The Secret Hours is the fourth volume in a series, The Deverill Chronicles, that was intended to be a trilogy--one volume focused on each of three women, Kitty, Celia, and Bridie--but has now become a quartet. Although Kitty returns in this extra book, emphasis is on the story of Arethusa Deverill, who moved from her native Ireland to America, and her daughter, Faye, who grew up in the U.S. Arethusa never talked about her homeland, and her family didn't question her about her early life. Years later, her death and some puzzling bequests in her will lead Faye to visit her mother's homeland, where a succession of surprises await. Although the reader may see some of them coming before Faye does, this is an entertaining and, at times, a very touching read. I have read a few of the author's other books and regard The Deverill Chronicles as her best.

Three years have elapsed since I read the earlier volumes, in rapid succession. I regret that I don't remember the intricacies of the complex plot as thoroughly as I would like. I found myself recognizing minor characters' names and thinking, "Oh, yes, that's the one who had twins" or whatever, but not recalling details of how the characters fit into the current narrative. Some of the backstory is provided, but it's only enough for the present one to make sense--sort of on a need-to-know basis. I encourage readers who are just starting the series to read the books straight through, in order, and also to be alert that some volumes have different titles in the U.S. from those published in Great Britain. ( )

Noel donation

Het afsluitende vierde deel van de Deveril serie (hoewel je dat nooit zeker kan weten, er is nog van alles mogelijk). En ik heb net met tranen in mijn ogen de laatste bladzijdes gelezen. Het verhaal van Arethusa Deverill, vertelt via haar dagboek aan haar dochter Faye, is pijnlijk en zou in deze tijd ook niet zo makkelijk meer voorkomen. Dat hoop ik tenminste. Het verhaal is een 9 waard, maar het wordt een 8 doordat ik me wel gestoord heb aan aantal herhalingen van bepaalde zinnen die regelmatig voorkomen. Faye vertelt namelijk steeds weer dat je nu maar eens moet gaan doen wat ze zelf wil en niet wat anderen vinden dat ze moet willen. Dat werd best irritant. ( )