MT Buddy Read The Secret Place

[Ann]

Sherry and Carol indicated they will be starting the book soon. I picked up the audio CD's at the library today and will start The Secret Place later in the week. Please remember to announce and hide any spoilers that you may post with the html code indicators around that comment. There are thirty chapters in the book. Enjoy!

[Sherry]

thanks, ann. i have 4 books to read before The Secret Place but it's in the TBR " queue".
can you remind me/us how to post spoilers- what the html code is?
thanks!

[Ann]

Sherry: When you are on the full website you can add the spoiler comment code before and after what you write. It doesn't work on the Goodreads app though. See the example below which was set by preceding your comment by first typing the symbol < and then type the word spoiler then type the symbol > (no spaces)
after typing your comment, repeat and include the following a symbol < then a symbol / then type spoiler and then type a symbol > (no spaces)
spoiler: (view spoiler)[ test spoiler (hide spoiler)]
Is that going to be too much trouble on your iPad?

[Sherry]

Ann wrote: "Sherry: When you are on the full website you can add the spoiler comment code before and after what you write. It doesn't work on the Goodreads app though. See the example below which was set by pr..."

thanks, ann. now i remember how to do it. i usually access goodreads on my computer, so no problem.

(view spoiler)[testing (hide spoiler)]

[Carol/Bonadie]

There are 320 holds on 140 copies at one of my libraries, so it will be awhile. I hope you aren't lonely reading ahead, Ann!

[Ann]

I'll wait a bit Carol and Sherry. I have plenty of good audio books lined up!
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "There are 320 holds on 140 copies at one of my libraries, so it will be awhile. I hope you aren't lonely reading ahead, Ann!"

[Ann]

Thirteen audio CD's, one done. This puts me still in chapter 3.
General (no spoilers past the book jacket)
The book starts with character introductions and is told in the alternating voices of sixteen year old Holly Mackey and Cold Case Detective Stephen Moran who also voices Homicide Detective Antoinette Conway in a slightly gruff manner. The pairing of the two Detectives and Holly's motive for coming to Stephen with evidence in a homicide case are explored.

Spoilers no further than chapter three (view spoiler)[
Holly as seen through the two adult's eyes is either a spoiled, lying, manipulative potential suspect (Conway) or the precocious daughter of a colleague, a girl who is familiar and merits trust and admiration (Moran). The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
We are introduced to St Kilda's School, where secrets await uncovering, if the Detectives are lucky, cooperation is not guaranteed, and the cliques are entrenched.
St Kilda's told from both POV's has a mysterious quality as a secret place is revealed to Holly at the beginning of a term, a place of quiet and mystery; and as Antoinette Conway describes the murder of Chris Harper. We are left to wonder how far apart the two places actually are and who might have killed the popular boy with a garden hoe crushed into his skull. (hide spoiler)]

[Carol/Bonadie]

I have the hardcover from the library now but I will miss the audio version. I may get it from audible if I miss it too much.

It will be interesting to hear from Frank Mackey, even if in a peripheral way. I was surprised when I read the book blurb, to find out that Holly is a main character. Interesting choice. Spoiler to Faithful Place (view spoiler)[I wonder how he and the ex are doing? (hide spoiler)]

[Ann]

Carol: I am enjoying the audio, but it took a while for the narrator for the teen girls to engage me. I found myself losing focus whenever the story switches to her.
The male narrator for Stephen Moran is terrific, but misses the mark on a few of the girls'voices. I am glad I am listening to it.

[Christine]

I'm not listening to audio, just reading and I really like Moran and I find Conway an interesting contrast to him. I had a harder time with the girls' POV, but am getting used to them. The teen speak (OMG, totes,etc) seems a little off for such bright, cunning girls, unless the author means it sarcastically?? Is it interpreted sarcastically in the audio?

[Ann]

Christine: I wouldn't describe the teen girls' voices as sarcastic in tone, (with one girl's exception (view spoiler)[ Joanne (hide spoiler)] but definitely sarcastic in intent as written. That would be one place I agree with the narration, a snarky tone isn't necessary and would probably be overkill. They are mainly just sounding like "typical" teens reluctantly responding to adults asking questions they don't want to answer.

Christine wrote: " I had a harder time with the girls' POV, but am getting used to them. The teen speak (OMG, totes,etc) seems a little off for such bright, cunning girls, unless the author means it sarcastically?? Is it interpreted sarcastically in the audio?"

[Christine]

Thank you, Ann! That makes total sense. Now, I'm very curious to hear the audio.

[Ann]

I finished listening tonight and am swirling with thoughts. No spoilers yet, what a book!

