3.5 stars

I loved the pacing of this book! There are two timelines - Lieselotte's (1938-1945) and Hannah's (1973-1974) and I really enjoyed Lieselotte's. The author gives just the right amount of information in each chapter - the story isn't as suspenseful as I had hoped, but it is interesting.

The telling of Hannah's story was a bit more troubling - it was completely plot-driven, and I never felt like I got to know who she really was. Some of the history included in the dialogue felt forced, like the author wasn't sure how else to convey pertinent information about WWII. Hannah's journey to find answers to her questions about her mother also seemed very easy - whenever a problem cropped up, it was solved within the same chapter or the following one.

The ending also bothered me - Gohlke became quite preachy in the last few chapters and the entire tone of the book shifted.

My last couple of complaints: Both Lieselotte and Hannah had a love interest - Lieselotte's made sense, but Hannah's could have easily been omitted. The "missionary dating" included left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, I enjoyed the time I spent reading this book, but I don't believe the story will have "staying power" in my life. It's certainly a better read (it has more substance) than most Christian fiction, though. I really haven't read much about WWII before, so this did help to round out my knowledge. ( )

Excellent story, compelling story of WWII, Holocaust Secrets, betrayal, survival - the end did go somewhat overboard in a religious way which didn't seem to flow right with the story - not that it wasn't understandable, it just changed the impact of the main story and seemed like a different book at the end - very moving story otherwise and quite a twist. I took off stars because of the ending. ( )

This was a very moving book with two protagonists who happened to be mother and daughter. When the daughter goes to find oust more about her mother after her death, she finds out more than she bargained for, but in the end, she finds she can forgive, though I doubt she'd ever forget. I almost wished the book went on. What happened when Carl came to America? I also would have liked to hear more of Leiselotte's story from her point of view. ( )

What an emotional book, from beginning to end, and the worst of it, is that it could all be true. What a horrible time for mankind, and although part of the book takes place in the 1970’s, we spend a lot of time in Hitler’s Germany.
When the book opens you never expect all that is about to happen, and Hannah’s Aunt is really not forth coming with any information. So when she opens a strong box and finds letters from Germany, she is about to open a way to family, and horror.
I will tell you that once I started reading this, I could not put it down, it is an amazing story, and one everyone needs to remember. Hannah’s worlds are about to collide in answering a lot of questions about her parents, and why Lieselotte, her mother, was rather distant with her. I would never imagine!
With all the secrets, that make her sick, she has to deal with the hardest of all, Forgiveness. I loved the author putting one of my most admired woman in this story, and knew that parts of this is really a true story, so in the end this is fiction based on fact.
How did people fall under the spell of that monster, and yet it happens as history starts to repeat itself, and in the name of religion.
A must read, and a story that will linger with you for a long time.
I received this book through Net Galley and Tyndale House Publisher, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

I read a lot of books. Maybe not as many as some but definitely a lot. So it takes something huge to make me say “WOW!” Somehow, Cathy Gohlke ALWAYS manages to do that. Secrets She Kept is a WOW book, without a doubt. The story balances between 1938 and 1973, allowing the reader to see from both Hannah and Lieselotte’s point of view.
Hannah Sterling wants to understand her mother. A woman who never seemed to love her. A woman she never felt close to. She empathizes with her father and how he had to endure so many years in a loveless marriage. When Hannah’s mother, Lieselotte dies, Hannah needs to know what made her the kind of woman she was. Taking a trip to Germany, Hannah follows the trail of clues her mother has left her. They lead her to discover the past she never knew, the family she never knew and the secrets her mother kept. But the past has left a cruel and horrible wake of destruction and Hannah longs to fix the wrongs even at the risk of her own safety.
One of the most interesting things I discovered in this book was that even after the war had been long gone, the memories, the terror and the shame that it left in its wake, was not easily forgotten and some of the ideas weren’t refuted. “Just because we lost the war and were forced to stop doing what we did, just because the status quo openly acknowledges the immorality of inane cruelty, doesn’t mean each person’s thinking has reformed. The younger generation, maybe they see things differently. But the ones who lived through that time, who were already adults, making decisions…” (pg. 134) The story showed that the most evil of wrongdoings cannot be redeemed by anything other than Christ Himself.
Lieselotte is the daughter of a goal-driven father who cares more about rising in the Nazi party than his own flesh and blood. Determined to rid his daughter of the man she’s in love with, he takes measures to eliminate their relationship. After her own mother’s death, Lieselotte leans heavily on the surrogate family of her beloved. Bravery and stubbornness are her fueling motives and she fights against the Nazi reign, even at the risk of her own safety.
I want to tell you all about the book. I want to give you every awesome detail but to do so would ruin the story. Secrets She Kept takes you back in time. It allows you to discover Germany during WWII not only from an American Western point of view but from the Jewish point of view and from the Nazi point of view. How Ms. Gohlke manages to weave the stories in such a way, to accomplish this, is nothing short of artistry.
Here are my favorite quotes from this amazing story:
“…If America could rid herself of those races who’ve become a burden on your society, then…well, you would see that are not the only ones with a vision. We were simply the only ones with a Fuhrer made of steel.” (pg. 328) – Dr. Peterson
“My dear,” she laughed softly. “We’re all trash. Its only His love and grace, His forgiveness, that make us clean.” (Pg. 337) – Mutter Kirchmann
“And it’s only by forgiving that we can be free of that poison that would steal our life.” She held my face in her hands. “Don’t hate, my child. That’s a prison worse than Ravensbruck.” (pg. 337) – Mutter Kirchmann
“How many lives are destroyed when we do one wicked thing?” (pg. 377) Hannah Sterling
In one of the most powerful scenes, Hannah meets a woman who tells her the story of her own struggle through forgiveness and then reminds her that it’s only through Jesus that we can forgive. It’s impossible in our own strength.
Secrets She Kept is a story of finding oneself by releasing the expectations of others, along with the interpretations and perceptions we burden with their identities. It’s the story of courage to go beyond the comfortable and safe world, to dig beneath to the layer where the ugliest of human tendencies lie. It’s the story of redemption beyond the grave.
Five out of five stars is far too low. This book is a ten and beyond.
I received this book from The Book Club Network, NetGalley and Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion which I’ve provided here.
https://wordynerdyblog.wordpress.com/2016-book-reviews/secrets-she-kept-by-cathy... ( )