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City of Secrets
City of Secrets | Stewart O'Nan
8 posts | 9 read | 2 to read
From master storyteller Stewart O'Nan, a timely moral thriller of the Jewish underground resistance in Jerusalem after the Second World War In 1945, with no homes to return to, Jewish refugees by the tens of thousands set out for Palestine. Those who made it were hunted as illegals by the British mandatory authorities there and relied on the underground to shelter them; taking fake names, they blended with the population, joining the wildly different factions fighting for the independence of Israel. City of Secrets follows one survivor, Brand, as he tries to regain himself after losing everyone he's ever loved. Now driving a taxi provided--like his new identity--by the underground, he navigates the twisting streets of Jerusalem as well as the overlapping, sometimes deadly loyalties of the resistance. Alone, haunted by memories, he tries to become again the man he was before the war--honest, strong, capable of moral choice. He falls in love with Eva, a fellow survivor and member of his cell, reclaims his faith, and commits himself to the revolution, accepting secret missions that grow more and more dangerous even as he begins to suspect he's being used by their cell's dashing leader, Asher. By the time Brand understands the truth, it's too late, and the tragedy that ensues changes history. A noirish, deeply felt novel of intrigue and identity written in O'Nan's trademark lucent style, City of Secrets asks how both despair and faith can lead us astray, and what happens when, with the noblest intentions, we join movements beyond our control.
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OrangeMooseReads
City of Secrets | Stewart O'Nan
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Picked this up at Dollar Tree today. It looks interesting.

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Mccall0113
City of Secrets | Stewart O'Nan
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Today's bookish mail. Not shown is for #CoverToCover ! @EmilyChristine

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BzerkMcD
City of Secrets | Stewart O'Nan
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Pickpick

*insert snooty, holier than thou PBS voice* It was... ok. I still give it two horns up for the history and build towards the ending, but it just up and stopped at the end. As if Mr. O'Nan had to hop up and run off while in sight of the "proper" ending. Leaving him no choice but to scribble the final paragraph and bolt for the exits. Damn, I HATE saying anything ill of anyone willing to put words on a page for me to read.

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LitHousewife
City of Secrets | Stewart O'Nan
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Thanks for the recommendation, @BethFishReads !!! Edoardo Ballerini narrates. This will be good!

Reviewsbylola I have always been curious about O'Nan. 8y
Lindy I agree with @BethFishReads : if Ballerini reads, it's bound to be good. 8y
BethFishReads Oh yes. Should be great. I usually like O'Nan and this looked really interesting. @Lindy 8y
38 likes3 comments
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booksandblintzes
City of Secrets | Stewart O'Nan
Pickpick

This is a great example of a good book that just wasn't quite my cup of tea. I loved the historical setting and thought that the sparse writing style perfectly matched the main character's experience and story. I prefer more narrative detail to sweep me away. I enjoyed the book more thinking about it after I finished it than while reading it.

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AliceInWonderLibrary
City of Secrets | Stewart O'Nan

I put this aside to read some galleys I had waiting and just realized that it is due on Wednesday. The issue is that I am leaving town Sunday morning...let the speed reading commence.

25 likes1 stack add
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AliceInWonderLibrary
City of Secrets | Stewart O'Nan

#book2
#24in48 survey time!
Where in the world are you reading from this weekend?
Idaho
Have you done the 24in48 readathon before?
No
Where did you hear about the readathon, if it is your first?
Litsy
What book are you most excited about reading this weekend? (1 physical, 1 electronic)
Six of Crows, The Roanoke Girls
Tell us something about yourself.
I am a C-print captionist
Where to find you online this weekend.
Litsy, Goodreads

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AliceInWonderLibrary
City of Secrets | Stewart O'Nan

I was hoping to have this finished before tomorrow.
I'm only on chapter 2....