Whisper Network

A Novel

By: Chandler Baker

Narrated by: Almarie Guerra

Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER!

“Honest, timely, and completely thrilling.” (Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine book pick) 

Sloane, Ardie, Grace, and Rosalita have worked at Truviv, Inc., for years. The sudden death of Truviv’s CEO means their boss, Ames, will likely take over the entire company. Each of the women has a different relationship with Ames, who has always been surrounded by whispers about how he treats women. Those whispers have been ignored, swept under the rug, hidden away by those in charge. But the world has changed, and the women are watching this promotion differently. This time, when they find out Ames is making an inappropriate move on a colleague, they aren’t willing to let it go. This time, they’ve decided enough is enough. 

Sloane and her colleagues’ decision to take a stand sets in motion a catastrophic shift in the office. Lies will be uncovered. Secrets will be exposed. And not everyone will survive. All of their lives - as women, colleagues, mothers, wives, friends, even adversaries - will change dramatically as a result. 

"If only you had listened to us,” they tell us in Chandler Baker's Whisper Network, “none of this would have happened."

Praise for Whisper Network:

"Narrator Almarie Guerra projects the Southern accent and sassy tone that are needed in this audiobook.... Guerra captivates listeners by creating energetic portrayals.... This is an intense listen about women who triumph over injustice in the workplace." (AudioFile Magazine)

“Don't be fooled by its title. Whisper Network is a primal roar of a novel. Furiously funny and just plain furious, it's as timely as today's headlines and as big-hearted as your best work friend. A fantastic read.” (Riley Sager, New York Times best-selling author of The Last Time I Lied) 

“Exciting and sprinkled with razor-sharp insights about what it is to be a woman today, Whisper Network is a witty and timely story that will make you cheer for sisterhood.” (Liv Constantine, USA Today best-selling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish) 

©2019 Chandler Baker (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Narrator Almarie Guerra projects the Southern accent and sassy tone that are needed in this audiobook....Guerra captivates listeners by creating energetic portrayals... This is an intense listen about women who triumph over injustice in the workplace." (AudioFile Magazine)

“Don't be fooled by its title. Whisper Network is a primal roar of a novel. Furiously funny and just plain furious, it's as timely as today's headlines and as big-hearted as your best work friend. A fantastic read.” (Riley Sager, New York Times best-selling author of The Last Time I Lied) 

“Whisper Network manages to be provocative, timely, and a ripping good read: A murder mystery and a manifesto all rolled up into one. I couldn’t put it down.” (Janelle Brown, New York Times best-selling author of Watch Me Disappear)  

I WANTED to like this book...

I feel like it I should have liked this book; I think it’s probably a timely and important book, but I just couldn’t. The plot was disjointed and convoluted, and it was packed with a huge cast of extremely unlikeable characters. I listened to the bitter end, but you don’t need to punish yourself. Buy something else....ANYTHING else...

3 hours into the audiobook and I have to give up..

I really wanted to like this book but first the narration is SO bad that sometimes it is hard to follow which character is speaking. There are too many characters and my GOD is it bitter. What a shame, pass on this one.

What to expect when starting this book--

This book is great, but also IMO you have to give it a while to set up. I struggled in the beginning to remember and figure out who each character was. (This could likely be remedied by reading it versus listening to it.) Once you get that down though (in the approximate first 1/4 of the book) you're golden and the story really starts moving along from there.

The interesting thing about this book is it isn't JUST a good mystery and well-written story, it strongly shows via both thoughts and events how working women in society are at a (oftentimes unconscious) disadvantage compared to men, the moment they start at any workplace. A few notes I have here personally... As a 38-year-old woman, I found many of the inner commentaries of the women regarding how women have to act at work, as right on the money. Once the comment was made that we have to essentially "act like men" at work and as the character went into detail why she felt that way, and upon really mulling that over, it dawned on me how true that IS. The comment was also made that if women have children their value to a company plummets, but you're also looked at differently if you DON'T have children, like you have given up children for career. Either way we lose. Women will identify with this; hopefully men will realize how hard we have it just by BEing female. It is what it is and we have to deal with it, but it doesn't make it fun or ok. The author's notes the last few minutes of the audiobook file made me realize why so many of her thoughts on being a working woman and the struggles of being hit on and what that can mean to a career, were so insightful. I didn't feel this was PUSHED on the reader during the story though; it was just a very important part of the storyline.

