Silent Melody

By: Mary Balogh

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Lady Emily Marlowe is beautiful, independent, and unspoiled. Deaf since childhood, she appreciates her family's efforts to nurture her spirit, but the man they've chosen for her betrothal can never fulfill her. The only one Emily has ever desired is bold and reckless Lord Ashley Kendrick. Her childhood amour inspired her fantasies and vowed never to forget her - even as he left her for a new life in India and a new love. Seven years and countless dreams later, Ashley has returned a desolate widower to Bowden Abbey and, true to his promise, to Emily. Yet his heedless proposal of marriage has left her unexpectedly conflicted. Though the heat of passion still burns, Emily fears that it's only a sense of duty - not love - that has brought him to bended knee. And what is she to make of those seven lost years clouded in secrets too dark for Ashley to share? For Emily, her greatest and only love now becomes one worth fighting for, one of startling revelations and second chances, and one, like a melody, too beautiful for words....

©1997 Mary Balogh (P)2015 Recorded Books

Don't buy until audible has entire book recorded

I was enjoying the book until it abruptly cut off. Audible did not get the entire recording so double check before you purchase that they have corrected this problem. Hard to rate when so frustrated!

15 of 15 people found this review helpful

A Wonderful and heartfelt story -Full Version

I absolutely adore Mary Balogh. The way she captures a story draws you into the characters. She's so good at it and I absolutely love the story.

Initially I was disappointed because I got through quite a bit of the book and then the rest was cut off. The publishing house seems to have fixed that issue and I was able to complete the entire book.

I think this book is even more special because it includes a main character with a disability. Most authors are not brave enough to do that nor are they able to pull it off. Well done!

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

Lovely and romantic

Note: Earlier reviews note that this recording was incomplete. That problem has been fixed.

Here's another Mary Balogh classic (from 1997) now available in audiobook format, and of course Rosalyn Landor does her usual excellent job.

It takes a courageous author to write a deaf heroine who can neither read nor write. We know from the previous book in this series, Heartless, that Lady Emily can read lips fairly well and that she has devised hand signals to communicate with Lord Ashley, whose brother the Duke of Harndon is married to Emily's sister Anna. As this book opens, Ashley has been in India for seven years, and Emily is on the verge of marrying a proper young man who is fond of her. But then, Ashley returns unexpectedly, in a most dramatic manner, without his wife and infant son.

With a hero and heroine unable to speak with one another, it is inevitable that a lot of the story takes place in Emily's mind, which consequently makes for rather slow going in the first half or so of this book. With Balogh's expert characterization and Landor's beautiful narration, however, I found myself completely immersed in the story.

Eventually, though, things do pick up, and there are good secondary characters and plotlines, including a mystery and an adorable senior-citizen romance (the older I get the more I enjoy those!).

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book, although not quite as much as Heartless. I recommend both of them to all Mary Balogh fans.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

One Of Balogh's Best!

After having re-read and listened to the audio version of HEARTLESS by Mary Balogh, it brought to mind another favorite of mine that followed the Georgian series, that of SILENT MELODY, the story of Anna’s younger deaf mute sister Lady Emily Marlowe.

Lady Emily was introduced in HEARTLESS as a young teen who had formed a fast friendship with Luke’s (hero of HEARTLESS) younger brother Lord Ashley Kendrick. Ashley had left England to find himself and make his fortune in India. Now ten years later he has returned a broken widower and tormented only to find Emily all grown up and about to become officially betrothed to a young and fully acceptable suitor. Had she forgotten him as he had her?

Emily liked her betrothed and might even love him in time, but for her heart – there was only one man she had ever loved and it was Ashley who accepted her and all her quirks. Ashley who knew her soul and loved her exactly the way she was. One thing you can be assured of is the romance and emotional portion of SILENT MELODY will stir your emotions to a high level.

But that is only a portion of what you will experience in SILENT MELODY, which happens to be one of my favorite all time best Mary Balogh novels. As with most romances Emily and Ashley’s journey was not without pitfalls, after all there was a background of betrayal going on that kept the pace moving right along. Someone did not want to see Ashley and Emily have their forever after and the twisted mind behind it was playing the feeling of both Emily and Ashley like a fine violin. Murderous attempts aside, this made the suspense as exciting as waiting to see Emily and Ashley overcome all the reasons that they shouldn’t be together.

Bottom line: Just another spectacular addition to Mary Balogh’s Georgian Series that I HIGHLY recommend. Very heartwarming and leaving you with that wonderful ahhhhhhh…… feeling.

