Author: Laura Prescott
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
Genre: Historical Fiction
Year of Release: 2019
Release date September 17th, 2019
Rating 🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis
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.
Review
October 1962 America is in the height of a cold war with the Soviet Union and two secretaries at the CIA; Irina and Sally are offered an assignment of a lifetime. Their task to smuggle the novel Dr Zhivago to Russia so that it can be published, the reason for this task the Soviets have banned this book in the belief it should never be seen by the public. The Soviets believed the story Pasternak penned holds dangerous secrets. Other countries don’t hold the same belief as the USSR, rather they embraced the novel in particular the USA the land of the free used this book it as a weapon in The Cold War.
I had been meaning to read this book since its release and had started on a couple of occasions, but something kept me from moving past the first two chapters, I decided earlier this year that 2021 would be the year. The narration used to tell this story worked well and become a standout element for me when reading this book.
About halfway through this read I realised I enjoyed the parts of the story that involved Irina were the standout for me, I felt more of a connection towards her and her mother whereas the character of Olga comes off as cold and selfish, her relationship with Boris seemed to be of higher priority to her then that of her children.
Maybe I struggle to connect with Olga because I wouldn’t spend three years in a Labour camp even for a paramour, no book is that good!
One of the techniques that has drawn me into the Historical Fiction genre is the ability to weave dual perspectives into one story without blurring the story. I felt like I was reading two different books especially the jump in timelines, I found this technique confused me on more than one occasion; this might have been because so many events take place in this book and turned The Secrets, We Kept into a long read for this reader. Â
The espionage sections were a standout and what drew me into reading this book I wish I could’ve stayed in these sections of the book amongst the typists, their witty banter made me appreciate their friendship as the story progressed also these areas of the book seemed faster in pace rather than those times of bearing witness to Olga and Boris’s relationship which moved painfully slow for me.
 As much as I didn’t connect with all the characters, I think Lara Prescott has taken care to create three dimensional characters, I also think Lara Prescott has done a wonderful job crafting fiction around fact this would not be an easy task.
If you’re a fan of Doctor Zhivago or stories the cold War I suggest you investigate the Secrets We Kept.
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