The Talk-Funny Girl

A Novel

By: Roland Merullo

Narrated by: Em Eldridge

In one of the poorest parts of rural New Hampshire, teenage girls have been disappearing, snatched from back country roads, never to be seen alive again. For 17-year-old Marjorie Richards, the fear raised by these abductions is the backdrop to what she lives with in her own home, every day.

Marjorie has been raised by parents so intentionally isolated from normal society that they have developed their own dialect, a kind of mountain hybrid of English that displays both their ignorance of and disdain for the wider world. Marjorie is tormented by her classmates, who call her "The Talk-Funny Girl," but as the nearby factory town sinks deeper into economic ruin and as her parents fall more completely under the influence of a sadistic cult leader, her options for escape dwindle. But then, thanks to a loving aunt, Marjorie is hired by a man, himself a victim of abuse, who is building what he calls "a cathedral", right in the center of town.

Day by day, Marjorie's skills as a stoneworker increase, and so too does her intolerance for the bitter rules of her family life. Gradually, through exposure to the world beyond her parents' wood cabin thanks to the kindness of her aunt and her boss, and an almost superhuman determination, she discovers what is loveable within herself.

©2011 Roland Merullo (P)2017 Tantor

Great book

Loved the book, I just wish It would have ended with a little more romance. I felt like the should have showed the moment they fell in love instead of just fast forwarding.

Different but very good!

Very different from the Buddha books but very good. I didn't want to put it down.

Emotions galore

Wow, the emotions that this story evoke. I am so grateful to have been raised as I was raised. The things that some people go through and have gone through. The things that people do to work through everything.

I should copy and paste some of the other reviews I have read. This book takes the raw emotions of a the character who was raised in an abusive home. It shows the hurt and the idea that they still love and want to be loved regardless of who is the abuser. The author did a great job explaining the emotions. I was grateful that this story started out with the main character looking back.

Go into this story knowing that emotions will be pulled at and will hurt.

wonderful

written convincingly in a young woman's voice: clear but never gritty despite horrible events

Unforgettable!!

Another one that I’m never gonna forget. The reader did an amazing job. The story is amazing. It is captivating. It is multi layered. It gives suspense and provides a great twist with a beautiful outcome. I loved every bit of it. Enjoy everyone.