Marilyn Rondeau

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

This Silent Melody makes music.

Ms. Balogh knows her stuff, and proves it by bringing two lovely characters together for their HEA. There is very few times I dislike what she writes, and this is NOT one of them. After falling for Melody and Ashley in the previous book, I looked forward to hearing if these two would get together. You find yourself holding your breath when Ashley first arrives home with his wife and son to follow. What is Melody to do because she's loved Ashley for so very long. Ms Balogh brings them together slowly and surly with an intriguing story. This book never seemed to flow slowly, and moves alone at a good pace. As Always there is nothing bad to say about Rosalyn Landor. Her performance as Melody really made me believe she was a young lady without a voice. Ms. Landor did a stellar job!!! Five stars from me across the board with this one. Well worth the credit. The only thing I had any trouble with in this book was thinking of the men wearing those powdered white wigs! I've always disliked the look even in movies, and thinking of their look just made me say ugh!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Had great potential

Oh dear, this started out so well. I was looking forward to this book ever since Ashley left at the end of HEARTLESS. Ashley and Emily had such a cute relationship.

Now it's years later and they reconnect. The story is good - at the beginning - but it loses something about half way through. I almost didn't finish but I was curious about how it would play out.

Rosalyn Landor does a superb narration job as usual.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

very unsatisfying lack of an ending

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes. The ending leaves the reader hanging. I thought I was missing part of the book. I kept trying to find the rest of it.

Have you listened to any of Rosalyn Landor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I could listen to Roslyn Landor read the phone book and enjoy it. She is by far the most superlative narrator of any of those to whom I listen. I wish she narrated more books. I am afraid I will run out of books narrated by her. She is so amazing at creating different characters' voices, no matter if they are male or female, upper or lower class.
This one was as good as any regarding the narration. I just wish she had been given a proper ending to narrate.

Was Silent Melody worth the listening time?

Yes, but I still wish it had a proper ending.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Worth the read....

Interesting mystery love storyline with an original twist. I don't want to give away any of the story so I'll leave it to you to read for yourself. The narrator did an excellent job of preforming or reading the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Slightly strange story, fantastic performance

In my opinion this novel is not one of the best of Mary Balogh’s works. The plot is plausible but slightly tough to swallow and digest. Maybe we have more decided opinion about the issues of incest, age and overall dynamic of sexual relationships nowadays, I tried to keep open mind the entire story, knowing that the author always have many valuable lessons and points hidden in all her stories.
I think that commissioning Rosalyn Landor was a very wise decision because her magnificent performance kept me interested and helped me finish it. The story is definitely worth listening to but it pales in comparison to the author’s other works.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Silent no more

Such a wonderful book, the narrator was exceptional! Emily Marlow has been deaf and mute since a childhood fever. Her sister married Lucas the previous year. She fell in love with Lukes younger brother Ashley Kendrick. Ashley knows he needs to make his own way in the world and joins the East India Company and leaves for India. Seven years later he returns a broken man with the death of his wife and child, he blames himself.
Emily still loved him but just accepted a marriage proposal. Ashley is in so much pain and all Emily wants to do he help. That help turned into physical. He made love to Emily and offered for her and she said NO. She then has to tell her fiancé that she cant marry him. It was decided then that Emily will go to London for the season. Ashley then decides to go to his estate he inherited when his wife died (Penhurst).
A wonderful read with such a beautiful ending.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I didn't like the Hero.

What made the experience of listening to Silent Melody the most enjoyable?

The only bit I enjoyed was relationship and plotting of the Aunt and Uncle.

Would you ever listen to anything by Mary Balogh again?

I have listen to a number of Mary Balogh and enjoyed a number, but I am finding I don't enjoy a number of her book and there can be a repetition in a number of the story lines.

Have you listened to any of Rosalyn Landor’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I like Rosalyn Landor, I think she reads beautifully and brings the best out of the characters.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found it very frustrating, he is 9 years older than her, they met when she is 14 years old. He admits that it is wrong to be having sexual thoughts about her, yet when they met years later, he still beds her, though he till thinks of her as a child. Then justifies it all by saying "she was always a woman, even at 14". Through out he tells her what is best for her because it suit his idea of how he see her. I found him extremely selfish and wished she would tell him were to get off.

Any additional comments?

I had listen to Heartless and had met the two characters, so was curious about what happened to them. She had grown up while he stayed the spoilt self-pitying boy.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful