Book Review The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott

What a surprise this book was.  A book about a book.  I loved it.

Set in post-war era where the USA (CIA) is trying to infiltrate the USSR, this book is based on real events and a real plot to bring the classic Russian novel Dr. Zhivago, first out of the USSR to be printed and then back to the people of the USSR to read.

Instead of propaganda, the CIA used Pasternak’s magnum opus against the USSR government. What you say?  Crazy right?  I had no idea that magnificent book by Pasternak was banned in the USSR and thanks to a net work of primarily female spies, the book was infiltrated into the USSR during the Cold War 1960’s.

The story takes the reader from the height of the Cold War in the Washington DC region to the streets of Moscow and the the Soviet Union prison of Galug.  Pasternak and his real life mistress and muse Olga Ivinskaya dedicate their lives to get Dr. Zhivago published.  But without the “secretaries” turned spies from the CIA, this classical and epic novel would never have seen print.

The book touches eloquently on so many societal issue of the day from lack of females in prominent roles in offices, to mysogenistic work places.  It touches on male dominance of females in the work place as well as the societal norms that women should be home with the children.

I enjoyed this book, learning about the personal life of Pasternak, as well as some of the horribly brutal consequences of going against the government in the Soviet Union.  I also thought the author did a great job with the descriptive narrative bringing the reader back to the 1950’s with details about clothing and cars, decor and dining and a variety of other historical detail making the book come to life.  This is one book I would love to see as a movie.  I’m already thinking about who should play the leads.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Five Stars for The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott

Read last week’s review of Say Nothing

My current read The Ambassadors Daughter

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