The Words We Whisper

Written by Mary Ellen Taylor

Narrated by Shannon McManus, Carlotta Brentan and 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jul 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781713559665

Mary Ellen Taylor

A southerner by birth, Mary Ellen Taylor has a love for her home state of Virginia that is evident in her contemporary women’s fiction. When she’s not writing, she spends time baking, hiking, and spoiling her miniature dachshunds, Buddy, Bella, and Tiki.

Reviews for The Words We Whisper

[Lisa Young Miller · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! Kept me very interested and the characters came alive! Will definitely read more by this author. Also the narrators did a great job!

[jean Campbell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Truly good read she never disappoints. Always surprises as you go.

[hotcha-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked that Zara, a hospice nurse even though she an her and her grandmother did not get along, she agreed to care for her when her older sister had asked for help. I imagine seeing so much death that Zara would be used to people dying, but she is a gem and I hope when it my time to go that I get a nurse like her. When her grandmother asked her to find items left in the attic she finds answers to questions that she never expected. I tried to finish this book, but I could not get over the little girl who died as the bombs fell from a war in 1943, and I cried.

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Words We Whisper by Mary Ellen Taylor is a 2021 Montlake publication. Zara Mitchell, a hospice nurse, is called home to help care for her grandmother, Nonna. Upon arrival, Nonna gives Zara a mission to accomplish before she passes away. She must clean out the attic, and Nonna will give approval- or not- to save or throw away the contents. Obviously, Nonna wants Zara to find something for her, but what? Meanwhile, Zara reconnects with a form client’s husband, and is given more bad news, as Nonna slowly reveals the secrets of her past. This story uses a familiar dual-time life format- taking the reader back in time to Rome, Italy in the early 1940s, as we witness the bravery of a young woman named Isabelle, who helps the Jewish community, after suffering through a tragic personal loss. The two timelines eventually converge in a most surprising way. Zara’s quest changes over the course of the novel. Though she as suffered much, her mission is a noble one, and is anyone deserved a happily ever after- it was Zara. I did like this book. There was so much depth to the historical aspects, and it was very absorbing, tense and edgy back in 1943! Thank goodness for such courageous people who took such risks with their very lives to save those in peril!! That said, the contemporary elements contained an overwhelming amount of sickness and death, which was understandable on the historical side the story, but was excessive in the present-day thread. It was just too much, and it had an effect on my mood, leaving me feeling depressed even though the ending was very touching. Because the romantic elements were rushed through, I remained unconvinced of the sincerity or readiness of Zara’s love interest, but Zara at least was finally able and willing to reach for happiness- and there is the promise of better days ahead. Overall, this is a good story, though a little too heavy at times. I liked the characters and the surprise turn of events Nonna’s revelations exposed. Fans of historical fiction, especially set during the second world war will want to read this one. 3.5 stars

[shazjhb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good book covering death and dying. These books that do WWII with current circumstances are probably not going to be possible in a few years. Some nice surprises but some obvious situations

[huntersun9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good story combining family saga and historical fiction. Zara is a hospice nurse who works all over the country. She is summoned home by her older sister Gina because their Nonna, in her nineties, is close to dying. Nonna asks Zara to clear out the attic where family secrets have long been hidden. The novel shifts between the present day and WW2 Italy when Nonna worked as a seamstress and struggled to survive in Nazi-occupied Rome. The characters were well-developed and both story lines kept me interested.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[gincam · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Author Mary Ellen Taylor's beautifully-detailed writing brings to vivid life a poignant time and generation spanning tale, "The Words We Whisper". From WWII Italy to present-day Virginia, this powerfully emotional story will take readers on a journey of words that they will long remember. Zara Mitchell is a traveling hospice nurse dedicated to the comfort and well-being of her patients. With her big heart for people--and animals--she even adopts the pets of the patients who pass away. When Zara's older sister, Gina, calls and begs Zara to come home to help care for their dying grandmother, Zara can't refuse. Zara's grandmother, Nonna, may be showing signs of physical decline, but her mindset is as formidable as ever. She immediately tasks Zara with cleaning up the attic and helping her to find special mementos. Zara is surprised by a visit from Nicolas Bernard, the widower of one of her patients, Catherine, who had passed away two years ago. Nicolas has been fulfilling a bucket list written for him by Catherine, and one of the items on the list involved Zara. As Zara begins to sort through items from the attic, she and Gina realize there is much more to their grandmother's past than they could ever have imagined. Zara is taken aback when she learns the real reason that she was summoned home, and her mind is awhirl now that life as she knew it will never be the same. The three women come together as bits and pieces of truth fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, and a new sense of family begins to grow. Throughout the present-day story, author Mary Ellen Taylor has interspersed glimpses into the past--into the turbulence of WWII Italy, the time and place which was the launching point for the events that would affect the characters and shape their lives. The storytelling here is stellar, and I was deeply involved in seeing how the story line would be resolved. Yes, there is poignancy, but there is also hope and affirmation. "The Words We Whisper" is highly recommended.Book Copy Gratis Author