Separately, this book does a great job of pointing out that not just women that modern society deems "attractive" are subject to the advances or assaults of their male co-workers or superiors; and also it's not just women that have frequent interaction with these males either. After all, it was unveiled subtly that Artie was overweight; and another character (I won't spoil it) was not even a women who had a boss in that office but was subject to it in that office as well!-- it was kind of a wrong place at the wrong time scenario for her.

Now that those notes have been made... the story is really good. You are kept guessing at certain events, little clues are unveiled here and there, and it's entertaining once you have ascertained who each character is and what their role may be. I read a lot of psychological fiction and not that I'd put it in that category, but the twists and turns and unveiling of information was pretty excellent. I was trying to figure out what was really happening, quite a few times.

So overall, very recommended!

Contrived tale

This was not an easy listen. I found it necessary to replay sections of the book (especially in the beginning) because I had lost track of the story or wasn't sure of which character was speaking. The ending seemed to be highly contrived--I felt like shrugging my shoulders before starting a more involving selection.

Loved

I loved this book. It is funny, interesting, accurate, and relevant. The only thing was that the narrator mis-pronounced several words and that kept throwing me off. Also, if you are going to do a book with Southern characters, it would be nice to have a Southern narrator instead of trying to imitate the accent. It’s definitely would the read or listen

FANTASTIC book!

This book was a riot and I loved every minute of it. Fast paced, well developed characters, razor sharp wit from Baker, and an edge of your seat story that kept me dialed-in from beginning to end. I can totally see this book becoming an anthem for working women in America. A modern version of 9 to 5 on steroids - easily my favorite book of 2019.

It just didn’t work

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t work for me. As someone all too familiar with sexism in corporate world, I definitely find the subject important and long overdue, however the story was weak at best. I didn’t care for any of the characters and I just wanted the story to end. It also didn’t help that it was just wayyyy too long. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Heavy on the "Me too" message

The Me too message was LOUD and clear, to the detriment of a good story. I don't enjoy being preached to when I'm reading for entertainment, and that happens in this book. The story and characters were entertaining when they weren't being self-pitying, manipulative, and/or dishonest. Narration was just ok.

“Women’s greatest fear was violence. Men’s greatest fear was ridicule.”

𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 dives deep into a Harvey Weinstein-esque, #metoomovement storyline, with 4 women experiencing sexual harassment on different levels and in various aspects of their life. This topic happens to be important to me on a personal level. I was pursued & stalked by a man who held my future in his hands. I was lucky though; I spoke out & was believed & supported and he lost his job. It doesn’t work out like that for many other women out there though. That’s why this book is so important.

Many women feel the need strive for perfection in all areas of life just to prove their worth; their equality. From the makeup, hair routine to being able to strive for succession in the workplace without being labeled as a (fill in the blank). It’s exhausting. We need to be able to do these things without feeling shame for it. If I want to doll myself up it should be because it makes me feel good or because makeup is a creative outlet, playing with color and symmetry. Not because it’s expected of me, a norm of what a woman should look like to fit ridiculous standards. Luckily there are generations of women that just do not give a f*** anymore. Period. End of story. Enough is enough. Basic human rights, respect and equality are demanded. We’ll take evidence. We will change laws & enact new ones. We will trap you if necessary. Then we will prosecute you and punish you until it seeps in that we will not back down and we’ll die first before going backwards. So get used to it.

I appreciate that the story includes a very much younger generation. Will history repeat itself? Will the fight we’re fighting now help stop the cycle from repeating itself? Can standing up and speaking out change the patterns? Can we raise our daughters/granddaughters/etc to expect equality as a standard?

Can this movement enact change? I bet you the men in power of today think twice before they make ignorant comments or force physical advancements on the women of today. I bet some are even starting to check their thoughts and behavior patterns to make sure they’re not repeating usual behaviors. Some will test the limits to see what they can get away with, without getting busted until they’re eventually busted. Life’s not perfect, it’s messy and will always be complicated but it doesn’t mean we don’t forge ahead and try.

I sincerely hope people give this book a chance. It won’t be for everyone. It’s a slow-building mystery, not a thriller. Portions of the book have interviews with witnesses similar to Big Little Lies. This one is definitely going on my favorites shelf. I highly recommend!

Screaming, not whispering I LOVE THIS BOOK!

I am a young, woman attorney in a position of power and related to this book on every level. I will be purchasing for all the ladies in my “whisper network” and will scream my praise whenever possible! Love, love, love this book. Thank you to the author for this poignant look at our reality!