Pearls of Secrets

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About the Show Forged by nature and nurtured by man, a single pearl encapsulates a story. Newsletter Never miss a Nat Geo moment Your email address. National Geographic explores the people, places and events of our world. Site by Chook Digital Agency. Close Member Sign In.

Join our curious community and you'll have access to some great features! Personalised content reflecting your interests on the site Watch exclusive videos before anyone else Favourite content that you like or want to check out later Free SMS and Email reminders so you never miss a show Get notified when content that interests you is published Share your photos on Snap! Balogh trusts her audience to understand and to come to their own conclusions. They are also quite weak, corrupted by social structures, forced into committing immoral acts in times of desperation.

Adam is a long-suffering hero trapped in circumstances of his own making and others that are not his fault. Women had no power at all. They were subject to laws, society, tradition and fate. Considering the roles men and women were forced to live by in this era, Balogh does succeed in bringing this unfortunate pair together. She succeeds in making them sympathetic characters despite their actions. It is up to the reader to decide if they are held accountable for everything that unfolds. Even if their actions were not relatable or likable to me because of my personal beliefs, I could pray for their redemption through love and forgiveness.

If you decide to read this book be warned. There is adultery, rape, and the mistreatment and dehumanization of women.

The Secret Pearl

Sadly in , women are faced with various forms of violence , misogyny and abuse. It reminds you of where we are and how far we still need to go. View all 4 comments. Jun 17, Katharina rated it it was amazing. Hands down the best Balogh I've ever read. I am so,so happy that I picked up this book, and I think it will stay with me for a long time.

View all 11 comments. La trama tiene mucho con lo que jugar: La autora por supuesto se lleva mis felicitaciones, me ha tenido enganchada devorando el libro, casi me quedo cegata leyendo sin parar, jajaja. Apr 06, Amy rated it really liked it Shelves: Accidentally read this when I was supposed to be working. Once I started I couldn't put it down. I now plan to read all the Mary Balogh books! Oct 23, Carol Storm rated it it was amazing. The best of the best -- the genius of Mary Balogh is that she can create a story that begins in the most sordid way possible, and love still triumphs.

Jan 14, StMargarets rated it it was amazing Shelves: Mary Balogh loves redemption and often creates characters with so much baggage you wonder how she will ever win the reader over and give them a plausible HEA. This novel starts dark and moves to the light.

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Reading it was a visceral experience at times. I don't know if I ever want to read it again, but I'm glad I did. Jun 18, Naksed marked it as not-interested Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The reviews are glowing, the sample was intriguing and Mary Balogh is a great writer. However, the subject destitution, prostitution, adultery, etc. I want to escape into a light, frothy confection, not endure self-flagellation and revulsion.

So I will pass on this. At least for now. Nov 15, Lit Reader rated it really liked it Shelves: The story-telling was on point, the stucture of the story and character outline was well executed. Only, there are some issues with the rapey feel to the start of the book, but hey, what a way to open a story with moral conflict, sex and violence! After a conflicted first encounter, the hero grows a conscience and gets the heroine hired as his child's governess under false pretenses.

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They are almost fated to fall in love, and the unfortunate detail of him being married to an unloving, but very much alive, wife is one of many obstacles to be overcome for this to become a great love-story Fleur is running from the law, she is repeatedly manhandled by more than one character, and she fails to trust in those she should Adam is not a saint, and yet comes to behave honorably in the end. I highly enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to any historical romance reader.

Otro de la lista de que descarto. Tour de force, indeed. A story that breaks your heart. Adam and Fleur's story made me sigh. It is almost too real. Similar scenarios I have witnessed in life.

People struggling with important life decisions they made and trying to come to terms with those decisions that trap them, willingly or unwillingly. In honesty I think the book deserves 5 stars. The characterization, the story, the emotions, fantastic depiction of an impossible situation some of us have the luck to face in life. I love the Tour de force, indeed. I love the book intensely when the spotlight is on Adam and Fleur. However a major section is devoted to everyone else around them, people and circumstances that made Adam and Fleur's story possible.

I was not keen on reading about the selfish duchess Sybil, the irresponsible younger brother Thomas, and the imbecile Matthew who framed Fleur with 2 capital crimes. But again, without Sybil and Thomas's pathetic "love", there would be no brooding Adam trapped in a lovelss marriage in name only; without Matthew, the lying scum of the earth, there would be no desparate Fleur who resorted to prostitution. No brooding Adam, no desparate Fleur, no story. But I really had to push myself to read about all these secondary characters who I really did not care about.

A 4 star rating is the balance I found between my intense liking of Adam and Fleur and equally intense disliking of having to read about Sybil, Thomas and Matthew. Some romance stoies offer fluff and sex, which are great. Some of them even manage to make a lasting impression. And there are romance stories which explore the emotion we call love. The Secret Pearl is one of the latter. People have layers, we can be selfish and noble at the same time. I have much respect for writers who dare to challenge us on the fundemental level.

Propstitution and infidelity are Mary Balogh's picks in this story. To love sometimes, is not a yes or no, black or white question. Sometimes we make questionable choices because there is no other way. Others may doubt you, may ridicule you. Just like people may damn Fleur for succumbing to sell herself for food, or condemn Adam for falling in love with Fleur when he was still married.