[Christine]

I finished reading. French is such a good writer!

[Ann]

I finished it a couple of days ago too, Christine and agree, Tana French is a very good writer! Her ability to write about relationships and feelings and how people are connected while drawing the reader deep into the story is uncanny.
I found the one Buddy Read thread method we were trying with this book: to mark our spoilers by chapter intermixed with the conversational thread a bit cumbersome from my phone or Fire and didn't get to my PC often, so didn't post much while I was reading. As a result, any comments I make now will be for the entire book.
Narration comments: (view spoiler)[
I really liked the book and the narration. As Carol mentioned a good audio with an accented narration can be a real treat. At the very beginning the female narrator was so soft spoken that the Irish lilt to her voices for the teen girls faded to a point I couldn't easily catch in the car. It got better as I got used to the tones and after about a third of the book I was ready for her voices for the girls over the male narrator who did Conway and Moran very well, but was pretty horrendous on a few of the girls' voices. In fairness there were eight teens to give unique voices, but some would have been better to duplicate another girls. (hide spoiler)]
General premise (view spoiler)[ Steven Moran is a favorite character. I liked how he related to the students at St Kilda's and to Conway. He was a bit conflicted and worried about doing the right things to stay on the case. We knew deep down he was a good guy and I liked how he respected the school and the people there and held a secret wish that he could have gone to a place like that rather than trash it as a bunch of snobs without getting to know them as people.

That played well with Conway. It took almost the entire book to realize that he really made an impression on her and that she trusted him. The scene when he had been banished from the interview with Holly and started to feel like he was all alone again and interviewed Joanne and her girls out on the lawn and then realized he was doing what Conway hoped he would was a great triumph. Another relationship we had been following the entire time was starting to gel.

The girls, broken into four groups of roommates and close friends, Holly, Julie, Selena and Rebecca; Joanne, Allison, Orlah and [drawing a blank on the name of number eight, I will fill it is later] really rang true with the nuance of their connectivity and showed a complex and well thought out dynamic that evolved as they grew older - I really liked the way flashbacks told that part of the tale (Chris had "so many days or weeks to live") and of the growth and evolution of their friendship. I was saddened as we watched it blossom and then fall apart slowly and it seemed inevitably for Holly's group. I did not want the killer to be one of Holly's friends, but it started to seem more and more ominous that it might be as the details mounted. (hide spoiler)]
Final Comments (view spoiler)[
Frank Mackey came on the scene fairly far in but made quite an impression. I was glad to see he was there to be a champion for Holly. She was so fierce and independent and self sufficient, but really needed an advocate from the man who influenced her personality and her own investigative abilities.
The idea that Holly, Julie, Selena and Rebecca are scarred from the entire situation was hard to accept but very apparent. I think the murderer really did need to be caught for them to have any hope of recovery though Holly is unlikely to come to that conclusion any time soon. The promise of their futures, strong friendships, excellent educations, open opportunities for careers falls off the rails and it was sad to me that the boarding school environment let Selena, and eventually almost all of them fall apart so badly with no one taking notice. Rebecca's break was so sudden that I am not sure someone paying close attention would have been able to stop her. It seems so sad that it took over a year for the truth to come out while the friendship that was so magical in the glade in the beginning eroded to a point of near madness.
The things the girls could do with lights and sounds and motion to hyper-act around them was mysterious and added to the mystery. (hide spoiler)]

[Mary Jo]

I thought the first one, In the Woods, was great. The second in the Dublin series was okay and after that it was all down hill.

[Ann]

Mary Jones: The third Tana French book was quite different, I loved it but can see that without suspending belief a bit it might not suit everyone.
Did you read Faithful Place where we were introduced to the Mackeys?
Mary Jo wrote: "I thought the first one, In the Woods, was great. The second in the Dublin series was okay and after that it was all down hill."

[Christine]

I agree, Ann, that she really has a way with getting the nuances of character down perfectly and creates tension really well in all her books. I do get that one needs to suspend belief a bit for some of her plot lines, especially The Likeness and perhaps Broken Harbor. Either way, I always enjoy her gorgeous prose and her ability to create such great characters. I thought when Detective Mackey from Faithful Place came onto the scene in The Secret Place, that his character just enlivened the entire book. He's really a feisty character and I agree, Ann, that it was interesting to see his interaction with Holly.

[Amy]

I just started reading a Secret Place. I'm not sure if I like it, but I'll give it a try since I got it on my Kindle from the library.

[Carol/Bonadie]

I've just started The Secret Place and found the female narrator of the girls completely impossible to listen to. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration -- more like Ann said I think, that it takes me out of the story and annoys me. Maybe I'll get used to it as Ann did.

