SYNOPSIS:
Secretaries turned spies, love and duty, and sacrifice—inspired by the true story of the CIA plot to infiltrate the hearts and minds of Soviet Russia, not with propaganda, but with the greatest love story of the twentieth century: Doctor Zhivago. At the height of the Cold War, two secretaries are pulled out of the typing pool at the CIA and given the assignment of a lifetime. Their mission: to smuggle Doctor Zhivago out of the USSR, where no one dare publish it, and help Pasternak's magnum opus make its way into print around the world.
Glamorous and sophisticated Sally Forrester is a seasoned spy who has honed her gift for deceit all over the world--using her magnetism and charm to pry secrets out of powerful men. Irina is a complete novice, and under Sally's tutelage quickly learns how to blend in, make drops, and invisibly ferry classified documents.
My Thoughts:
Wow this book had it all; powerful female characters, secrets, spies, all woven into to a historical novel surrounding the publication of the book Doctor Zhivago.
The novel alternates between the East and the West; the typists/spies to the author Boris Pasternak and his love interest. I loved this aspect, although I did need time to get my head round all of the characters. I also loved the quirky titles of each chapter and the way that for some characters their roles kept changing, an example of this: The Muse then became The Rehabilitated Women to The Emissary.
The story was extremely well written, the characterisation compelling drawing me into the book and leaving me hooked. I loved the role of the spies and the way they carried out their missions to provide the public with copies of the banned book, Dr Zhivago. I enjoyed reading about the life of Pasternak and how those around him were very much affected by his controversial novel and the effects of the Cold War. Although, I haven't read Doctor Zhivago it didn't take away my enjoyment or understanding from The Secrets We Kept, if anything it has made me now want to read it.
At the heart of this book is a powerful love story, not only related to the characters' and their love interests but to the author, Boris Pasternak, and his own devoted love towards his own work. A fabulous historical novel which I highly recommend.
Many thanks to Sarah Ridley at Penguin UK for sending me a copy of The Secrets We Kept in return for my honest review.
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