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The Keeper of Secrets: A Novel
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The Keeper of Secrets: A Novel
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The Keeper of Secrets: A Novel
Audiobook10 hours

The Keeper of Secrets: A Novel

Written by Julie Thomas

Narrated by Elizabeth Wiley

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

In 1939 Berlin, eighteen-year-old Simon Horowitz's world is stirred by his father's 1742 Guarneri del Gesu violin. When Nazis march across Europe and Simon is sent to Dachau, he finds unexpected kindness, and a chance to live.



In the present day, orchestra conductor Rafael Gomez finds himself inspired by Daniel Horowitz, a fourteen-year-old violin virtuoso who refuses to play. When Rafael learns that the boy's family once owned a precious violin believed to have been lost forever, Rafael seizes the power of history and discovers a family story like no other.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherTantor Audio
Release dateMay 24, 2016
ISBN9781515977346
Author

Julie Thomas

Julie Thomas is the author of the highly acclaimed The Keeper of Secrets, Rachel's Legacy and Levi's War. She worked in the media in New Zealand for over 25 years in radio, television and film, before turning to full-time writing. She lives in Cambridge, New Zealand.

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Reviews for The Keeper of Secrets

Rating: 3.8 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    For me, "The Keeper of Secrets" had many ups and downs. I loved the story of the priceless Guarneri violin, the history of violin making and all the musical references. The author did a good job weaving the violin through the stories of fourteen-year-old Danimal Horowitz, his grandfather, Simon, and Russian-born, Sergei Valentino. I especially enjoyed Simon's tale. He lost his beloved violin during the Holocaust and the horrors he had to endure at the Dachau concentration camp were gut-wrenching,However, there were many times when I found the plot incredibly slow, and I had to force myself to keep reading. There was just too much detail which interrupted the flow of the story and bogged the book down, almost to a grinding halt. Also, there was little character development and Sergei's story was just not interesting. As for the ending, although sweet, it finished too conveniently for my liking. "The Keeper of Secrets" was a good read, but not a great one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I think the best summary of this book is the last paragraph of the book. Daniel Horowitz, one of the characters, is being interviewed about his life as a violin virtuoso, says to his interviewer,"The opening sentence should be, 'this is not so much my story as the story of a German Jew, a Spanish Catholic, a Russian agnostic, and a rather special violin called Yulena.'The violin, rare and extremely valuable, is confiscated by the Nazis from a wealthy, musical Jewish family. The events from the sixty years between the confiscation and the recovery of the violin is the focus of the story.Well-written. But one chapter stands out as an especially haunting description of the liberation of Dachau.This book is a must read for classical music lovers.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Historic - definitely. Fiction - maybe not so much. I was hooked from the first paragraph.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Although greatly appealing to music lovers, all will enjoy this book. Julie Thomas has given us a lovely debut novel about the healing power of music. Set both during the Holocaust and in modern day, the story revolves around two violinists. The grandfather, Simon Horowitz, survived the horrors of Dachau because of his playing. His grandson, Daniel, has won an international competition, but is ambivalent about pursuing a career because he doesn't want baseball taken away from him. An interesting mystery about the legitimacy of a 1729 Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu violin is woven throughout.The writer obviously understands the violin, the repertoire and the life of a professional musician (I can attest to that because I also am one). I prefer a more careful use of adjectives, but I found myself absorbed in the story. I look forward to Ms. Thomas's next book.I thank LibraryThing for an advance reading copy provided for my unbiased opinion.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program. The Keeper of Secrets is the story of a violin that was confiscated from a Jewish family in Berlin in 1939 and the lives of those it has impacted, including one 14 year-old violin prodigy who is a descendant of the family that used to own the violin. It is a thoughtful and well-told story, and I found it difficult to put the book down. It is poignant in the way it brings together those whose lives the violin has touched, and I was disappointed when the story ended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The keeper of secrets is the story of a valuable 1742 Guarneri del Gesu violin stolen from a Jewish family, the Horowitzs, during World War 11: a violin which then ended up in the hands of a Stalinist Russian family, brought for a talented granddaughter to play. It is is fact three stories. It is the grandfather Simon Horowitz's story, the grandson Daniel's story, and the story of the Russian owners of the violin.Simon Horowitz, a talented violinist, ended up with his father in Dachau but he was able to survive because a German officer recognised his musical talent and asked him to play for himself and his fellow officers and at times he protected Simon from ill treatment by other officers.The grandson fourteen year old Daniel Horowitz is also a talented violinist and the winner of a prestigious competition but he wants to give up playing when he is told he can't play ball as he may damage his fingers. And then there is Rafael who takes on Daniel's case and tries to encourage him to continue playing. When they both realise they know where the precious violin is there is the question to be answered - will the Horowitz family get their violin back and will Daniel continue to play? This was an enjoyable story, very moving at times. It was interesting to look at the war years through a different lens -the lost possessions of the Jewish families particularly in this case musical instruments.