Now that I see folks (Ann at least) are using the spoiler marking, I'll come check in from time to time while reading. I was avoiding the thread.

I also have the hardcover, and I'm finding it fun to reread some of the chapters I've already listened to. There are words I'm not familiar with that I want to check on, and I'm finding that I'm reading thiings I don't remember hearing. I wonder if I tune out everything but direct action when I'm listening, which is a shame, but maybe a result of doing other things (driving, dishes) while I listen. This may take me twice as long to get through!

Mild (view spoiler)[Were we introduced to the lead male detective in Broken Harbor? I don't quite remember him, but that's French's M.O., to feature someone from a previous book. Although, he does mention dealing with Holly in a previous case, so maybe it's Faithful Place. (hide spoiler)]

[Carol/Bonadie]

@Ann and Christine: I agree with you about French's writing style and about the need to suspend belief a bit with her plotting. Not as bad a Gone Girl, though! LOL.

@Mary Jo: I loved all French's books but I can see how they might not appeal. My enjoyment is enhanced my listening to them on CD with the lovely Irish brogue. I'm a sucker for accents!

[Ann]

Carol: Good to see you snagged an audio copy! I think listening to it was one of the best parts even with the slightly uneven quality of the various female voices. (which mostly improved with familiarity.
I look forward to your comments, this one is still pretty fresh in my head!
*responding to your mild spoiler in message #20, Faithful Place spoiler : (view spoiler)[ I don't really remember Stephen Moran from Faithful Place, but wasn't he the other cop that Frank Mackey brought in near the end to help with the questioning or maybe the arrest when it was apparent his family was involved? (hide spoiler)]

[Carol/Bonadie]

Ann wrote: "
*responding to your mild spoiler in message #20, Faithful Place spoiler : (view spoiler) ..."

Ann, I looked up Faithful Place on amazon.com and you're close. (view spoiler)[Mackey targeted Stephen earlier in the case when he needed a fresh young buck on the inside who was hungry to get ahead and would follow some of the leads Mackey fed him, as the status quo had no interest in Mackey's theories/help in the investigation. And yes, Mackey threw him the bone at the end when it was time to wrap up the case that Mackey had solved. (hide spoiler)]

[Ann]

I see that Tana French answered quite a few questions here on GR on 30-Sep -- including one about the introduction of Holly and Stephen Moran. I have read several of the answers which are very interesting!
https://www.goodreads.com/author/1388...

[Carol/Bonadie]

Ann wrote: "Carol: I am enjoying the audio, but it took a while for the narrator for the teen girls to engage me. I found myself losing focus whenever the story switches to her.
The male narrator for Stephen M..."

Just finished this... I didn't care for it as much as the others in the Murder Squad series, gave it a 3 out of 5 (liked it but didn't love it). I thought it really dragged, or maybe I got bored with being inside the heads of 16-year olds. As I posted elsewhere I found Lara Hutchinson's readng of the girls' voices really grating; all high pitched sarcasm (hell-oooooo!). In my review I mentioned one scene that stretched credulity (view spoiler)[the scene where the girls were supposedly turning out lights by telepathy. what was that? (hide spoiler)].

Spoiler on revelation near the end (view spoiler)[I don't know if I'm seeing this through the lens of an adult but I found the fact that Julie would screw Chris to distract him from Selena preposterous. But I guess the whole premise of the book was that the four friends were so tight and so protective of each other that they would do anything to prevent the other from getting hurt. (hide spoiler)]

[Carol/Bonadie]

Ann wrote: "I see that Tana French answered quite a few questions here on GR on 30-Sep -- including one about the introduction of Holly and Stephen Moran. I have read several of the answers which are very inte..."

I'll have to go over and read this when I have a moment. I also have an audio interview with Diane Rehms (sp?) bookmarked -- well it's been bookmarked for probably six months, LOL.

[Carol/Bonadie]

I'm interested in how others found the use of the buddy read posting mechanism. I see there aren't very many posts about plot twists. For me. I found that I didn't want to come back while I was reading to figure out what posts I could answer and couldn't answer, and I'm still annoyed with GR that they can't figure out a way to let you mark posts within a topic unread if you want to come back to them.. you have to mark the whole topic unread which means you have to keep going over the same posts. So now you're going to get a stream of posts from me on the plot, LOL.

For future buddy reads, I'm wondering about topics that divide the chapter up into larger chunks, but don't require in-depth summaries of action within the chapters.

But maybe the lack of posts by others has to do with the fact that only 3 or 4 of us read it.

[Carol/Bonadie]

Ann wrote: "I finished it a couple of days ago too, Christine and agree, Tana French is a very good writer! Her ability to write about relationships and feelings and how people are connected while drawing the ..."

re: narration; I didn't notice what two of you pointed out -- the horrendous narration of female voices by the male reader. I guess I was so relieved to be freed from high-pitched Lara Hutchinson that it didn't bother me.

[Carol/Bonadie]

Ann's spoiler re: Moran (view spoiler)[The scene when he had been banished from the interview with Holly and started to feel like he was all alone again and interviewed Joanne and her girls out on the lawn and then realized he was doing what Conway hoped he would was a great triumph. (hide spoiler)]

My response (view spoiler)[I really liked this plot twist, and it completely caught me off guard as it did Moran. I'm so used to French turning relationships dark and having people misunderstand and betray each other that I was ready to believe that Conway would kick him to the curb. Such a relief when we found out it was a ruse on Conway's part, one of the uplifting parts of the book, followed by Moran's willingness to risk the disdain of the Murder "lads" if he joined the Murder Squad as Conway's partner. I was holding my breath as he finished the sentence about what would likely happen, and let it out when it was clear he was going to do it anyway. (hide spoiler)]

[Carol/Bonadie]

Ann's spoiler about the girl's groups and the developments leading to the end (view spoiler)[I was saddened as we watched it blossom and then fall apart slowly and it seemed inevitably for Holly's group. I did not want the killer to be one of Holly's friends, but it started to seem more and more ominous that it might be as the details mounted (hide spoiler)].

My thoughts:(view spoiler)[I too wanted the killer to be one of Joanne's group. I bounced between Joanne and Orla. I didn't really have a sense of Becca throughout the book, which should have been a clue maybe. I can't remember anything she did, except that Chris fixed her phone, and wasn't she the one who didn't want to dress up for the dance, wore jeans? Her actions came completely out of the blue, and I wound up thinking she was a psychopath or sociopath. very sad. I also thought that toward the end French seemed to have Serena spiral into ditz-land... was she always like that and I just didn't notice? It seemed that she was having a psychological break, answering every query with a silence and then a distracted "hmmm?" Very sad. I also felt sad that Holly lashed out against her dad because he helped the detectives break down the girls, her friends. I'm assuming she'll get over this. (hide spoiler)]

[Carol/Bonadie]

I wonder who will be the subject of French's next book? She seems to pick a character from a previous book for the next one.

[Carol/Bonadie]

Spoiler on Frank Mackey's home life (view spoiler)[I was glad that he and his wife were able to make a go of it and he was living at home again. I can't help but wonder how that lasts, though. In French's world nobody seems to have a settled love life for very long. Spoiler within a spoiler on Cassie from In the Woods and The Likeness (view spoiler)[Cassie may be settled with her boyfriend whose name I've forgotten, but I never quite got that connection. Guess I wanted her to wind up with Rob. Wow, I didn't think spoiler within a spoiler would work! (hide spoiler)]. It was nice to get a peek of his (Mackey's) domesticity with the scenes near the end where he is making dinner for the family and later when he and Olivia? go upstairs and are heard by Holly in faint conversation. I wondered, though, about the scene where Olivia came home from an outing with a longtime estranged friend, that seemed to go on much longer than I was interested in hearing about it, LOL. (hide spoiler)]

[Ann]

Carol: I admit to being very eager for a new book from Tana French, though this last one wasn't quite what I expected.
I finally have time to get back to these threads so am going to comment on your comments now. When I am on the mobile app, the spoiler comments are hard to manage.
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "I wonder who will be the subject of French's next book? She seems to pick a character from a previous book for the next one."

[Ann]

Carol: Re comment 29 about Moran and his actions with Conway My Thoughts: (view spoiler)[ I was practically holding my breath too to see if Stephen Moran would be a stand-up guy for Conway or kick her to the curb. Tana French does often show people being betrayed or kicked, not so often supported, except in the charmed friendships she portrays (for a while at least, thinking of Rob and Cassie in a previous book)
That is one of the things I like about her books, the characters that gravitate to each other and form a bond are a sight to see. With Holly Mackey's group falling apart we needed something uplifting relating to friendship and loyalty. (hide spoiler)]

Carol/Bonadie wrote: (view spoiler)["I'm so used to French turning relationships dark and having people misunderstand and betray each other that I was ready to believe that Conway would kick him to the curb. Such a relief when we found out it was a ruse on Conway's part, one of the uplifting parts of the book, followed by Moran's willingness to risk the disdain of the Murder "lads" if he joined the Murder Squad as Conway's partner. I was holding my breath as he finished the sentence about what would likely happen, and let it out when it was clear he was going to do it anyway (hide spoiler)]"

