The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott

Read by Carlotta Brentan, Cynthis Farrell, Mozhan Marno, Jonathan Davis, David Pittu, James Fouhey

10 hours, 55 minutes

Published September 2019 by Knopf

Publisher’s Summary: 

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.

The Secrets We Kept combines a legendary literary love story--the decades-long affair between Pasternak and his mistress and muse, Olga Ivinskaya, who was sent to the Gulag and inspired Zhivago's heroine, Lara--with a narrative about two women empowered to lead lives of extraordinary intrigue and risk. From Pasternak's country estate outside Moscow to the brutalities of the Gulag, from Washington, D.C. to Paris and Milan, The Secrets We Kept captures a watershed moment in the history of literature--told with soaring emotional intensity and captivating historical detail. And at the center of this unforgettable debut is the powerful belief that a piece of art can change the world.

My Thoughts: 

This is one of those books that's been on my TBR for a few years. When I was looking for books for my book club to read in 2026 and saw that this one had been one of Reese Witherspoon's choices, I thought it was finally a good time to read it. 

First: the audiobook is definitely the way to go with this one. I really enjoyed having all of the different readers. 

Second: this is a good choice for a book club selection. There is so much to discuss - the history (both the history of Doctor Zhivago and the history of the U.S.'s choice to use it as propaganda, the way women were treated during that time, the multiple romantic stories some of which were scandalous at the time). 

I thought there were too many things going on in the book, another member felt like this could have been two separate books, others thought all of the different things worked well together. The very first thing someone said at our meeting when I said "let's talk about the book" was "and how bad the women had it then!" 

Third: I wish that the women had been the main focus of the book and that Prescott had found another way to get readers the background of Doctor Zhivago, without creating Olga's written history of her relationship with Boris and the book. 

In the end, I liked a lot about this book; I just wish it had been structured differently so that it didn't bounce so much between two story lines. 

Life: It Goes On - April 7

Happy Tuesday! Is there a good reason I'm not posting until today? Not really. I was tired after hosting Easter dinner on Saturday and then going to a baseball game Sunday afternoon and just couldn't make myself do much of anything on Sunday. And then yesterday, well yesterday was Monday. 

I have been reading - between a pile of physical library books and a Libby account that just keeps hovering at three books waiting for me, I've been happily absorbed in books. For a person who's so far behind on reviews, this is going to create a big problem. Reviews in the next few weeks are probably going to be very abbreviated. 

Last Week I: 

Listened To: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans and Doris Kearns Goodwin's Wait Till Next Year, which I finished today. Now listening to Steven Rowley's The Guncle, which my sister highly recommended. 

Watched: Basketball, The Voice, Will Trent, High Potential. 

Read: Claire Lombardo's Same As It Ever Was and Camilla Barnes' The Usual Desire To Kill.

Made: Ham, cheesy potatoes, layered salad and chocolate pie. Boy, am I enjoying the leftover potatoes and ham for my lunches! 

Enjoyed: Saturday we hosted Mini-him, Miss C and her parents, and friends for dinner. Sunday we went to our first baseball game of the season. One day I'll figure out how to dress warmly enough for the early season games. Sunday was not that day!

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This Week I’m:  

Planning: Taxes. Ugh. 

Thinking About: All of the paperwork I need to get done this week. Sure going to cut into my reading time! 

Feeling: Like I need to eat salad for a few days. 

Looking forward to: I'm cat sitting for Mini-him and Miss C this week. Their place is on my way home from work and it's not hard work. But I am looking forward to getting home from work at my regular time once they get back. 

Question of the week: If you celebrate Easter, what's the one dish you absolutely have to have?