Hill of Secrets: A Novel

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 65 ratings

Price: 1.99

Last update: 09-06-2024


About this item

In a desert outpost, nuclear scientists and their families face the toll of the secrets they keep from the world and from each other in this gripping wartime novel from debut author Galina Vromen.

Los Alamos, 1943. The US Army has gathered scientists to create the world’s first nuclear weapon. Their families, abruptly moved to the secret desert base with no explanation, have simple orders: Stand by. Make do. Above all, don’t ask questions.

Christine, forced to abandon her art restoration business in New York for her husband’s career, struggles to reinvent herself and cope with his increasing aloofness.

Gertie, the inquisitive teenage daughter of a German Jewish refugee physicist enlists Christine to help her unravel hidden truths and deal with parents haunted by their past.

Gertie’s father, Kurt, anguished by what the Nazis have done to his family and bent on defeating them, carries burdens he longs to share but cannot confide in his wife—leading him to find comfort elsewhere.

And Jimmy, a young army technician, falls for Gertie but is unsure if even her deep affection can overcome his agonizing self-doubts.

Will so much secrecy save them or destroy them?


From the Publisher

A wife reinventing herself. A daughter seeking answers. A soldier trying to play his role.

Top reviews from the United States

Leslie R. Schover
5.0 out of 5 stars Captures the Spirit of Los Alamos
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2024
As an Amazon First Reader, I was delighted to find Hill of Secrets, particularly because I just signed a contract myself to publish a novel about the Manhattan Project, but in the setting of Oak Ridge. I know how important it is to be meticulous about the history, as well as the difficulty of creating female characters who show the lived experience of the WWII years but will also resonate with the contemporary reader. The central friendship of women in Hill of Secrets, between 16-year-old Gertie and young wife Christine seems unlikely on its face, yet forms a believable backbone for the plot. Both are individualists who do not conform to gender expectations of the era. The author also does an excellent job of portraying the tensions of secrecy, with only a core group of people knowing about the purpose of the Manhattan Project. She also weaves in the depression of the refugees from Nazi Germany as the fate of the family they left behind becomes increasingly clear. She uses radio and newsreel broadcasts to ground the reader in the war events that create a context for the progression of the team at Los Alamos in creating the atomic bomb. Books about this era remind us that the threat of nuclear war remains a present danger, especially as superpower nations renew arms buildups.
Judy Fowler-Langston
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2024
This was a real surprise. I was hoping to read something pithy after reading some many vapid summer romances. I got totally caught up in the characters and their story. We all know the story of the Manhattan Project but to read it from the point of view of some of the lower level workers made it feel more personal. I appreciated the role of the desert landscape, its beauty as well as its harshness , as well. And the touching subplot of Christina’s relationship with Maria and her pottery allows the author to add a bit of Native American culture and mythology to enrich the story. I recommend reading this if you appreciate a story that makes you think, and shows the complexity of the human condition.
Sheila G. Friedland
5.0 out of 5 stars A memorable and wonderful read!
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2024
Hill of Secrets had me captivated from page one to the very end. I knew about the Manhattan Project largely through the movie “Oppenheimer.” This book sensitized me to what it might have felt like for the families of the scientists who worked there. The characters are vividly drawn and their personal secrets intertwine just as the scientists’ secrets about the bomb are a backdrop. Terrific historical fiction!
Colby
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2024
I had no idea about Los Alamos. A very well written book. The characters are very believable. A must read!
valerie strauss
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific novel
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2024
Love this book. “Hill of Secrets” tells the very human story of what life was like for the Los Alamo’s community outside the laboratories where the atomic bond was being created in a way that the movie “Oppenheimer” doesn’t touch. Vromen’s fully drawn characters and intimate storytelling reveal the complexities of life for those at Los Alamos but also looks at the kinds of secrets we all spin as we navigate our lives.
Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Scam. First read for PRIME
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2024
Nowhere DOES IT SAY FREE FOR PRIME MEMBERS. Bait n switch FOR ELDERLY
PRIME MEMBERS. SCAM

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