[Ann]

Carol: Re comment 30 about Serena and Holly. (view spoiler)[ from smart, sassy, high performing good girls to ditzy, paranoid and no longer even friends, Holly's group fell apart more than Joanne's and I was so disappointed in them. It was a classic case of lies compounding more lies and misunderstandings and it certainly left them vulnerable and hurting and broken. I wonder if we can have Holly in the next book again. She seems a likely candidate. (hide spoiler)]
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Ann's spoiler about the girl's groups and the developments leading to the end.
Carol's thoughts:(view spoiler)[ I also thought that toward the end French seemed to have Serena spiral into ditz-land... was she always like that and I just didn't notice? It seemed that she was having a psychological break, answering every query with a silence and then a distracted "hmmm?" Very sad. I also felt sad that Holly lashed out against her dad because he helped the detectives break down the girls, her friends. I'm assuming she'll get over this. (hide spoiler)]"

[Carol/Bonadie]

Ann wrote: "Carol: I finally have time to get back to these threads so am going to comment on your comments now. When I am on the mobile app, the spoiler comments are hard to manage. ..."

Oh good, thanks for doing that. I was eager to hear from someone on my posts and wondered if people have moved on.

[Carol/Bonadie]

Re: Ann's comment #35 about Holly going forward, don't think this is a spoiler. I too would like to see Holly again, although despair to think of her being personally exposed to murder yet again. Maybe she could follow in her Dad's footsteps and enter the Dublin equivalent of the police academy, or go to law school.

French does such a good job at letting her characters tell her if there is more to say about them that I know it would be good, the question is if she feels there is more to their story that would be a good subject for a future novel.

Ann wrote: "Carol: Re comment 30 about Serena and Holly. [spoilers removed]Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Ann's spoiler about the girl's groups and the developments leading to the end.
Carol's thoughts:[spoilers remov..."

[Sherry]

Christine wrote: "I'm not listening to audio, just reading and I really like Moran and I find Conway an interesting contrast to him. I had a harder time with the girls' POV, but am getting used to them. The teen spe..."

i finally got around to reading this. can't believe it's been sitting on my kindle for over a year..lol

[Sherry]

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "just finished this... I didn't care for it as much as the others in the Murder Squad series, gave it a 3 out of 5 (liked it but didn't love it). I thought it really dragged, or maybe I got bored with being inside the heads of 16-year olds. ."

totally agree with you on this one, carol. liked it but didn't love it. had a tough time at the beginning trying to keep the girls straight and who was friends with who.

[Carol/Bonadie]

Sherry wrote: "Christine wrote: "I'm not listening to audio, just reading and I really like Moran and I find Conway an interesting contrast to him. I had a harder time with the girls' POV, but am getting used to ..."

Wow, Sherry. I couldn't believe it when I saw a new comment in this old thread. I'm surprised you even remembered we'd did a group read on it, LOL!

[Carol/Bonadie]

Sherry wrote: "Carol/Bonadie wrote: " had a tough time at the beginning trying to keep the girls straight and who was friends with who...."

Yes, I remember struggling with that too.

[Ann]

Sherry: looks like you are getting caught upjust in time for the new Tana French release later this year! The Trespasser

[Sherry]

Ann wrote: "Sherry: looks like you are getting caught upjust in time for the new Tana French release later this year! The Trespasser"

looking forward to it!

[Sherry]

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Wow, Sherry. I couldn't believe it when I saw a new comment in this old thread. I'm surprised you even remembered we'd did a group read on it, LOL!
."

lol, carol- me, too.

[Carol/Bonadie]

Ann wrote: "Sherry: looks like you are getting caught upjust in time for the new Tana French release later this year! The Trespasser"

Ooh!!!

[Russ]

Anybody up for reading a little Steve Alten this summer? I noticed Meg: Nightstalkers will come out in June. I don't think a group read would work but it sounds good for a buddy read.

[Ann]

Russ:
Perhaps someone will take you up on that offer, I haven'tt read any of the Meg books, what generally do you like the most about them?
Russ wrote: "Anybody up for reading a little Steve Alten this summer? I noticed Meg: Nightstalkers will come out in June. I don't think a group read would work but it sounds good for a buddy read."

[Russ]

Ann wrote: "Russ:
Perhaps someone will take you up on that offer, I haven'tt read any of the Meg books, what generally do you like the most about them?
Russ wrote: "Anybody up for reading a little Steve Alten ..."

Oops, Ann, I meant to post my comment on one thread up!