Ethan is a young lawyer in NY and he finds out his father has a second family. It’s shocking to say the least. They live in Queens and they have never known about each other. His mother, takes the news very badly. She actually leaves the country, to travel for one year. She needs to get away and figure it all out. His two brothers are equally troubled and one is even taking the wrong path to delinquency. Ethan feels like his world is falling apart. He is trying to help everyone and himself work through this mess. Somehow their lives intersects and the world doesn’t end. There are laughs and tears and broken spirits. But when it was important they all come together for a man who, almost destroyed them all. Secrets of Happiness is at points heartbreaking but in the end heartwarming. The author did an excellent job telling this story. This was a 4 star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley and Joan Silber, for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I’m judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got me to read on even though it was among 296 other books I’m charged to read.

"But how do people make these colossal bargains about what they decide to put up with?"
Silber is witty.

I enjoyed this book but had a hard time relating to it as a novel, as opposed to short stories. I did feel that the cover made it seem like a self help book.

The narrative of the Secrets of Happiness is interesting, told through interconnecting stories, It reminded me of one of this movies with a huge cast, it's a format I can enjoy, but I feel like like it sacrifices some of the plot since there's more to keep track of.

Joan Silber is an amazing writer, and I have read all her work. Her attention to detail, her deft characterization, her evocation of landscape and place draw the reader in so beautifully,

I like how the stories were connected although some characters was too overrated for me, each story show something interesting about what happiness mean, and that’s what I liked most of the book.

Well I absolutely loved this book. I’ve been reading too much non-fiction lately and this was such a nice change of pace. The book is written almost as if each chapter is a new story but they all connect and intertwine in various ways that made a cohesive book. Each chapter had me connected to the character telling that portion of the story instantly; I had a hard time ever putting this one down. Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Don’t let the title “Secrets of Happiness” fool you. This is not a self-help book. It’s all fiction, and it’s lovely.

This is my first novel by Joan Silber, and it won’t be the last. I love the way she writes separate stories and intertwines the characters so they fit together like a puzzle. Interestingly, everyone is connected by a father who has two, completely separate families. Yet they come together in this story in such an interesting way.

Another thing I love is Silber’s wit and wisdom. She has such a grip on contemporary life, on grief and on broken families. Plus she can write the heck out of male characters—even gay ones! I’m excited to go back and read her other works.

Special thanks to Counterpoint Press for a chance to read Secrets of Happiness via the NetGalley app.

Told through connected chapters that feel like stories all on their own, this is a well-crafted book that tells stories of multiple American families across the globe. These stories show all the ways family members let each other down, how they surprise each other, and what resilience could look like in the face of betrayal, cruelty and/or being unseen.

Joan Silber's writing is so smooth and seamless in this book. I enjoyed her last book but this left more of an impression with the range of characters, the span of both time and countries, and the details of these families. I loved how she wove some classic books through the narratives. I flew through the book- it was just that engaging.

This is so good that not only did I decide to buy a physical copy, I sought out a signed physical copy. I rarely do this, so that is saying something. This story of family secrets was impossible to put down and will stay with me forever. A wonderful reminder of the happiness we all deserve.

The Secrets of Happiness is told through the of intersecting stories. The novel starts and with Ethan, who discovers that his father has a secret family. We then move into different connected characters and their secrets.

When I read the description of this book I was intrigued. Reading the book, I felt that it wasn't quite what I expected. However, I was presently surprised. This is the first book I have read by Silber. The way she writes makes you feel like you are watching the progression of a person's life. I loved how the only thing each character had in common with the next was a small slice of connection. Through the book I was pulled in by some stories more than others. Overall, I liked the unique writing and .thought that this was a good read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Counterpoint for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the structure of this novel, it’s series of interconnected short stories and it’s lovely writing, drawing me further into the complicated lives of the six characters. Each story touches on someone striving towards some kind of happiness, for a life well lived, for some kind of meaningful connections to be made. These tales of families and friendships, money and greed, love and loss, betrayal and kindness, intertwine across many continents, characters diverse in age, race, and gender.
This is my first time reading this author, but it won’t be my last.

This book was not at all what I was hhoping it would be or expected. It seemed a bit contrived and lost my interest about 1/2 way through.

With the initial premise of a family man in Manhattan who has a secret family in Queens, I was intrigued. But there were too many characters, none of which felt developed enough to get a read on what any of them were about (except for Ethan, the first and last narrator). Major journeys and affairs and meetings between half-siblings and ex-wives transpired in the course of one page. The action kept jumping around and new characters introduced and then never fleshed out. This book did not hold my interest.

SECRETS OF HAPPINESS is beautifully written, with well-developed characters (each of whom get their own time to speak) and an interesting plot line. It's hard to read because your heart will break by the situations the characters find themselves in, but it is an immensely satisfying read.

This story starts out with a family who finds out their father/husband has a second family living across the city. Each chapter moves to other loosely-related characters and tells their story, too. The book started out strongly, and I was really interested in finding out what happened to these characters, but as the book moved along - and the characters were less closely related - I found I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. I liked the way the author set up the book and look forward to reading other books by her. Thank-you to Ms. Silber, Counterpoint Press, and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

Innovative and brilliantly written, a new American classic. The storytelling is beautiful and the seamless connection between characters and stories is unlike anything I've read before. A captivating story of friendship and the human experience across oceans. A good read for lovers of literary fiction.

If you think you will find the answer to finding happiness in this book, its possible, but don’t count on it. Silber’s characters are not all successful in their search. Although we never hear from the central character in the book, we know he’s involved in the various stories. He manufactures women’s clothing and often travels to Thailand where he has a Thai mistress and family—actually NOT living in Thailand, but not far from his legal family’s home in Manhatten. To give you a sample of the interconnected stories, the first story is that of Ethan, a son of the first marriage. To say it a sprawling novel really doesn’t do it justice, and like most of our lives the stories are about our relationships with money and love.

I admit I was a little confused at first as I went into this book blind and initially it seemed like these were all short stories about different characters. But once I realized they were all inter-connected, I began to appreciate Silber's approach as it exposes secrets characters kept from one another as well as how they coped with loss and disappointment. It centers around Ethan as he discovers his father had a second family they knew nothing about. From there it spins off into others' stories but it all comes full circle. What we learn is there is really no "secret to happiness;" we must all learn to cope and channel our lives as we see fit. Happiness isn't given to us; it's created by the choices we make and the way we treat others with compassion and understanding.

I read this marvelous book in a single day, and I will be thinking about it for days to come.

SECRETS OF HAPPINESS is a novel of linked short stories, woven around themes of family, responsibility, and the independent ways each of us crafts a life. Part of the enjoyment is looking for the link in each new chapter - they’re not obvious. But I was also impressed by how well each story stands alone. The writing is straightforward and yet incredibly interesting & descriptive, as Silber paints one intriguing character after another and examines them through the choices they make in various challenging situations around the world. Silber’s range is impressive. My next step is to go find her backlist, as this book made me a fan.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.