The Words We Whisper by Mary Ellen Taylor

 The Words We Whisper

Book Summary

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.

My Thoughts

The Words We Whisper by Mary Ellen Taylor is a dual timeline novel that takes us between the 1940s in Rome and the present day in Richmond, Virginia.  The story is told from multiple points-of-view which includes Zara Mitchell, Gina Mitchell, Nicolas Bernard, and Isabella Mancuso.  The main narrators are Zara, a traveling hospice nurse, and Isabella Mancuso, a dressmaker at a high-end shop in Rome in the 1940s.  I thought The Words We Whisper contained good writing, but it is a slow starter.  I had a hard time getting into the book.  I thought the beginning was a bit of a put off and it is depressing.  I wish the story had begun differently (in a way that would have hooked me).  The Words We Whisper is an interesting story with things I liked and some things I found less appealing.  I enjoyed the historical sections more than the present day.  Isabella lives in Rome and wants to help her country against the invading Germans.    I can tell the author did her research.  With regard to the modern section, I could have done without the romance. I would have preferred to see more growth from Zara.  To have her coming into her own instead of falling in love. I like how the author tied the past and present together.  Nonna’s secrets are slowly revealed with the big unveiling at the end.  While The Words We Whisper is a good story, I felt something was missing.  The Words We Whisper is a story about war, loss, love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and new beginnings.  The Words We Whisper is a good book to read while relaxing on a lounger by the pool.  

The Words We Whisper publishes Tuesday, July 20 and it can be pre-ordered from Amazon*.  It can be borrowed for free if you belong to Kindle Unlimited.  You can find Mary Ellen Taylor's other novels here.  The second image I included today is an actual traveling nurses van.  They take assignments that last three to six months.  This allows them to have their own home and save on expenses. I appreciate you dropping in and reading my review today.  I wanted to let you know that my mother's birthday celebration was a success.  She had a special day and she loved her gifts.  The special gift I had ordered ended up showing up in time (thank heavens). She received a gift each day for a week with her getting the big gift for her birthday.  She also had a cute cake to enjoy after her birthday dinner.  Tomorrow I am featuring The Lights of Sugarberry Cove by Heather Webber.  I hope that everyone has a harmonious day.   Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

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Book

https://amzn.to/3hIoLjm