The whirl of trench coats and cocktails and midnight meetings on park benches has the heady whiff of classic old-fashioned spy storytelling, but filtered, too, through Prescott’s thoroughly modern lens. And the result is something like a protofeminist Mad Men transposed to the world of international espionage—all excellent midcentury style and intrigue set against real, indelible history.
This rich and well-researched narrative has an almost epic sweep, with alternating dramatic plots involving spies and espionage, many fascinating characters (both historical and fictional) from East and West, and a gifted writer and storyteller to tie it all together ... For a debut novelist, Prescott writes with astonishing assurance, enthralling readers with tales of secret agents and intrigue, love, and betrayal. Highly recommended.
... electrifying ... Within this novel, Prescott manages to cleverly capture the essence of the Cold War era in the West by means of the lifestyle of her main characters and manages to accurately portray the political and sexual attitudes that were prevalent in the workplace of the time period ... While in the East, Prescott does a brilliant job of portraying the sense of paranoia and dread that existed between Pasternak’s mistress Olga Ivinskaya, a woman who spent several years in a labor camp because of her association with the famous novelist ... a remarkable debut novel and Prescott’s fictionalized interpretation of the Soviet Union’s suppression and the CIA’s covert distribution of Doctor Zhivago is meticulously researched and a sure bestseller. Although the back and forth between timelines was a bit confusing, this fact does not diminish the novel’s powerfully suspenseful nature and sweeping drama. The reader is easily transported back in time to the Cold War era with stylishly written dialogues and loads of intrigue.
The true stories within Lara Prescott’s first novel are by far the best thing about it. That’s saying a lot, because the job of weaving together bombshell espionage material long kept secret by the C.I.A. with the creation story of a now-dusty Russian novel and tartly-observed Mad Men-era feminism and sexual bigotry was tough. Prescott has managed to shape all of this into an above-average entry in the I-Knew-Hemingway genre ... Prescott has the first whopper novel, and it set off a bidding war, more likely on the basis of its commercial potential than its caliber as a page-turner ... Prescott, who once worked as a political-campaign operative, obviously knows her stuff, but she’s less adept at drawing individual characters than at conveying the women’s groupthink ... their inner lives here are less developed than the details of their wardrobes ... Prescott’s writing is putdownable. In a book this complicated, that’s a liability. It trundles on, full of interesting details and less interesting prose, with the occasional toe-stubber of a simile along the trail.
... propulsive storytelling and evocative mid-century detail ... It might be fashionable for writers of historical fiction to downplay their research, but Prescott openly flaunts its impact, not only on the plot of The Secrets We Kept but also on its structure and voice ... Though Secrets has already been described as a 'spy thriller,' it evokes Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt and Mary McCarthy’s The Group more than anything by Ian Fleming. It feels like something that would have been relegated to the 'cult' genre or published under a pen name had it been written in the ’50s. Instead, it’s one of the biggest fiction releases of the year.
One heart-wrenching scene after another shows Olga’s dedication to Pasternak as he struggles to complete his novel ... The Secrets We Kept suffers from problems that often plague debut novels. Some of Ms. Prescott’s narrators sound the same. Many scenes are cinematic rather than literary, which is not necessarily bad, except when dialogue doesn’t define character, build tension or further the narrative, as is sometimes the case here. And although the novel is well-researched, Ms. Prescott has a tendency to include unnecessary details ... But one can’t help being impressed by Ms. Prescott’s ambition. The Secrets We Kept skillfully evokes the role women played in helping to win the Cold War, and the affair between Olga and Boris is beautifully rendered. It may not be a perfect book, but the bearer of determination like Ms. Prescott’s has many memorable novels in her future.
In her debut novel, Prescott...has achieved a page-turner that is at once a spy thriller, historical fiction and heartfelt romance ... Most readers, if they haven’t read Doctor Zhivago, likely have seen the movie but might be unaware of the machinations that brought the story to worldwide attention. The Secrets We Kept is a way to learn that history and enjoy a thumping good story.
Prescott’s hard-boiled depiction of D.C.’s intelligence community — its social and sexual hierarchies — gives readers a gritty insider-tour of a Mad Men-redolent world where women had to work doubly hard to be taken as serious players, effectively doing everything backward and in heels ... Such is the thoroughness of Prescott’s research and the crispness of her delivery that the novel reads almost like a documentary, itemizing cultural milestones and emblems alongside women’s courageous contributions to postwar heroism. Her details vibrate with authority ... Sally, Irina and Olga are distinct, dimensional and complex voices; their arcs compelling and sometimes surprising ... Prescott sustains a breathless tension ... Without a speck of sentiment, Prescott has built an impassioned testament to them. Reading Secrets affords a pleasurable, inspiring way to absorb unsung history.
Prescott, who has a background working for political campaigns, showcases a talent at blending thorough research–she used Olga Ivinskaya’s biographies to inform the character–with energetic prose. Her writing is propulsive when she describes the high-stakes handling of the controversial book ... where some writers might endow those onlookers with envy or suspicion, Prescott instead paints the group as nosy but caring, curious but protective, all-knowing but discreet. And by allowing them to address the reader and assert their point of view–in a time and place where only men’s voices are heeded–Prescott puts the power in the women’s hands.