I for one, do not find it in my heart to do either. I appreciate the complexity of emotions and feelings in Adam and Fleur's story, the impossible love, the hopeless yearning, and the attemp at grasping for happiness knowing that the end was near, and the decision that was made by a forced hand with honorable intentions rather than free will. A painful love story that is somehow too real to be beautiful. I wish I did not have to read so much about all the secondary characters. I did not like that Fleur had so many "suitors".

I did not like that Adam was so responsible with Sybil, Thomas and the little girl Pamela. And there are romance writers who write about love. Mar 11, Mary - Buried Under Romance rated it really liked it. Upon a re-reading of this book, I found myself conflicted over my feelings for the characters. While Adam have found a place amongst my Hall of Fame heroes, Fleur ultimately fell short of expectations.

Her stubborness and refusal to confide in Adam despite his numerous assurances that he would help her, made her a weak character and belied her courage with which Adam had fallen in love. It's poignant, and I absolutely loved this when I first read it, Upon a re-reading of this book, I found myself conflicted over my feelings for the characters. It's poignant, and I absolutely loved this when I first read it, but with my re-read I felt less satisfaction, and that's because I was annoyed by the unnecessarily prolonged conflict over Fleur's back-and-forth with her villainous cousin, and refusal to come to Adam for help.

He had, in the end, resolved everything for her, but she again ran away. This will forever have a special place in my heart, and one of my favorite Balogh books, if not most favorite. View all 9 comments. Jan 30, Greymalkin rated it did not like it Shelves: Supposed to be her best or one of her most beloved. I thought it was bad. Not horrible, but the two characters were pretty awful. Commenters on Amazon claim that he's "very honorable" I think because he only slept with her once, kissed her times and castigated himself for it.

I think he was NOT very honorable for the way he kept his wife believing a lie even knowing that it was killing her and making him miserable. How was it protecting her to know that she was pining for a loser? And how co Supposed to be her best or one of her most beloved. And how come he didn't just force Thomas to do the right thing?

He wasn't honorable he was just a doormat. I can't see the attraction but I guess she's pretty. And she doesn't abuse children. Is that what makes her so great? Jan 04, Kelly rated it liked it Shelves: Mary Balogh books are just so hard for me to rate. My 2 main issues are 1.

The Secret Pearl by Mary Balogh

I found it way to long. Balogh often alternates POV on the same scene and it just seems redundant. I never felt I learned anything new from the other characters POV. We know that Fleur's first time was horrid and she is extremely weary of our hero but do you have to beat us over the head with it??

I got the picture Mary Balogh books are just so hard for me to rate. I got the picture the first 5 times she goes over the event. If this was cut back I would have been more endeared to our hero. Overall a good HR, strong characterizations, detailed writing that flowed well and interesting plot. Prima di tutto un grazie a Germaine e alla sua recensione che ho trovato proprio qui. Oddio e oddio, roba da stracciarsi le vesti. Duro, triste, straziante, ma anche dolce, commovente, appagante.

Fleur prova semplicemente repulsione in sua presenza. Apr 27, Julianna rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Anyone Looking for a Beautiful Love Story. It is an exquisite love story of two people who fall in love against seemingly impossible odds, and whose love for one another never fades despite being kept apart by circumstances beyond their control.

All this occurs amidst the hero and heroine's inauspicious, even sordid, initial meeting where he becomes her first client as a prostitute, and the discovery that he is married to another woman. I believe Mary Balogh took a huge risk in creating a hero who was cheating, but in my opinion, she pulled it off splendidly. Even though I'm not one to condone infidelity, I was never off-put by this part of the story, because she gave the characters so much depth, I couldn't help but sympathize.

My emotions were stirred right from the opening scene by two characters who are broken in spirit and desperately in need of love. Fleur is an incredibly strong, courageous woman who responds to every challenge in her life with quiet dignity.

Secrets of the Sea Jewellery

She may be quaking inwardly, but only rarely does she allow it show on the outside. In doing so, she has learned to hide her true emotions behind an inscrutable mask, yet somehow, Adam still manages to see past it to find the hurting, frightened woman underneath. I thought the author did an amazing job of expressing Fleur's agonized decision to prostitute herself, and the abject desperation that led her to that choice. Life has taught her that she can depend on no one but herself, and makes her distrustful of nearly everyone, including Adam, even when he's being kind and trying very hard to win back the trust he damaged during their first meeting.

It was very difficult to read how afraid Fleur was of Adam, and even more so to have her still wary and questioning his motives after he did so much for her and she had allowed him to get close to her on a few occasions. However, I think she was more afraid of the feelings he stirred in her than she was of the man himself. I also felt that deep down she already knew the answers to the questions she asked, but was guarding her heart against the knowledge that a real relationship between them was impossible due to his marital status.

In addition to her strength, I admired Fleur for her indelible patience with Adam's daughter, Pamela, even when she was being bratty, and how she was able to win the little girl over with her unconditional love. I also thoroughly enjoyed the author's beautiful expressions of Fleur's love of music and how she becomes one with it. I'm not sure that I would have what it takes to make some of the choices Fleur did there were several times I probably would have caved , but I respected her for not choosing the easy path and facing everything life threw at her with her head held high.

Adam is a tantalizingly complex character. He begins the story with a definite air of anger and self-loathing. Even though he used Fleur and in the process was unfaithful to his wife, I can still say with all honesty that he was a very decent, kind, gentle, loving, patient and honorable man.

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