Secrets to Happiness

By: Sarah Dunn

Narrated by: Julie Dretzin

Deftly mixing humor and pathos, Sarah Dunn's Secrets to Happiness delivers an entertaining story of professional women living the city life. It has been likened to a hybrid of Candace Bushnell, Edith Wharton, and Jane Austen, and Kirkus Reviews calls it a "smart chick-lit tale with dark undertones." Recently divorced Holly is intelligent and spunky - and her priceless ruminations on love, life, and happiness are not to be missed.©2009 Sarah Dunn (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Dunn charts several New Yorkers' lives in this snappy novel ... the energetic and witty prose speeds along the narrative. It's smarter than the usual single-in-the-city fare, and funnier, too." ( Publishers Weekly)

Nice NY observations, good gym listen

What's fun about this book at the many sly comments about life in contemporary New York's creative/professional class. It's very frank about sex and has some truly funny and quirky-but-real situations. I found it slow to get going, and even considered not finishing it as I wondered if I cared at all about any of the characters. Ultimately I only ended up caring about the main character, Holly, who developed nicely as the book went along.

Some plot developments were predictable. But I enjoyed the wit and the scenes of New York life. Though Holly seems to think she needs a man and family to be happy, yet she's already a cheery and positive person with a good career and a healthy outlook on life. This ended up being good listen that got me happily through several gym workouts!

Surprisingly Good!

This was a much more real take on the usual "chick-lit" type of story. Sure, some details seemed predictable, but it definitely dealt with some issues not usually brought up in these lighter novels. It was really engaging and I loved Julie Dretzin's narration as well!

I liked this book...

the story and the characters were believable and modern.

Loved it

Loved this book. Witty and current. Could identify with so much of it.

Secrets to Happiness

Only made it about 1/4 of the way through. It's vapid, shallow and self serving. The narrator is good, and that's the best I can say about it.