... [an] evocative, engrossing novel ... Prescott skillfully melds the political and personal through the lives of three women ... The Secrets We Kept is far from ordinary. Not surprisingly, Prescott’s novel appeared on bestseller lists almost as soon as it was released, so its achievement has hardly been a secret. It deserves all of the attention it gets.
The structure of The Secrets We Kept observes a fine symmetry ... Both sections are full of compelling prose, but, because the CIA activity was declassified only recently, 'West' is fresher. The symmetry extends to a sort of meta-device: The novel begins and ends with the collective voice of the typists—bright, talented women who sometimes know more than the men they work for, serving as a Greek chorus to a heartrending drama ... Prescott’s novel, shaped by a central intelligence of its own, is a bittersweet reminder of a world in which eloquent books like hers still counted.
Prescott’s deft treatment of this little-known, stranger-than-fiction saga could hardly be more fascinating ... In the end, Prescott ties this world-spanning novel together with aplomb. With multiple narrators and two riveting but complicated plotlines set on opposite sides of the globe, The Secrets We Kept abounds with not only intrigue but also plenty of joy, heartbreak and, yes, humor.
This is remarkable raw material for a novel. Prescott’s book...has all the ingredients for a spy thriller. It has a great cast of characters and a wealth of historical detail to be mined, plus the potential for insight into a bizarre and compelling point in our history and, of course, a love story. Prescott’s first achievement is her identification of these qualities: weaving them into a complex and involving narrative is altogether more of a challenge, but she works hard and with considerable ambition to meet it, and entwines a surprising love story of her own invention ... It is the female characters who carry this adventure, from the pragmatic, loyal, indestructible Olga to the marvellous typists ... Prescott may not be an accomplished prose stylist, but her characterisation is often deft. Her Pasternak is vividly flawed: histrionic, lachrymose but stubbornly lovable. Her research is thorough if occasionally a little too visible, and the portrayal of the love between Olga and Pasternak is poignant and convincing. Sold in 25 countries, with film rights optioned, The Secrets We Kept is set to be a publishing phenomenon; but more importantly, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
... asks a central question: Can a novel change the course of history? It’s an engaging thought to ponder, made all the more enjoyable by a diverse cast of characters that bring to life one of those true stories that’s actually stranger than fiction. Prescott clearly had fun crafting this story, and the result is a novel that’s a delight to read — and a secret worth sharing.
The sisterhood that Prescott initiates the reader into in this Cold War story, at once workaday and mythic, is one you're loath to leave even when the story has come to its close ... There's a discretion Prescott maintains throughout The Secrets We Kept, perhaps appropriate given the work and circumstances of her protagonists – she never prescribes an absolute truth when she can give you the big picture and the stories that gently contradict one another and let the reader draw their own conclusion instead. There's readerly pleasure in being trusted to have a keen eye and considerable storytelling strength in the approach as well ... There's a lot endured by the women of The Secrets We Kept – professional disrespect, governmental menace, sexual assault, all on top of the indignity of their accomplishments being swept under the rug – but astonishingly, this isn't a novel as bleak as a Russian winter. Hope isn't something anyone comes by lightly, Prescott suggests – its maintenance requires imagination, fortitude, and enduring love – but she's assembled a group of heroines with all three in spades.
Good news and better news. Good news? The Secrets We Kept is one of fall’s big books; and the better news is that it deserves to be ... Ms. Prescott’s fictionalized telling of the story sticks closely to the facts of what the CIA did to get Dr. Zhivago published in Russian in Russia ...
The characterization and setting are, as said, first rate, but so also are the plotting and its development ... The Secrets We Kept is a fine book, well deserving of its out-of-the-box success for all the reasons stated and implied above, but mainly for the undeniable fact that it is a very good story very well told.
It is bold to write a novel about the power of literature because, inevitably, this puts the reader on high alert as to the quality of your prose. Prescott’s writing is bewilderingly flat and her observations clichéd ... Potentially dramatic storylines are wasted opportunities: two women in the CIA embark on a passionate affair with dreadful consequences, but their relationship never quite rings true. The most interesting plotline concerns an experienced femme fatale-type spy who is sexually assaulted by a colleague, then ousted from the service, but this is under-explored too. Prescott says that her novel contains direct descriptions and quotes from first-hand accounts of the events she has fictionalised, which include 99 memos and reports relating to the Zhivago mission that the CIA released in 2014. This may explain some of her heavy-footed prose, but sadly can’t excuse it.
Prescott’s debut far surpasses the typical genre fare ... Prescott...does a masterful job of spanning continents and juggling shifting points of view, but readers may wish to keep notes to remember who’s who. Cold War buffs or those familiar with Pasternak’s tour-de-force and its adaptations will find this book especially enticing. Those new to the story will still be intrigued, and perhaps want to seek out the original.
Prescott’s triumphant debut offers a fresh perspective on women employed by the CIA during the 1950s and their role in disseminating into the Soviet Union copies of Dr. Zhivago, Boris Pasternak’s banned masterpiece ... Through lucid images and vibrant storytelling, Prescott creates an edgy postfeminist vision of the Cold War, encompassing Sputnik to glasnost, typing pool to gulag, for a smart, lively page-turner. This debut shines as spy story, publication thriller, and historical romance with a twist.
Despite the passionate avowals and heroics, the love affair of Olga and Boris never quite catches fire. But the Western portions of the book—the D.C. gossip, the details of spy training, and the lesbian affair—really sing. An intriguing and little-known chapter of literary history is brought to life with brio.
