A Secret Word
Jennifer Paddock
Sold by Crappy Old Books, Barry, United Kingdom
AbeBooks Seller since 6 February 2025
Used - Soft cover
Condition: Used
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketSold by Crappy Old Books, Barry, United Kingdom
AbeBooks Seller since 6 February 2025
Condition: Used
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketA Secret Word (2005) by Jennifer Paddock Penguin Books / ISBN: 014101458 / Condition: Used (like the friendships inside it) This is A Secret Word , a quietly intense little novel about three girls?Leigh, Sarah, and Chandler?whose lives get permanently entangled one fateful day in high school and then spend the next fifteen years refusing to untangle neatly, no matter how adult they pretend to be. It?s about friendship, the Deep South, New York, sex, family, and the uncomfortable realisation that you can know someone for years and still not have a clue what?s really going on in their head. This particular copy arrives via Crappy Old Books , which means it has already survived at least one reader?s late-night emotional spiral. It is, therefore, not ?as new.? It is ?pre-felt.? You?re welcome. Inside the story, you?ll find: Three friends tied together by a single incident that quietly echoes through everything that follows. Small towns, big feelings, and the gravitational pull of the South even after you?ve escaped to New York and learned how to pronounce ?espresso? properly. Sex, secrets, and the kind of emotional archaeology where you dig into the past and mostly unearth awkwardness and regrets. A narrative that slips between their voices, stitching together three separate lives into one long, slightly messy tapestry of ?we?re fine? (they are not fine). Inside this used copy , as curated by the proudly unglamorous Crappy Old Books, you may also encounter: A gently creased spine, the exact physical trace of a previous owner thinking ?just one more chapter? until the clock said ?absolutely not.? Corners that are a little softened, as if this paperback has been in handbags, on trains, and under pillows during low-level life crises. Pages that have shifted from bright white to that tasteful ?late-afternoon sunlight? cream shade that screams ?I survived the mid-2000s.? Possibly a dog-eared page at the exact bit where one of the friendships hits a nerve, and someone in the past needed a moment. This is not a twisty thriller or a grand epic. It?s intimate drama mode : quiet hurts instead of dramatic explosions small decisions that turn out to matter more than the big ones people who grow up, sort of, but never quite become as sorted as they thought ?grown-up? would feel Perfect for: Readers who enjoy character-driven stories where ?what happened between us? is the real plot. Anyone who has looked up an old friend on social media and thought, ?How did we end up here?? People who like contemporary fiction with just enough sex, secrets, and nostalgia to make you question your own teenage decisions. Fans of used books that come lightly pre-haunted by someone else?s emotional identification with at least one of the characters. Is this copy mint? Absolutely not. You?re shopping at Crappy Old Books , where ?mint condition? is less common than healthy communication between fictional friends. What you?re getting instead is a comfortably worn, fully readable paperback that has already carried someone through at least one reflective Sunday afternoon and is ready for another. Adopt this used copy of A Secret Word . Stack it on your shelf between ?Complicated Friendships? and ?Bad Decisions, Good Prose,? and let Leigh, Sarah, and Chandler remind you that growing up doesn?t always mean growing apart?but it definitely means things get weird. THIS BOOK BEARS THE CRAPPY OLD BOOKS STAMP. IF THAT IS UNDESIRABLE PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS. THE STAMP MARKS WHICH IS USUALLY TO THE FRONT AND BACK INNER PAGES SAYS SOLD BY CRAPPY OLD BOOKS WITH WEB SITE URL. IT IN NO WAY DEMINISHED FROM THE READING. IF YOU WANT A PRISTINE BOOK, PLEASE FIND ANOTHER BOOK IN BETTER CONDITION SOMEWHERE ELSE.
Seller Inventory # 411
A luminous story of friendship and family, sex and secrets, growing up and growing apart . . .
This enthralling novel spans fifteen years in the lives of friends Leigh, Sarah and Chandler, beginning one fateful day in high school that will forever connect them. While Leigh remains stuck in dead-end jobs in their Arkansas hometown, the more privileged Sarah and Chandler move to Manhattan, where Sarah seeks acting fame and Chandler struggles to make sense of her failed relationships, only to be sent reeling by an unexpected tragedy.
A Secret Word seductively weaves each girl's distinctive voice into a seamless narrative that questions how well you can ever really know another person and explores the secrets we keep from our friends, our families and, most importantly, ourselves.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Crappy Old Books, Barry, Berkshire, United Kingdom, +44 7745466608, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
| Order quantity | 14 to 45 business days | 5 to 10 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 20.05 | £ 26.85 |
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.