Summary
Can a mother be true to her children if she cannot be true to herself?
Having her son and daughter at 21 forced Lucy Murphy to walk away from a glittering future. They are the loves of her life and she is determined that they will have wonderful lives.
Having her son and daughter at 21 forced Lucy Murphy to walk away from a glittering future. They are the loves of her life and she is determined that they will have wonderful lives.
So a scholarship to a prestigious school seems like a golden opportunity for the twins, the fulfilment of every wish Lucy has for them. But Lucy is confusing her thwarted ambitions with what her children really want. After all, seventeen-year-olds have dreams of their own, dreams they cannot always share with their mother.
Until catastrophe strikes, Lucy is blind to the cost of forcing her own wishes on the twins, particularly her sensitive daughter. To have any hope of surviving as a family, all three will have to face up to some surprising and difficult truths ...
Our Secrets and Lies is a moving, gripping and thought-provoking story about a mother learning the hardest lesson of all - how to let go of her children and how to live without them.
Praise for Sinéad Moriarty
'A heart-warming and a heart-breaking story, beautifully written and sensitive' Woman's Way
'A fascinating exploration of difficult subjects ... Moriarty writes with compelling authority' Irish Times
'There is warmth and heart aplenty in this delicately told story' Daily Mail
'OMG! I'm an emotional wreck after reading this novel, probably not helped by the fact that I pulled an all-nighter to finish it ... I just could not put it down' Eileen Dunne, RTÉ
'Heartfelt and deeply moving ... I couldn't put it down.' Susan Lewis
'We ate this fabulous story up - 4 stars' Heat magazine
'Intriguing and thought provoking ... a great read.' Katie Fforde
'Gripping and thought-provoking - I was desperate to discover how it would pan out!' Paige Toon
Review
A touching and emotional story that had me laughing out loud and occasionally in tears. The author manages to touch upon a variety of themes and they are handled with empathy and attention to detail. I really liked that a cliche priest didn't factor anywhere in the story to lecture Lucy or to force her down the aisle. This really is a novel that reflects contemporary Ireland.
I liked Lucy and Tom from the beginning. They didn't have much of a chance to survive the mess they found themselves in because they were young and immature and because of the interference from a certain individual who held sway over them. But the story wasn't really about Tom and Lucy. It's about family and friendship, love and hope.
Lucy's family and friends made an excellent cast of side characters. In fact it is these characters that really made the novel shine for me. Young Ollie provided light relief and his antics truly had me laughing out loud. I felt for Lucy's children, Dylan and Kelly, who had to constantly strive to meet their mother's expectations. Kelly also had the added difficulties of being bullied at school and thought the author did a great job of highlighting the issue of cyber bullying and how relentlessly it occurs. It doesn't hold to a timetable and you can't escape it just by leaving the school building.
I also liked Lucy's sister Jenny. She followed her dreams of being a makeup artist and the fact that she is very happy with her life, single and childless, was refreshing to read. Plus her romantic shenanigans made entertaining reading.
This was a great story, difficult to put down. The ending left me feeling happy and imagining good things for this family and for Tom and Lucy.
I liked Lucy and Tom from the beginning. They didn't have much of a chance to survive the mess they found themselves in because they were young and immature and because of the interference from a certain individual who held sway over them. But the story wasn't really about Tom and Lucy. It's about family and friendship, love and hope.
Lucy's family and friends made an excellent cast of side characters. In fact it is these characters that really made the novel shine for me. Young Ollie provided light relief and his antics truly had me laughing out loud. I felt for Lucy's children, Dylan and Kelly, who had to constantly strive to meet their mother's expectations. Kelly also had the added difficulties of being bullied at school and thought the author did a great job of highlighting the issue of cyber bullying and how relentlessly it occurs. It doesn't hold to a timetable and you can't escape it just by leaving the school building.
I also liked Lucy's sister Jenny. She followed her dreams of being a makeup artist and the fact that she is very happy with her life, single and childless, was refreshing to read. Plus her romantic shenanigans made entertaining reading.
This was a great story, difficult to put down. The ending left me feeling happy and imagining good things for this family and for Tom and Lucy.
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