The Words We Whisper

By: Mary Ellen Taylor

Narrated by: Shannon McManus, Carlotta Brentan, Tim Campbell

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

From the bestselling author of Honeysuckle Season comes a sweeping saga that interweaves the past and present in an epic tapestry of love, war, and loss.

As a hospice nurse, Zara Mitchell has already seen more death than most people will experience in a lifetime. So when her older sister asks her to help care for their ailing grandmother, Zara agrees - despite strained family relationships.

Though pale and tired, Nonna has lost none of her sharp mind. She’s fixated on finding something long forgotten, and she immediately puts Zara to work cleaning out the attic. Unexpectedly, amid the tedium of sifting through knickknacks and heirlooms, Zara also reconnects with a man she’s attracted to but whose complicated past makes romance seem impossible.

But then Zara finds what Nonna was looking for: a wooden chest, an emerald broach, a leather-bound journal. As she immerses herself in stories of heroism and loss set against the backdrop of war-torn Italy in 1943, Zara finds answers to questions she didn’t know she had. And they change everything she thinks she knows about love, regret, and seizing the day.

©2021 Mary Burton. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Beyond Excellent

I was almost finished writing a long review for this audiobook, when it disappeared and I found that I need to start over! This will have to be much shorter than the detailed review I almost wrote.

I've never been fond of historical fiction set during WWII.
I feel like I'm being forced to take a history lesson, and there are so many stories set in that era--too many in my opinion. This story drew me in, however, despite half the tale being about WWII, set in Rome, Italy. The other half is set in modern times, in a Southern state in the US, Richmond Virginia, I believe.

The author does a good job keeping the confusion at bay, while the story jumps back and forth from one setting to the other. At first, the stories seem unrelated. As they eventually come together, the author does an amazing job of tying up all those loose ends! There were many. This is not a short story or a quick read. It seems to be well researched although I did not look at the text version to see if the author shared her research techniques or resources. The book had a feel of authenticity to it; it was very accurate in regards to human nature.

I guessed the "big reveal" correctly, but I was never entirely sure I was right. I gained some understanding by reading this story: Why people take chances doing the right thing despite fatal consequences if they were caught. I felt the sweetness in everyday. circumstances that can only be felt when a future is not guaranteed. I especially liked how the story explained the differences in how people of other generations express things...what they do and do not talk about.

The book is professionally well-written, with no amateur mistakes in grammar and punctuation that I find so irritating. The intimate scenes are tasteful and relevant to understanding the characters and the plot. I didn't notice any cussing or vulgarity, but I'm not easily offended by it so I may have overlooked it. There is no need for the author to use anything for "shock value" because the historic events the book is based on are shocking enough.

I'm having a difficult time doing the book justice in this review as I'm tired of typing. I will end by saying that I've read one other book by this author, and I will be reading many more.

ps...great narration as far as.I.could tell. I am not expert in what a.German or.Italian accent should sound like. The.voice and inflection added to the story.

Slow start, good ending

Took me a minute to grasp what was going on but once I got it, I was all in!

2 stories converging

modern day characters finally unravel the story of family during WWII, so the story switches back and forth. the WWII part of the story was way more serious than parts of the modern day story…almost seemed like two different writers.

Wonderful Read!

So very interesting, the way the story or stories were written so that you learned past and present. It was done so well that I didn’t loose track of the characters. Great writer. Great writing. Great characters.

Review

Great book! Would read or listen to this book again. Good for a book club!

Great

This w was an amazing book that took you another time in history and was a. eye opener.. loved it

A beautifully told historical fiction!

This book beautifully portrays, the complexities of grief, war, love and family.
I genuinely couldn’t stop listening!

If you love a good historical fiction, you will enjoy this book.

Fantastic

Enjoyed this book immensely. Such an interesting story and great narration! Highly recommend. Takes place in Rome during the Nazi occupation.

Loved it!

I enjoyed the time traveling back and forth between characters as their stories got closer together. The ending was not what I expected but speculated the possibility. Satisfying from beginning to end.

Thankful to be an American

When you think of all the hardship that these people went through in the war and have people protest against the United States for sure I am thankful to be in American and I hope that god blesses us all the time