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I thought this would be a book clubby sort of thing - and I guess it was - but I very much enjoyed it. There were a couple of things that were noticeable - the focus of the first part seemed as though it was to be on the boy, but it really focused more on the conductor. This wasn't a bad thing, but I had the impression that the boy was to be the focus...so the feel I got was that that section was UNfocused. The gypsy girl character seemed forced in; maybe there had been more about her that was cut? And the resolution seemed a little pat. But it very much held my interest and I'd recommend it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Beginning in 1939 in Berlin to the present day, The Keeper of Secrets tells the story of the Horowitz family and their very valuable Gesu Violin. The Horowitzs watched in horror as their beloved country became a violent and dangerous place to be, especially for the Jews. Nazi's stole all their priceless possessions and sent three male members of the family to a concentration camp. My heart broke for fourteen-year old Simon, his father and his brother as they tried to survive in the camp. Hope for the future and love for each other was all they had but somehow Simon managed to find a way to make life a bit easier, for a time anyway. Present day storyline finds Daniel Horowitz, Simon's grandson, at a crossroads; he wants to just be a kid and play baseball but he also loves the music his violin can make. His parents try to impress upon him that he has the potential to be a world class virtuoso and must work constantly to live up to that. The world renowned orchestra conductor, Rafael Gomez, works with Daniel and his family to sort out their goals. Gomez becomes the catalyst to bring the family's stolen violin back where it belongs.I found this to be a wonderful story, even with the heartbreak of WWII. The author, Julie Thomas, did a wonderful job of making her characters, whether they were from America, Germany or Russia, leap off the page and the story line come to life. If you like historical fiction with a deep human element to it, The Keeper of Secrets is the book for you. I loved it!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Having just completed another book with a similar style and Holocaust theme (The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult) before reading The Keeper of Secrets, I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I liked Thomas's style of writing, and I found it a very fast read. Despite there being so many books about the Holocaust, this book managed to differentiate itself from the others and didn't solely focus on the Holocaust. It was interesting learning about the violins, and I found the Russian part of the book to be a different spin on that time period.I would highly recommend this book, and I believe it would be a good choice for a book discussion group. There are many ethical issues to discuss, and the guide in the back of the book raises many thought-provoking questions.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This story includes a few generations of Jews, Nazi's and Russians and their lives all come together in a wonderful ending. While I loved the ending to this book I had a hard time getting into the book. The chapters flipped back and forth between past and present and it made for a little confusion. I also did not "fall in love" with any one character and for that reason felt bad for them all in some small way. Maybe this is a good thing?I love to read anything about the holocaust and that era so this book was a great new perspective on how Jews lost their possessions and how years later some of them were reconnected to the items they or their relatives lost. The musical aspect of this book was wonderful as well and I feel like I learned a bit about violins from reading this book. All in all it was a good read and I am glad that I took the time to read it .
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received a copy of The Keeper of Secrets by Julie Thomas as an Early Reviewer for Librarything.com in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.Initially, I did not think I was going to enjoy The Keeper of Secrets. The author's writing style was distracting with the abundance of adjectives used to describe every person, place and thing. I am not sure if, over several chapters, I became accustomed to Ms. Thomas' writing style or if the author's writing changed as her novel progressed, but I did adapt to it as I became more involved with the story. It is always appealing when a book can teach something new to its reader. I learned a great deal about violins, their beauty, their history, their craftsmanship, and their designers. Equally as interesting, but also heartbreaking, was the connection of these extraordinary instruments to the Holocaust and how they represented many of the precious items confiscated from the Jewish people by the Nazis during World War II. The violin stood as a beacon of hope for the Horowitz family during this desperate and bleak period of history.The author presented a very rich and satisfying story, yet, certain situations were too convenient, too simple; resolution was too easy. I thought the Epilogue was a nice touch. I always appreciate getting a glimpse of what became of the characters.I enjoyed The Keeper of Secrets, and I do recommend reading it, but with some reservations.