I would for sure enjoy reading another book by Kathryn Hughes.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Story of Life, Love, Betrayal, Heartbreak and Forgiveness.

I chose this rating because I felt that overall it was a good listen! Would've been a good read if id chosen that option.
I gave the story a lower rating because I guessed a couple scenarios before hearing, but there were a couple surprises too, so maybe they should offset one another.
The performance was really good!
Narrator did great job of relaying emotions of each character.
I recommend this book!

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