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The Secret Life of Luke Livingstone

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( 2,064 ratings, 223 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Secret Life of Luke Livingstone by Charity Norman is a compelling novel that delves into the complexities of identity and transformation. It follows Luke, a seemingly successful and well-adjusted family man, who harbours a profound secret that challenges societal norms. As he grapples with his true self, the story explores themes of acceptance, love, and the intricate dynamics within his family.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you appreciate stories that explore personal transformation and the complexities of identity, this novel offers a compelling and emotionally resonant journey. It delves into themes of family, acceptance, and the courage it takes to embrace one's true self. The book may particularly appeal if you enjoy narratives that blend heart-wrenching dilemmas with hopeful outcomes.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

What do you do when you find that your husband - your father, your son - is not who you thought? Can you ever love him again? A beautifully written, sensitive and witty novel of a family in utter chaos.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Secret Life of Luke Livingstone is about a man who seemingly has it all. Luke Livingstone is a father and grandfather, a respected solicitor, and a pillar of his community. He enjoys a loving relationship with his wife, Eilish, and is adored by his children. His home in the Oxfordshire countryside appears idyllic.

However, beneath the surface, Luke is burdened with an unbearable secret—one that threatens to destroy him. Throughout his life, he has hidden a fundamental truth about who he is, a truth that, if revealed, could shatter his family, upset his community, and ostracise him.

Luke is left with a stark choice: either end his life or embrace the woman he knows he must become, regardless of the consequences. This decision places a tremendous strain on his family, pushing each member to question what makes a person truly themselves.

As the family grapples with the revelation, they must confront a profound question: What do you do when you discover that your husband, your father, your son is not the person you thought they were? Can you find a way to love them again?

The Secret Life of Luke Livingstone offers a beautiful and dramatic portrayal of a family in turmoil, testing the limits of love, understanding, and acceptance.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781743318386

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 February 2015

Country: Australia

Imprint: Allen & Unwin

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 608g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Charity Norman was born in Uganda and brought up in successive draughty vicarages in Yorkshire and Birmingham. After several years' travel she became a barrister, specialising in crime and family law in the northeast of England. Also a mediator, she is passionate about the power of communication to slice through the knots. In 2002, realising that her three children had barely met her, she took a break from the law and moved with her family to New Zealand. Her first novel, Freeing Grace, was published in 2010 and her second, Second Chances, in 2012 (published in the UK as After the Fall) was a Richard and Judy pick. The Son-in-Law, her third novel, was published in 2013. In 2023, her seventh novel Remember Me was awarded the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel.

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