Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our December 2014 selection:

The Husband's Secretby Liane Moriarty

Below is a summation of the members' reactions to this work.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Morarty is a highly complex novel which revolves around a letter that Cecilia, one of the three primary characters, discovers in her attic. The letter is addressed to her but specifically states, "to be opened only in the event of my death." What Cecilia discovers in the letter will change her view of her family and of her life. At the core of the story is the death of a teenage girl, Janie Crowley, decades earlier. The girl's mother, Rachel, has never really moved on from that life-dividing event and is absolute in her belief that she knows who killed Janie and is determined to get justice for her. Tess, the third focal character, has returned to her childhood home with her son while she decides what to do about an abrupt change in her marriage.


Discussion began with the question, "Would you have opened the letter under the same circumstances?" Only three of the members said they would not open such a letter. One member stated, "If I hadn't gone through three marriages, I would have opened it. If I was 30...." Some members said they would have steamed it open so their spouses wouldn't know. One member said, "If she hadn't opened it, I wouldn't have anything to read." Those that said they would open it based at least some of their reasons on the fact that if the letter were addressed to them they would have the right to open it. Another question that produced some lively commentary from the members was, "Is it possible to ever completely know another person?" One member responded, "If you knew everything about your spouse, none of you would ever marry," which brought a big laugh from the group. The effects of guilt and secrets on the characters also generated a lively discussion as well as how various assumptions held by the characters shaped their lives in often harmful ways. The relationship between the cousins, Tess and Felicity, was also examined. This novel produced one of the best discussions among the members in the long history of this book group and all the members would highly recommend this book to others.

Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our November 2014 selection:

Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctorby Patrick Taylor

Below is a summation of the members' reactions to this work.

Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctor is the ninth title in the Irish Country series by Patrick Taylor. This title focuses on the medical practice over the years of Fingal O'Reilly, who came to the Irish village in the country straight from medical school.  The book flips back and forth in time between present day 1950s Ireland and the past when Fingal first began practicing in the village. Many of the characters are present in the other books in the series and, although this can be read as a stand-alone title, reading the series in order will probably enhance the reader's experience.


The group discussed the various changes in medicine revealed by the cases described and some of the differences in medicine between Ireland and the United States.  The rest of the discussion focused on the various characters and their relationships to each other.  All the members found the book enjoyable and several said they planned to go back and read other titles in the series. At least one member had already read the previous titles and noted that she enjoys the series.