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Although I've never been a real fan of the violin, I do enjoy stories about a house or an object that has survived through the centuries passing through various owners. The Keeper of Secrets is a welcome addition to this literary tradition. The cast of characters is an interesting one. Simon Horowitz and his family react too slowly for most to survive the Holocaust. Simon has the character, the intelligence and the strength of will to do so, and he must use all of that in order to walk out of the infamous concentration camp known as Dachau. Daniel Horowitz, who has a once-in-a-lifetime talent, wants to be an ordinary boy who plays baseball with his friends. Daniel's mother is a woman who insists everything be sacrificed to Daniel's talent. The boy's father is a man who's torn between wanting his son to have a normal childhood and wanting his son to use his gift to its full potential. Rafael Gomez is a man whose love of music has ruled his life, and he wants Daniel to be a sort of gift to the profession he loves. All these characters blend together very well within the author's framework. Germany in the 1930s came to life as I read; the burgeoning power of the Nazis, the people who saw what was happening and got out, those who refused to see and stayed. Two elements in particular impressed me. One was the inclusion of various German characters who helped those being persecuted in whatever ways they could. The second was the fact that the chapters of the book involving Simon's internment in Dachau were horrible without being graphic. Thomas didn't candy coat anything, but she didn't feel the need to bury readers in the details of all the atrocities. Perhaps music was the most profound element of The Keeper of Secrets, and I'm not just talking about learning the business aspects behind world-class orchestras. I've never read another book that made me feel even the tiniest bit like a gifted musician would feel as he played, what a piece of music can tell him, and how different instruments playing the same piece of music can sound differently. Somehow Thomas managed to convey all that and more.The power of good characterization, of a good story, and of music combined to make Julie Thomas's book a virtuoso performance.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a really beautiful page-turner. A Jewish family in Germany are among victims in a progrom during WWII. Nazis enter their home and start looting their valuables, priceless art and musical instruments, including a century old violin. The family is separated, and 2 of the younger sons are sent to Dachau where they suffer horrors no child should ever have to have knowledge of, nevermind experience. But Simon Horowitz, then 14 year old, survives through music. A chance encounter and gift of a violin at the camp allows him a brief reprieve from starvation, fear and work at the camp. The looted violin survives its Nazi owner too, changes hands and moves to Stalin's Russia, where it is carefully preserved by a Russian billionaire with secrets of his own, and occasionally played by a talented young woman. Daniel, Simon's grandson and violin prodigy, may be the key to the recovery of the treasured violin, but he's suddenly sworn off playing the violin. A Spanish orchestra conductor who has taken an interest in Daniel believes he may be able to help Daniel regain his passion for playing again and recover the lost violin at the same time. It's a wonderful spell-binding story. I hope this isn't the last we hear from this author.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am a big lover of WWII stories and this one did not disappoint. The incorporation of music was very different and delightful. The characters were both lovable and well developed. The plot was very intriguing and fast paced. The writing and descriptive language were beautiful. I definitely didn't want to put this novel down. It kept me entertained and warmed my heart.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I picked up this book and could hardly put it down until it was finished. The tale of The Horowitz Family and the invaluable violin that has been with them for centuries is woven back and forth between present day and World War II. The story starts with the violin being altered by Benjamin Horowitz shortly before the Holocaust. He was afraid of losing the violin due to the climate of the day and thought that making it appear less valuable would increase it's chance of surviving in his family. The story then switches to modern day and 14 yr old violin virtuoso Daniel Horowitz. The book moves quickly and was a delight to read. The rich history of the Horowitz family, the suffering and death they endured at Dachau, and their love of music weave a story that everyone should read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am a huge historical fiction fan, but this book really is a contemporary one with a heavy amount of back story. In fact one of my few disappointments was that I anticipated more of the historical aspect. Not that this book is a bust - it isn't. For many, the lack of going back into history will work just fine as it is a part of history many of us know, or at least should know.The other aspect of the story that didn't sit best with me were many of the characters. I liked them all, even hated the ones I'm supposed to hate, however I never felt an intense connection with them as much as I thought I should have.Usually if the characters don't draw me in, the story does. Here, neither overpowered the other. It was a comfortable read, with no highs or lows, which is why I recommend it for those looking to sit back, relax, and let the story and its characters gently share a story easily read over a weekend.There is little violence, sex, or harsh language, although the recollections of surviving in a concentration camp can evoke some strong emotions. This is a great book to get for a friend, family member, and an good pick for a book club.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a beautiful book.....filled with hope and joy and sadness . A story of a family and all it endures thru the years...a story of a boy's hope and his love. There is good character empathy and you wanted to know more about this family,. Hopefully there will be another book for them.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is definitely a page turner, there are some parts that are heavy in musical lingo, but even for the non-musical reader the novel is still captivating and enjoyable. It is the story of a valuable violin as it passes through families during the Holocaust, Cold War Russia, and present day. Definitely an interesting and different perspective for a novel based in these time periods. I loved the characters and their interconnections. I recommend The Keeper of Secrets, I didn't want it to end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received this as an early review book and could not be more pleased with it. Even if you know little about music you will appreciate theme. If you know music you will understand the importance of it and if you are a violinist I think it will make you want to be better than you are. Set between WWII and 2008 it is the story of a prominent Jewish family in the 1930's Berlin and the loss of their most precious possessions. It is the story of a 14 year old child prodigy on the violin who only wants to be normal and play baseball as well as music and the decisions he must make. Ms. Thomas moves seamlessly between the years and does not let dialogue and minutia overtake the story. I cared about these people and would love the story of what happened between 2008 and 2042, when the story ends.