The Secret Life of Hidden Places: Concealed Rooms, Clandestine Passageways, and the Curious Minds That Made Them by Stefan Bachmann

The Secret Life of Hidden Places: Concealed Rooms, Clandestine Passageways, and the Curious Minds That Made Them Reviews

• 
  Aja Hannah

  This book is laid out beautifully from the graphics to the pictures to the anecdotes. However, it severely lacked appropriate coverage of diversity. Yes, it does have a few token places like a shrine in Japan, but many of these weren't secret in the same way. Egypt's tombs for King Tut, for example, is very well-known and the whole passage was white-washed that spoke to colonialism. The rest of the Secret Places were in Europe or white-owned places in America.
  
  If another a revision/another edition is made, I hope it is just a beautiful and more inclusive.
• 
  Jackie

  ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
  
  This book is everything it promises: a look at all types of secret rooms and passages and the history of how they came to be there. If the title grabbed your attention, go ahead and grab the book. The things I loved about the book were the wide variety of places highlighted and the way they were grouped together by type. For example, there's a chapter on speakeasies and hidden bars, a chapter on labyrinths and mazes, a chapter on secrets hidden in dollhouses, etc. The book covers locations around the world, though admittedly American and European places are the majority. My only qualm with the book is that I wish there had been some deeper analysis and insights, but that wasn't really what this book was doing. In that vein, I really would have liked a final word from the author tying everything up.
  
  
• 
  Elaine

  Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Secret Life of Hidden Places.
  
  When I saw the premise, I knew I had to read this!
  
  If you like to read about the odd and wonderful, spooky and strange, sad and forgotten places, this is the book for you!
  
  This was definitely the ideal book for me!
  
  I love reading about the world's mysteries artifacts, buildings, and structures and this book fit the bill!
  
  Packed with facts and great photos, the authors provides historical context of these mysterious and strange places, some I've heard of like the Initiation Well which I saw when I was in Lisbon last month.
  
  It's actually not as spooky as you may think, but it's a must-see.
  
  I really enjoyed the section on the Japanese temples and how well they were constructed and built with devious and elaborate traps. Fascinating!
  
  All the stories are fascinating and the authors did a great job in researching the histories and backgrounds of each architectural mystery.
  
  I look forward to reading the authors' next book!
• 
  Debra Gaynor

  The Secret Life of Hidden Places: Concealed Rooms, Clandestine Passageways, and the Curious Minds That Made Them
  Stefan Bachmann, April Gene
  Many buildings have secrets. There are 18 tales in this book. This book shares the secrets of each building and discuss the se creator The rooms are fascinating.
  Thank you NetGalley for the review copy.
• 
  Tori Thompson

  I was honestly pretty disappointed by this one, which I found to be distractable and distracting in its lack of structure. Each section was completely led away on meandering paths by loosely-connected tangents and digressions, to the point that I often forgot what actual location it was meant to be discussing--and yet these digressions never felt particularly well researched or informed enough to justify their taking up such a large percentage of the text, and god, would it have killed anyone to provide a citation or two? I don't feel like I have a remotely better mental image or understanding of these places, their layouts, their history, nor their purposes now than I did before I read this; though from looking at a few other reviews (and trying to understand why they all seem to have had a much better experience than I did), I'm wondering just how much of that was lost by my listening to the audiobook. It seems the actual physical text provides a lot of pictures and graphics that must carry a substantial amount of weight here. I guess that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I wish authors and publishers actually cared enough to find ways to equally represent that information across formats.
  
  I will say, I was genuinely impressed by the depictions of a few historical, oft-maligned figures such as Marie Antoinette and Sarah Winchester as actual, multi-faceted human beings instead of the caricatures cultural imaginings have made them. I learned a few new anecdotes about Marie Antoinette I hadn't heard before, and this was the first time I ever saw someone draw a connection between Winchester's "stairs to nowhere" and the fact that an earthquake destroyed upper floors of the house that were ultimately never rebuilt. I'm really glad that the creators and/or users of these titular secret places were treated with such thoughtfulness and depth; but overall it just wasn't enough to elevate the convoluted format or lackluster execution of other subjects for me.
• 
  J Kromrie

  Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.
  
