All My Secrets
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4.5 • 25 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Bestselling author Lynn Austin returns with a luminous work of historical fiction set amid the opulence of Gilded Age New York, where three generations of women in one family must reckon with the choices they have made and their hopes for the future.
New York, 1898. The only thing more shocking than Arthur Stanhope III’s unexpected death is the revelation that his will bestows his company—and most of the vast fortune that goes with it—to the nearest male heir, leaving his mother, wife, and daughter nearly impoverished. His widow, Sylvia, quickly realizes she must set aside her grief to ensure their daughter, Adelaide, is launched into society as soon as the appropriate mourning period passes. If Sylvia can find a wealthy husband for Addy before anyone realizes they’re practically destitute, there will be little disruption to the lifestyle they’re accustomed to.
Sylvia’s mother-in-law, Junietta, believes their life could use a little disruption. She has watched Sylvia play her role as a society wife, as Junietta once did, despite what it cost them both. Junietta vows to give her granddaughter the power to choose a path beyond what society expects.
But for Addy to have that chance, both mother and grandmother must first confront painful truths about their own choices. Only in bringing their secrets to light can they hope to reshape their family inheritance into a legacy more fulfilling than they ever dared dream.
• Stand alone Christian historical romance from Christy Award Hall of Fame author
• Historical drama full of complex family dynamics
• Perfect for fans of Eve’s Daughters and other family sagas
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Austin (Long Way Home) sets this engrossing family drama against a cloistered, glittering world of Gilded Age wealth. When New York City business magnate Arthur Stanhope III dies in 1898, leaving his fortune to his male next of kin (a "weaselly" old uncle), the Stanhope women—Arthur's mother Junietta, wife Sylvia, and daughter Adelaide—are left adrift and uncertain of the future. Eager to hang onto their mansion and lavish lifestyle, Sylvia decides that 19-year-old Adelaide must marry a man of means. But Junietta has other ideas—"You can go anywhere and be anything want to be," she tells her granddaughter, recalling how she'd been trapped by the rigid rules of her own high-society upbringing. Adelaide endures her mother's dinner party setups until she starts to fall for the family's young, middle-class lawyer. As issues with the mansion crest, Sylvia weighs whether to remain hostage to the rules of the upper crust, Junietta reflects on past regrets and a lost romance, and Adelaide must decide if true love is worth sacrificing her place in high-society New York. Austin brings a complex tangle of family bonds to life with nuance, delivering an inspiring message about the value of following one's heart in the face of social pressures. The result will please Austin's fans and should win her some new ones.
Customer Reviews
Excellent
This was an excellent book! I would encourage everyone to read it. It was captivating. I had to make myself stop reading.
Excellent storytelling
This story was a lovely, fresh look at how our lives, no matter how broken, can be made into something beautiful if we give ourselves over to the Lord’s will and allow Him to direct our paths, choosing to use the gifts He has given each of us to help others and glorify Him.
Like the petals of a flower, slowly unfurling, the characters take us on a journey through their lives, all of their hopes and dreams, the bubbly intensity and also tragedies of first love, how families and their choices can shape a young life forever… How your response to a situation, your reactions in both the good and the bad times, can cause a ripple effect and leave a lasting influence on the lives of countless others around you.
All My Secrets has a unique storyline that engulfed me right through to the last page! I love the dynamics of Junietta, Sylvia and Adelaide’s relationship and the growth expressed by each of them throughout the book. And I came to care deeply about each of them! I relished the slow revelation of secrets, both shocking and tragic, that played out across the pages as I progressed, spiraling first downward, only to begin the steady march back up, igniting a flicker of hope in my heart that had grown into a cozy hearth-fire by the end.
This was storytelling at its best!
All My Secrets
This is a historical romance of the Gilded Age ..in .New York.
3 generations of Stanhope women that married into wealth.
I found it was interesting how these three coped with what they had to do.
Was well written.
Given arc by NG..and Tyndale for my voluntary review