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    “The Keeper of Secrets” by Julie Thomas captured my heart on many levels. It is a well written and emotional read. This is the story of a very special violin, the love of baseball and music, and Simon Horowitz’s wealthy Jewish family. It also is about the impact of World War II, Communist Russia and the horror of Dachau. This is a well researched book and part of the emotional scenes reminded me of several other books I have read such as The Book Thief and Rose Colored Glass. In this story, Thomas tells of the pain and sadness of prejudice and discrimination and the horrible toll that war and betrayal can have on families and individual. Also described is the resiliency of the human spirit and how shared joy can bring people together and help heal wounds of the soul. From Berlin in 1935 to New Zealand in 2008, you are taken back and forth in time and history to make the past and the lives of the characters come alive.As a former violin player, a lover of music and reading and a traveler who recently visited new Zealand, I connected with this book immediately. I would like to thank Librarything and HarperCollins Publishing for a copy of this book. This book deserves a full 4 stars.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Keeper of Secrets The turbulent past of WWII Germany and near present day mid-west USA come to life under the pen of Julie Thomas. A beautifully written book about a passion for music – specifically about a Guarneri del Gesu‘ violin and the Horowitz family who loved and cherished it and the horror visited upon this Jewish family during the Nazi regime. It is a story that tells of fathers and sons, the gift of music, the joy of an instrument that has a unique, distinctive history as well as a distinguished, valuable and unique pedigree. It is a story of lost and found and the boys and men who claim this valuable violin as their own. It is also the story of young Daniel Horowitz who longs to be like his other friends and play baseball rather than spend time with his violin. A gifted musician he decides quit playing. The book centers on a maestro’s search to bring music back to Daniel’s heart and convince him to play. How this search impacts Daniel’s entire family is the central theme of the book. A beautiful story and a compelling read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Summary: Daniel Horowitz is a virtuoso on the violin, but at age fourteen, when he is forced to give up baseball - his other passion in life - he rebels and refuses to play a single note. Orchestra conductor Rafael Gomez hears the story and wants to help. When he hears that Daniel's family once owned an extraordinary violin - an 1742 Guarneri del Gesú that was confiscated by the Nazis when the Horowitzes were sent to Dachau - he believes that if this violin could be recovered, it may convince Daniel to play again. But tracing the violin through the decades and across Europe is no small matter, and even if it is found, proving it to be the property of the Horowitzes may be next to impossible.Review: This book is lucky it was an early reviewer book, since I tend to give them more of a chance to hook me than I do most other books. If I hadn't felt an obligation to keep reading for the sake of the review, I would have dropped this book at page 50, if not before. I was having a hard time with Thomas's writing style, which was overly descriptive, and strangely distancing, and nothing in the plot had really interested me yet. Even by page 100, when I surely would have put down an ordinary book, nothing much had really happened.The good news is that once the first of the two historical storylines started, I finally started to get interested. Thomas's writing may have improved in the historical voices, or I may just not have noticed it as much, but I was having an easier time with the prose, and although the World War II / concentration camp storyline didn't really offer me anything new, it was at least engaging enough to keep my interest. The second historical section, in communist Russia, was less familiar, but also more engaging than the modern day storyline. Actually, the part of the book I enjoyed the most was the very end, where Thomas really finally digs into the ethical issues she's been dancing around since the beginning, about the ownership of ill-gotten war goods, decades and generations after the fact. But given how slow of a start this book was for me, I'm lucky I got that far at all.Perhaps some of it might be that I am not a particularly musical person. I like music, including classical music, but I freely admit that I don't have an ear for it. I don't know if I could tell the difference between a piece played well and a piece played exceptionally, let alone the difference between the same piece played on two different instruments, and that distinction, that discussion of why the 1742 Guarini is so special, takes up a lot of this book's time. Likewise, the story of Daniel needing to play this one special violin to encourage him to play at all may be legit for a musician, but seemed to me to be more of a convenient plot device to get to the historical bits, than an organic part of the story, which may be why it took me so long to plow through that first part of the book. 3.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: There did wind up being some interesting parts to this story but I don't know if it's worth the extended slow start to get there. I feel like Girl in Hyacinth Blue dealt with a similar idea (albeit with art rather than a musical instrument) in a more readable and compelling way.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I quite liked this book. It was quick-paced and left me wanting to read more. I hope there will be future books... count me in a reader!!