Reviews

Secrets of Happiness by Joan Silber

mjdudley7's review

funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sharnie6's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

rileyhow's review against another edition

It was good but it was so slow that my mind wanted more instant satisfaction so I stopped reading and picked up a different book

sarabkeller's review

3.0

“She’s mad about what life is…that nothing lasts, that no one does. That we lose everything. She doesn’t like it”

The many interconnected characters in this novel constantly battled with what it meant to be “free” - from possessions? responsibility? accountability? - but there didn’t seem to be any one overarching message in these struggles. The interconnectedness also could have been slightly more interconnected; insinuated overlap between characters never seemed to come to fruition, which was acutely frustrating. Maybe that’s just, like, life or whatever. Anyway is Joan Silber secretly (or not so secretly) Buddhist? She sure had a lot to say about Buddhism.

akimmell1104's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

toniclark's review

5.0

I’ve been aware of Joan Silber for 40 years or more, yet this is the first of her books that I’ve read. And I absolutely loved it. It almost reads like a collection of short stories, with some recurring characters — sometimes closely related ones, sometimes only loosely connected. Wonderful writing. I raced through this one, fascinated and intrigued by all the characters and plot lines.

piku_baumann's review against another edition

Terrible title, wonderful book.
Wonderful, if you like reads-almost-fully-like-a-backstory type of biographies of six different, loosely connected people.

essjay1's review against another edition

5.0

In the end, it’s all about love and money. And how we handle both. Silber raises the question how much is enough? How much do we really need? How many times have we lost love because we prioritised money? And what are we really looking for when we think we are looking for love or money. I read this over a day, such an engaging read. And a beautiful reflection on life.

caseysilk's review

4.0

The narrative switches from character to character and only one voice is repeated so pay attention. Not a book for before bed but an interesting and different reading experience.

rjsreadingnook's review

5.0

An excellent book of interconnected stories, each chapter with a different narrator (except for Ethan whose chapters open and close this book). This is a cleverly constructed novel, and I enjoyed how all the threads wove together. Silber is concise and careful with her prose, and develops fully realized characters in a short amount of pages.

I also greatly appreciated the LGBTQ+ themes sprinkled throughout, which were casual and matter of fact.

Buddhism (from a western perspective), southeast Asian travel, factory work, double lives, family, and treasure are a few of the subject that connect in this novel. Overall a pleasant read that prompts reflection.

Thank you to Counterpoint Press for the gifted hardcover copy.