Secrets to Happiness

Holly Frick is not a happy woman; in fact, if there are secrets to happiness, Holly is clueless. She's a failed novelist, currently writing mediocre sitcoms for the junior high set, a divorcee whose failed marriage is a cliche, and a woman facing the northern side of thirty-five alone. Life may hold promise, but Holly needs help finding it. And her friends don't seem much better off. Her world is peopled by brittle, self-centered, introspective, and unhappy New Yorkers - Amanda and Mark, the affluent young couple who on the surface appear to have everything; Spence, the ex before Holly's ex, and Cathleen, his current girlfriend, who calls Holly for advice; Betsy, who is growing weary of the endless treadmill her life has become, Lucas, show more her twenty-two-year-old brother who finds a kindred spirit in Holly; and Jack, Amanda's lover, Holly's lover, whatever.

One of Sarah Dunn's major hurdles is to make Holly and her friends sympathetic. And she does. But it takes time, which requires patience from the reader. Their lives are connected - threads in tapestry none of them understand. Each is given a chance to change her/his life, to redeem past mistakes and make a fresh start. If this sounds a bit heavy handed, it is. Dunn's approach lacks finesse. Despite the cover blurb comparing Holly to Austen's Emma, Dunn is no Austen. Her characters lack the warmth and humanity of Austen's. And while there are good lines and occasional humorous flashes, this was not, for me at least, a laugh-aloud book. But for readers who manage to trudge through it, it does tie up all the threads neatly and promise happiness for those who deserve it.

By the way, one should never buy a book by its cover: the charming Parson Russell terrier on the cover does not make an appearance in the book. There are two dogs; one is even a laughing dog, but, buyer beware, it's not this little guy. But somehow that holds true to the spirit of the novel. show less

This book was a total treat to read. Seriously, my husband had to leave the room, because I had to stop quite often in order to read him a passage. When something is that good, I have to share. I would compare this work to one of my all time favorites "Heartburn" by Nora Ephron, because like Heartburn, it had moments that just cracked me up and were completely impossible to not share. Also I totally could not put this book down! Sarah Dunn has an absolute powerful way of bringing her characters to life in a way that is almost beyond belief. They live and breathe and cause feelings of love and hate.

I enjoyed how the story centered on Holly Frick but also gave us smaller stories to enjoy along the way in the lives of those who were close show more to Holly. There were little lessons on lives in each and every one. Choices were made throughout this book, and many of them I didn't agree with and neither did Holly, but I am surrounded by that in my own life, and that is what made this story real.

In order to totally avoid spoilers, I am going to keep certain things out of this review and throw myself into a discussion group somewhere, because this is definitely a book you want to share.

Here is what I loved: Each and every character was REAL. Sometimes so real that you wanted to hit them. I loved how Holly had moments where she was faced with her friends failings and expected them to do the right thing. I loved how Holly herself had to make some decisions that were right even though they were painful.

Here is what I didn't like: I felt like Holly did and wanted people to behave in the way that was appropriate. Of course that is just not the way life is always going to be. You can only control yourself, and you have to let that be enough. So really I liked that too. That is what is good about this book. You are not going to like some of the decisions that are made, but it is true to life.

Honestly, I loved this book. This book is a keeper and it is a book I will share. Mind you, I will have my address label inside this book, because I want it back. show less

What is the secret to happiness? This is a question you'll hear a lot these days! Holly thinks that she knows the secrets until her husband leaves her. She's back at the drawing board and with a hunky, young lover, a sweet, ill dog, and a cheating best friend all to help her figure it out.

This book starts (and ends) with great, quirky, loveable characters. They are all flawed and each trying their best to find the ever elusive happiness. I love that Sarah Dunn explores all the options. Sure, for some, the secret to happiness is a white picket fence. But in the modern world it can also be a sad, sweet dog, the man your best friend is having an affair with, or the job you thought you hated. You have to open to happiness from anywhere, you show more never know when it will strike!

