The Words We Whisper

By: Mary Ellen Taylor

Narrated by: Shannon McManus, Carlotta Brentan, Tim Campbell

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.

Very good story

The storyline was great the back and forth was a bit confusing at first and the grandmother's story was so heartbreaking to just imagine what people want through and go through when was is on their doorsteps. Was glad for the happy ending.

Becky G

Loved the book. The story kept me interested. Enjoyed the readers and accents. Would highly recommend this book!!

Great book!

Mary Ellen Taylor has a way with her books. The storyline bounces back and forth from the past to the present. Her characters in this book were very endearing and strong. I am not going to speak of the storylines content, but of the books quality and ability to move you emotionally. I love this author! The narrators were great also!

Recommended story

This is a wonderful and rich story with good character development. I agree with other reviewers about the narrators who were probably not the right fit, but the story was good enough to overcome the poor narration choices. The epilogue wrapped up loose ends nicely. A very interesting and engaging story that keeps you guessing. I definitely recommend it.

I Loved it and you will too!

This story is amazing . I was pulled into the life of the characters and felt their feelings. This book is well written. I Loved it and you will too!

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

Good story and narration.

An interesting book about the courageous life a woman in Rome lived during WW2. She kept her secret from her granddaughters until she was 97 years old and dying. I would recommend it.

Intrigue Meets Compassion

The multiple time lines in this novel are easy to follow, and the story lines are congruent. Excellent narrators make each character easy to identify, and the conclusion was wonderfully surprising! This was a book I hated to "put down." I listened for three hours at a time, rather than just a daily dose while I walked or did dishes. I just had to know more. For those who have ever cared for the dying, this may trigger some sad emotions, but for those who have NOT had such caregiving duties, I hope you will learn some things. Wonderful book!