Irina is a complete novice, and under Sally’s tutelage quickly learns how to blend in, make drops, and invisibly ferry classified documents. Glamorous and sophisticated Sally Forrester is a seasoned spy who has honed her gift for deceit all over the world–using her magnetism and charm to pry secrets out of powerful men. Their mission: to smuggle Doctor Zhivago out of the USSR, where no one dare publish it, and help Pasternak’s magnum opus make its way into print around the world. And at the center of this unforgettable debut is the powerful belief that a piece of art can change the world.Īt the height of the Cold War, two secretaries are pulled out of the typing pool at the CIA and given the assignment of a lifetime. to Paris and Milan, The Secrets We Kept captures a watershed moment in the history of literature–told with soaring emotional intensity and captivating historical detail. From Pasternak’s country estate outside Moscow to the brutalities of the Gulag, from Washington, D.C. The Secrets We Kept combines a legendary literary love story–the decades-long affair between Pasternak and his mistress and muse, Olga Ivinskaya, who was sent to the Gulag and inspired Zhivago’s heroine, Lara–with a narrative about two women empowered to lead lives of extraordinary intrigue and risk. Their mission: to smuggle Doctor Zhivago out of the USSR, where no one dare publish it, and help Pasternak’s magnum opus make its way into print around the world. Told with soaring emotional intensity and captivating historical detail, this is an unforgettable debut: a celebration of the powerful belief that a work of art can change the world.Ī HELLO SUNSHINE x REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICKĪ thrilling tale of secretaries turned spies, of love and duty, and of sacrifice–inspired by the true story of the CIA plot to infiltrate the hearts and minds of Soviet Russia, not with propaganda, but with the greatest love story of the twentieth century: Doctor Zhivago.Īt the height of the Cold War, two secretaries are pulled out of the typing pool at the CIA and given the assignment of a lifetime.
The Secrets We Kept combines a legendary literary love story-the decades-long affair between Pasternak and his mistress and muse, Olga Ivinskaya, who inspired Zhivago’s heroine, Lara-with a narrative about two women empowered to lead lives of extraordinary intrigue and risk. Under Sally’s tutelage, Irina learns how to invisibly ferry classified documents-and discovers deeply buried truths about herself.
Mentoring Irina is the glamorous Sally Forrester: a seasoned spy who has honed her gift for deceit, using her magnetism and charm to pry secrets out of powerful men. Her mission: to help smuggle Doctor Zhivago into the USSR, where it is banned, and enable Boris Pasternak’s magnum opus to make its way into print around the world. A HELLO SUNSHINE x REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICKĪt the height of the Cold War, Irina, a young Russian-American secretary, is plucked from the CIA typing pool and given the assignment of a lifetime.A thrilling tale of secretaries turned spies, of love and duty, and of sacrifice-inspired by the true story of the CIA plot to infiltrate the hearts and minds of Soviet Russia, not with propaganda, but with the greatest love story of the twentieth century: Doctor Zhivago.