Secrets to Happiness is sharply funny and yet still sweet and warm hearted. Sarah Dunn pokes fun of her characters even while she is guiding them down the path to happiness. I really enjoyed this book. It was smart enough to keep me reading and warm enough to make me feel good in the end. show less

"A lot of life, it seemed to Holly, was turning out to be just like that. You keep walking, and you keep breathing, and then one day you notice, again, the feel of the wind on your cheek." (Page 275)

Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn focuses on the life of Holly Frick and each of the people she effects with her decisions and how their decisions impact her life in a gigantic web. From Holly's ex-boyfriend Spence Samuelson to Betsy Silverstein and her friends Amanda and Mark to her screenwriter/partner Leonard. Each of these characters is dissatisfied with their current lives and is seeking happiness and contentment in their lives.

"It was probably, primarily, mostly, the chemical hair straightening. Leonard had spent four hundred dollars show more to get his hair straightened with the new Brazilian hair-straightening chemical, and now it clung to his head like a wet washcloth and then spiked out at the ends down at the top of his neck, which was huge, due to the steroids he got from a pharmacist who ran an underground steroid ring out of his fourth-floor walk-up on Christopher Street." (Page 25)

Dunn has a great talent for description and character development. Secrets to Happiness delves into the various situations, emotions, friends, careers, and other elements in people's lives that they believe make them happy. Each of these characters experiences turns their preconceived notions upside down, leaving Holly, Spence, Betsy, and Amanda to make pivotal decisions.

"'I don't tell Betsy about my personal life.'

'Good. You know what? Don't tell anybody. Let's just keep this our little secret,' said Holly. 'And now I even sound like a child molester.'

'That's straight out of the handbook.'

'Page eleven,' said Holly. 'Right after the part where I lure you back into the back of my van with a box of kittens.'" (Page 21)

Overall, Secrets to Happiness reads well with a modicum of interruption from narratives that scope farther back into the lives of the characters. While some of these narrative, which mirror background checks for the characters, are well written, readers could find that they are distracting and unnecessary. Dunn is a talented women's fiction writer with a flare for dramatic and unconventional characters, and her ability to dig beneath the surface of these professional New Yorkers is uncanny. show less

If I could give this negative stars, I would. It only got one star because I managed to finish it. A group of hateful people ruin each other and themselves out of middle class boredom. That's basically my take on a terrible example of "chick lit." I'm really annoyed I read this. Maybe I'm missing some kind of humor the author intended, but I honestly came away from this book thinking Dunn is the biggest misogynist I've ever come across. Well, to be fair the male characters are equally atrocious. There is nothing good about this book-STAY FAR AWAY FROM IT. I used to enjoy this type of book. Then I graduated from college and discovered there was more to life than men. And I can really be friends with other women. I'm pretty sure there show more isn't a single sexual stereotype left out of this book. Grrr...I'm getting angry all over again :-) I'm also starting to think it deserves 1/8 of another star just for getting this kind of reaction from me. That must say something about it, right?? show less

Loved it!
Read it in one sitting.
Brilliant characters, amazing dialogue, funny, witty, 3 giant steps up from chick lit.
Holly Frick lives in NYC, single and sad. Her best friend, Amanda is having an affair with a man named Jack, her TV show writing partner Leonard snorts his Aderall, and her ex-boyfriend Spence's new girlfriend is phoning her up for advice on her love life.
Look forward to more by Sarah Dunn!

Relationships in various permutations are at the heart of Sarah Dunn’s humorous but thoughtful book Secrets to Happiness. Still reeling from her heartbreaking divorce, New Yorker Holly Frick is hardly ready to hear the news that her best friend, Amanda, is contemplating an affair. But Amanda also thinks that her philosophical potential-lover might be just the right fit for Holly. To further test her relationship boundaries Holly is being contacted by the girlfriend of her “ex before her ex” for relationship insights she thinks might be evident in Holly’s roman à clef failed novel. Soon Holly discovers it might just be easier to have a relationship with Chester, an adorable dog with cancer that she adopts on a whim. To round out show more the relationship spectrum we also get inside the heads of Holly’s gay writing partner and a couple of lovelorn gym rats. Dunn has a talent for developing her characters through some fairly thorough self-examination that is tempered by dialog that’s witty without being snarky. Falling somewhere between chick-lit and women’s lit, Secrets to Happiness is a cool book that will warm your heart. show less