The Husband's Secret in Aussie Readers

Nov 21, 2013 Kathryn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-5-stars, fiction, reading-list-2014, audiobooks, australian-authors, recommended-by-people-on-gr

I've really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the author's way of telling the story from the viewpoints of 3 women, with seemingly un-related lives, but as the story progresses we find out how they are connected. I listened to this as an audiobook, so I'm not sure whether this added to my experience, or whether I'd have enjoyed it just as much reading it normally...

It's interesting that I enjoyed this so much because I couldn't really identify with any of the 3 women and didn't even like them very mu I've really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the author's way of telling the story from the viewpoints of 3 women, with seemingly un-related lives, but as the story progresses we find out how they are connected. I listened to this as an audiobook, so I'm not sure whether this added to my experience, or whether I'd have enjoyed it just as much reading it normally...

It's interesting that I enjoyed this so much because I couldn't really identify with any of the 3 women and didn't even like them very much. I thought it was clever of the author to develop the characters so that we saw different sides of them when seeing the story through their eyes and when seeing them through the other characters' eyes. Cecilia is a highly organised and civic-minded individual who I liked when seeing her from her own perspective. From other people's points of view, she appears bossy and controlling and a bit snobbish. Tess and Rachel I liked when I saw them from the perspective of others, but not when we saw their individual stories unfolding. Rachel seems petty and rude to a daughter-in-law who can't do anything right and I really don't like her very much (although someone in the book commented that she seemed like a nice lady) and Tess appears aloof and tough as nails in her internal monologues, but, like Rachel, she also appears nicer in her interactions with others. Despite (or perhaps, because of?) all this, I felt the character development was well done and very believable.

I won't say anything specific about the plot for fear of giving too much away, but I loved it - there were more dimensions to it than I was expecting which also helped to flesh out the characters and make them believable. My only misgiving was that the characters were always thinking of, or engaging in, sex - some of which was relevant, but some of which could have achieved the same purpose with less descriptive and overt references.

I'm still tossing up whether to make this a 4.5- or 5-star read. I'll go with 4.5 stars at present and see how I feel about it after a while! ...more

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Jun 28, 2015 Dee-Ann rated it it was amazing

Shelves: movie-material, australian-authors, five-star

Loved it. Could relate to parts of all of the leading ladies. A tragic story with a ring of truth about it and both endings (the epilogue was the second ending) 'rocked'. The book was a lot about family values, love, friendship, how the past can catch up with you (if it ever let you go) and what we would do for our children.

I just reread this book. A friend gave it to me, and I forgot that I had read it, but started have a sense of dejavu when reading it. I checked Goodreads, and lo and behold I ...more

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May 07, 2015 Katrina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

I'm surprised at how much I enjoy Liane Moriarty's books. This is my second one and I enjoyed it as much as I did Big Little Lies. I like the three characters with overlapping stories, how each time one chapter ends you have to quickly keep reading to find out what happens next. ...more

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Feb 04, 2015 Robin rated it liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book, but there were some things about it that also annoyed me. The positives: humour,believable characters (the author has relationships down pat) and an engrossing story. The negatives: The protagtonist, Cecilia, takes far too long to open the letter - who would have waited that long in real life? Not me, that's for sure. I wanted to scream, 'Open the goddamn letter already!'
To my mind, the opening of the letter was being dragged out deliberately to maintain an unrealistic sense ...more

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