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.

When you stay in the car to keep listening...

Zara was a strong character right out of the gate. Her return home from a call from her sister Gina to care for her grandmother Nona turned out to be so much more. I especially loved how it was two time periods. The character of Isabella from war torn Rome was such a hero and strong woman, hiding families in times of war.

Tip: pay very close attention as this story weaves in and out of the characters. Especially Isabella and Mia from the war time scenarios. There are many intertwining aspects of these characters that carry into modern day.

Without being a spoiler Zara ends up caring for those other than her grandmother Nona.

I can't say enough good things about this one other than read it!

Fantastic

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

Lyrical

What a beautiful story , carefully weaving the past with the present. I enjoyed the mystery that slowly unraveled. The narration really added to the storyline.

A important legacy lives on

After about a 2 year hiatus from WW2 related books, I decided to pick this one up and am very glad. I love the legacy of all who helped the Jewish families escape, books like this will continue to highlight those brave souls. Taylor did a wonderful job preserving that and weaving the lives of the next generations. The characters “today” learn of their grandmothers remarkable past as she encourages them to read a treasured diary written during WW2.

This was really good

This was a great listen. The performances were very good and the story kept you engaged.

Amazing

The characters are so awesome and the story flows amazingly. Cried at some points do you really connect with the characters.

Highly recommend it!!!

What an amazing book. Sad but true. Thank you for this great book and the narrators for keeping me on edge at all time!!!

Wondeful

My very first book by Mary Ellen Taylor, and I'm delighted especially the way she wrote The Words We Whisper, is a novel that spans between past and presents the story of a grandmother and two granddaughters that are taking care of her.

Gina is taking care of her grandmother but something is not right with her also, she is in need of help, and what better help than her sister Zara who has all the experience taking care of people.

Zara a hospice nurse, is single trying to move on with her life when she gets the call from her sister she doesn't hesitate to come for help without knowing she will learn and gain much more than she ever thought about.

The story of these three wonderful ladies starts, Nona, having many secrets that are ready to be unviable but also that are hard to share with them. she is not proud of the things she did during WWll at least in her own eyes but later time will tell. a heartwrenching life hiding and helping others but at the same time sacrificing many to help finally this war to end.

The words we whisper are a novel that has everything in place to be great and pleasant, the love, the faith, the drama, and the wrenching moments Nona leave during her early years were more than enough to keep me rooted and eager to continue reading this book, so many secrets that will shock you but will make so much more sense once they are out.

The secondary characters were also great Nicolas was a huge key to this puzzle, a widower searching for more meaning for something that will make him feel with apropos even if that purpose means to accept you're in love all over again.

The narrations by Shannon McManus, Carlotta Brentan, and Tim Campbell were great I really enjoy how much weight and dept they brought to the characters and the story making it even more enjoyable.

Great story, great book, I love that it has many aspects that make this story wonderful

Wonderful

I enjoyed every about this story! From performance to the historical side to the twist as you wait to find out everything

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.

Great story

Absolutely loved the characters and beautifully written. Great storyline to keep you with the book.