  The Secret Life of Hidden Places is a fascinating exploration of some of the world's most mysterious and intriguing architectural wonders. From the Amber Room that vanished during World War II to the underground city of Derinkuyu in Turkey, the authors take us on a journey through history, art, and culture, revealing the secrets behind these hidden places and the curious minds that made them.
  
  This book is divided into eighteen chapters, each focusing on a different location or theme. The authors combine lush photographs, lyrical prose, and engaging anecdotes to bring these places to life. They also provide historical and cultural context, as well as insights into the motivations and personalities of the people who created or discovered these places. Whether it is the obsession of a mad king, the ambition of a visionary artist, or the curiosity of a daring explorer, the book reveals the human stories behind these architectural marvels.
  
  The Secret Life of Hidden Places is a book for anyone who loves adventure, mystery, and beauty. It is a book that will inspire you to look beyond the surface and discover the hidden wonders of our world.
• 
  Moonkiszt

  What is it about "hidden" anything that demands and fairly launches a full-on search mode within our hearts and souls? We are ready to dive into the dangerous unknown places, risking life and limb. . .what is it??
  
  Well, Readers, here's a book with some places you've heard of and some you haven't, and every bit of it is interesting and filled with nuggets of entertainment. Great photos accompany eighteen categories of secret, hidden, unknown or long-forgotten places.
  
  Either send all your housemates out, or grab your favorite and turn out the lights. Claim a cozy corner, get under a blanket with a flashlight and enjoy a few chapters, a few nights at a time. You're welcome. Fun stuff to consider as you think about the secret and hidden places in your own locations - they are everywhere, you know. Just a little research'll find 'em.
  
  *A sincere thank you to Stefan Bachmann, April Genevieve Tucholke, Workman Publishing Company, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #TheSecretLifeofHiddenPlaces #NetGalley
• 
  Adrianna Heaney-velu

  “The Secret Life of Hidden Places,” by Stefan Bachmann and April Genevieve Tucholke
  
  Eighteen architectural mysteries and the minds that created them.
  
  This book was super interesting. It’s full of short stories and the histories of unique places in our current world. It’s poetic, fun, and strange, this book has it all. I had no idea that there was so many cool lore around architecture the world we live in has. It was a super fun read. 4 out of 5 stars.
  
  Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.
  
• 
  Andrea

  This was such a fun book to read (Explore?) I always wonder what is hidden behind what we see. Is there a secret room behind the bookshelves? Or tunnels? I wasn’t expecting an underground Manor!
  
  The book has a few pages and images. It’s great to pick up and read about a place and then be able to put it down and read about another one. A perfect gift or coffee table book would start some great conversations.
  
  Thank you, NetGalley and Workman Publishing, for the ARC.
• 
  Brittany Cartwright

  "The Secret Life of Hidden Places" is a delightful book filled with beautiful color photos and stories of places not easily accessible. Journey from Japan to Mexico to Europe to discover a host of thrilling rooms, entertaining tales, and descriptions of places in the past. I enjoyed this book immensely. I thought the authors did a wonderful job entertaining the reader with slight bits of historical facts and anecdotes.
  
  Thank you to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for this ARC.
• 
  Hailey Hudson

  I saw this at a bookstore and picked it up thinking that it would inspire some story ideas — did it ever! I absolutely loved this book and didn’t want it to end. It reminded me of the tv show Expedition Unknown. So many super cool places presented in an engaging way. I also loved how it went beyond just describing each place, to talking about the human psychology behind why/how each one was created or used.
• 
  Annarella

  This is one of those book that can only defined as intriguing as it broght me back to when I was reading stories featuring lots of secrets passages and I was living in an house full of ancient furniture with a lot of hiding places.
  Well written and researched, fascinating,f ull of illustrations.
  Highly recommended.
  Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
• 
  Shawn Cusack

  This was a fascinating book, detailing many different, secretive places/things throughout human history. My only disappointment is there wasn’t a bibliography or list of sources, as there was so much in the book that I want to dig further into.
• 
  Susan Dunker

  Lots of fun facts about cool places. Right up my alley!
• 
  mads

  this was fascinating!