I tried really hard to finish. I made it to the halfway point and reluctantly gave up. Perhaps my dislike stemmed from the audio version I borrowed from the library. I have not read anything from this author in the past; however the narrator (Sandra Burr)is one of my favorites. Traditionally, I love a book that has all the elements The Second Silence had in it, so I thought for sure Goudge would be new on my favorites list. Not going to happen.The story was long and was branching into too many mini storylines. Too many generations and conspiracy theories distracted me from what could have been a great story.